Don’t Miss The Bus 🚍

 Hebrews 2:2 (KJV) For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

Remember what verse 1 said. Remember the things we have heard lest we let them slip. He is one reason we don’t let them slip “every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;” Every transgression? If it is Every Transgression I must without doubt know what Transgression means. Webster says “The act of passing over or beyond any law or rule of moral duty; the violation of a law or known principle of rectitude; breach of command. Fault; offense; crime.” Then we read the little word “AND” which means that there is more than Every TRANSGRESSION. Oh my! Every DISOBEDIENCE too? Looks as if we can’t get away with anything. We talk about cameras everywhere watching, well God is watching and seeing every TRANSGRESSION and DISOBEDIENCE then we read what we will receive for doing so. “received a just recompence of reward;” It will be JUST! Oh no that means I’ll be getting what I deserve. I can’t say I didn’t do it for the record will be very clear, I did. I can’t say it’s not my fault because it will be my fault. Every violation, every act of disobedience will be properly punished. Oh my, how shall we escape? Is it possible?  

Hebrews 2:3 (KJV) 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;

We can escape such judgment if we don’t neglect so great SALVATION. Which was first spoken by the Lord and then confirmed by them that heard Him. There’s that word “HEARD” again. We must pay attention because there is no escape if we don’t hear, for “HEARD” is the past tense. Don’t let it slip by, don’t miss the opportunity given, don’t miss the bus for the consequences are too great so don’t let them slip by.

Refuse The Gift 🎁

Hebrews 2:1 (KJV) Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

That phrase “the things which we have heard” caught my attention. I asked myself what have I heard? My dad always would say to me “son hindsight is always 20/20.” He was the first I ever heard say that. Now I’m sure he wasn’t the first to ever say that, I’m sure he heard it from someone else. Most likely my granddaddy. I’m not that naive or as one dad said to a group who was telling how well their children were doing and about their great accomplishments. He finally spoke up and told them all that his grandson had invented the egg. Anyways my dad and yours too told me wonderful things that had I listened to would have made this Life much better. I listened but I didn't. Here we read that we should give “more earnest”  (to obtain; having a longing desire)  What did you hear when you read Hebrews chapter one? What did you hear when you went to Church? What did you hear when that man or woman told you about Jesus? What did you hear on the radio when someone spoke in a short ad time about Jesus? Did you pursue what you heard? Did you want to obtain? Did you desire to have your sins forgiven? Not only are we to “more earnest heed to the things which we have heard” But we are also told of the consequences if we don’t “lest at any time we should let them slip” Have you ever heard the little saying “Oh that must have slipped my mind?”  It means  “to be forgotten, especially of an obligation.” Be careful that you don’t let the most important thing in this life slip by  and be forgotten, your sins have been paid for. Let that slip and the price tag will be way more than you want to pay.  

Romans 6:23 (KJV) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Refuse the Gift Pay the Price. 

So Much Better 🧮📱

 Hebrews 1:4 (KJV) Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

I love the way my Bible paints a picture of understanding for the reader.  We are told that Jesus “Being made so much better than the angels” 

So much better than the angels? I got interested in that so much better! We hear much about angels today, but here we read that Jesus is so much better. If Jesus is so much better, then maybe His name would be mentioned more than angels. I looked to see, you tell me. The name Angels is mentioned 81 times in the New Testament. Then I looked at the name Jesus alone, what I mean by that is I didn’t look for the name Jesus Christ nor Lord Jesus just the name Jesus singular. Here’s what I found: The Name Jesus is mentioned 983 times; I would say that is much more. Why is that? Simple 

