Hindrances to Being Saved and Coming into the Light

Hindrances to Being Saved and Coming into the Light

There may be some sin within you which you are harbouring to your soul's peril.   When a soldier's foot has refused to heal, the surgeon has been known to examine it very minutely, and manipulate every part.   Each bone is there, and in its place; there is no apparent cause for the inflammation, but yet the wound refuses to heal.   The surgeon probes and probes again, until his lancet comes into contact with a hard foreign substance.   "Here it is,"he says, "a bullet is lodged here;  this
must come out, or the wound will never close."  So my probe may discover a secret in you and if so, it must come out, or you
must die.   You cannot expect to have peace with God, and still indulge in that drunkard's glass.  What, a drunkard reconciled
to God?  You cannot hope to enjoy peace with God, and refuse
to speak with that relative who offended you years ago.  What, look to be forgiven, when you will not yourself forgive?
There are doubtful practises in your trade behind the counter;
do you dare to hope that God will accept a thief?-  for that is what you are, a thief and a liar.  You brand your goods dishonestly, call them twenty when they are fifteen;  do you expect God to be your friend while you remain rogue?
Do you think He will smile on you in your knavery, and walk with you when you choose dirty ways?  Perhaps you indulge a haughty spirit, or it may be an idle disposition;  it does not matter which kind of devil is in you, it must come out, or else the peace of God cannot come in.  Now, are you willing to give
sin up?  If not, it is all lost time to preach Christ to you, for He is not meant to be Savior of those who persevere in sin.  He came to save His people from their sins, not in them;
and if you still cling to a darling sin, do not be deceived, for you can never enter within the gates of heaven.

Why have some not found the light?
It maybe that you have sought peace with God only occasionally; after an earnest sermon you have been awakened;
but when the sermon has been concluded, you have gone back to your slumber like the sluggard who turns again upon his bed.
After a sickness, or when there has been a death in the family, you have then zealously be-stirred yourself;  but before long you have declined into the same carelessness as before.  Remember he who wins the race is not the one who runs in spurts, but the one who continues running to the end.
No man gets Christ by thinking of Him only now and then, and in the mean time regards vanity, falsehood,pride,self life, in his 
heart.  He only shall have Christ who must have Him now, and
who gives His whole heart to Him completely, and cries, "I will seek Him till I find Him, and when I find Him I will never let Him go."
Let me remind you that the great reason why earnest souls do not get speedy rest lies in this:  they are disobedient to the one
plain Gospel precept, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
You shall be saved," (Acts 16:31).
God says by believing in Jesus you shall live:  you will not believe in Christ, and yet hope to live!  God reveals to you His Dear Son and says, "Trust Him," and moreover, "He that believes not of God
have made Him a liar" (1 Jo 5:10), and yet you dare to make God a
liar;  every minute that you live in a state of unbelief, you, as far as you can, make God to be a liar!  What an atrocity for any one of us to fall into!  What an amazing presumption for a sinner to live in who professes to be seeking peace with God!  You have been seeking rest, but you have not found it;  what an unhappy state you are in!  You are now unreconciled to God;  your sin clamours for punishment;  you are among those with whom God is angry every day.  Can you bear to be in such a condition?  Does something not
bid you arise and flee out of this city of destruction in case you are
consumed?  What happiness you are missing every day!
If you lay hold on Christ by faith, you would possess a joy and peace passing all understanding.  You are fretting in this low and miserable dungeon;  you have been in the dark year after year, when the sun is shining, the sweet flowers are blooming, and everything is waiting to lead you forth with gladness.  Oh, what
joys you lose by being an unbeliever!  Why do you stay so long in this evil state?  Meanwhile, what good you might have done!
Oh, if you had been led to look to Jesus Christ months ago, instead
of sitting in darkness yourself, you would have been leading others
to Christ, and pointing other eyes to that dear Cross that brought
peace to you.
What sin you are daily committing!  For you are daily an unbeliever, daily denying the ability of Christ, and so doing injury to His Honour.  Does the Spirit of God within you say, "I will arise,
and go to my Father?"  Oh, if there is such a thought trembling in
your soul, do not quench it, obey it, arise and go, and may your Father's arms be wrapped around your neck before today's sun goes down.  Meanwhile, permit me to say, what a hardening process is insensibly going on within!  If not better, you are certainly worse than twelve months ago. You have said, "I will come at a more convenient time or season," and every season is more inconvenient than the one which came before it.
 
