Frogs in the Water

I am sure most of us have heard of the frog in the water but if you have not, here it is.

The story goes that if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it will immediately jump out, but if you put the frog in a pot of tepid water it will float comfortably. As you turn the water up slowly the frog will just sit there not realizing what is happening. Eventually the from will die from the heat. This is a story used by many Christians and non-Christians to tell people to be aware of your surroundings and the small changes happening all the time.

Well this story is not true. Scientists have said that if you put a frog in boiling hot water it will die and if you put it in a pot of water it can jump out of, it will jump out of it. A German scientist said that the story above could be true if you took the brain out of the frog. Now, I want to ask everyone a question. Are we frogs in the water, waiting for death? Are we just sitting by waiting comfortably, for our end? This could only happen if our brain was taken out, right? I don’t believe any of us have had our brain removed but we might just leave it on the shelf so we won’t have to use it. Ok now I know everyone is wandering where we are going with all of this.

This message is about the condition of our world. I believe we as Christians have sat by like the frog without a brain. We have allowed many things to happen in our homes that we should not allow. We do this because we want to be accepted by the world and non-believers, supposedly so we can minister to them and show them the love of Jesus. This is a lie whether it is conscience or sub-conscience. We cannot give the message Jesus gave us by not living the way Jesus told us to live. If we do this we will lead people astray, except now they will think they are saved only to find out some day that it was all in vanity. We are not going to help anyone unless we bring the absolute truth. Are you living by the truth or are you living by the world’s standards. This world we live in is not going to be here much longer and if you live by the standards of it you will not enjoy eternity. Let’s look at what the world finds important. We can do this by looking at what the news media has as its top headlines, because they want us to be attracted to them. This was a shocker for me because we do not watch or listen to the radio. This research made me seem weak and sad inside. Here are the results.

CNN 08/01/09

Latest News

· Dozens of horses poisoned at California farm

· Hong Kong teens caught in wave of drug abuse

· More photos of Air Force One flyover released

· Suspect in gay sailor's death commits suicide

· Al Qaeda changing, training, plotting

· Key House committee passes health care bill

· Philippine ex-president Aquino dead at 76

· Holocaust survivor, 90, found strangled

· Source: Hit suspected in Florida couple's killing

· Honda adds 440,000 cars to recall

· Legal battle puts Skype's future in jeopardy

· Ticker: Obama takes heat for 'beer summit'

· Dead boy, 6, bruised 'from head to toe'

· Venezuelan gov't shuts down radio stations 7 min

· Gang activity addicting 'like a drug'

· DNA may finally solve Earhart mystery

· 97-year-old golfer sinks first hole-in-1

Main headline is about horses dying due to poisoning, then teens and drugs, the President’s plane, homosexuality, terrorists, health care, a female president, holocaust survivor murdered at 90!, a couple murdered, cars recalled, court battles, president drinks beer, beaten dead 6 year old boy, government seizes control of radio, more drugs, An old man gets a hole in one

Fox News most popular stories 08/01/09

· Kentucky Man Charged in 1980 Murder of Wisconsin Couple

· Student Ordered to Pay $675,000 for Illegal Downloads

· Roseanne Barr Poses as Adolf Hitler in Shocking Photo Spread

· Skeleton Wearing a Suit Found at Ill. Cemetery

· Missing Idaho Boy's Disappearance 'Suspicious,' Police Say

· Full House of Morals: Candace Cameron Dedicates Life to Christianity

· Gates Sends Flowers to Woman Who Called 911

· GM Admits Error in Dealership Closings

Murdered couple, student theft, lesbian poses as Satanist, skeleton wearing a suit, missing boy, An actress dedicates her life to Christianity (something good), black scholar sends flowers to a Hispanic woman, and the largest car company in the world admits it should not have listened to the government.