Acts 4:12 (KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 

There it is again “salvation” that’s the first matter that must be settled, for if there is no “salvation” then there is no Heaven and if there is no Heaven then there’s no God and if no God we have nothing but this life only. The Bible is a phony that tells of a person that lived a good life but His dying on a cross was not for our sins but only a historial written exposure of the awfulness of mankind. A history lesson on how heartless mankind can be. Over the last 50 years the evil heart of mankind has slowly exposed itself. Man’s sinful acts have enlarged themselves. The corruptness of everyday talk by both men and women is awful. Just listening as people talk they use 4 letter words as if it is an honor and an art to see how many 4 letter words one could get into a sentence. If somehow you missed hearing those 4 letter words in the conversations of the day. Then you heard them on your radio, if you somehow missed hearing them there you heard them on your TV. Listening to or watching the news is like watching a western movie. There is killing in every state and every town on a daily basis. Mankind is on the track for collapse of destruction destroying their own selves. Jails and prisons are full, drug use is at an all time usage rate and alcohol is destroying life after life. The answer is and has always been JESUS!

He is so much better. As I round the bend and the end of this life is not far away. There’s not much of this life’s treasure I’m interested in. I have come to the conclusion that if I can’t wear it or eat it I don’t need it. I find myself thinking about the other side and what it will be like, not if I have Salvation that’s settled. But what it will be like when I depart because being with Jesus is so much better. 

The Problem Is 🛗

Hebrews 1:3 (KJV) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

There’s the problem “our sins” something had to be  done about “our sins” and it was. “when he (Jesus) had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” Our sin debt has been paid for and as this verse tells us we love Him (Jesus Christ) and the reason why.

1 John 4:19 (KJV) We love him, because he first loved us. If you never see yourself as a sinner then you’ll never understand the love God has for you.  

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So if we perish it’s not God’s fault nor His will. I remember Edgar Thomas, a good friend of mine saying one day that he went to his PO Box; He said there was a letter in there from the bank. He opened it up and there was the deed to his and Katherine’s home. Edgar said he went to the bank and asked what this meant. The president of the bank told him that someone had paid his house note in full and he now owns it free and clear. Listen, you and I have a debt we can’t pay. But like that person who paid for Edgar Thomas' house we also have one whose name is Jesus that paid our sin debt off in full “when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down” it’s done. Where did He sit? “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”   And you know what? He doesn’t need our help “had by himself purged our sins” by himself. So stop trying to do good or the best you can because you can’t do that good. Jesus has already done it for you. When you see and understand you will love Him. I can only speak for myself. The day I repented my life changed completely, oh not overnight. I realized that when I spoke unkind words there was something on the inside of me that told me that I shouldn’t do that. My heart was troubled because of what I did. That was the Lord teaching and training me to grow in His Grace. Today I’m a long way from being perfect but the Lord is still working in my life, oh my sins, that debt is paid in full. I love Him and want to please Him because He loves me. How about you?

Don’t You Want To Go⁉️

God who at different times spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.

Hebrews 1:2 (KJV) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Look, did you see it? That little word “us” God in the last days has spoken unto “us” that’s you and me. Remember John 3:16 “For God so loved the world ” that’s “us” God has taken time out of His busy schedule to speak to “us”. How you might ask? By His Son Jesus Christ. Then I noticed those words “heir of all things” Wow, this is much better than just being an heir to someone's estate. 

Romans 8:16 (KJV) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Romans 8:17 (KJV) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. That’s a lot to take in. God has spoken to “us” by His Son Jesus Christ. The reason is to Save Lost Sinners which we all are. We were born that way. If I were to go plant an apple seed what do you think will come up? The right answer is an apple tree which will produce Apples. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God everything changed for them. When they had children they were just like their Mother and Father who had disobeyed God. Take the time and start reading in Genesis chapter 4 and see what the offspring of Adam and Eve do. We read of the first murder and it’s because of anger, a family disagreement which is sin. You will also read of a lie that was told, the bad thing about it, it was told to God. Cain and Abel were born into this world, sinners and so has  everyone of us. The sure way to know is do you or have you ever had a mother and dad? If you can answer that question by saying no, then you are different from 100% of everyone else. We work hard so when the day comes we can retire and have a little something. That’s great and there is nothing wrong with that. When one gets to that age in life you’ll find that you can’t do what you once did; you’ll see. It doesn’t matter how much nor how well you prepared because that’s peanuts to what’s ahead.

