Tag: goodnews

It was December 24 in Southern California. A judge in his robes sat on the bench that morning in a crowded courtroom. The first case came before him. He pronounced judgment – a fine and a jail sentence – and then said, “I am in the spirit of this season and so I’m going to suspend it all. That’s it! Next case.” And he went through all the cases that morning the same way.

The word soon spread. Attorneys called friends who had cases coming up soon, and they rushed to have those cases put on the docket. At two o’clock that judge saw that he couldn’t possibly get done that day. He just forgave them all, because he was “in the spirit of the season.”

He said to the clerk, “Mark all of those that are here, and I will now pronounce judgment for all of them.” The same thing: “Forgiven – suspended.” But he wasn’t just! There was no justice at all!

Suspended Sentence
On the same day, the same morning, a judge was on the bench in Tucson, Arizona. He was doing justice, honoring the law. In the middle of the morning he called the case of a man who had been in court 30 days before, a man who had received an extension of 30 days to raise the money for his fine. The man didn’t answer. The judge said, “I’ll set it aside till the end of the court.”

Later in the day that man came in. He was an immigrant, an old man, and he walked right up to the bench. He was embracing an old, dirty milk bottle. The judge, remembering the last time he was there, immediately called for the interpreter.

Through the interpreter the man said to the judge that he was sorry for being late and he asked for forgiveness. Then he said, “Judge, I know you gave me 30 days to raise the money to pay this fine, and I walked all last night to get here. I’m sorry I’m late.” Finally with shaking hands he took the milk container and set it down before them. “Judge, this is all I could raise from all my friends and from everything I could sell, and I don’t think it’s enough.”

The judge said to the clerk and the bailiff, “Count it quickly,” and they dumped all those coins out and counted them while the judge waited. The fine was $300.00, and the money they counted out totaled approximately $240.00. It was not enough.

Told what it was, the old man said, “Judge, please, just a little time, and I’ll be back with all the rest.”

That judge had tears in his eyes. He told the people in the courtroom, “I haven’t seen anything like this in all the time I’ve been on the bench. This man walked all the way, all night, and brought what he could. Now he’s begging for time to pay the rest!”

Then the judge said, “Because of your spirit, because of the way you repented and are sorry, I’m going to suspend the rest of the sentence. You go free!”

We feel better about that, don’t we? But still it wasn’t justice! The judge overlooked the judgment and the penalty that should have been paid.

Genuine Justice
But God is just when He justifies a sinner, because He doesn’t overlook one sin. Not one!

Christ on the cross in those three hours of darkness bore the penalty for all my sins – He didn’t overlook one.

Isn’t it wonderful to be free from judgment, the load gone, at peace with God and on your way to heaven? That is what is offered you through the gospel.

“Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1 KJV).

“God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (vv.8-9). Read more.

By R. K. Campbell

Over 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ came from heaven to this earth to die on the cross for sinners. He was then raised from the dead and went back to heaven.

A Promise Given
Before He returned to heaven Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:2-3 NKJV).

What a wonderful promise! Jesus returned to heaven to prepare a place for all who believe on Him as their Savior. He will come again to take them back to heaven with Him. How wonderful for us who know Him as Savior and Lord!

Concerning this event, the apostle Paul told us that “the Lord [Jesus Christ] Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:16-17).

Only Real Christians
Jesus will come from heaven with a shout heard only by those who belong to Him – those who have been “born of God” (Jn. 1:13) by faith. All believers who have already died will be raised, and together with living believers will be changed (1 Cor. 15:51-52) and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. But only those who have received Him as their Savior will go. All those who have not personally accepted Christ as Savior will be left behind for judgment.

How About You?
Are you ready for the coming of the Lord? When He comes again will you be taken up or will you be left behind? Do you look forward for Christ’s coming, or is the thought distasteful to you?

Get Ready Now!
Jesus could come at any time! If you are not already saved from your sins, wouldn’t you like to be so you will be ready to go to heaven with Him? Confess to Him that you are a sinner, repent of your sins, and receive Christ as your Savior. After Jesus comes again it will be too late, and the door of heaven will be closed to you forever! Read more.