You doubted then - you are the victim of deeper and more dastardly doubts today.  Oh, that you could believe in Him Who
must be true!  Oh, that you could trust in Him Who ought to be trusted, for He can never deceive!  I pray the day may come, even this very moment, when you will shake yourself from the dust, arise and put on your beautiful garments, for every hour you sit on the dunghill of your soul-destroying doubts you are 
being fastened by strong bands of iron to the seat of despair.
Your eye is growing dimmer, your hand more palsied;  and the poison in your veins is raging more furiously.  Yonder is the Savior's Cross, and there is efficacy in His Blood for YOU!
Trust Jesus now, and this moment you will enter into peace.  The gate of mercy swings readily on its hinge and opens wide to every soul which casts itself upon the bosom of the Savior.
Oh, why are you waiting?  Mischief will befall you.  The sun is
going down;  hurry, traveller, in case you are overtaken with everlasting night. 
There are many people around you, some of whom you may know, who have trusted Jesus and they have found light.
They once suffered your disappointments, but they have now found rest to their souls.  They came to Jesus just as they were,
and at this moment they can tell you that they are satisfied in HIM.  If others have found such peace, why not you?  Jesus is
still the same.  It is not to Christ's advantage to reject a sinner,
it is not for God's Glory to destroy a seeker;  rather, it is for His Honour and Glory to receive those who humbly rest in the sacrifice of His dear SON.
What is holding you back?  You are called, come.  You are pressed to come, come.  In the courts of law I have sometimes heard a man called as a witness, and no sooner is he called, though he may be at the end of the court, than he begins to press his way up to the witness-box.  Nobody says, "Who is
this man pushing here!" or, if they should say, "Who are you?"
it would be a sufficient answer to say, "My name was called."  "But you are not rich,you have no gold ring upon your finger!"
"No, but that is not it, I was called."  "But you are not a man of repute, or rank, or character!"  "It does not matter, I was called.  Make way."  So make way, doubts and fears; make way
devils of the infernal lake;  Christ calls the sinner. Sinner, come.
Though you have nothing to recommend you, because it is written, "Him that comes to me I will no wise cast out" (John6:37) Come, and the Lord will bless you, for Christ's sake.

http://whowasthemanjesus.blogspot.co.uk/

'The Normal Christian Birth'

"So often, spiritual disease can be traced back to an inadequate initiation into the Kingdom. A better birth means greater growth in a healthy Christian life. David Pawson discusses some crucial and controversial biblical texts, challenging many traditional interpretations. He questions the adequacy of the typical ''sinners prayer'' approach and gives practical tips on helping potential disciples to repent, believe, be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit."

http://whowasthemanjesus.blogspot.co.uk/

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 PSALM 1
To know Christ Jesus
http://whowasthemanjesus.blogspot.co.uk/

Psalm 1:1  Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
Psalm 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:3  He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 1:4  The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Psalm 1:5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Psalm 1:6  For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.



The psalmist begins with the character and condition of a godly man, that those may first take the comfort of that to whom it belongs. Here is,

