Fatal Mistakes
http://www.standingthegap.org/Mistakes.htm
The Biggest mistake you could make is thinking you are bound for heaven when you die, while in reality the wrath of God is abiding on your head. Most people are under the assumption that God will welcome them into His Kingdom at death because they have acknowledged His Name. But they are sadly mistaken.
The worst possible situation you could be in is self-deception. You are hearing God’s Word but NEVER putting it into practice! (Lk8:21) Thus faith, in your mind is something vague and mysterious, not based on the Solid foundation of ‘Keeping His Commandments!’ (Jh14:15) You are under the false impression that God has forgiven your sins while you CONTINUE to enjoy them! (Rom6:1, 15)
Grace therefore gives you permission to keep on sinning, although you may not be a complete reprobate, inwardly your conscience is defiled by the corruption of lust. Putting to death the misdeeds of the body is something FAR from your mind. Yet this alone is the fundamental principle of the Gospel message.
Regardless what is preached as the ‘truth’ at your local church, THIS is what the Bible has declared! (2Tim2:19, 1Jh2:16-17) Yours is to believe it or reject it, but know that the consequences are eternal.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the Pure of heart for they shall see God!" Matt5:8
(You can be certain that NO ONE else will. ONLY those Purified from the inward & outward defilement of sin by His Grace will inherit the Kingdom.)
"The PURPOSE of the Commandment is love from a Pure heart, from a good conscience, from sincere faith!" 1Tim1:5
Grace is NOT an excuse to keep on sinning, or a cloak for ‘inward’ defilement. The entire Purpose of salvation by Grace is to REMOVE the inward corruption of selfishness from your heart! But unless you put to death the deeds of body by the Spirit, you will die & go to hell. (Rom8:13, Gal5:24)
Listen to the Prophet: "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from ALL your filthiness & double-minded ways! I will give you a NEW heart and put My Spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put MY Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statues & KEEP My Commandments!" Ezk36:25-28
This happens by GRACE through FAITH, BUT it MUST occur in reality within your heart or heaven will NEVER be your final destination.
If you continue in a life of selfish ambition, seeking after the things of the world and taking pleasure in your sins, your faith will be in Vain. You may indeed ‘believe’, but the ‘devils believe!’ (Js2:19) NO ONE becomes a new creation in Christ without FIRST dying to Self.
"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies it produces much grain. He who loves his life will LOSE it and he who hates his life in this world will find it for eternal life." Jh12:24-25
COUNT on it. Jesus has declared the truth of entering into life eternal. IF you continue to live according to the flesh you will DIE & go to hell. BUT if by the Spirit of God you put to death the deeds of the body you will live, eternally! Rom8:13
This is the grand difference between you and the devils. YOU have a choice and the means by which to lay aside the carnal mind that will destroy you! (Rom8:6) By ‘Crucifying’ the flesh with it’s passions & desires and walking in Newness of life. But this requires effort.
The BIGGEST mistake you could make at this point is being assured by the false teachers that you are a child of God while you remain in bondage to the inward corruption of sin. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Grace WILL NOT accommodate your sin or make up for your lack of Obedience to the faith. You may cling to a false notion that your ‘faith’ is genuine, but if you CONTINUE in your deception know that your conscience will soon be hardened by sin. (Heb3:12-14)
It doesn’t matter what your pastor has to say. Examine the Scriptures! "Come let us REASON together!" says the Lord. If your soul is Void of inward Purity and a Steadfast enduring faith, you will NOT go to heaven when you die. (Rom2:7-8 is how you inherit life eternal)
The works of the flesh are obvious, Gal5:19-21, they include: adultery, fornication (real or imagined) uncleanness, indecent behavior, idolatry, lack of Self-Control! Hatred, selfish ambition, envy, murder, drunkenness and the like. READ what the passage has to say about these things: "THOSE who DO such things WILL NOT inherit the Kingdom of God!"
EVIDENCE of the New Birth is FRUIT that Remains! (Jh15:16) The OPPOSITE of Selfishness. Gal5:22-23: "Love, Joy, Peace, Endurance, Self-Control, Kindness, Meekness & Faithfulness!"
Are these evident in you? Are you DAILY denying yourself, walking in love toward your fellow man, meek, kind, your inner passions under Control of the Spirit? THIS is the HOPE of eternal life! (Rom8:16)
If Newness of Life is not actively at work in your heart transforming you from glory to glory and putting to death the inward corruption of your flesh, you are NOT a child of God. (Rom8:9) You Cannot blend Darkness with Light, Purity with impurity. If Christ is in you, HIS IMAGE and likeness are Evident in your behavior. It doesn’t matter what your preacher says, ‘Carnal Christianity’ is a MYTH! Christ is NOT a minister of sin. When you Die to Self, in HIM, you have your FRUIT to holiness and the END thereof is EVERLASTING LIFE! Rom6:22
Stop believing a lie and enter into the True Vine.
