Luke 8:39b, “And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”
I just humbly bowed my head and prayed for the Lord to help me write this
article. I so much want to help you in the Lord. If you'll listen to me for
just a few moments, your life will be forever changed. My friend, if your sins
have been washed away by the precious blood of Jesus, you have so much to
rejoice about. Luke 10:20,
“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you;
but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
What a beautiful Scripture!
Notice that Jesus
encouraged us in John 16:22 to “BE OF GOOD CHEER.” The Lord tells us
why—because He has overcome the world. Jesus lived a sinless life, overcoming
sin; He endured the reproach and the suffering of Calvary, overcoming the
cross; He arose bodily the third day from the grave, overcoming death! The
Lord didn't command us to be “happy,” because that's not ours to control. It's
been said that the word “happy” comes from the word “happens,” that is, what
HAPPENS to us. We have little control in life over our own happiness,
but we can always be of good cheer in Christ. We can always be of good cheer
in the PROMISES of God throughout the precious Scriptures. Jesus didn't tell
us to be of good cheer because things are going our way in life.
Rather, Jesus said to be of good cheer because He has OVERCOME THE WORLD.
Thus, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can always be of good cheer in the
Lord.
Jesus Makes the Difference While We're Suffering
One of the truths that I want you to grasp in this article is that no matter what horrible things have happened to you in life, Jesus promises to make everything right when it's all over. Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” We are on the winning side in Christ! No matter what you are going through right now—the tribulations, struggles, sin failures, loss, heartache and hardships—JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!!
The key is to always keep our eyes on Jesus. When the Apostle Peter walked on the water (in direct obedience to the Lord's command to do so), he sank into the Sea of Galilee when he saw the blowing winds, pounding rain and tempest of the waves. But Peter's mistake was not looking at the storm, it was taking his eyes off Jesus. Our problem as Christians is not that we focus on our problems, difficulties and distractions in life; but rather, that we TAKE OUR EYES OFF JESUS! This is why we ought to abide continually in the Holy Scriptures. John 15:7-8, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”
I am an expert on the subject of suffering. I suffer in constant toothache-like neck pain, which I've endured since 2004 because of Cervical Degenerative Disk Disease (stenosis, radiculopathy and disk displacement), and it depresses me often; however, I have the Lord's joy, hope and peace in my soul. A commonly repeated phrase in the King James Bible is “it came to pass.” 387 times this phrase is used in the Old Testament; 65 times this phrase appears in the New Testament; that's 452 times that the phrase “it came to pass” appears in the Holy Bible. Well my friend, sometimes it comes to stay, that is, the burdens, cancer, afflictions, pain and heartache never goes away! Thank God, it will all “come to pass” at the end of this life. I feel so sorry for the people who go to Hell, needlessly spending eternity burning in fire and brimstone, when they could have freely enjoyed all of Heaven's blessings just for the taking. Life is no game friend. Death could be right around the next corner. Revelation 6:8 speaks of a rider on a pale horse, whose name is Death, and Hell follows him. That sure sounds like the Grim Reaper to me! Please don't gamble with your eternal soul. Jesus wants to save you, if you will believe on Him, receiving His payment for your sins on the cross, knowing that He is risen! Believe the Gospel and you will be saved right now!!!
Even with my pain medications, I still experience much dull, aching, throbbing, gnawing, neck pain. It has forever changed my life for the worse, debilitating me from having a normal life. Yet, I listen to preaching and the Bible being read every day, and the truths of God's Word keep me going. Jesus is the Great Physician, the healer of my soul (and my body at the Rapture - Philippians 3:21).
One of my favorite Scriptures is 1st Corinthians 1:30-31, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” Amen, Jesus is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. JESUS IS ALL WE NEED!!!
Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus Forever Made the Difference By the Blood of His Cross
Our Lord made everything right positionally by the blood of His cross, which He sprinkled upon the heavenly Mercy Seat. Colossians 1:20, “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Our position in God the Father's eyes is that we are forgiven, washed in the blood, and without sin in Christ. This is the IMPUTED righteousness of God.
