DEAD
END
BREAD
23 For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)
16 The
wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings
them punishment. Proverbs 10:16 (NIV)
28 Furthermore,
since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave
them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with
every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters,
insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey
their parents; 31 they
are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's
righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only
continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:28-32 (NIV)
32 “For
the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will
destroy them; 33 but
whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIV)
21 For a
man's ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all his paths. 22 The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords
of his sin hold him fast. 23 He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his
own great folly. Proverbs 5:21-23 (NIV)
3 The
integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their
duplicity. 4 Wealth
is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs
11:3-4 (NIV)
13 When
tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by
evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire,
he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to
sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15 (NIV)
16 This
is what the Lord says: “Stand at
the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is,
and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will
not walk in it.’” Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)
6 Seek
the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his
thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord,
and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 8 “For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and
my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah
55:6-9 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Where is the folly of true religion? Is it a folly to be providing for the world to come? ‘Oh, no.’ Is it a folly to make the Author of your being its first end? ‘No, no.’ Is it altogether a folly to believe that there is such a thing as justice? I think not. And that, if there be such a thing as justice, it involves punishment? There is no great folly there. Well, then, is it any folly to perceive that there is no way of escaping from the effects of our offences except justice be satisfied? Is that folly? And if it be the fact that Christ has satisfied justice for all who trust in him, is it folly to trust him? If it be a folly to escape from the flames of hell, then let us be fools. If it be folly to lay hold of him who gives us eternal life—oh, blessed folly! Let us be more foolish still. Let us take deep dives into the depths of this foolishness. God forbid that we should do anything else but glory in being such fools as this for Christ’s sake! What, sirs, is your wisdom? Your wisdom dwells in denying what your eyes can see—a God; in denying what your consciences tell you—that you are guilty; in denying what should be your best hope, what your spirit really craves after—redemption in Christ Jesus. Your folly lies in following a perverted nature, instead of obeying the dictates of one who points you to the right path. You are wise and you drink poison; we are fools and we take the antidote. You are wise and you hunt the shadow; we are fools and we grasp the substance. You are wise, and you labour and put your money into a bag which is full of holes, and spend it for that which is not bread, and which never gives you satisfaction; and we are fools enough to be satisfied, to be happy, to be perfectly content with heaven and God.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“We
judge things by their present appearance; but the Lord sees them in their
consequences. If we could do the same we
would be perfectly of His mind; but since we can’t, it is an unspeakable mercy
that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not;
and it is regarded as one of His heaviest judgments when He gives any person up
to the way of their own hearts, and to walk according to their own wisdom.” John
Newton
“We want to believe that we are autonomous, but the
gospel assures us we are under the jurisdiction of God. We want to believe that
we are good at heart, but the gospel says we are far worse than we could
possibly imagine. We want to believe we are wise, but the gospel says we are
foolish. We want to define ourselves by our desires and preferences, but the
gospel says that God has already defined us in the act of creating us. We want
to believe that we can do whatever we want today without fear of eternal
consequences, but the gospel unapologetically declares that there will be the
most fearsome and eternal consequences for our sin. That is an offensive
message. That is an ultimately offensive message… But the gospel cuts
against the grain with a message that counters it all: You are disobedient, you
are dead, you are doomed. (And, of course, until Christ found me I, too, was
disobedient and dead and doomed.) This bad news of the gospel is so offensive
(yet so demonstrably true!) that few people stick around to hear the good
news—the good news that there is hope and forgiveness and freedom for those who
will put their faith in Jesus Christ and receive his salvation. The bright
stars are only visible against the dark sky, and the ultimate joy of the gospel
only shines against the ultimate bad.” Tim Challies
“It is only when
our sins have been washed in the blood of Christ that we appear white as snow
in the eyes of God. No human “detergent”
of good works or clean thoughts can make us that white, that pure. Only Christ’s precious blood can do that and
it is only His blood that can continue to cleanse us from sin.” Billy Graham
“While there is
life, there is hope. The Spirit of God
is knocking faithfully at the door. If
we repent, mend our ways, throw off our sins, we can yet be used of God to
bring healing and help to a dying civilization.” Billy Graham
HEART SAVOR
· I am a sinner in need of a Savior.
· Sin leads to death, Jesus leads to life both now and
eternally.
· Only the blood of Christ can take away my sin.
