Bob Cassell, Messenger
In all messages prepared for richesfromthecastle.com the extreme magnificence of God’s so great salvation has been presented. This information about the gospel of Jesus Christ concludes in nothing less than an eternity in the presence of God and being in conformity to the image of His Own Son. God the Father plans, God the Son executes that amazing plan, and God the Holy Spirit reveals the plan. This great plan of salvation is available to everyone. No one is excluded, and all may come. But those who come must be drawn, and those drawn must believe! But the belief must be placed in the one who saves. That exclusive and unique one is none other than the only savior, The Lord Jesus Christ. The only condition imposed on man is to acknowledge his own individual need of salvation and accept the unique one who offers it. Unbelievers and skeptics are left with the terrible possibility of completely losing the benefits of salvation and suffering the awful judgments of God.
For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him (Hebrews 2:2,3).
If humankind could see clearly, rather than through a glass darkly, the first challenge from God’s infallible word would be that apart from salvation there is no escape from the judgment of God.
Individuals must accept God’s free gift of salvation in Christ, or they most certainly will face God as their final judge. Having neglected God’s gracious offer of salvation man has nothing to offer as a valid reason to escape eternal punishment and condemnation.
To be under the judging and righteous hand of God is not to face a tolerant and loving savior but a stern and harsh judge who will mete out the punishment that is deserved by a darkened, scoffing, and rejecting people.
Clear and deliberate rejection of God’s amazing grace is incomprehensible, but to take for granted, procrastinate or neglect his amazing gift of eternal life is to live on dangerous ground. Neglect or procrastination is not the same as rejection, but the end is far too often in the same damnable place. So many of the lost are well intentioned but continue to neglect, delay, and dismiss until it is too late. This is not categorical rejection, but in the end, there is no difference in neglect than in rejection. It is a matter of time in arriving at the consequences of the indifference, but at every delay the end and the accountability draw nearer. It is likely that only a relatively few truly understand the issue of faith in Christ and then willfully reject. Most simply and unwisely procrastinate to their own destruction.
Felix trembled when standing before the Apostle Paul when he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. He curtly answered, go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for you (Acts 24:25). That time, as all the time allotted to Felix was a perfect time. If only he could have seen the relevance and important of the issues that were related to salvation and the eternal destiny of his soul.
Time was not in the hands of Felix; it was and is in the hands of the one who created it for our benefit, and that is our Sovereign God. God doesn’t need to keep track of time; he knows exhaustively the beginning and the end and all that is in between. He sovereignly grants the allotted time that is assigned and spent by every human being that will ever live. Felix only thought he would have a better time or a convenient season. Sadly, there is no record of a more convenient season for Felix! Perhaps, you should put yourself in the shoes of Felix. I suggest you look up beyond self and contemplate your remaining time on planet earth and realize whose hand it is in.
Many have desired to devote the last few years of their lives for specific projects or matters of spiritual contemplation. However, such ambitions cannot be guaranteed because no one knows they will remain on planet earth through today or tomorrow.
Have you noticed time is like a vapor. It appears for a little while and then vanishes away. What happened to the time I thought I had to accomplish certain and important matters. It’s gone and will never return. A person may be well intentioned, but many intentions are similar to sand. Unless the sand is placed on something solid or tangible it remains only sand with potential.
We tend to generously judge ourselves by our intentions, but we quickly judge others only by their actions. We tend to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, but we judge others by what we see or by what they do. We say seeing is believing, but we do not do the same thing with ourselves. Is this fair or is it harsh? You be the judge!
So many are already in eternity and don’t even realize it! Yes, you will live forever because that is how God made you! You have an eternal soul and a physical body that is temporal. Do you want eternal life? You have it because you have an eternal soul.
The greater question Is, will you give consideration to where your eternal soul will reside? So many millions are rushing feverously toward eternity without giving any thought to the cross of calvary where Christ died that they might live. They are rapidly approaching an eternal death… a separation of both body and spirit from God and his perfect love; all because they neglect to accept his so great salvation.
Why do some go so far as to willfully and adamantly reject? Some have reasons that reason knows nothing of. Others have no reasons at all, they are simply not thinking beyond the present. Whatever the individual reason may be, the outcome can be categorized under one of two groups. The first is that some love darkness. And this is the condemnation that is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). This kind of darkness is not isolated to things done by Satan and his evil forces.
This is individual spiritual darkness; a love of what is wrong, unbelieving, and damnable as opposed to what is right and honorable. It is man venting and giving permission to the desires of the flesh, unfettered by divine approval and biblical viewpoint. Jesus Christ came into the world to shine as a light in this miserable darkness (John 1:5). Apart from this unique person of the Godhead man is in total darkness.
Is it possible that humans love the pleasures of this world to the extreme extent that they neglect to consider their eternal future? Many good pleasures are in this spiraling world, and we are wise to enjoy that which is right and good, but when all passes away these pleasures will have disappeared. They will pass away even long before the time prescribed for each individual has ended. Time will pass, and all that consumed our time including things that glittered will vanish.
Nothing we now see will be left. Things that we now see will, at God’s appointed time, be gone! But what is far, far worse is that God’s amazing plan of salvation has been neglected or refused and it is too late to accept it.
Neglect is not the only damning barrier to the acceptance of God’s gracious offer of Salvation. Some have the mistaken belief that they can be saved through their own efforts. Many within this mistaken category suffer great sacrifices and deny all legitimate worldly pleasures to earn eternal life. Sadly, in this effort they neglect or don’t see clearly Gods salvation in the exclusive person of the Lord Jesus Christ. They see it in themselves and in their obedient behavior. Much of man’s desire to obtain salvation by merit has its roots in an unwillingness to acknowledge his lost and hopeless condition.
Man is prone to believe he is not all that bad and that his intentions are good even if his actions are bad. He is uncomfortable in admitting that in himself “dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:8). Deceived and confused man wants to offer God something by means of settlement even if it is only a fraction of a fraction. O’ God, please let me do something so that I can feel better about myself or at least sacrifice for the guilt I feel over past failures or sins. No! God only accepts an officious (to Him) sacrifice for the payment of all sin or sins. This includes Adams sin that imputes the sin nature to every human being plus all personal sins that emanate from that nature.
Whatever the compelling cause for neglect, delay or rejection the result is the same. God’s judgment is certain to fall and the fall will be great for those who ignore or deny his gracious provision and protection for their eternal soul.
In summary: Humans are totally lost, because and only because, they do not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as savior. He is the only way to God the Father apart from whom there can be no salvation.
Human beings are not lost because they are not good enough for heaven. To the shock of many, they are not lost because of the sins which they have committed, however heinous they may be. Also, they are not lost because they are born sinners. Why? Because the condemnation that rested upon humans for every condition was taken away when the Son of God bore these judgments on the cross that was so glaringly displayed on Calvary. Jesus Christ, and no one else, took away the sin of the world, which was the explicit purpose for which he came to earth.
And NOW because all sin was judged on the cross, God offers eternal life to everyone who will receive His Son as the One Who met all the demands of his justice. Those who deny, defer, and neglect him shall most surely be judged and punished in an everlasting and unquenchable lake of fire from which there will never be an escape. “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9).
No one must suffer this fearful and eternal condemnation. The alternative is to look to Jesus and believe in him personally as your only hope of eternal life and a joyous existence in heaven. He truly is the way, the only way to heaven, and that way is exclusively in him. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will most certainly be saved.
God will not turn you down. He has declared eternally, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I WILL give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you will find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28-30).
To any lost soul who has not yet accepted Jesus Christ and God’s only hope of salvation, there is before you the bible’s final invitation to all of humankind. “And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
