Stand For Truth

Stand For Truth

1 Peter 4:11

“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.”

When Moses walked the earth, he spoke for God and was hated by many; centuries later however, the Pharisees spoke well of him as if they would of liked him. But just as their forefathers did, they too would want to stone Moses if he lived during their age, and they proved it because of their hatred for their present prophets, namely John the Baptist and Jesus Himself, who were both killed for their words.

And you also, man or woman of God, must resolve within yourself that you will live to please God and no one else, for you cannot please both. If you speak for God, as we are commanded, you will be hated by the world (John 15:18); you will also be misunderstood by your brothers and sisters at times. Do not be disheartened, for before you there was a great cloud of witnesses who also lived for the will of the Father (Hebrews 11; Hebrews 12:1); They were stoned, sawn in two, beaten, they hid in caves and wandered about in sheep skins, of whom the world was not worthy. For with God, the last will be first and the first last. He is the One you are to aim to please (2 Corinthians 5:9).

So press on, dear soldiers, and set your eyes on the One who went before you, the Author and Finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). He brought light into a sinful world, and laid hold of the cross, despising the shame, because He looked passed that to the joy of knowing that millions upon millions who sat in darkness would see a great light, be loosed from the chains of judgment and receive everlasting life! Yes, let that be the apple of your eye my friends. For when you speak God’s word faithfully to the world, they will be convicted, they will get angry, they will despise you as they hated your Master, but be of good cheer, look past the shame; look unto the many souls that might be saved from everlasting destruction because of the power of your message. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe..” Romans 1:16

With much love, Jonathan Ball

“Only one life, will soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Leonard Ravenhill

Do You Know Him??

Do You Know Him??

Psalms 146:1, 2

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

When you hear the name Jesus, how does it make you feel? Does it bring no joy to your heart whatsoever, or does it flood your soul with gratitude because He, the King of glory has saved you from your sins? Tonight I urge you to examine your own heart to see where you stand with God.

Now, we are not discussing religion this evening, for there are tens of millions of pious believers on the earth today, strictly following the rules of their gods, but they do not have eternal life. No, tonight we are talking about, “DO YOU KNOW GOD?!” Jesus Christ proclaimed that, “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).”

Jehovah does simply want us to follow a bunch of rules, but wants to have fellowship with us, and to give us the life that is in Him! He wants to become one with us in spirit and dwell with a holy people for all eternity. Every good gift has come from Him; oh, do you love Him tonight? Does His presence mean anything to you? Do songs of praise rise up in your heart when you meditate on His great mercy toward such sinners?

I inquire of you this evening to examine your own heart, and consider if you see any of these evidences in your own life to confirm that you know the Lord of glory. One of the greatest signs of a believer should be a humble gratitude towards Jesus Christ because they have realized the depth of their own wretchedness, and in turn have seen the abundance of grace that Jesus has given them at the cross. Anyone who can take the topic of Jesus as a light thing should strongly consider why. Your attitude towards the One who gave His life for you should be the same as it would towards someone who pushed you out of the way of a bus, losing their own life to save yours. You would not feel “whatever” towards that person.

Do you have a deep love for the brethren and desire to fellowship with those of kindred spirit, or would you rather mingle with the world? For “we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren (1 John 3:14)”. When you hear of His wonders at work in the earth, like Muslims being converted through visions of Jesus, does your heart rejoice? Are you brought to tears at the testimony of His faithful martyrs? When you hear a Spirit filled message from a man of God does it hit your soul like a ton of bricks? Does the message resound within you for weeks to come, God’s words working in you to transform you into the image of His dear Son? Do any of these experiences ring true in your ears?

Does it wrench your spirit when you hear others blaspheming and using as an expression of disgust the one name that is above every name, the name of Jesus? Does your heart delight in God’s commandments, or are they a burden to hear? Can you relate to the Psalmist as he cries out, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day (Psalms 119:97)”, or is it foreign to consider? Does your heart now love holiness and hate wickedness; has your relationship with the world, the devil and the flesh changed?? Do you grieve when you sin and hunger to be more like Jesus?

For if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)!! Do you know the Savior today? Can you say Christ is mine and I am His? If not, fall on your knees tonight and do not rise until you know He has saved you. He is waiting for you to turn to Him now!

With Love, Jonathan Ball