Do You Know if You Are Saved?

 Romans 8:4 - For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?

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Where is your hope? Do you have hope? Hope cannot be in the things around us. Hope can only be found by looking to the One who gives us that hope...Jesus Christ.

Do you know if you are saved?? Some don’t know what it is. Some believe there are many ways to be saved, that all religions somehow, in their own ways, can save us. What does it mean? What happens? How does it happen?

Often it happens when we come to our wits end, the end of the rope, the end of ourselves, the bottom of the barrel, we hit a wall. And yet for others it can just happen without a specific incident. The heart just knows.

All of this is nothing new to this blog! 

God saves everyone uniquely in His way to suit any particular person. It’s personal. I think that’s why a prayer prayed with head bowed corporately does nothing. It’s about the heart that is ready to change. It’s unexplainable how it happens. It just does...and one will know when it does.

I can repeat a prayer all I want but it doesn’t mean a thing without an immediate heart change toward God.

God loves us all but He will not allow all to receive eternal life without first receiving His Son. And receiving is the key word. Our works or our perceived goodness cannot give us eternal life. That would mean Jesus’ death on the cross was meaningless. Why, then, did He have to suffer the anguish and humiliation if we could get to heaven on our own merit? The Bible tells us it is a free gift from God. We don’t deserve it either. He offers it...and we must make a conscious effort to receive it.

There are so many lost “Christians” who will be sadly disappointed some day when they realize they heard the truth (or even those who were fed lies from their church) and did nothing (could do nothing) about it. Maybe they figured they had plenty of time left or just thought the truth was THE lie that true believers believed.

There is not one true church. Jesus wasn’t about denominations. They are all man made, according to certain men’s ideas, sometimes for power over people. But there is THE Church of Jesus Christ. It is made up of people of all tribes, tongues and nations who believe that only Jesus Christ can save. No other man or woman. He is a jealous God, so He will not allow our devotion to anyone else. No one.

After writing this this popped up on Facebook (love when this happens): The Church, the house of God, is simply Christ Himself in undivided oneness found in all those in whom He really dwells. (T.A. Sparks) Really dwells...by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

It’s Jesus Christ alone. Government won’t save, idols won’t save, no man or man made thing will save. When we come to that realization some day that we can’t do this “thing” whatever it is on our own or we can’t fix it, we’ve come to the end of ourselves. That’s a very good time to seek the One who saves. He will save us from ourselves, our enemies, our death and the coming earthly judgment. Only Jesus saves.

Our hope, trust and faith must be in that which we cannot see. While we cannot see Jesus, He is alive spiritually. And He will save until God the Father says, “Enough, it’s time to return to earth and wage war on the enemy.” No one knows the day or hour but earth looks pretty far from the Garden of Eden these days. Best to be prepared.

2Corinthians 4:18- ...while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Isaiah‬ ‭45:22 - Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

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What Does it Mean to be In Christ?

2Corinthians 5:17- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

In Christ. These two words appear about 75 times in the New Testament. 

Being in Christ means having the Spirit of God within you. Just because someone calls themself a Christian does not mean His Spirit lives within. 

The Spirit comes in at the time you know you have been touched by this very Holy Spirit...when you have given yourself to Christ. At that moment when God knows you have done this you receive the Spirit of God. A change takes place. Your heart changes. Your thoughts change. Same with your desires. It’s an amazing thing! 

Being in Christ is not having attended church all your life, being infant baptized, or being a certain denomination, singing in the choir, even, I might add, being a clergyman! It is something that occurs between you and God alone. In fact, it isn’t even anything you can do on your own. God does the work in you. He calls, He urges...you respond to that. You might have a desire, previous to this, to have a closer relationship with God, but it might just be His urging you to do so and He is still the one who makes it happen. 

John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” (John 3:27)

It’s being born again...in the Spirit. Jesus told us we could not get to God apart from this rebirth...

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) There it is! In Jesus’ own words. Born again! Read all of John 3. 

This rebirth only comes through Jesus Christ and His work on the cross...because not one of us is perfect. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one...” (Romans 3:10)

Only Jesus was the perfect spotless Lamb of God. He must and will get the glory for changing one’s heart, making them whole, redeeming and saving a lost soul, which we all are until being born again, born in the Spirit...becoming in Christ. 

So many believe that we are children of God because we believe in Him. We become children of God when we come to Christ to be in Christ. Christ in us. If one doesn’t feel qualified to be born again, no one is, but God...gave His only Son that whosoever will call on His name will be saved. 

