Who Is Going To Heaven?

Text: Matthew 7:13-14

Introduction:

The Bible is the Word of God. In the Bible it tells us several things that are of great importance to us. First of all it tells us there is a God. The very first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 The Bible also tells us that this God who created the earth also was the creator of mankind. In the early chapters of the book of Genesis we are told that man was made in God’s image. Man was put in the Garden of Eden. Man was given a requirement. He could man could eat of all the fruits of the garden but the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil man was not to eat. If he ate of that tree God told him that “He would surely die.” Our first parents Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord brought death upon the whole human race. The result of that fall of Adam and Eve is that every human being born into the world today has a fallen nature with a tendency or propensity towards sin. 

The Bible also makes it very clear that when people die there's two places they might possibly go. The first place is heaven. What is heaven like there are two verses that give us clues Revelation chapter 21:4,

”And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 

 And the book of John 14:1-6.  

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

The second place that man might go when he dies is a place called hell. What a Hell like? The Bible tells us in the book of Revelation chapter 20:10.

 “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

This verse is very descriptive of this horrible place called hell. It is important for all people to realize that when they die there are only two places they might end up, either in heaven or hell. 

What I would like to do in this message is to share with you who is going to heaven.

Our Theme: Who Is Going To Heaven?

Our Outline:

1. The Characteristics Of Those Who Are Not Going To Heaven.
2. The Characteristics Of Those Who Are Going To Heaven.
3. The Biblical Teaching On The Way To Get To Heaven.

1. The Characteristics Of Those Who Are Not Going To Heaven.

1. The Scriptures make bit clear:

1. I Corinthians 6:9-11, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 

2. Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

3. Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." 

4. These verses should cause every one of us to sit up and take notice.

2. The Characteristics of those not going to heaven.

1. No liar is going to heaven.
2. No drunkard is going to heaven.
3. No thief is going to heaven.
4. No person who is filled with a spirit of coveting is going to heaven.
5. No immoral person is going to heaven.
6. No person who cannot control his anger is going to heaven.
7. No whore monger is going to heaven. 

1. A womanizer
2. A person who chases immoral women.
3. A person who has “eyes full of adultery.” II Peter 2:14.
4. A person who is hooked on pornography
   
1. No homosexual or lesbian is going to heaven.
2. No murderer is going to heaven.
3. No idolater is going to heaven.
4. No unbeliever is going to heaven.
5. No Atheist is going to heaven.
6. No one practicing witchcraft is going to heaven.
7. No one who is following a false religion is going to heaven.

3. The Bible and the words of Jesus are very clear on these points.

1. Many people think they can sin and still go to heaven.
2. They think if they have a belief in God that’s all they need. James 2:19, “You believe in God you do well, even the demons believe and tremble.”
3. Just because you said a prayer or that you believe in God does not mean that you are going to heaven.

4. Those who practice these things will not inherit eternal life.

1. I John 3:4-9, “ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” 

2. Notice in these verses the emphasis on sin.

1. Verse 4, “commits sin…”
2. Verse 6, “…does not sin…”
3. Verse 8, “…he who sins is of the devil…”
4. Verse 9, “…does not sin…”

3. The Scripture is not saying that those who are saved are sinless.  It does not mean that they never sin. So what do these verses mean?

1. They do not practice sin.
2. They do not continue in sin.
3. They do not habitual pursue sin.
4. They may fall occasionally but sin is something that they hate and are trying to overcome by the power of God.

2. The Characteristics Of Those Who Are Going To Heaven.

1. There are many Scriptures that teach us how true believers behave and what we find to be true of them in their character.

1. Our character is a good indicator of what we are really like.
2. How do you describe your thought life? The Bible says, “As a man thinks so is he.” Proverbs 23:7
3. The real you is not the person that people see at church. The real you is what you do when you are in the dark or all alone. 

2. Here is a list of characteristics of those who are going to heaven.

1. Those who are lovers of God.
2. Those who have repented of their sins. Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
3. Those who believe and are baptized, Acts 2:38. “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 
4. Those who are born again, John 3:3,”Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 
5. Those who are pure in heart, Matthew 3:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” 
6. Those who walk in the light, I John 1:7,”But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 
7. Those who keep His commandments, I John 2:3, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 
8. Those who love the brethren, I John 2:11 “But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 
9. Those who love Christ more than the world, I John 2:15, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 
10. Those who practice righteousness, I John 2:29, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
11. Those who abide in Christ, I John 3:6, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” 
12. Those whose hearts do not condemn them, I John 3:24, “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
13. Those who overcome the world, I John 5:5, “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
14. Those who have the Son, I John 5:12, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 
15. Those who don’t sin, I John 5:18, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”
1. They don’t live under to dominion and power of sin.
2. They don’t practice sin habitually.