ABC News

Prince of Persia:The Sands of Time

The upcoming Disney film "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan and Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina. Disney is the parent company of ABC News. The film is based on the popular action adventure video game of the same name. The two stars try to prevent a nobleman from acquiring the Sands of Time -- a gift from the gods that can reverse time. It is set to hit theaters in May 2010.
(© Disney Enterprises

This is the new Disney movie for all of our children to see. THE PRINCE OF PERSIA. Where did they get that name? I am so glad we do not have a TV. These headlines might not be that big to someone who is in the world every day or to someone who watches TV every day. These are pretty wild stories to me. I remember a time when they would not have been anything but normal to me though. So, what happened? To me this is boiling water and I want to jump out of the pot and never look at it again. To someone who sees this stuff every day it is nothing more than lukewarm water. It might bother some professed Christians to see some of these headlines but they have been desensitized to the sin that is in the world that they look past the other headlines. God has given us commandments and examples concerning these things.

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Cor 6:14-18 (KJV)

The more my family separated itself from the things of the world and the system of the world the more the scriptures make sense. This passage above is so easy to understand yet most professing Christians want to say “yeah I believe this but if I just can’t do it, or if I do this I might miss a witnessing opportunity”. If you live a life according to God’s word you will always be a witness and you do not have to look for the opportunity. Righteousness, light, Christ, believers, and the Temple of God (which you are) do not have anything in common with unrighteousness, darkness, Belial ( or any other god), infidel, or idols. As a matter of fact things cannot coexist with each other. Look what God told Moses.

3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Lev 18:3 (KJV)

Why did God command this? Surely some of things weren’t that bad. You know everyone was doing them. God wants His people to be different. He does not want us to be the same as the world. Moses was told not to do the things of the place he was, or the place where he was going. He was going to a foreign land and was told to not walk in their ordinances. We must not be different when we go somewhere else. It is kind of like modest separated dress. My wife and daughter wear a dress and an apron. They should wear a dress and an apron no matter where they go. If I think wearing broadfalls or pants and suspenders is how I should dress, this is how I should dress whether I am going to a Mennonite church, an Amish church or to a shopping center. Of course if I joined one of these churches I would dress according to the unity of the brethren. This is how I would show that I agree with this group of people. God wants us to be who we are all the time. I shouldn’t put on a pair of kakis because everyone else is wearing them. Especially if I do not agree with the unbiblical stances they take. I should not walk in their ordinances.

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Heb 11:24-25 (KJV)

Moses chose to suffer rather than to be accepted by the world. He chose the rough path, the one least taken. He did this because he had an eternal perspective of life. Many Christians will say that it would be easy to make a decision to DIE for their faith. This is a dream because if you can’t live for your faith then you will not be called to die for your faith. God wants people who have already chosen to die for the faith in their life applications. Moses made this decision while he was still in Egypt. He probably would have never been called to go back to Egypt if he had not made this decision to turn to God while still in Egypt.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:26-27 (KJV)

Where does the word say to compromise our salvation to find unbelievers? Where does it say to allow people who refuse to turn from their sin into your home or church? Where does the Word of God say or even insinuate that it is ok to watch a little tv, play a couple of video games, watch the good wordly movies, wear a modest style of the world, or anything else that almost all Christians refuse to give up because they are captivated or should I say held captive by the world because of their own lusts. The WORD OF GOD TELLS ALL OF US TO KEEP OURSELVES UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD!! When you allow the things of the world in your house, church, family, etc. you are sitting in a pot of warm water and you do not have a brain.

So why have I said all of these things? I wanted to explain the answer before I presented the problem. Our world is in the last days. Evil has taken its place as ruler. It is time to make a decision to either follow Christ or follow Belial. Just look at the statistics below and see if there is a trend.

· Over half a million TVs are sold each day

· Almost 3 million cellular phones are sold each day

· Over 95 million dollars is spent on video games each day

· Over 22 thousand people will die from hunger each day

· There have already been over 26 million abortions this year 700,00 due to maternal health, the rest murder

· The current divorce rate is 40%-50%. Some say the rate is higher among Christians and others say it is the same.

These are just a few of the many startling statistics that can be found. This is the state of our world. This is what we must turn from and not accept. We must not be tolerant of the ungodly things that we see and hear on a daily basis. We must turn from evil and follow the examples of the godly people before us. Abraham, Moses, Jesus, The Apostles and many more all took the path of righteousness and suffering. They chose to give their lives for God. They chose to live Holy lives regardless of the earthly consequences.

1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor 7:1 (KJV)

We must be aware of the evils around us because we are called to stay away from them. How can we stay away from something if we do not know what it looks like? Christians everywhere must call evil, evil. Let’s cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. Don’t hold anything back from the Lord, give Him everything. God Bless.

