MESSAGE

By Rick Mathes

Romans 10:16 However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, ” LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”

How can any rational person refuse our Lord’s offer of salvation? What in heaven’s name is any better? And yet the world ignored the message and attacks the messenger. While we keep our eyes on the Cross of Christ, let’s just aim our ears together on what we hear His words speak to us.

All that has ever been said in the Word of God hinges on faith; we have faith that a light switch will work and a cell phone will make audible calls. We never question highway road markings or the fluid we put into our tanks. There is a litany of tasks we do all day that have earned our unquestioned faith. Faith in our doctor’s advice, the preacher’s sermon and our wife’s “I love you” when we need it. How much more must we have faith in our Lord’s word that has never failed us or anyone who preceded us back in the Garden of Eden? Faith in Jesus is certain!

To get to that unbending faith we must clear the deck of any sin that might hinder our voyage through this earth adventure. The Holy Spirit convinces us of our need to do our spiritual dirty laundry so that our robes will be spotless as we lift our holy hands to our King.

Jesus was forsaken on the Cross so that He could assure us that no one could take us from His hand. He promised that He would never leave us nor forsake and even the gates of hell could not prevail against us.

All He asks that we get out of His message is that we become disciples that hunger and thirst for His righteousness. A disciple in Christ is a believer that has been baptized in the fullness of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Is God divided? No, there is only one message, one God, one faith and ONE BAPTISM: thus saith the Lord. Don’t buy a lie for more of the Holy Spirit; you are insulting the Triune Godhead that cannot be divided into smaller pieces.

The evidence of our digesting the message is that the Word burns in our veins like a fire and we cannot shut up. Our blessings overflow to anyone within earshot. WE loudly proclaim the message and lift up the messenger as the only way, only truth and only life.

The message and messenger are one. (Repeat this again.)