Yet, we still have to finish our course on earth. We still commit sins as believers because we are sinful human beings. Contrary to what most believers errantly think, we don't live the Christian life; but rather, the Lord Jesus lives the Christian life through us. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Isn't that beautiful? The way to live right is to bath yourself in constant prayer (not fake written prayers like Catholic recite, which is religion; but real heartfelt talking to God in prayer). And also, to bath yourself in the inspired Words of God in the King James Bible. You cannot walk with God if you have a counterfeit Bible version (because they are doctrinally corrupt). Jesus plainly told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:24-26 that no one can worship God in error or the flesh. God can only be worshipped “in spirit and in truth.”
It wasn't enough
for Jesus to bleed out and die on the cross, His liquid blood absolutely
needed to be sprinkled upon the heavenly Mercy Seat in the presence of God the
Father (Hebrews 9:12, 22-24; 12:24). Likewise, it wasn't enough to kill the
male, spotless, lamb without blemish, in the Old Testament; the blood of the
lamb had to be sprinkled in the holy place upon the mercy seat in the presence
of God. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE, Who is our heavenly High Priest Who ever
intercedes for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 4:15-16).
Jesus Makes the Difference to Forgive Everybody and Let it Go
Jesus is the reason why we can forgive the worst offenses against us... Let go let God. Jesus is the reason why we can let bitterness go, and not harbor ill-feelings, grudges and hatred in our soul toward others. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! There's not a person in this world that I hate. I don't even think about it, because I'm too busy praising God, soul-winning, contending for the faith and serving God. When my medications affect me, or I am in horrible pain, I sometimes get into emotional moods where everything bothers me. At those times, I have learned from the Bible to pray, pray, pray. James 5:13, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”
I thank God that I have never consumed one drop of booze. I hate alcohol in all its forms! There's nothing that will destroy your life faster than LIQUID DEVIL!!! Instead of booze, we ought to turn to God in prayer. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! I just added a wonderful MP3 sermon to my website ministry today by Pastor Danny Castle titled, “HINDRANCES TO THE FAMILY ALTER.” The Bible warns in Proverbs 20:1 that strong drink (which definitely includes processed alcoholic beverages) is deceptive in nature, and it sure is. Tens-of-millions of alcohol drinkers have found out the hard way about the deceptive nature of booze. What will it takes to open your eyes? The beer cartel gets wealthier each and every day from the sale of LIQUID DEVIL. They are devils!
All the Devil's apples have worms. Alcohol is synonymous with sexual immorality, violence and nearly every sin imaginable. Children should be taught total abstinence from alcohol!!! The very notion of being responsible while drinking booze is irresponsible!!! The Bible says not to even look at booze! Proverbs 23:31, “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.” I'll die before I'll drink booze!!! You'd be wise to have that same attitude too!
Ephesians 4:30-32, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
Claim the Promises of God to Have Great Peace in Your Life
I don't care what horrible things have happened to you, if your name is written in Heaven and you have faith in God, you can let all things go into God's hands. I've been mistreated by hundreds of people in my life. I don't well upon it. It is in the past. I find great comfort in God's promises, because the Lord says that nothing ever escapes His eyes (Hebrews 4:13). Proverbs 24:12 promises that God will judge all men for even their thoughts and motives. Matthew 12:36 promises that God will hold all men accountable for their words spoken. If you would begin to view the Holy Bible as a big book of thousands of promises from God, IT WOULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Ecclesiastes 12:!4 promises that God will judge every man for every work.
Every single verse in the Bible that teaches what God will do is a PROMISES FROM GOD!!! If someone has hurt you, God will avenge you (Romans 12:19). If someone has cheated you, defrauding you in any way, God will avenge (1st Thessalonians 4:6). Don't condemn anyone, because you are a sinner too (Romans 2:1; James 4:12). Amen. I have great peace by resting in the PROMISES OF GOD!!! You can claim those promises too if you are a child of God. If you have not been born-again, the only promise you can claim is God's warning to all the unsaved, of eternal torment in the Lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8; 20:15).