I Am A Companion

63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. Psalms 119:63 (KJV)

I came across this verse in my morning devotional and I wondered if this was me. Am I a companion of all them that fears the Lord and keep His precepts? I hope I am, but sometimes I am not sure. I meet many people in the community and out of the community. I often wonder if their heart is right with God. I hear most people I meet say they are Christians, but most of the time I see no Christian application in their life. Then I remember where I came from. There was a time in my life when I was willing to do anything for God but I was taught I did not have to do anything. All I had to do was confess Jesus was savior and I was right with God. I was wrong then and I know many people are in this place now because of the many false teachers we have in our churches. We as Christians must understand we are part of a world wide church of believers. The people in Ephesus were part of the same body as the people in Corinth whether they agreed on everything or not. If we follow the bible as truth we will meet in the same place whether or not we try to. I have heard some people say that nothing is relative. This is a lie that the liberal denominations of today want all Christians to believe. Truth is NOT relative. Truth is absolute. WE must be resolute with the truth God has given us. There is absolutely no exception to this rule. So, who are the people referenced above? How do I know if a person fears the Lord and keeps His precepts?

29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deut 5:29 (KJV)

This is God’s heart. This is what God wants for His people. He desires that His people have such a heart in them that they fear and keep all of His commandments. I pray I have this heart. I have told my family many times that we need to remember to FEAR THE LORD. Most churches do not have the reverence for the Lord that they need to fear the Lord. They definitely do not want to keep His commandments because that is legalism and to not be legalistic is more important than pleasing God, right? God’s word was written thousands of years ago. When was the term legalism created?

le·gal·ism

Pronunciation: \ˈlē-gə-ˌli-zəm\

Function: noun

Date: 1928

1 : strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code

The word was created in 1928. Look at the definition. Imagine God’s people actually believing there should be strict, literal conformity to His law. I know the definition says excessive conformity to the law or moral code. We don’t want to do too much for God, do we?

4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Psalms 4:4 (KJV)

רגז

râgaz

raw-gaz'

A primitive root; to quiver (with any violent emotion, especially anger or fear): - be afraid, stand in awe, disquiet, fall out, fret, move, provoke, quake, rage, shake, tremble, trouble, be wroth.

That phrase, Stand in awe, is from the Hebrew word ragaz. This phrase means to quiver with any violent emotion, especially anger or fear. Here it is talking about fear. We can know someone fears the Lord by how they stand before Him. Have you ever went to the Lord to ask forgiveness for something and you quivered or trembled uncontrollably because you realized you sinned and you realized who you were really talking to? Maybe we should do this more often. He is GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!! God’s people fear Him. They don’t see Him as their equal or their partner or their homeboy. Let’s look at Philippians 2

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil 2:12-13 (KJV)

How do God’s people work out their salvation, with fear and trembling? This is not the people that call themselves Christians today. People don’t fear God. They show up to church in cars that cost more than their house, they go into God’s sanctuary biblically naked speaking of things that are of Satan, wearing things God has specifically prohibited, and not wearing things God has commanded them to wear. They discuss the latest worldly things going on, in what is supposed to be a sanctuary to God. When the preacher comes up, they show him some respect as they sing lies to God and sit quietly (somewhat) while the preacher delivers a message. Then they all return to their whoredom and idolatry until next week. These are not the people that fear the Lord or keep his precepts. Ok now we are getting somewhere. These are definitely not the people mentioned in Psalms 119:63. So who are they?

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Prov 1:7 (KJV)

People who fear the Lord will obtain wisdom. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. The precepts of God ARE wisdom and instruction.

1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Prov 2:1-5 (KJV)

There are so many places in the bible where fear is paired with wisdom and understanding. Why is this? This is simple. If we are wise we will fear the Lord. If we fear the Lord we will search for His wisdom and understanding. We are to search for people like this to be companions with. We are not supposed to settle for whom our companions are, but we are supposed to search for godly companions. Even if it takes our whole life. We have to make sure we accept those who are chosen by God. We must love those that obey God’s commandments and those that fear Him.

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)

Our companions should be ready and willing to tell anyone why they are who they are. If they are doing everything for the right reasons they will answer with meekness and fear. Meekness and fear, not fear of man either, but fear of God.

