- 1. In (I Thess. 5:9)
God says that He has appointed us to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ. You say, I did not know that God had appointed a time
for me to obtain salvation. Well He has, and as we read (2Cor. 6:2)
we discover that the time is NOW, TODAY is the DAY of salvation.
Have you kept this appointment
with God? There is nothing in all the world that is of more importance
than for you as an individual to keep this appointment, this very DAY,
for we know not what shall be on the morrow (Prov. 27:1) Flowers may
be banked high about your casket tomorrow, then will friends and loved
ones be able to say, we'll meet you just inside the eastern gate? Or,
will they with bowed heads and broken hearts, sorrow as others which
have no hope?
Jesus says in (John
14:6), "I am the Way, the Truth , and the Life, no man cometh unto the
Father but by Me." If today ye will hear His voice, harden not your
heart. "Seek Him while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near
(Isa. 55:6).
There is no other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
And as we read (Rom. 10:9, 10, 13) we learn "That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved."
"For by grace are ye
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8,9).
2. In(Heb. 9:27) we read,
"And as it is appointed unto men once to DIE, but after this the
judgment."
The Word says in
(Rom.5:12), "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
DEATH by sin, and so DEATH, passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned."
"The wages of sin is
DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." (Rom.6:23).
Surely there is no one
who would deny the fact that DEATH must come to every one, rich and
poor, young and old. How will death find you? Did you know that there
is only one heartbeat between you and eternity, and have you stopped
to think where you be after time's doors have closed, and eternity's
doors have opened? Will you enter eternity LOST or SAVED?
God has no pleasure in
the death of the wicked, (Ezk. 33:11). But precious in the sight of
the Lord is the death of His saints. (Ps.116:15).
Jesus bore all our sins
in His own body upon the tree, that you might not be lost (I Peter
2:24). "G0d hath made Him to be sin for us, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:21).
Jesus says in (Matt.
5:20), " For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
You see we must have the
righteousness of God, for as we read (Isa. 64:6) we find that all our
righteousness are as filthy rags. God does not say that our sins are
as filthy rags, but that the very best that the natural man can do is
as filthy rags in His sight. If man's righteousness is as filthy
rags, then what must God think about our sins?
3. The day of judgment
has already been appointed, for we read in (Acts 17:31) these graphic
words, "Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge
the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof
He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from
the dead."
In Jude the 14th and 15th
verses God says, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His
saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are
ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly
committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have
spoken against Him."
Some would have you
believe that God is not going to bring judgment upon the people for He
is a God of Love. Yes indeed He is a God of Love but He is under just
as much obligation to punish the wicked as He is to reward the
righteous.
Every person in the world
who has not been born-again has a case pending in the highest court in
the universe, including Hitler, Tojo, Hirohito, Stalin, Mussolini and
every other wicked person in all the earth.
"THE GREAT WHITE THRONE
JUDGMENT"
There is a horrible scene
recorded in (Rev. 20:11-15) which takes place just before TIME gives
way to ETERNITY. Let's read it." And I saw a great white throne, and
Him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead,
small and great , stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire."
This was written by my
brother Carl Layne when he was Assistant Pastor of "Faith Baptist
Church" in Akron, Ohio, Probably in the late 1930's. My brother went
to be with the Lord shortly after witnessing to a Jewish doctor in a
Hospital in the state of Maryland. He was a faithful witness until he
was called home Oct. 10, 1991. He was my brother, also a father to me
in the gospel, my mentor.
Evangelist R. E. Layne |