Everybody's Saved!
http://www.standingthegap.org/THINK.htm
Jesus said, "ONLY A FEW would find eternal life!" Matt7:13-14 But you don't believe that, do you? You claim salvation in His name while STILL in bondage to your sins! You've NEVER Obeyed God's Word, Denied yourself or taken up your cross to Follow Him.
The reason is that ANYONE can 'accept' Jesus as their personal savior, as you have done, for forgiveness of sins. BUT FEW will ever OBEY HIM!
And since it by OBEDIENCE the heart is made PURE before God, (1Pet1:22) you are still in your sins, lost and deceived! 'Hearing' the Word, but NEVER DOING it. With a Form of godliness without Power to deny sin. Js1:22, Titus1:16
The PURPOSE of the Commandant is Love from a PURE heart from a good conscience & from sincere faith! 1Tim1:5 If your heart is not PURE you are NOT in Christ. Knowing about Jesus is not enough. The devils 'know' and tremble! Js2:19
The ONLY way you can KNOW for sure you are saved in Christ is by OBEDIENCE to the Faith. Jesus said, "IF you love ME, KEEP My commandants!" John14:15
It is the Heart that MUST be changed! "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries & immoral behavior!" Matt15:19
"From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!" Matt13:34 People draw near to God with their mouths, BUT their hearts are FAR away! Mark7:9
You cannot live a Worldly, Carnal lifestyle and go to heaven in the end.
Church attendance to sooth a guilty conscience is another vain attempt at true salvation. MOST people are LOST even though they 'BELIEVE' on Jesus!
WHY?
Because they have NEVER Obeyed Him! You can convince anyone their sins are forgiven in Christ by repeating a prayer, BUT tell them they MUST surrender everything they own & everything they are to Jesus and continue to DO SO to remain saved, and you will have FEW real converts to Christ. (Matt10:24-28)
Do you profess to be a Christian, attend church & do nice things for others but STILL cling to a Worldly lifestyle? SELF is still at the center of your being. You're convinced that being a Christian is a profession of faith NOT a transformation of conduct.
When's the last time you confronted anyone with the truth of God? Not the watered-down, accept Jesus, come to church message, but really got down to the nitty gritty of repentance, faith, obedience, holiness? DO YOU EVEN CARE? It's rare to find anyone whose willing to OBEY God at all cost. Or even open enough to discuss it without making excuses for sin.
Most people THINK they are saved and get very perturbed when someone asks them to produce EVIDENCE of their salvation. YET this is what scripture demands, 2Cor13:5
"Examine yourself as to whether you are in the faith, PROVE yourself! Do you not know that Jesus is in you, unless you fail to pass the test!"
When's the last time you heard a preacher tell you to examine your faith to see if it's real? Probably NEVER, because if he did it on a regular bases you wouldn't attend his church! You want someone to give you assurance that Christ died for your sins and you're saved no matter what you do! Isn't that the essence of the message they preach? By grace you are saved through faith, not of yourself, it a gift of God!
But what is FAITH? You have no idea! You hope it's something vague, mysterious, a supernatural force not of yourself that God imparts to those who will acknowledge His Son.
But Real Faith is simply OBEDIENCE to God. Nothing more & nothing less. "By faith people obeyed God when He called them!" Heb11:8, 11,23
"God rewards those who diligently seek Him by faith!" Heb11:6
By FAITH the heart is made PURE. By Faith you can have Victory over sin. By faith you can walk in Newness of Life! ALL dependant on your willingness to OBEY God, take that step forward and endure to the end. 1Pet1:22, 1John5:4, Rom6:4,17, Matt10:22
Living for yourself, in worldly pursuits, lusting for the things of this life is NOT Faith in God. If you have Lust in your heart you have NOT 'believed' on Jesus. Stop kidding yourself. Either Jesus came to deliver you from the corrupting influence of sin by the Power of His Grace, or the Bible is in error! Grace is NOT an accommodation to sin (Rom6:1,15)
The Bible defines Grace as God's Power to deliver you FROM sin! Titus2:11
"For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, training us to deny ungodliness & worldly lust and live soberly & righteously & godly in this present age!"
2Pet1:4 "We have been given exceeding great and precious promises that through these we may become partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust!"
Titus3:7 "Having been justified by His Grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (No guarantees here conditional on your obedience!)
Is that your HOPE? Living by His Power in this crooked, perverse generation as a shining light testifying of His Power to Break the bondage of sin & lust in your heart!
Or would you rather just go on trying to get by, thinking you are saved by faith while your heart is in love with the world and your flesh is bound by lust? Religious deception is common among professing Christians. You may be comfortable in your church, safe & secure under 'grace', but unless you Actively OBEY God NOW, your 'faith' is in vain! 1Cor15:2
"More blessed are those who hear the Word of God and KEEP IT!" Luke11:28
"Blessed are the PURE at heart, for they shall see God." Matt5:8
Contact: Mike DeSario, mike@antiosas.org
2172 Marhofer Ave, Stow, Ohio 44224
330-945-6700