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Heb 13:5-6 (KJV)

When we do a good job at something, whether it is a construction job, homeschooling, computer programming, gardening, etc… or what ever we do, DO WE SAY THE LORD IS MY HELPER? Most of the times Christians do not do this either because they want the glory for what they have done or they do not want to sound like a religious freak. I hope the people of this world call me and my friends similar names. WE must not fear what man can do to us. We must live a strict, literal and excessive moral life. We must fear the Lord first of all things. Here are a couple more verses concerning the fear of the Lord.

35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Acts 10:35 (KJV)

1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor 7:1 (KJV)

There are so many passages that tell us to fear the Lord. I found 158 of them. I encourage everyone to continue to study on this topic because it is not something that our churches want to preach on anymore. Our companions should fear the Lord and if they don’t, well be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers. It is not possible for a person to truly say they believe in God and not live like they fear God. Even the devils believe and tremble. If anyone truly believes God is God, then they will live a life that honors God or they do not fear Him at all.

20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Prov 13:20 (KJV)

Choose your companions wisely. We must choose them wisely and we must also be willing to love all people who fear God and keep his precepts. These are the marks of true believers. This is not easy to find sometimes in our present world, but when you do find these people, you will have rest and peace. When you surround yourself with these people who have turned from the world and turned their faces on God, you will be able to have the peace that all men search for. Sure there are many professing Christians that say they have this peace and they say they fear the Lord and then they plan out their weekly schedule to fulfill their worldly desires.

Stand in Awe!! He is God. Look for other people who stand in awe and stand with them. Help unite the body of Christ and by searching for those who fear the Lord and keep His precepts.

17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 1 Peter 2:17 (KJV)

Amen.

Are You A Publican?

I want to talk about publicans today. There are a few references to publicans in the bible and this is for a reason. I have found it 23 times. Let’s start again with the definition of the topic we are going to discuss.

Publican

PUB'LICAN, n. [L.publicanus, from publicus.]

1. A collector of toll or tribute. Among the Romans, a publican was a farmer of the taxes and public revenues,and the inferior officers of this class were deemed oppressive.

As Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. Mat 9.

2. The keeper of a public house; an innkeeper.

This is the definition found in Webster’s 1828 dictionary. Now let’s look at how the word translates into the original Greek.

τελώνης telōnēs tel-o'-nace

a tax farmer, that is, collector of public revenue: - publican.

Ok, from these two definitions we can say that a publican is a tax collector. A person who goes around and collects taxes to give to the local or state government would be a publican. So why is it so bad to be a publican? Why did the people hate the publican so much? Let’s look at some scriptures on publicans.

9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Luke 18:9-14 (KJV)

Are you a publican? This verse says in the beginning that, he spake this parable unto certain which TRUSTED IN THEMSELVES THAT THEY WERE RIGHTEOUS, AND DESPISED OTHERS. Do you trust in yourself? Do you think that you are someone that everyone else needs? Do you think that you are righteous because of things you do, or because you help people? Do you despise others, especially other Christians? I have actually heard a Christian brother say to his family, “we don’t get shunned we do the shunning”. I heard this not long before they decided to shun us because we tried to hold them accountable for their publican activities. We as Christians are supposed to be the most humble, quiet, meek, loving and caring people on Earth. It should bring tears to our eyes when a fellow Christian steps out of line and it should bring tears to our eyes when someone rejects Jesus as Lord. We must do what the scriptures tell us to do, but it should be done out of love and humility, not vengeance and hatred. Let’s get back to the description of the publicans.

12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. Luke 3:12-14 (KJV)

Here we have John the Baptist baptizing people. The sinners asked what do I need to do now and John told them to sin no more. The publican took more money than he was supposed to and John told him to, exact no more than that which is appointed to you. So from this we can see the publicans sometimes took more than they were supposed to take, making there pockets a little fatter.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Matt 5:46-47 (KJV)

Here we see that the publicans love only the people who love them. They salute only the people like them and do not for others. Now we are getting a picture of what the publicans were. A quick review will show us that the publicans would steal money from the people by collecting more that they were supposed to, they would love only those that loved them back, and they would only welcome those that were like themselves. This sounds a lot like many Christians around today. Especially the parts that say the publicans only loved those that loved them and they only welcomed those that were like them. We can relate to the publicans in many ways. This is the reason we were given the examples of the publicans. In the first passage we read in Luke 18, we saw that the publican was very repentative. He was truly sorrowful for his sins. Now let’s look at some more scriptures.