I. A description of the godly man's spirit and way, by which we are to try ourselves. The Lord knows those that are his by name, but we must know them by their character; for that is agreeable to a state of probation, that we may study to answer to the character, which is indeed both the command of the law which we are bound in duty to obey and the condition of the promise which we are bound in interest to fulfill. The character of a good man is here given by the rules he chooses to walk by and to take his measures from. What we take at our setting out, and at every turn, for the guide of our conversation, whether the course of this world or the word of God, is of material consequence. An error in the choice of our standard and leader is original and fatal; but, if we be right here, we are in a fair way to do well.
1. A godly man, that he may avoid the evil, utterly renounces the companionship of evil-doers, and will not be led by them (Psa_1:1): He walks not in the council of the ungodly, etc. This part of his character is put first, because those that will keep the commandments of their God must say to evil-doers, Depart from us (Psa_119:115), and departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins.
(1.) He sees evil-doers round about him; the world is full of them; they walk on every side. They are here described by three characters, ungodly, sinners, and scornful. See by what steps men arrive at the height of impiety. Nemo repente fit turpissimus - None reach the height of vice at once. They are ungodly first, casting off the fear of God and living in the neglect of their duty to him: but they rest not there. When the services of religion are laid aside, they come to be sinners, that is, they break out into open rebellion against God and engage in the service of sin and Satan. Omissions make way for commissions, and by these the heart is so hardened that at length they come to be scorners, that is, they openly defy all that is sacred, scoff at religion, and make a jest of sin. Thus is the way of iniquity down-hill; the bad grow worse, sinners themselves become tempters to others and advocates for Baal. The word which we translate ungodly signifies such as are unsettled, aim at no certain end and walk by no certain rule, but are at the command of every lust and at the beck of every temptation. The word for sinners signifies such as are determined for the practise of sin and set it up as their trade. The scornful are those that set their mouths against the heavens. These the good man sees with a sad heart; they are a constant vexation to his righteous soul. But,
(2.) He shuns them wherever he sees them. He does not do as they do; and, that he may not, he does not converse familiarly with them.
[1.] He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He is not present at their councils, nor does he advise with them; though they are ever so witty, and subtle, and learn ed, if they are ungodly, they shall not be the men of his counsel. He does not consent to them, nor say as they say, Luk_23:51. He does not take his measures from their principles, nor act according to the advice which they give and take. The ungodly are forward to give their advice against religion, and it is managed so artfully that we have reason to think ourselves happy if we escape being tainted and ensnared by it.
[2.] He stands not in the way of sinners; he avoids doing as they do; their way shall not be his way; he will not come into it, much less will he continue in it, as the sinner does, who sets himself in a way that is not good, Psa_36:4. He avoids (as much as may be) being where they are. That he may not imitate them, he will not associate with them, nor choose them for his companions. He does not stand in their way, to be picked up by them (Pro_7:8), but keeps as far from them as from a place or person infected with the plague, for fear of the contagion, Pro_4:14, Pro_4:15. He that would be kept from harm must keep out of harm's way.
[3.] He sits not in the seat of the scornful; he does not repose himself with those that sit down secure in their wickedness and please themselves with the sea redness of their own consciences. He does not associate with those that sit in close cabal to find out ways and means for the support and advancement of the devil's kingdom, or that sit in open judgement, magisterially to condemn the generation of the righteous. The seat of the drunkards is the seat of the scornful, Psa_69:12. Happy is the man that never sits in it, Hos_7:5.
2. A godly man, that he may do that which is good and cleave to it, submits to the guidance of the word of God and makes that familiar to him, Psa_1:2. This is that which keeps him out of the way of the ungodly and fortifies him against their temptations. By the words of thy lips I have kept me from the path of the deceiver, Psa_17:4. We need not court the fellowship of sinners, either for pleasure or for improvement, while we have fellowship with the word of God and with God himself in and by his word. When thou awakes it shall talk with thee, Pro_6:22. We may judge of our spiritual state by asking, “What is the law of God to us? What account do we make of it? What place has it in us?” See here,
(1.) The entire affection which a good man has for the law of God: His delight is in it. He delights in it, though it be a law, a yoke, because it is the law of God, which is holy, just, and good, which he freely consents to, and so delights in, after the inner man, Rom_7:16, Rom_7:22. All who are well pleased that there is a God must be well pleased that there is a Bible, a revelation of God, of his will, and of the only way to happiness in him.
(2.) The intimate acquaintance which a good man keeps up with the word of God: In that law doth he meditate day and night; and by this it appears that his delight is in it, for what we love we love to think of, Psa_119:97. To meditate in God's word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixed of thought, till we be suitably affected with those things and experience the savor and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and night; we must have a constant habitual regard to the word of God as the rule of our actions and the spring of our comforts, and we must have it in our thoughts, accordingly, upon every occasion that occurs, whether night or day. No time is amiss for meditating on the word of God, nor is any time unseasonable for those visits. We must not only set ourselves to meditate on God's word morning and evening, at the entrance of the day and of the night, but these thought should be interwoven with the business and converse of every day and with the repose and slumbers of every night. When I awake I am still with thee.
II. An assurance given of the godly man's happiness, with which we should encourage ourselves to answer the character of such.
1. In general, he is blessed, Psa_5:1. God blesses him, and that blessing will make him happy. Blessedness are to him, blessings of all kinds, of the upper and nether springs, enough to make him completely happy; none of the ingredients of happiness shall be wanting to him. When the psalmist undertakes to describe a blessed man, he describes a good man; for, after all, those only are happy, truly happy, that are holy, truly holy; and we are more concerned to know the way to blessedness than to know wherein that blessedness will consist. Nay, goodness and holiness are not only the way to happiness (Rev_22:14) but happiness itself; supposing there were not another life after this, yet that man is a happy man that keeps in the way of his duty.
2. His blessedness is here illustrated by a similitude (Psa_1:3): He shall be like a tree, fruitful and flourishing. This is the effect,
(1.) Of his pious practise; he meditates in the law of God, turns that in succum et sanguinem - into juice and blood, and that makes him like a tree. The more we converse with the word of God the better furnished we are for every good word and work. Or,
(2.) Of the promised blessing; he is blessed of the Lord, and therefore he shall be like a tree. The divine blessing produces real effects. It is the happiness of a godly man,
[1.] That he is planted by the grace of God. These trees were by nature wild olives, and will continue so till they are grafted anew, and so planted by a power from above. Never any good tree grew of itself; it is the planting of the Lord, and therefore he must in it be glorified. Isa_61:3, The trees of the Lord are full of sap.
[2.] That he is placed by the means of grace, here called the rivers of water, those rivers which make glad the city of our God (Psa_46:4); from these a good man receives supplies of strength and vigor, but in secret un-discerned ways.
[3.] That his practises shall be fruit, abounding to a good account, Phi_4:17. To those whom God first blessed he said, Be fruitful (Gen_1:22), and still the comfort and Honor of fruitfulness are a recompense for the labor of it. It is expected from those who enjoy the mercies of grace that, both in the temper of their minds and in the tenor of their lives, they comply with the intentions of that grace, and then they bring forth fruit. And, be it observed to the praise of the great dresser of the vineyard, they bring forth their fruit (that which is required of them) in due season, when it is most beautiful and most useful, improving every opportunity of doing good and doing it in its proper time.
[4.] That his profession shall be preserved from blemish and decay: His leaf also shall not wither. As to those who bring forth only the leaves of profession, without any good fruit, even their leaf will wither and they shall be as much ashamed of their profession as ever they were proud of it; but, if the word of God rule in the heart, that will keep the profession green, both to our comfort and to our credit; the laurels thus won shall never wither.
[5.] That prosperity shall attend him wherever he goes, soul-prosperity. Whatever he does, in conformity to the law, it shall prosper and succeed to his mind, or above his hope.
In singing these verses, being duly affected with the malignant and dangerous nature of sin, the transcendent excellencies of the divine law, and the power and efficacy of God's grace, from which our fruit is found, we must teach and admonish ourselves, and one another, to watch against sin and all approaches towards it, to converse much with the word of God, and abound in the fruit of righteousness; and, in praying over them, we must seek to God for his grace both to fortify us against every evil word and work and to furnish us for every good word and work.