3. The Biblical Teaching On The Way To Get To Heaven.

1. There is a way to heaven that the Scriptures tell us about.

1. Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way fo death.”
2. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man can come to the Father but by Me.”
3. Jesus also said, “…narrow is the way which leaders unto life, and few there be that find it.,”
4. In the New Testament these are the features that speak of the way to heaven:
1. There is a door way to enter, Jesus is that door. “I am the door; by Me is any man enter in, the shall be saved.”  John 10:9.
2. There is a fountain of washing (There is a fountain filled withy blood.)
3. There is a garment to put on. (The righteousness of Christ.)
4. There is a narrow road to walk. (The Christian life.)
5. There is a highway of holiness. (The quality of life that we live before the Lord in holiness and obedience.)

2. This is much like Pilgrim’s Progress written by John Bunyan.

1. John Bunyan was born in Bedfordhire England in 1628.
2. He was a puritan preacher who was a Non-conformist.
3. John Bunyan spent 12 years in prison for his beliefs.
4. He wrote his autobiography, Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners.” He also wrote Pilgrim’s Progress and The Holy War. 
5. Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory.

3. Here is a summary of the allegory of Pilgrim’s Progress.

1. Pilgrim had a terrible burden on his back. (Sin).
2. Pilgrim was pointed to the wicket gate by the evangelist.
3. Pilgrim’s burden fell off when he came to the cross and the sepulcher.
4. Pilgrim had to climb up the hill of difficulty.
5. Pilgrim had to travel the strait and narrow path.
6. Pilgrim had to pass through the valley of humiliation.
7. Pilgrim had to battle the monster Apollyon.”
8. Pilgrim had to choose to leave Vanity Fair. (The world).
9. Pilgrim had to deal with “Doubting Castle and Giant Despair.”
10. Pilgrim had to cross a river to get to the Celestial City.

4. The Philippian Jailor asked Paul “…Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Peter told him to:

1. This is a great question and  one that we must all face.
2. Here is what we are commanded to do in order to get into heaven.

1. Repent
2. Believe the gospel.
3. Be a follower of God, John 10:27.
4. Become a disciple, Luke 9:23.

Conclusion:

We have been considering the characteristics of those who are going to heaven and the characteristics of those who are going to hell. 

Our theme was: Who Is Going To Heaven?

Our Outline was:

1. The Characteristics Of Those Who Are Not Going To Heaven.
2. The Characteristics Of Those Who Are Going To Heaven.
3. The Biblical Teaching On The Way To Get To Heaven.

The Bible is very clear on these two subjects and does not leave us guessing or wondering. 

Jesus also gave some of the most powerful warnings to His disciples that we must consider. In His famous Sermon On The Mount Jesus said:

• "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14.

• “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:19-23.

• In Matthew 22:1-10 Jesus gave us the parable of the wedding garment. “

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." ' 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.” 

• In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus gave us the parable of the ten virgins. 

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. 

These parables remind us that on the day of Judgment there will be those who are not prepared, I.e. they are not covered by the garment of Christ’s righteousness, and they are not filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit.”

Do these warnings not stir your soul? Now is the time to make sure you have the wedding garment. Now it the time to make sure you have the oil of the Holy Spirit in your life.

“…Behold, now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2

Made In The Image Of God

The Christian Perspective On 

Race Relations

 Because the political left, in this current war on Christianity, is quick to label any comments that view Western civilization and white European culture positive in any way as bigoted and racist it is necessary to state the Christian perspective on race relations. The Bible teaches that God made all men in His image. As the image bearers of God, all men of every ethnic background are born with a sacred dignity as the apex of God’s creation. This demands that all human beings be treated with respect, dignity, and justice before God. Prejudice based on skin color or ethnic background is a sin and forbidden in the Scriptures. While all men must be treated with biblical justice, righteousness and Christian kindness the behavior of all men is to be evaluated by the laws and commandments of God’s holy word. Therefore, while every person of every ethnic background is to be treated with Christian love and respect, the particular beliefs and behaviors of the various cultures, religions, and world-views are to be accepted or rejected based on their adherence to or departure from God’s word. The result of this may include censure, rebuke, or condemnation. 