Cast your burdens upon the Lord, for He cares for you (1st Peter 5:7). Honestly, letting bitterness go is a matter of faith. Trusting God to avenge us of wrongs committed against us is a matter of believing that God will do what He has promised in Romans 12:19. Also, if you have cheated or hurt anybody, you had better make it right now, while you can, because judgment day is coming. If you're saved, you're not at risk of ever going to Hell (cannot be condemned); but Christians will still be judged as God's children and held accountable for their good works and bad works (2nd Corinthians 5:11). There will be tears (Revelation 21:4). There will be loss (1st Corinthians 3:15). There will be regret (Daniel 12:3). There will be terror (2nd Corinthians 5:11).
But if we will judge ourselves now as God's children, taking care of the problem, treating others the way we want to be treated, making wrongs right, making restitution where we can, then God won't have to resolve the matter at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1st Corinthians 11:31). In those matters where it is beyond our power to right our wrongs, thank God for the blood of Jesus Christ, for the Lord Himself will make all things right in eternity. The Lord will be our only judge! The unsaved will stand before God the Father at The Great White Throne of Judgment, receiving no mercy because they died in their sins without Christ as their personal Savior.
Our churches are filled with bitter believers. The world is full of bitter people. We've all been hurt, attacked, cheated and taken advantage of. The degree of emotional pain and suffering varies from person to person. How a person responds to tragedy, betrayal, pain and loss much to do with the personality of the individual. Why does one person commit suicide when their spouse is unfaithful, while another person doesn't? There are umpteen factors involved. I can tell you confidently... JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!
It is not true
that becoming a Christian makes life easier. Christian believers suffer as
much as the unsaved, but as believers life is better because JESUS MAKES THE
DIFFERENCE!
We Can Always Be of Good Cheer in the Lord
Regardless of our circumstances in life, we can always be of good cheer in the Lord as a child of God. You can always rejoice in the promises of God if you are His child. 1st Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice evermore.” The Apostle Paul taught that the believer's basis for hope and rejoicing is the Lord's future return. 1st Thessalonians 2:19, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” Jesus could return at any moment. Whew! That cheers my soul. When the Lord returns, He will give me a new body (with no agonizing neck pain as I have now), a body fashioned like unto the Lord's. Philippians 3:21, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
I am saddened when I think about people like Stephen Hawking, a devout atheist, who suffers paralysis from a crippling disease. I am sad that after suffering in this life, he won't receive a new body fashioned like unto the Lord's body. If Mr. Hawking dies in his sins without receiving Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, he will spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8). I do not rejoice that anyone will go to Hell, not even the vilest sinners. I do rejoice that my name is written in Heaven, in the Lamb's Book Of Life, and my name can never be blotted out. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!
I don't care what happens to you, no matter how inexplicably painful or overwhelming it may be, you can have genuine peace and joy in your soul. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!
God's Word says to rejoice that our name is written in Heaven. That truth is so important to always keep in mind. If your sins have been washed away by the precious blood of Jesus, you ought to have great peace in your heart. Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There is no greater peace in a person's soul than to know that you're right with God, your Maker. Amen!
Luke 10:20, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” This means you cannot rejoice if you are not saved.
As
born-again believers, we have a living hope because Christ is risen from the
dead! Muhammad, Zoroaster and Buddha's bodies are still in their tombs, but
Jesus' tomb is empty! Praise God! I could mention a hundred different things
where Jesus made and makes the difference in life.
Jesus Makes the Difference in How We Live
John 21:7, “Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.” The Apostle Peter stripped naked while fishing. If many self-righteous churchgoers saw a professed Christian walking around butt naked, they'd probably accuse them of being a devil and not truly being saved. Well, that's exactly what the Apostle Peter did!!! When Peter saw Jesus he jumped into the water in shame and grabbed his fisherman's coat to cover himself. Jesus is the cure for nudity! Amen! Likewise, many believers get away from Jesus and go into shameful living. We see it all the time. This doesn't mean they're not saved. It just means that they got away from Jesus. If you follow Jesus afar off with the heathen world, you're already backslidden in sin!
The New Testament book of Philemon was written 60-62 AD. At that time, the Apostle Paul identified Demas as a fellowlabourers in Jesus Christ. Philemon 1:24, “Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.” But a few years later, when the book of 2nd Timothy was written in 66-67 AD, Paul wrote that Demas had forsaken him because he was worldly. 2nd Timothy 4:10, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” No doubt some people leave church because they are not truly saved. Howbeit, that is not always the case. In the case of Demas, he was labouring with Paul as a fisher of men. Why do soul-winning Christians end up in the hog-pit of sin and shame? It is because at some point they leave their first love of Christ, and go whoring after the world. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!!
