“Turn or burn”
“Hell fire and brimstone” sermons…
YES – I have preached these
And YES – I have taught
About the idea of “turning to Jesus”
Or spending an eternity in Hell
And as true as these messages are…
They are NOT “Good News”
The word “Gospel” MEANS…
Good News
And sad to say…
There are many people
Who have turned to Jesus
So that they will NOT…
Spend an eternity in Hell…
And that is the REASON
WHY they turned to Jesus…
“Out of FEAR”…
Also, you may have heard it preached
Or taught, that once someone
HAS repented and turned to Jesus
That NOW they must be careful…
And watch that they DON’T…
“Back slide” and LOSE…
Their salvation…
And they are “shocked”
And “scared” into
Repenting again
Just to be “sure” that they
Are truly “SAVED”…
My concern, in writing this
And challenging us to think
About Salvation in this way
Is that this is repentance from
The viewpoint of “LAW”…
The “LAW” has to do with:
“Don’t do this” and
“Don’t do that”…
And be careful where you go
And who you associate with
And it is all shrouded in FEAR…
And yet we know that:
“There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment.
But he who fears has not been
made perfect in love.”
(1 John 4:18)
So that being the case…
How then should we approach
REPENTANCE…?
God is LOVE
(1 John 4:8)
God is for us and not against us
(Romans 8:31)
And when we come to Jesus
God sees us as:
The righteousness of God
In Christ Jesus
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
God SEES us RIGHTEOUS
He doesn’t see our SIN
Since Jesus hung, died and
Paid for them in FULL
He doesn’t see us as
Hopeless and lost…
But as His SONS…
His BELOVED…
And all of this since
He is LOVE
Now let me ask you
A question…
Which do you think
Is going to be attractive
To YOU…?
Being FEARFUL of God?
Because you HAVE TO KEEP
The Law… ALL of it…?
Or knowing that He already
ACCEPTS you and loves you…?
Unconditionally…
I know for me…
I will keep running
To the God who LOVES me…
My Father who loves me so much
He GAVE His Son Jesus for me…
Jesus who came and lived here…
And died in my place…
For me and as me…
Because of His love for me…
The Holy Spirit (of Jesus)
Who indwells me…
And empowers me both
To live and to minister to others…
LOVE attracts…
And is GOOD NEWS…