People have always struggled with this age-old question: What is at the bottom of our troubles?

No matter how hard we try, education and money never seem to erase our troubles. Instead, they seem to increase our awareness of them. The poorest as well as the richest are affected.

An inner voice keeps telling us something is missing. We feel out of tune with the Almighty God to whom we are accountable.

The Real Cause
Our troubles are only symptoms. The real cause is sin, or rebellion against God’s will. Self-will rises up against God and His sovereign rights over us.

Sin in the heart works itself out in the life in different degrees and ways; but the results are the same – wrong doing because of wrong choosing.

Sin not only offends God, but it also harms the sinner: “He who sins … wrongs his own soul” (Proverbs 8:36 NKJV). We are warned that “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). The effects of sin are sure, both here and in the hereafter.

Death No Cure
Men would like to think that all their troubles end when they die; but death is no cure for sin, nor does it end the misery of the sinner. According to Revelation 21:8, all unrepentant sinners “shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

We know men suffer now because of sin. But consider what sin will mean in the hereafter, when all this world’s interests, excitements and illusions are over, and the unrepentant soul experiences the dread reality of God’s judgment for sin!

We cannot save ourselves – our soul’s enemy is too strong for us. There is no remedy for sin in political changes, environmental changes, physical and mental changes or scientific advances. Codes of honor or ethics do not work either.

The Only Cure
Only the One whom we have sinned against can save us from the burden and penalty of our sin: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven … by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Only the death of Jesus Christ could pay the overwhelming debt of sin and secure for us divine forgiveness: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Christ is eager to save you: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The Choice Is Yours
Do you want to be free from the guilt and power of sin? Then come to the Lord Jesus now and confess your sins to Him, believing that He suffered and died to take them away. He promised, “The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).

Won’t you come to Him right now? We can tell you how.

People have always struggled with this age-old question: What is at the bottom of our troubles?

No matter how hard we try, education and money never seem to erase our troubles. Instead, they seem to increase our awareness of them. The poorest as well as the richest are affected.

An inner voice keeps telling us something is missing. We feel out of tune with the Almighty God to whom we are accountable.

The Real Cause
Our troubles are only symptoms. The real cause is sin, or rebellion against God’s will. Self-will rises up against God and His sovereign rights over us.

Sin in the heart works itself out in the life in different degrees and ways; but the results are the same – wrong doing because of wrong choosing.

Sin not only offends God, but it also harms the sinner: “He who sins … wrongs his own soul” (Proverbs 8:36 NKJV). We are warned that “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). The effects of sin are sure, both here and in the hereafter.

Death No Cure
Men would like to think that all their troubles end when they die; but death is no cure for sin, nor does it end the misery of the sinner. According to Revelation 21:8, all unrepentant sinners “shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

We know men suffer now because of sin. But consider what sin will mean in the hereafter, when all this world’s interests, excitements and illusions are over, and the unrepentant soul experiences the dread reality of God’s judgment for sin!

We cannot save ourselves – our soul’s enemy is too strong for us. There is no remedy for sin in political changes, environmental changes, physical and mental changes or scientific advances. Codes of honor or ethics do not work either.

The Only Cure
Only the One whom we have sinned against can save us from the burden and penalty of our sin: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven … by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Only the death of Jesus Christ could pay the overwhelming debt of sin and secure for us divine forgiveness: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Christ is eager to save you: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The Choice Is Yours
Do you want to be free from the guilt and power of sin? Then come to the Lord Jesus now and confess your sins to Him, believing that He suffered and died to take them away. He promised, “The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).

Won’t you come to Him right now?

By Clifford H. Brown, (adapted from a message shared at the editor’s great-grandmother’s funeral on June 3, 1952).

Here are two words: “life” and “death.” One is heart-rending and stirring the world everywhere – that is “death.” Wherever we go we find those who have been face to face with death, as death has been there before us. The Bible says that death came because our forefather Adam disobeyed God and sinned (Rom. 5:12).