2 Timothy 4:8 (KJV) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Well there it is. What? “all them” that’s “us”. I know of a man that has less than a year to live. He is in a wheelchair, his hands, well he can’t use them much because of the arthritis. If he falls he can’t get himself up. But as far as money he has much but he will spend it on medical bills. That’s sad but not only did he invest well in this world he also saw how useless it would be. But he’s not too concerned with the wealth of this world; he's got his eyes on a real fortune. A new body, a new life, and he is joint heirs with Jesus Christ who owns it all. Just because he believed in a Savior Jesus Christ and asked Him to save him. I could write much about this place called heaven; no, wait a minute I can’t because the Bible doesn’t tell us much about it. But what it does tell us is that it's all New! Don’t you want Go? No sickness, no dying, no sorrow, no pain, no saying goodby, streets paved with gold, don't you want to touch and thank the one who made it all possible Jesus Christ God's own Son, Don’t you want, Go?

Say amen right there, I’ll see there.

Wow This Is Great 😎

Hebrews 1:1 (KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Wow this is great. This assures us that a bunch of people didn’t get together and decided that they would write a book and call it a Bible. For the purpose of hopefully controlling men and women’s lives making this a better world to live in. 

2 Peter 1:20 (KJV) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

2 Peter 1:21 (KJV) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 

God who at different times spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. So the book we call the Bible, what is it all about? Well the central person is God’s Son Jesus Christ. It’s about the Son of God Jesus Christ and the salvation of mankind. Doctor M.R Dehaan said it well. On every page in our Bible we can see Jesus, sometimes He passes by as a shadow, sometimes we can see Him standing behind the lattice but at other times He stands bold upon the page, but He’s alway there. Once you see Jesus you will have no problem seeing His love for you. I say it often and it will never change “Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost,” He’s looking for you because you are not looking for Him. You are lost in this world's adventures and what this world wants you to think will make you happy. But real happiness is found in the Lord Jesus. But you know that if you know Him!

 

Ride the Pine or Get in the Game 🤐

It was on Monday February 9 2004 Doctor Albert Jeffries and his wife were on a vacation. It had been many years since they had been on any type of vacation. They both decided to take a cruise that would put them away from phone calls, ER trips and who knows how many visits to the nearby hospital. All was set the ship left from Miami on Saturday February 7. It did and Doctor Jeffries and his wife were enjoying their vacation and their rest. On Monday afternoon Doctor Jeffries told his wife Ann that he was going to get something and he would be right back. He went to the main dining area and grabbed a cup of coffee and headed back to his room. He heard and then saw a young mother screaming for help. As he went over to where she was he saw a young boy choking and turning blue. What does he do? He knows what to do to save this young boy from choking to death. But he tells himself he is on vacation and someone else will surely help. Don't they have a doctor on board? Surely he will come and save this young boy's life. But when the ship doctor got there the young boy had choked to death. I know what you are thinking. How could Doctor Jeffries just stand there and do nothing when he knew what to do to save this young boy's life? The answer is simple: he was on vacation. Oh my 😱 this is awful. Yes I agree but there is a dying world we all live in. Some of us know what to do when the opportunity arises but many times we do like Doctor Jeffries, just stand by and let someone else help when we could have helped. Then we leave and never say a word. Oh that’s awful. It matters not how much we know if we won’t use it in times of desperation. Jesus made it very clear to tell the Gospel to every one. What is the Gospel? The Death, Burial and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Mark 16:15 (KJV) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

The results to receive is not in your nor my hands,, 

Mark 16:16 (KJV) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

But our responsibility is to share what we truly believe.  

1 John 1:3 (KJV) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:12 (KJV) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 

Ride the Pine or get in the Game.