Tx tyre fryer
New member
Haven't been on here in a while, truck is gone, but I believe it's the Lords will that I write this.
Almost a year ago by the grace of the Lord Jesus I was radically born again and I want to talk to you guys about the nature of true Christianity.
My whole life I was raised in a typical southern baptist church, in the pew almost every Sunday for over 20 years. I went to all the youth camps, mission trips, did all the activity. I claimed to be, and thought I was, a Christian, if you would have asked me at any point in time whether I was, I would have said yes, absolutely, I believe in Jesus, I said that sinners prayer and "meant it in my heart", I go to church, I'm good to go.
But in reality I was dead in my sins. I lived completely contrary to what the Word of God says a Christian is. I drank my sin like water and was a slave to it. Sex outside of marriage, drunkenness, love of money, pride, practical idol worship of all things trucks, filthy language, everything that could be used to describe my lifestyle and things that I could practice without any second thought. I didn't truly love Jesus Christ and value Him above all things. I wasn't born again, I wasn't a new creation, I was an enemy of the cross, a God hater, I professed to know God but denied Him by my works, and under the wrath of God, had I died in that rebellious state, I would be in hell.
But the Lord had mercy on me, He opened my eyes to the scriptures and as I read the Bible and began to listen to true preachers of the Word of God I realized that what I thought I knew about true Christianity was completely wrong and that I was in grave danger. At that point I saw the love of God in the glory of Christ Jesus and I haven't been the same since.
The Lord commands all men everywhere to repent and believe in Christ. This is not merely a mental acknowledgement of facts about Christ. It is to truly abandon all hope in yourself and your own goodness and ability to save yourself.
Romans 3:10-18 says: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
God is a just and righteous judge. He cannot simply pass over sin. If a judge does that in our human courts we call him corrupt, yet this is the very thing that most people expect God to do. He will punish the wicked at the last day.
But there came one who can save us. Jesus of Nazareth, born of a virgin. Fully God and fully man, in the greatest example of sacrificial love that there ever was, came off His heavenly throne and walked the earth as a servant of man. For 33 years, He lived completely devoted to His Father's will, totally without sin. He proclaimed the Kingdom of God and warned men to flee from the coming wrath. He was rejected by men and nailed to a Roman cross. On that cross He bore the sin of His people, and the wrath of Almighty God was poured out on His only Son. And Jesus said, "it is finished."
Three days later He rose from the dead, because death had no hold on Him. He now sits at the right hand of His Father, making intercession on behalf of all those who would follow Him.
For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)
Our sin guilt was put on Jesus at that cross, that by faith we can legally be declared righteous in the sight of God.
The Greek word that is used by Jesus in the Bible translated in English to the word "repent" is "metanoeo." It means: to think differently or afterwards, i.e., to reconsider.
The idea here is that there is a new thought, over against the old thought. A change of mind. The mind changes and the whole body follows! This is what it means to believe!
So I'm telling you to change your mind about this Christ! He is not small, and your sin is not small. If God did not spare His only Son He will not spare you, you can be sure of that.
But men, listen, there is forgiveness to be found here, trust in Christ! He is all sufficient to save. He bids you come. You are not reading this by chance, this is a divine appointment.
I'm not telling you to clean your life up, because you can't do it. He says come as you are. I'm not asking you to repeat a prayer, that will not save you. I'm telling you to give up, fall upon Christ and He will hold you. Call out to Him for mercy.
If you claim to be a Christian here, I would ask you this. Do you remember that time in your life when you saw your sin for what it is, and then saw Jesus for what He is? Is He precious to you? Does He consume your thoughts? Are you willing to give up all that you have to follow Him? I'm not talking sinless perfection, not on this side of eternity, I'm talking a new creation. See 2 Cor 5:17
Matthew 16:24-26
Then Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
Revelation 22:17
....And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Almost a year ago by the grace of the Lord Jesus I was radically born again and I want to talk to you guys about the nature of true Christianity.
My whole life I was raised in a typical southern baptist church, in the pew almost every Sunday for over 20 years. I went to all the youth camps, mission trips, did all the activity. I claimed to be, and thought I was, a Christian, if you would have asked me at any point in time whether I was, I would have said yes, absolutely, I believe in Jesus, I said that sinners prayer and "meant it in my heart", I go to church, I'm good to go.
But in reality I was dead in my sins. I lived completely contrary to what the Word of God says a Christian is. I drank my sin like water and was a slave to it. Sex outside of marriage, drunkenness, love of money, pride, practical idol worship of all things trucks, filthy language, everything that could be used to describe my lifestyle and things that I could practice without any second thought. I didn't truly love Jesus Christ and value Him above all things. I wasn't born again, I wasn't a new creation, I was an enemy of the cross, a God hater, I professed to know God but denied Him by my works, and under the wrath of God, had I died in that rebellious state, I would be in hell.
But the Lord had mercy on me, He opened my eyes to the scriptures and as I read the Bible and began to listen to true preachers of the Word of God I realized that what I thought I knew about true Christianity was completely wrong and that I was in grave danger. At that point I saw the love of God in the glory of Christ Jesus and I haven't been the same since.
The Lord commands all men everywhere to repent and believe in Christ. This is not merely a mental acknowledgement of facts about Christ. It is to truly abandon all hope in yourself and your own goodness and ability to save yourself.
Romans 3:10-18 says: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
God is a just and righteous judge. He cannot simply pass over sin. If a judge does that in our human courts we call him corrupt, yet this is the very thing that most people expect God to do. He will punish the wicked at the last day.
But there came one who can save us. Jesus of Nazareth, born of a virgin. Fully God and fully man, in the greatest example of sacrificial love that there ever was, came off His heavenly throne and walked the earth as a servant of man. For 33 years, He lived completely devoted to His Father's will, totally without sin. He proclaimed the Kingdom of God and warned men to flee from the coming wrath. He was rejected by men and nailed to a Roman cross. On that cross He bore the sin of His people, and the wrath of Almighty God was poured out on His only Son. And Jesus said, "it is finished."
Three days later He rose from the dead, because death had no hold on Him. He now sits at the right hand of His Father, making intercession on behalf of all those who would follow Him.
For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)
Our sin guilt was put on Jesus at that cross, that by faith we can legally be declared righteous in the sight of God.
The Greek word that is used by Jesus in the Bible translated in English to the word "repent" is "metanoeo." It means: to think differently or afterwards, i.e., to reconsider.
The idea here is that there is a new thought, over against the old thought. A change of mind. The mind changes and the whole body follows! This is what it means to believe!
So I'm telling you to change your mind about this Christ! He is not small, and your sin is not small. If God did not spare His only Son He will not spare you, you can be sure of that.
But men, listen, there is forgiveness to be found here, trust in Christ! He is all sufficient to save. He bids you come. You are not reading this by chance, this is a divine appointment.
I'm not telling you to clean your life up, because you can't do it. He says come as you are. I'm not asking you to repeat a prayer, that will not save you. I'm telling you to give up, fall upon Christ and He will hold you. Call out to Him for mercy.
If you claim to be a Christian here, I would ask you this. Do you remember that time in your life when you saw your sin for what it is, and then saw Jesus for what He is? Is He precious to you? Does He consume your thoughts? Are you willing to give up all that you have to follow Him? I'm not talking sinless perfection, not on this side of eternity, I'm talking a new creation. See 2 Cor 5:17
Matthew 16:24-26
Then Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
Revelation 22:17
....And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