Unbelieving men and women “through fear of death [are] all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:15 KJV). This is felt the world over. Death is a fearful thing. People try to explain it; doctors work to stop it.

The very breath that we draw is from the hand of God, yet we find people everywhere rebelling against the One who gave them their breath! Every man and woman will have to meet God, against whom they have sinned, for after death comes judgment (9:27).

The one who has the power of death (2:14), Satan, uses it to fill the hearts of mankind with dread and fear; but God offers everlasting life. The Lord Jesus came, sent by the Father, and spoke words of life. He said, “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life” (Jn. 5:24). The blessed Lord Jesus came down from heaven and bore our penalty that we might have eternal life rather than eternal death. Christ died for sinners (Rom. 5:8); He died for me.

The last audible words of one believer, who spoke many other words during her 86 years, were, “I am going to Jesus!” A Christian lady who was 90 years old said, as she breathed her last, “Peace, perfect peace.” The Bible declares, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God” (v.1). Death has no terror for the person who is saved. Last words are often considered to be of special importance, and those of another were, “I am going to see mother and sister, but I want to see Jesus first of all.” Could you say that? If you have taken the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you can.

Each sinner is an enemy of God by wicked works. My sin was against a holy God, but He loved me and gave His Son to die for me.

Two men behind bars were asked, “Do you know anyone who loves you enough to die for you?” They said, “No.” But I am here to tell you that there is One. It is the One who created the universe and now upholds it by the word of His power: Jesus. He died for you. I can say that He died for me and I have everlasting life, because the Bible says so (Jn. 3:36, 5:24).

Death is called the “king of terrors,” but for the believer it is not a fearful thing. “We know we have passed from death unto life” (5:24). Life – life everlasting – belongs to the believer. We will be forever with the Lord (1 Th. 4:17-18). He said, “I will not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands” (Isa. 49:15-16).

The Christian can say, as expressed by Augustus M. Toplady (1740-1778):

Things future, nor things that are now, nor all things below or above,

Can make Him His purpose forego, or sever our souls from His love.

Our names from the palms of His hands eternity will not erase:

Impressed on His heart they remain in marks of indelible grace.

What about you? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Read more

Suppose you accidentally hit your neighbor’s daughter with your car. No doubt you would tell the family how sorry you were and would offer to do anything to help the girl recover.

You would feel terrible if the parents refused to forgive you. But wouldn’t you feel good if both parents and the girl forgave you with open arms?

The Need
No matter how good a person may be, we must admit that no one is totally free from doing, saying or thinking wrong things. God agrees: “There is none who does good, no, not one. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:12,23 NKJV). But God stands with open arms ready to completely forgive and receive all who come to Him confessing they have sinned against Him.

The Basis
In the Bible, God tells us that He can forgive us because His Son has already suffered and died as our Substitute: “In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Sinners do not gain forgiveness by begging or working. They are forgiven because Jesus died for them: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

The Means
However, sinners are not automatically saved. If we do nothing about our sinful condition we will be lost forever. Forgiveness must be received by believing in Jesus, whose blood was shed for us: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (Jn. 1:12). How do we know? Because the Bible says so, and to doubt God’s Word is to call Him a liar (1 Jn. 1:10). You don’t want to be guilty of that!

Suppose you owe a lot of money and are unable to pay it. Hearing of your trouble, a friend pays your debt and gives you a receipt marked, “Paid in full.” Wouldn’t you accept it? How would you know the bill was paid? Because of the receipt. What assurance!

The Bible says we are forgiven: “The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin” (v.7). “He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (Jn. 5:24). What greater proof do we need?

The Way
Jesus told a story about two men. The one who was self-righteous boasted about all his good deeds. He didn’t think he needed forgiveness. The other one was an outcast of society who knew he was a sinner. He prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus said, “This man went down to his house justified rather than the other” (Lk. 18:13-14).

The worst sin is refusing to admit that you are a sinner needing forgiveness. Don’t fall into that trap. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). Confess your sins and God will forgive you! Read more.