I feel sorry for all the deceived religious folks who trust in Lordship Salvation, thinking that forsaking sinful behavior is necessary for salvation, when the Lord plainly warned in Matthew 7:21-23 about false Christians who say “Lord, Lord,” but they have never completely “submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:3-4; Hebrews 10:10-11). Anyone who speaks with a forked-tongue, saying that salvation is the gift of God, but you do not have it unless you're living a holy life is a liar!!! Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
If someone is living in open unrepentant sin, they may never have been saved; but they could also be saved, just as the adulterous Christian man in 1st Corinthians 5:1-5. Concerning character, there are far more good people on their way to Hell than bad people. Judas was one of Christ's very Apostles and went to Hell, but the thief on the cross went to Heaven. If you believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross and rose up the third day, and that's your hope for Heaven, you have a home in Heaven just as 1st Thessalonians 4:14 teaches!!! Everything else is secondary. Never confuse Salvation with Discipleship. Never confuse Sonship with Fellowship. I'm tired of hearing about what the old reformation preachers preached. Bless God, they were only men and many of them were heretics, like Martin Luther (who taught sacramental salvation until his death)! The Holy Scriptures are our only authority! JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!!
When you get saved, JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!! Romans 8:9 says that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit), they are not saved. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!! If a genuine born-again believer lives in unrepentant sin, God will chastise and scourge them. No believer can truly be happy while living in deliberate sin. Certainly, the human conscience can (and often does) become hardened, desensitized to the shock and awfulness of sin. Dr. Bob Jones Sr. used to rightly teach that behind every tragedy in human character is a slow process of wicked thinking.
When a person gets
saved, nothing changes except that now the Holy Spirit indwells them. Unless
they grow in the milk of the Word as 1st Peter 2:2 teaches, they will not
mature in the Lord, and it is very possible that they will become desensitized
to sin and live a life of sin. New converts must be mentored, which is taught
in The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). This is why we all need a lot of
hard-Bible preaching, to help us think right! I listen to preaching nearly
every single day of my life, and so should you. I've heard about 6-7 sermons
in the past two days. Albeit, nothing can substitute for the undiluted Words
of God in our life. I love listening to Alexander Scourby read the King James
Bible. I have both the MP3 version and the complete Bible on one DVD by
Alexander Scourby. It is the biggest blessing in my life. I get so much more
out of hearing the Holy Bible than I do by reading it, because I don't have to
struggle to pronounce names and words, I can just relax as I listen, focusing
on the content. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!!
Jesus Makes the Difference in Death
Jesus makes the difference when someone dies. 1st Thessalonians 4:13-14, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” The unsaved world has no hope.
As a young boy and teenager, I used to attend funerals in Chicago with my father, who was a Skidrow preacher. It was just me, dad (who is now in Heaven) and the dead man. In respect for the dead, the funeral-home would pay a preacher to perform a solitary funeral, because the deceased person had no family. Usually it was a drunk who died in the winter cold, found frozen to death with veins filled with alcohol. Perhaps that is why God uses me as He does as an intense Spirit-filled preacher, albeit very imperfect, because I have seen the depths of Satan and where the sin of alcoholism leads. I've known addicts on Skidrow who drank paint thinner, sniffed spray-paint, sniffed rubber cement, drank vanilla extract and anything they could find to consume that would get them high. Oh how the Devil is a beautiful liar!!!
When an unsaved person dies, there is misery, sorrow and no reason to rejoice, just as 1st Thessalonian 4:13-14 says. Ah, but when a born-again child of God dies, or is dying, there is blessed peace, comfort and joy, knowing that Heaven is the home of all Saints. If the Lord returns (at the Rapture) in my lifetime, Jesus promises to bring my mom and dad with Him (all those who believe that Jesus died and rose again). Whew! Glory to God, I'm a member of God's family in Heaven! I'm in pain 24/7 but I have great joy and peace in my heart.
If you are saved, you have a home in Heaven, and have great cause to rejoice! 1st Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!
JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!
JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!!
JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!!!
JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!
