The Gospel that Doesn’t Work
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it (Hebrews 4:2).
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST DOESN'T WORK until it is mixed with faith. In many surveys today, young people are leaving their family churches in large numbers. Articles written about this trend most often assume they are leaving the faith of their families, leaving the faith of their churches. Several things can cause a young person to leave their family’s church.
BUT ONE BIG THING THAT IS SELDOM BEING INCLUDED IN THE MIX is the verse above. Based on this verse of Scripture, many of these young people are not leaving their faith. They never had saving faith to begin with. They heard the Gospel year after year and never embraced it for themselves. They never mixed faith and acceptance with Gospel to the saving of their souls. They never mixed repentance and faith with what they heard. They cannot be leaving what they never had.
THE UNPROFITABLE GOSPEL - The background of this verse goes back to the unbelieving Jews who would not enter the promised land with Moses. A journey of eleven days from Mt. Sinai would have taken them to the gateway of the promised land at Kadesh-Barnea. Ten unbelieving spies came back from a scouting trip and discouraged the fighting men so that they rebelled in unbelief. Two men, Caleb and Joshua, gave a good report of faith but the unbelievers would not listen to them.
TEN UNBELIEVING MEN TURNED THE NATION OF ISRAEL AWAY FROM BELIEVING GOD and they rebelled against Him. God took the unbelieving rebels at their word and they wandered around in the desert for 38 years until every man of military age was dead. There was a corpse for every step they took. At last their children were old enough to fight and take the land promised to them by the Lord.
THAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF OUR VERSE FOR TODAY. In the New Testament there is a similar requirement of faith for those who would enter into eternal salvation through the gospel of Christ. It is not enough to be born into a home of faith in Christ, or to sit under years of sound preaching of the gospel and the Word of God. Everyone must embrace Christ by faith or the gospel does not profit them.
BECAUSE THIS DECISION TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL is to be done by every child who comes to the age of accountability, it behooves the parents to teach the children in the early years all they can about God and Christ and the Word of God and to emphasize the importance of making the right decision about salvation.
MOST PEOPLE WHO COME TO KNOW THE LORD, do so in their younger years, but at no certain age. Few old people get saved. When the Holy Spirit begins to awaken the spirit of the child and begins to convict or make real their state with God, that’s the time. A man once told me that God moved strongly in his heart when he was young, before his teens, and he rejected it. He went through the war in Viet Nam before God began to deal with him again and this time he embraced the Lord with great purpose and zeal. He was 35 when he got saved.
I WAS NINE YEARS OLD WHEN I GOT SAVED AND PLEASE BELIEVE ME when I tell you that the Lord made it real enough to me that night in the bean market where the meeting was being held. I never forgot it and never got over being saved that night. That was 72 years ago.
THE COOK GETS THE FIRST TAKE ON THE FOOD IN THE KITCHEN, and I get to visit with Bible writers and read the comments of other students of the Bible. Sometimes the comments are good and sometimes they are disappointing. Our verse today is pretty simple. Some people who hear the gospel don’t embrace it, don’t mix faith with it. It never becomes a part of them and they go out into the world totally unconcerned about it.
SOME HEAR THE WORD PREACHED AND THEY TOY WITH WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD. They enjoy eating the hot dogs at church. Or Mom and Dad made them go to church and it became a habit with them. After a while they lose interest in the Lord or worse, become bitter because the gospel “doesn’t work.” Have you embraced the Christ of the Bible? It’s for you. God wants you to live with Him forever. But you MUST receive Him as your own personal Savior and Lord. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
JULY 2, 2018 – MONDAY
A.M. Job 23-25 P.M. Acts 10:24-48
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.) If you are behind in reading, read the passage for today and then go back.
●Good Memory Verse:
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it (Hebrews 4:2). (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)
●Song for Today:
Just As I Am (1:46) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-_U1T71mt8
●Health Hint:
Powdered Fruits and Vegetables are becoming increasingly popular today as people look for ways to get in their recommended number of servings. Canned V/8 juice has been selling for many years. It is high in salt to make it palatable to drink. I use some green powders and beet juice powder as a backup for the days when I can’t get fresh juice. If you’re into green drinks, just remember that green chlorophyll is extremely fragile and cannot be processed. In juice, it is dead within a few hours.
During WW1, the British Army used fresh chlorophyll for treating wounds with great success. They never found a way to store it. It was tried again in WW2 with the same results. After the war, for a short while we had green chewing gum, green tooth paste, green anything that pertained to bad breath. But, it was short-lived. It wasn’t effective. Powdered veggies have some value, but if you are buying it for the chlorophyll, you are wasting your money. The powders contain enzymes, minerals, and protein. The powders made with the whole plant are a good source of fiber. A few powders are made from plant juice, which costs more but doesn’t have the gritty taste. Drink up! Ω
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