1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:1-10 (KJV)

Zacchaeus was a sinner and he knew he was a sinner. When he saw Jesus he knew he needed Jesus. Zacchaeus was going to give half of everything he had to the poor and he was going to pay back what he stole from people fourfold. This is a man that his heart is right with God. The difference between the publican and the Pharisee was one knew he was a sinner and needed to repent and the other thought because he had God he was not a sinner anymore.

28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. Matt 21:28-32 (KJV)

Publicans and harlots will go into the kingdom of God before you. The publicans and harlots accepted that they were sinners. They accepted that they were not perfect and they needed help. None of us are perfect and none of us deserve going to Heaven. We must never say things like the Pharisee said in the first passage. I have said before, that if you think you are better than anyone then you are in need of repentance and you need prayer. So, how can we stop ourselves from becoming like the Pharisee? We must never forget where we came from. We must always remember how far God has brought us. God should be the one who is glorified not us. If you think that you are some kind of gift to people, you are a Pharisee. I heard a woman say one time that other women think of her as a god, and then they are surprised when they meet her that she is not. Women think of her as a God because she portrays herself that way to them. We must never portray ourselves as anything more than servants of God. We have made it to where we are because of God’s grace, not because of who we are. We have our testimonies to use to glorify God and to help other sinners come to the throne of grace. We must let our faults be known. The title of this message is, Are you a Publican. Our first reaction to this question is, no I am not. From the passages above it is clear we do not want to have the Pharisee's attitude, but if we get the publican’s attitude we just might make to our destination. We must be willing to give all. We must be willing to admit all. We must be real to everyone else around us, not just to those we relate to. We have to be willing to show love to everyone. Love should flow from us naturally. We should not have to try to love, because love should is already in us if the Holy Spirit is in us. Praise God for His love. Let's be like Jesus.

Once Saved Always Saved, Or Not

I want to talk about something today that is another contorversial topic, Once saved always saved, or not. This is a topic that I hear people discuss in church and out of church. Some say even though grace is free, we must still live a holy life and act like we are citazens of heaven. Others say we live in this world and there is really nothing we can do about our lives and we have no real control over our salvation once we say we believe, we are saved no matter what. I prayed about this for a long time and I believe God has shown me that beyond a shadow of a doubt that the freewill that He gave us determines our eternal destiny. God has given us choices to make and he has given us gifts but we can ultimately reject those gifts and make the wrong choices. Let's see what God's word has to say about this.

Mat 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Mat 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

Mat 13:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Mat 13:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

Mat 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Mat 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

This is a passage that many preachers will preach on. Many will talk about how the word is stolen and the poor people lose the word. I see in verses 20-21 that these people give the word back. Through their own will they give up what some say you cannot give up. I am talking about salvation. This passage talks about people who hear and ACCEPT the Word of God. It says they endureth for a while. What happens after they endureth for a while? Let's go to John 3

Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 is the verse that many Christians find comfort in. They believe that this means that anyone who believes that Jesus is the son of God is going to Heaven. Let's see if this is true by seeing what believing means.

Believe

BELIE'VE, v.t. To credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by other circumstances, than personal knowledge. When we believe upon the authority of another, we always put confidence in his veracity.

When we believe upon the authority of reasoning, arguments, or a concurrence of facts and circumstances, we rest our conclusions upon their strength or probability, their agreement with our own experience, &c.

2. To expect or hope with confidence; to trust.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psa 27.

BELIE'VE, v.i. To have a firm persuasion of any thing. In some cases, to have full persuasion, approaching to certainty; in others, more doubt is implied. It is often followed by in or on, especially in the scriptures. To believe in, is to hold as the object of faith. "Ye believe in God, believe also in me." John 14. To believe on, is to trust, to place full confidence in, to rest upon with faith. "To them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1. Johnson. But there is no ground for much distinction.

In theology, to believe sometimes expresses a mere assent of the understanding to the truths of the gospel; as in the case of Simon. Acts 8. In others, the word implies, with this assent of the mind, a yielding of the will and affections, accompanied with a humble reliance on Christ for salvation. John 1:12. 3.15.

In popular use and familiar discourse, to believe often expresses an opinion in a vague manner, without a very exact estimate of evidence, noting a mere preponderance of opinion, and is nearly equivalent to think or suppose.

This definition seems to cover everything about believing. Through this definition someone could come to the conclusion that once saved always saved is possible. All they have to do is believe, right. Let's look at the original Greek and see what this word means.

G4100

πιστεύω

pisteuō

pist-yoo'-o

From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

Again this seems that all we have to do is believe and we will be saved. This is true because this is what God's word says. There is still one thing we are missing here. Both definitions use words to define believe as a present thing. It also sounds to me like this is an ongoing thing, not a once in a lifetime decision.

Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

He that endures to the end will be saved. To endure means

G5278

ὑπομένω

hupomenō

hoop-om-en'-o

From G5259 and G3306; to stay under (behind), that is, remain; figuratively to undergo, that is, bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere: - abide, endure, (take) patient (-ly), suffer, tarry behind.

So what happens to those that do not endure until the end?This is definitely something that takes an active responsibility on our part. This surely does not sound like our comfortable, fun loving, feel good churches today. When do the professed Christians of today bear trials, persevere, suffer or tarry behind? Most of them don't because they think they are saved no matter what they do because they are told lies and they do not take it upon themselves to learn the truth. That's too bad. God loves us and He gives us freewill. With this freewill we can bless him or we can curse him. We can choose to follow him or we can choose to follow something else. One of the biggest arguments of people concerning once saved always saved is John 10

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

No one can take us away from God but we do not have to follow him. We can choose to not follow Jesus after we have once chose to follow him. Just because we use the name of Jesus does not mean we are saved. Turn to Mathew 7

Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

These are people who use the name of the Lord to do good and are not going to heaven. These people were saved because they had the Holy Spirit. That is the only way they could have done these things. What happened then? They give up their salvation and Jesus knows them not. I say give up, because Jesus says he WILL profess to these people who work iniquity. Iniquity is unrighteousness, violation of the law or wickedness. I know we will all sin even after we are saved, but if we think it is ok to sin because we are sinners anyway we are those that work iniquity. If we decide that we will be forgiven for something so we might as well do it, we are in danger of giving our free gift back. The New Testament commands us over and over to live a holy and pure life. This can only be done through obedience to Christ's commands.

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Do you see the Ifs here? We must keep his commandments and do what he tells us to do. If we don't we are not of him. Grace may be free, but being a Christian comes with a dedication that must follow through to the end.

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Notice the phrases, those who were once enlightened, have tasted of the heavenly gift, made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come. These are people who have obtained salvation. They have the truth or they could not have any of these things. This is talking about Christians, yes in the book of Hebrews. The word says, " It is impossible, if they fall away, to renew them to repentance. Jesus will not be crucified for you again.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

From the sounds of this, I belive this passage is talking about Christians also. Verse 26 says, after we have received the knowledge of the truth. This sounds like someone that has accepted Christ as savior.

2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Does this not say it is worse for someone who becomes saved and then returns from where they came from. It is better that they were never saved than to turn from what they know is right. Let's look at one more verse. Revelations 3

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Jesus said, "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I WILL NOT BLOT OUT HIS NAME out of the book of life. This must mean that the name must have been written in the book to begin with. Some of these verses are scary. Especially to those who have always been taught that once you are saved you can never lose your salvation. I say you can give up your salvation. If we say we believe that Jesus is coming for us, and we believe the we are going to live eternily with him, then why don't we live like it? The hope that we have should be enough to make us want to live a pure, holy, unspotted life for God. We should have the desire in us to do away with all things that are not of God in this world. We are talking about enternity, FOREVER WITH GOD. Let's live the lives God would want us to live now. Let's live by Christ's commands and at least act like we appreciate our salvation. Maybe if we thought about it more we might realize the great gift that we have received. If someone gave us a 300 year old family heirloom we would sure treasure it, but when God gives us something for eternity we just abuse it. Remember we do not deserve anything but Hell. Maybe we are not able to lose our salvation but maybe we are. Is it worth risking eternity? Get your oil ready, Jesus is Coming. Amen