Not by anything we think we can do! All because of Jesus’ obedience to the will of His Father. No one else! 

Ephesians 2:8-9- For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

One Sacrifice for Another

Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God...

Got to thinking early this morning about Adam and Eve. As you know, they were the cause of all the sin in this world that has entered mankind at birth. Are they in heaven, I wondered? It wouldn’t seem right for them not to be but they were, after all, the cause of mankind’s sin!

I googled the question. And immediately was taken to one scripture that solidified the fact they were! And from that scripture others popped into my head. Even as far back as Adam and Eve there was a type of Christ and His forgiveness evident.

Adam and Eve committed the first act of sin and immediately hid from God and were ashamed of their nakedness. And what did God do? He brought about the first blood sacrifice. Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21) As early as Genesis 3!

And life as we know it began. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

Adam and Eve accepted the offer of clothing from God which was the first blood sacrifice. God sacrificed the animal. Animals were sacrificed throughout the Old Testament (a type of Christ). Their blood was spilled out.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 17:11)

Blood during that time was not allowed to be eaten.

Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it on the earth like water. (Deuteronomy 12:23-24)

Life is in the blood. God sacrificed His own Son. His sacrifice; His blood, poured out that we might have life if we humble ourselves before Him.

This is nothing new. As for me I was glad I looked into it. I never tire of hearing about these types of Christ in the Old Testament. I always look forward to rereading the accounts in the early part of the Bible, to look for Jesus in the pages. Right from the start God made a way for mankind to be saved. The Old Testament believers in God had only their faith. They never saw their Redeemer. Hebrews 11 in the New Testament shows that by listing the faith that so many people had; it shows us that our faith must be just as strong. Faith in something we do not see, knowing that one day (maybe sooner than we know) Jesus will return...for those only who have put this faith in Him. That’s why it is so important to know this God. We cannot have faith in anyone or anything else. BUT GOD...

As did Adam and Eve, so must we have faith. We are to humbly go before God and realize our shame and receive the sacrifice of Jesus’ work (not our works) on the cross...be covered by His blood, become clothed by Him in His righteousness.

When we go to Christ and ask for forgiveness of our sins, and we all have them, He will know the intent of our heart and He will either forgive us or He will not. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. (Psalm 53:2)

For by GRACE you have been saved THROUGH FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God, not of WORKS, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT SEEN. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

As Adam and Eve were covered, by God, so He offers the same for us through Jesus. This is a serious thing. It isn’t done your way but His. It’s not about a prayer once said (or repeated many times) because the prayer without a heart change doesn’t count. It’s a change of heart and life. If Jesus is not important every day, that heart has not changed.

Just as God told Adam and Eve not to eat of a particular tree in the garden, He now offers us the Tree of Life:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

It’s all about Him. From Genesis to Revelation. The Alpha and Omega. We sacrifice our old lives (become overcomers) for the new one Jesus gives. One sacrifice for another.

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19:34) 

This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. (1John 5:6)  

Isaiah 61:10 - I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness...

It's About Good Versus Evil

Isaiah 5:20 - Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

I stumbled across this article from 2014 written by my pastor, Terry Fischer. It truly shows his heart and the state of this nation. Considering it’s been nearly six years now, it’s as relevant today as the Bible is relevant some 2,000 years later. 

Today's Eyesalve [his daily devotional], is the article I wrote, that was published in this month’s Wisconsin Christian News. 

IT’S ABOUT GOOD VERSUS EVIL

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Pastor Terry Fischer 

Conservative radio hosts dominate talk radio programs across this nation. Liberal-minded programs just don’t do very well at all. I guess, when it comes down to it, people don’t like to listen to liberals talk their nonsense. When you listen to talk radio–especially to men like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity–there is constant comparing conservatism to liberalism, or Republican to Democrat. That is all right for these men to do that; that is why their shows are popular, and that is why Americans listen to them. It is educational as well as entertaining at times to listen to these conservative talk shows. I found myself laughing a few times over the years while listening to some of the things that are said. I also had to intentionally shut the radio off or change the station to keep me from becoming too pessimistic or even overly political. After listening to the constant talk of how our great country of America is declining in every way, it is hard not to be very discouraged or even outright angry.

America, the only real military super power, is declining economically and it is directly related to the moral decay of America and her increasingly open rejection of God. There is no way anyone can convince me that all of those that founded our nation and all of those pioneers that forged this country were true born again believers; however, I am convinced their morals and standards were high and were greatly influenced by the written word of God. It was only about fifty years ago that TV would not show Elvis Presley gyrating his hips, and now today, at the mall just down the road from me, they have posted in the windows some of the most sensuous pictures of women advertising skimpy clothes. In my 58 years of life I have seen an incredible deterioration of morality here in America.