 Not all cultures, religions, lifestyles, beliefs, or practices are endorsed by the Holy Scriptures. When any belief or practice departs from God’s Word it will and must be rejected by the Christian church. To do otherwise is to be unfaithful to the Christians high calling in Christ Jesus. In every era of every century since the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the founding of His church Christians have faced the culture, kings, kingdoms, parliaments, and people of the world and have declared, “Thus saith the Lord.”

 Because of their courageous stand through the centuries, many of God’s choicest servants have been imprisoned, tortured, killed and martyred. The religious freedoms that our forefathers bequeathed us  are being slowly taken away. Christians are under increasing pressure to either compromise their faith or to remain silent on issues where the Bible speaks. Personal rejection, persecution, stiff penalties, and imprisonment is rapidly increasing in the Western world towards those who take a stand on biblical issues.

Christians are now being called bigots and racists for being faithful to the historic Christian faith. But God’s people must fearlessly repeat what German reformer Martin Luther said before the Diet of Worms, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God…Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”

The Danger Of Not Applying What You Read, Hear, And Study

"...For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required." Jesus, spoken in Luke 12:48

 To all my brothers and sisters in Christ! As you read good books, listen to great sermons, study deep theology, and read the Bible, beware that you apply and practice what you are taking in. "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14. The following warning from Thomas Brooks should give us reason to  search our hearts.

“If it is not strong upon your heart to practice what you read, to what end do you read? To increase your own condemnation? If your light and knowledge be not turned into practice, the more knowing a man you are, the more miserable a man you will be in the day of recompense; your light and knowledge will more torment you than all the devils in hell. Your knowledge will be that rod that will eternally lash you, and that scorpion that will forever bite you, and that worm that will everlastingly gnaw you; therefore read, and labor to know that you may do--or else you are undone forever.” Puritan Thomas Brooks

Holiness in this life prepares us for happiness in the life to come. God bless you all! 

Pastor Robert L. Dickie

Why Would Anyone Want To Read 

The Bible?

Someone once said, “God’s Word will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from God’s Word.”

I've spent my entire life telling people about Jesus Christ. I was converted as a young man at the age of 16. Now, I get up in the morning, I look in the mirror, and I'm almost 70 years old. The years have come and the years have gone. I have enjoyed many unbelievable blessings from the Lord. My life has been rich and spiritually fulfilling. But I also have regrets. I regret I have not done more, loved more, forgiven more, lived better, obeyed more consistently, lived for Christ more passionately. I regret I do not have more lives to give my Savior. I identify with the hymn writer who cried, "O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise."

  If an angel stood before me and said, "The Father at the throne is asking for volunteers to go to the front lines and there resist the powers of darkness and die for Jesus will you go?" I would shout like Isaiah of old, as loud as I could, "Here am I send me." Isaiah chapter 6 verse eight. Indeed, the hymn writer has stated it right, "Love so amazing, so divine demands my life my soul my all."

  Let me plead with you to take up your Bibles and to read them as if your eternal destiny depends upon it—it does. Let me plead with you to confess all past sins of negligence and to read your Bibles with a holy desperation. Time is passing by so quickly. Eternity is coming at a terrifying speed. Too many people live like the fool that Jesus spoke about in the parable in Luke 12,

"Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 

So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 

And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." ' 

But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'

 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 

Let me plead with you to read your Bibles with this prayer to God, "Dear Lord, open  the eyes of my soul, that in this book, I might see my need of Jesus."

The great tragedy of life is that so many people spend their entire lives without having read the greatest piece of literature the world has ever known, the Bible.

They'll be ignorant of the greatest love letter ever written to man. This is God's love letter to you.

They will have spent a lifetime and countless hours on TV, degrading movies, cheap entertainment that is more detrimental than elevating.

These individuals will never know the rich treasures that the Bible unfolds to us. They will never appreciate a book whose thrilling stories, unmatched poetry, fascinating histories, and compelling teaching is far more profound than any philosopher, more mysterious and enchanting than "Star Wars," "Game of Thrones," J.R.R. Tolkien's “Lord of the rings, or even C.S. Lewis’ "Chronicles of Narnia."

The Bible opens up worlds for us that we never knew existed. It gives us a challenge to face, a mountain to climb, a reason to live, and a purpose for life.

Millions of people go through life like zombies, more dead than alive. Filled with emptiness, loneliness, having no purpose, no joy, and no hope for the future.

Can anything be more challenging in life than to walk with the true and living God?

Can anything be more fulfilling than to serve and your fellow man by serving the high King of heaven Jesus Christ?

Can anything be more rewarding than to live for the glory of God?

Can there be anything more important than seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness?

Can there be any comfort more profound than to know your sins are forgiven?

Can there be any joy greater than to know that you are destined for heaven?

Can there be any peace greater than the peace of God?

The Bible opens up for us all these precious joys and blessings.

If we were really wise, we would consider the Bible the greatest treasure and most priceless possession we owned.

Solomon challenged his son in Proverbs 2:1-5 to read the Scriptures. His words are really the words of our Father in heaven. Here is what our heavenly Father says to us about reading His Holy Word, the Bible:

"My son if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you. So that you incline your ear to wisdom, apply your heart to understanding, yes if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding. If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." 

Our Father in heaven is telling us that when we read the Bible we find things more valuable to us for our lives than  silver and hidden treasures. 

Jesus said to His disciples, “Search the Scriptures…these are they which testify of Me.” The greatest treasure you will find in the reading of the Word of God is the hidden treasure of a personal relationship with God’s Son Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40:8,  "The grass withers the flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”

My friend, read the book that does not wither and never fades but stands forever. Read the book that will give you the pragmatic solutions to every problem of life, that will give you the secret of your existence, that will teach you how to live and prepare you for death. Read the Book that will nourish your soul and lead you to heaven. Read the book that will lead you to Christ. Read the Word of the Living God.

Encouragement For Those Who Think They Are Too Bad To Be Saved

"…So Great Salvation"

Hebrews 2:3

(Encouragement for those who think they are too sinful to be saved)

  I'm writing to the one who is doubting his salvation. You have great sins in your past. You feel that because of these sins and failures you cannot enter heaven. You believe these sins will prevent you from entering the Kingdom God. You wish you could erase them all. You grieve that you committed such acts of rebellion and treason against the Lord. Because of these sins you have concluded that God would never save someone like you. Therefore you have lost all hope of going to heaven and being with Christ.

But dear friend, did Christ die for only the perfect? Did Christ die only those with little sins or few sins? Did Christ die only for "good" sinners but "bad" sinners He cannot save? If you could erase all of the sins you recall in your past would that make you any more lovable to God? What did the Apostle Paul say? "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. Jesus died for sinners not for those who were righteous and good. No man is worthy of salvation. Again Paul says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

  My friend, how can you refuse to believe what the Savior has said to us all? "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. Is this not a gracious invitation for someone precisely like you? You are burdened over your sin. You mourn that you committed those sins. You would die a thousand deaths to rid yourself of these sins if you could. Just as Jesus said, because of these sins in your past, you are laboring under an enormous weight of guilt, conviction, shame and sorrow. You stagger daily at the weight of your spiritual burden. How is it that you cannot see that the Savior's words were intended for someone just like you? “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Why do you refuse to see this?

  Again I ask you, "Did Jesus die only for sinners who weren't too bad? Or did He die for great sinners, for big sinners, for sinners like you who feel there is no hope for them? The blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, atones for all our sins. Jesus is the sinners hope. Jesus is the sinners refuge. Jesus is the sinner's hiding place. My friend have you forgotten this? 

Is Jesus not big enough, gracious enough, loving enough, kind enough, that He cannot save a sinner like you? Do not lose sight of what a great Savior He is! As the Apostle Paul said, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" Hebrews 2:3. Jesus has provided not just any salvation, the apostle tells us it is a great salvation. 

  Jesus is the friend of sinners. Jesus is the only hope for sinners. Jesus is the rest for sinners. Jesus is the peace for sinners. Jesus is the hiding place for sinners. As the Bible says, Jesus is the rock cleft for you! The hymn writer said it so well:

"Rock of ages cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in thee,

 Let the water and the blood,

From Thy wounded side that flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save from wrath and make me pure."

  My dear friend, you think your sins are too great and that God would never pardon you. You think you cannot be forgiven. But your Savior has provided for you a hiding place in the "clefts of the rock." As it says in the Song of Solomon 2:14. Jesus is that cleft Rock. Jesus is that hiding place. When Satan condemns you, chastens you, rebukes you and accuses you then run to Jesus by faith. Run to Him!  Trust in His blood. Rejoice in His righteousness. And hear Jesus say to your weary heartbroken soul, 

"O My dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." Song of Solomon 2:14

  My friend, your Savior has provided you a hiding place.  A dove is a helpless bird when hunted by the eagle or the hawk. The only hope he dove has is to fly to the rocky cliffs and hide in one of the many crevices or clefts and there find safety from the clutches of the eagle. The sinner is the  dove. The cleft of the rock is Jesus our hiding place. Just as the dove finds shelter from the birds of prey in the clefts of the rock, so too, the sinner finds safety from the judgement in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself is the secret stairway to Heaven. His love for you is so great that He invites you to approach Him. He desires to hear your voice in prayer and worship. He tells you that the very sight of you is precious to His eyes.

The Lord is your hiding place. He is you refuge where you can run and find safety, forgiveness, acceptance, peace, pardon, adoption, fellowship, friendship, sonship, and a host of other blessings too wonderful to fully comprehend. 

So my dear friend, how can you despair and feel as if there is no hope for you? Has He not invited you, a great sinner, to come to Him? And did He not say,  "…and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out?" John 6:37. Why can’t you trust Jesus to do what He says He will do if you come to Him? Come to Him and He will not cast you out.

  Friend, it is Satan who whispers in your ears that Jesus will not forgive you. It is Satan who seeks to rob you of joy, peace, rest and happiness. Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…" Satan is that thief who comes to do these things. But Jesus came, "…that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Remember my dear friend the words of the Apostle Paul, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Ephesians 1:7. Redemption is the act of being purchased out of the slave market of sin. The price of your redemption (purchase) was the precious blood of Christ. Peter tells us, “Knowing the you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:18-19. When you were a slave, trapped in the spiritual world of darkness, dead in trespasses and sins, Jesus came and paid to set you free The purchase price was His life and death. 

When you allow the Devil to fill your heart and mind with doubts you are falling into the same trap God's people fell into during the days of the Babylonian Captivity. The Babylonian captives doubted God's love and forgot His kindness and grace. To a despondent people in captivity God commanded them to sing and to worship Him. But they refused because of their lack of faith. God said to them: "Sing O heaven's and be joyful O earth…" "But Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." O, but notice God's response to their despair! God uses the analogy of a nursing mother with a new born infant to make His point that He will never forsake those who trust in Him.”Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee on the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Isaiah 49:13-16. It is highly unlikely that a mother would forget or neglect her new born infant that she nurses on her breast. But even if some mother would be so hard and unloving to do that God says He will never forsake His people who have put their trust in Him. The hymn writer put it this way. 

"My name from the Palms of His hands 

Eternity cannot erase,

Impressed on His heart it remains,

With marks of indelible grace."

 My dear weary, depressed, and despondent friend. I beg of you to look to Christ! He is our only hope. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." Hebrews 12:1.  Do not look to your past. Do not look to your sins. Do not look to your feelings, or your failures. If you look there you will be filled with despair.  Just look to Jesus by faith. Lift up your eyes and look to Him. Jesus is our hiding place. Jesus is our fountain filled with blood. Jesus is our mercy seat.

Jesus is our hiding place:

Hail Sovereign Love

By

 Jehoiada Brewer

Hail sovereign love that first began,

The scheme to rescue fallen man.

Hail matchless, free, eternal grace,

That gave my soul a hiding place.

Against the God who rules the sky,

I fought with hand uplifted high;

Despised the mention of His grace,

Too proud to seek a hiding place.

Enwrapped in thick Egyptian night,

And fond of darkness more than light;

Madly I ran the sinful race,

Secure without a hiding place.

But thus the eternal counsel ran,

"Almighty love, arrest that man!"

I felt the arrows of disgrace,

And found I had no hiding place.

Indignant Justice stood in view,

To Sinai's fiery mount I flew.

But Justice cried with frowning face,

This mountain is no hiding place.

Ere long an angel's voice I heard,

And Mercy's angel face appeared.

She led me on with placid pace,

To Jesus as my hiding place.

Should storms of sevenfold thunders roll,

And shake the globe from pole to pole.

No flaming bolt shall daunt my face,

For Jesus is my hiding place,

On Him, eternal judgment fell,

That must have sunk a world to Hell,

He bore it for the chosen race,

And thus became their hiding place.

A few more rolling suns at most,

Shall land my soul on Canaan's coast.

Where I shall sing the songs of grace,

And gaze upon my hiding place!

Jesus is our  fountain filled with blood:

There is a Fountain Filled With Blood

There is a fountain filled with blood, 

Drawn from Emmanuel's veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood 

Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see

 that fountain in his day;

And there have I, though vile as he, 

washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

 shall never lose its power

Till all the ransomed church of God 

be saved, to sin no more.

E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream 

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

 and shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,

 I'll sing Thy power to save,

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue 

lies silent in the grave.

Jesus is our mercy seat:

Approach My Soul The Mercy Seat

Approach my soul, the mercy seat,

Where Jesus answers prayer;

There humbly fall before His feet,

For none can perish there.

Thy promise is my only plea;

With this I venture nigh:

Thou callest burdened souls to Thee,

And such, O Lord, Am  I.

Bowed down beneath a load of sin,

By Satan sorely pressed,

By wars without, and fears within,

I come to Thee for rest.

Be Thou my shield and hiding place,

That sheltered near thy side,

I may my fierce accuser face,

And tell him, Thou hast died.

O, wondrous love! To bleed and die,

To bear the cross and shame,

That guilty sinners, such as I,

Might plead Thy gracious Name! Amen.

John Newton, 1779

CM

Dear struggling, doubting friend. Let us be clear about sin. All sin is a violation of the holy laws of God. Sin is willful treason and rebellion against the High King of Heaven. Sin is an insult to our Creator. All sin must be confessed and repented of. Why? Because "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.

So you feel you cannot be forgiven. Did Jesus not come to save sinners? An angel, in a dream, appeared and told Joseph, the husband of Mary "And He (Jesus) shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.  Yes, Jesus will save His people from their sins. If you are broken hearted over your sins. If you have turned from them and have forsaken them why would the Savior not do what He has promised and forgive you? John tells us, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9. Paul told the Philippian Jailor in Acts 16:31, "…believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

My dear friend, the very fact that you mourn over your sins and failures, that you confess them and repent of them is an indication that the Lord has worked in your heart. Be encouraged by these signs. If you had no desire to be forgiven or free from the lusts of your flesh you would have reasons to be alarmed at the condition of your soul.

  God Himself has invited sinners like us to come and reason with Him. In Isaiah 1:18 the Lord says, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

I invite you to come to Jesus with all your sins, with all your guilt, with all your sorrows and shame. And by one act of faith roll this entire burden upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died for sinners and to sinners, He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." John 14:6.

Jesus is the doorway to heaven. Jesus is the path that leads to the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. My dear friend throw yourself by faith into the arms of Jesus. If you perish, perish there. But I remind you that no one who has ever come to Jesus in faith with repentance was turned away.  So lay your sins on Jesus. Confess them and bring them to Him. The hymn writer makes this point crystal clear:

"I lay my sins on Jesus,

The spotless Lamb of God,

He bears them all and frees us

From the accursed load.

I bring my guilt to Jesus,

To wash my crimson stains,

White in His blood most precious,

Till not a spot remains."

  Jesus died and paid the price for all our sins. Jesus has promised a great salvation. It is great in its design. God designed His salvation to save sinners, even great sinners. It is great in its accomplishment. When Christ said on the cross, “It is finished.” He accomplished your salvation. It is complete. It is finished. It’s done and paid for. The salvation that Jesus provided is great enough and big enough to save every sinner, big or small, from all their sins. Jesus lived the life you could not live and He died the death you should have died. Therefore, my friend, come to Jesus. Come and find that His love and His grace is big enough and great enough for a sinner like you. O the life Christ lived! So pure, so holy, so perfect! And O the death Christ died! Dying for every sin we ever committed. Dying for our every word, thought or deed that violated the law of His Father. Trust that life and that death. It is the finished work of Christ in His living and dying that saves us from all of our sins, even our big sins. Hallelujah! What a Savior!