By Jefferson Alleyne, adapted from Drawing Near Publications

In the 1980’s doctors made a declaration that they had discovered a deadly virus and that it was going to take many lives. There was a lot of talk and money spent, but thousands of lives were still lost.

People all over the world took note of it and began to ask numerous questions. Where did the virus come from? Who are those that can get it? How is it passed on? What are the consequences? Is there a remedy?

Mankind in general has taken the virus seriously, but it has affected man in a very serious way. This virus is known as the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. There have been various opinions as to its origin, yet there is no doubt as to how it is being passed on. The effects and consequences of it are evident worldwide. But man does not yet know an effective remedy.

There was another important declaration made thousands of years before the one in the 1980’s. It was about a much greater virus: The greatest virus of all – sin. God made this declaration and He pointed out where this virus came from and what are its consequences. He has also shown how it is passed on and who would be infected. But thankfully He has also shown the remedy for it. Hallelujah!

The Origin Of The Virus
Just like AIDS, sin has an origin. Its origin is through Adam. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12 NKJV).

Sin is here in this world because of the disobedience of Adam. God had told him to freely eat of all the trees that were in the garden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The devil fooled Eve and she ate of the fruit and then offered it to Adam. Sadly, Adam knowingly disobeyed God and brought sin into this world with all of its ruin.

The Effects Of The Virus
The consequences of AIDS are terrible, but those of sin are greater. The evidence of sin is undeniable; its ruin and misery are everywhere. Corruption and violence are rampant. We see its effects in the hospitals, prisons and graveyards. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

The Spread Of The Virus
AIDS, they say, does not discriminate; anyone exposed to it can get it. Sin does not discriminate, for everyone in this world gets it. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5).

We have the evil root of sin in us, and from it the fruit of evil acts come. It is universal. None of us can point fingers at Adam or Eve because we also sin against God. At times we are deceived, and at other times we deliberately sin against God.

The Remedy For The Virus
Although there are treatments, there is no known cure for AIDS. However, God has a perfect and complete remedy for sin. It is found in Christ Jesus who was crucified for you. Christ “has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26). Look to Him and He will save you. “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:14-15).

God says to call on Him and He will apply His remedy to your life. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Call on Him and be saved from all your sins today! Read more.

Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore your load of sin?
As He knocks and asks admission, Sinner, will you let Him in?

Room for Jesus, King of glory! Hasten now His word obey;

Swing the heart’s door widely open, bid Him enter while you may.

Room for pleasure, room for business, but for Christ the Crucified,
Not a place that He can enter, in the heart for which He died?

Room for Jesus, King of glory! Hasten now His word obey;

Swing the heart’s door widely open, bid Him enter while you may.

Have you any room for Jesus, as in grace He calls again?
O today is time accepted, tomorrow you may call in vain.

Room for Jesus, King of glory! Hasten now His word obey;

Swing the heart’s door widely open, bid Him enter while you may.

Room and time now give to Jesus, soon will pass God’s day of grace;
Soon thy heart left cold and silent, and thy Savior’s pleading cease.

Room for Jesus, King of glory! Hasten now His word obey;

Swing the heart’s door widely open, bid Him enter while you may.

—L. W. M.

A story is told of a poor lady who could not pay all her bills. Hearing of this woman’s distress, a kind-hearted gentleman came to her home intending to give help. After knocking at the door for some time and receiving no answer, he concluded that she was not at home and he went away.

Meeting this woman later that week he told her that he had stopped by her home to see her. “Oh,” she replied, “was that you? I am sorry. I thought it was the landlord who had come for the rent, and I was afraid to answer the door as I do not have the money I owe him.”

Just as this poor lady failed to open her door to the one wanting to help her, so thousands are treating God today. They think that when He knocks at the door of their hearts He has come to demand something from them, but what a mistake!

He comes to give, not to claim the debt you owe. He comes to deliver you from your distress and to grant you an eternal inheritance in heaven. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NKJV).

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20).

Will you open the door of your heart to the One who wants to help you with your every need? He is knocking right now, but for how long will He stand and wait? We can tell you how.