The battle rages: Democrats against Republicans, liberals against conservatives, lefties against righties. I want to set something straight right now, church of God. For us it isn’t Democrat versus Republican, it isn’t liberals against conservatives, and it is not the left against the right; it is right against wrong. It is about overcoming evil with good. Do not let yourself get caught up in the wrong fight. The wrong fight is carnal; the true fight is spiritual. Haven’t you noticed that everything that is evil in this world and this country is embraced by the liberal crowd? They are for murdering babies in their mother’s womb and they have no problem promoting the homosexual lifestyle. They encourage dependence upon government and criminalize the hard working go getter. Telling lies is accepted for the sake of achieving a goal. Anything that has a standard of godliness is rejected by that liberal crowd, but it isn’t just the liberals. There are some conservatives, as well, that reject godly values. Maybe not as blatantly, but many are started on the path of moral decay.

I do not consider myself a Republican, although I voted Republican many times. I do not consider myself a conservative, although I agree with the highest conservative values. I am a bible-believing, Spirit-filled saint of God. That also means that I belong to a whole other and completely opposite kingdom. It is clear in the bible that God’s people are foreigners and strangers just passing through this old world. This world is not our home; heaven is our home. Until we get there, the kingdom of God is within us. Give me a moment to shout hallelujah! We are here to shed the light of Christ, we are here to be an example of godly living, we are here to love fallen man on behalf of God, and we are here to speak for God. We are here to promote and advance the kingdom of God.

Deep sadness comes over me at times when I see what is happening to this country. I will be the first to admit I love the comfort and prosperity we live in here in America. However, my concern for America is not that we are losing all the blessings of God that we have come to take for granted, but to see the decay of society and the rise of the antichrist spirit in this nation. I am not much of a weeper, but what gets me teary-eyed is to think how God has blessed this nation, yet we have spit back in His face. Therefore I am determined that I am going to love Him with everything in me. I appreciate every blessing He has bestowed on us, but I am not fighting to keep them; I’m fighting for the establishment of the kingdom of God.

I don’t know about you, but I am convinced that we are living in the very last days. When I first got saved, I was taught that there was going to be a great last days’ revival. I am believing for that. I believe the 20th century has experienced a true spiritual awakening. However, the bible doesn’t speak much of a last days’ revival other than James writing of how the farmer patiently waits for the latter rain. What the bible does have quite a bit to say in regard to the last days is that mankind will turn from God. The bible clearly teaches that there will be perilous times, iniquity will abound, love will grow cold, and deception will increase. I am careful not to allow myself to end up, in an attempt to restrain society, fighting against what God has allowed to be. I will vote if there is someone to vote for. I will pray and preach against the evils of abortion and sexual sin of all sorts. My purpose for being here, however, and your purpose for being here is to be a light in this dark world that is getting darker by the day. I am not going to get caught up in political debates, though there may be a need for them. I am not going to label myself according to some political preference. Just because I reject the Democratic Party does not make me a Republican. Just because I reject liberal ideology doesn’t lump me in with the conservatives. I am more conservative than a conservative. I’m a child of God. I belong to an eternal kingdom that I already have the privilege of walking in. God’s kingdom is the kingdom that I am concerned about. It is His kingdom that has come unto me. It is the kingdom of God that Jesus came into Galilee preaching. It is the kingdom of God we must receive as a little child. It is the kingdom of God that we have the privilege of knowing mysteries about. Whatever we need, carnally or spiritually, is added unto us as we seek the kingdom of God. Now that is the kingdom I am fighting for. It is “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on EARTH as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

I am not going to lie down and play dead and let the wicked take America. I will pray, I will vote, I will take the opportunity to teach those that will listen that America must repent and turn to God; but one day it is going to be an antichrist nation. Even then, the kingdom of God will stand unshaken.

My intention for writing this article was not to scold any Christian for fulfilling what they believe is their political duty. I thank God for those in the church that keep us informed and challenge us to be a voice for morality. I wrote this to comfort you and proclaim peace in the midst of America’s declination. If we are truly in the last days, there is nothing you can do about it. I just want to remind you that you are on the winning side and you belong to the ETERNAL Kingdom of God. “..but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the KINGDOM and the power and the glory forever, Amen.” (Matthew 6:13)