The Scriptures tell us, "No one is acceptable to God!

Romans 3:10  THERE IS NOT ONE RIGHTEOUS MAN

(ABP+)  asG2531 it has been written,G1125 There is notG3756 G1510.2.3 a just man ,G1342 not evenG3761 one;G1520 

(ASV)  as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; 

(BBE)  As it is said in the holy Writings, There is not one who does righteousness; 

(Bishops)  As it is written: There is none righteous, no not one. 

(CEV)  The Scriptures tell us, "No one is acceptable to God! 

(Darby)  according as it is written, There is not a righteous man , not even one; 

(DRB)  As it is written: There is not any man just. 

(EMTV)  Just as it is written: "There is none righteous, no not one, 

(ERV)  As the Scriptures say, "There is no one doing what is right, not even one. 

(ESV)  as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; 

(Geneva)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one. 

(GNB)  As the Scriptures say: "There is no one who is righteous, 

(GW)  as Scripture says, "Not one person has God's approval. 

(ISV)  As it is written, "Not even one person is righteous. 

(JUB)  as it is written, There is no one righteous, no, not one; 

(KJV)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

(KJV+)  AsG2531 it is written,G1125 There isG2076 noneG3756 righteous,G1342 no, notG3761 one:G1520 

(KJV-1611)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: 

(KJV-BRG)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

(LEB)  just as it is written, "There is no one righteous, not even one; 

(LITV)  according as it has been written, "There is not a righteous one, not even one!" 

(MKJV)  as it is written: "There is none righteous, no not one; 

(MSG)  There's nobody living right, not even one, 

(Murdock)  As it is written: There is none righteous; no, no one: 

(NKJV)  As it is written: "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE; 

(RV)  as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; 

(Webster)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

(WNT)  Thus it stands written, "THERE IS NOT ONE RIGHTEOUS MAN. 

(YLT)  according as it hath been written--`There is none righteous, not even one; 

HOW CAN I BE BORN AGAIN?

"So often, spiritual disease can be traced back to an inadequate initiation into the Kingdom. A better birth means greater growth in a healthy Christian life. David Pawson discusses some crucial and controversial biblical texts, challenging many traditional interpretations. He questions the adequacy of the typical ''sinners prayer'' approach and gives practical tips on helping potential disciples to repent, believe, be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit."

http://whowasthemanjesus.blogspot.co.uk/

They've all taken the wrong turn; they've all wandered down blind alleys. No one's living right; I can't find a single one.

Rom 3:9  So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it: 

Rom 3:10  There's nobody living right, not even one, 

Rom 3:11  nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. 

Rom 3:12  They've all taken the wrong turn; they've all wandered down blind alleys. No one's living right; I can't find a single one. 

Rom 3:13  Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mud slides. Every word they speak is tinged with poison. 

Rom 3:14  They open their mouths and pollute the air. 

Rom 3:15  They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, 

Rom 3:16  litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, 

Rom 3:17  Don't know the first thing about living with others. 

Rom 3:18  They never give God the time of day. 

Rom 3:19  This makes it clear, doesn't it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it's clear enough, isn't it, that we're sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? 

Rom 3:20  Our involvement with God's revelation doesn't put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else's sin.

 Romans 3:9-20

 All Justly under Judgment 

Rom_3:9-20

A number of quotations are advanced-mostly from the Septuagint or Greek version of the Old Testament-establishing the hopeless evil of man’s condition. These apply, in the first place, to God’s peculiar people, the Jews; but if true of them, how terrible must be the condition of the great heathen world! Every mouth will be stopped and all the world brought in guilty before God, Rom_3:19.

Various organs of the body are enumerated, and in each ease some terrible affirmation is made of inbred depravity. What need for salvation! What can atone for such sin, or cleanse such hearts,  save the redeeming grace of God?

Law here is obviously employed in the wide sense of conscience as well as Scripture. It is God’s ideal held up before our faces, to show us from what we have fallen. The looking-glass is intended, not to wash the face, but to show how much it needs washing. You may commend your soap, and no one will use it; but if you reveal the discoloring filth, people will be only too glad to avail themselves of the cleansing power which otherwise they would neglect and despise. The way to fill the inquiry room is to hold up the divine standard before men’s consciences.

Rom 3:22  God-setting-things-right that we read about, has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this.

Rom 3:23  Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us,
Rom 3:24  God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And He did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Rom 3:25  God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public--to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured.
Rom 3:26  This is not only clear, but it's now--this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in His rightness..............

1.   COME to Him confessing your sins.  He has said, "Him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out."
John 6:37. Repentance is absolutely necessary for Salvation.

2. TRUST Him to forgive your sins through the merits of His atonement for your sins on the cross at Calvary.
His word says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

3.   You may be tempted to think that your sins are too great for God to forgive you.  Do not look at your sins or your feelings.  Look only to the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe what God has said,  "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

4.   Then in simple faith TRUST Him to be your Savior,  John 1:12, "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."  RECEIVE Him as your Savior by simple trust in His promise.

5.   The next step is to CONFESS to someone that you are now a Christian - that the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior, and that you belong to Him.   When you do this sincerely, you will find assurance, and peace
and joy coming into your heart.  Read Rom 10: 9,10.

6.   READ your Bible every day.  Have regularly times for prayer every day (this prayer is simple talking to your loving Savior and Lord, communicating your love and need of Him in your life and He will reveal more of Himself to you in your new found relationship).   
Go to services where you will meet other Christians who have done the same as you repented and confessed and have received the Lord Jesus into their Hearts and lives.   Also you can find their friendship and help in your new life in Jesus.

  

CHRIST'MAS CAROLS TO REMEMBER AND JOIN IN WITH THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST