I'll HAVE TO GIVE UP TOO MUCH!
“There is no greater fool than the man who won’t give up
that which can’t last –
to gain that which he can’t lose.”
I GUESS WE'VE ALL HEARD THE ONE
ABOUT THE SNAKE
WHO WENT TO
GOBBLE UP A HEN
FROM THE CHOOK
HOUSE IN THE
FARMYARD.
HE HAD THOUGHT
ABOUT IT FOR
DAYS. HE HAD
PLANNED IT DOWN TO
THE LAST DETAIL
AND WHICH HOLE
HE WOULD SLITHER
THROUGH TO GET
AT THE CHOOKS.
HE KNEW WHICH BUSH WOULD AFFORD
THE MOST CAMOUFLAGE UNTIL THE
RIGHT HEN STROLLED PAST.
HE HAD REHEARSED IN HIS MIND THE DARTING THRUST
THAT
WOULD RENDER THE FEATHERED ANIMAL IMMOBILE - BUT STILL ALIVE;
HE KNEW HOW TO SLIDE BACKWARDS AWAY FROM THE
STARTLED FOWLS AS THEY RAISED THE ALARM;
.....AND HE HAD TIMED HIS EXIT
(or so he thought)
TO PERFECTION.
AND WHAT WAS DRIVING HIM ON, WAS
THE PICTURE OF HIMSELF SWALLOWING
THE CHOOK AND HOW DELICIOUS IT TASTED.
HOWEVER HE HADN'T COUNTED ON THE
FARMER LAYING IN WAIT FOR HIM.
HE HAD
A CHOICE TO MAKE!
DROP THE CHOOK AND FLEE TO CERTAIN SAFETY OR .....
LEAVE
HIS JAWS FIRMLY CLAMPED ON HIS SQUAWKING PREY - KNOWING THAT HE HAD NO
HOPE OF
GETTING BOTH OF THEM THROUGH THE ESCAPE HOLE IN THE FENCE BUT
STILL
SOMEHOW HOPING .....
TO DODGE
THE CERTAIN DEATH OF THE FLASHING STEEL EDGE OF THE AXE.
THE SNAKE HAD TOO MUCH TO
GIVE UP!
Now not having the mind of the snake we can't imagine
what
would be going through the reptile's mind that it wouldn't want to drop
the
chook and slither for it's life. Obviously, the prize of the chook was
too much
to give up - even to the point of losing its life.
Now everybody that hears this story all agree how stupid
the snake was. However many people aren't able to apply the same
principle to
their own lives.
MANY PEOPLE CAN'T SEE THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR SINS AND
THEIR
LOVE OF THEIR SINS, THEY'RE HEADED FOR A FAR WORSE FATE THAN THE SNAKE.
LET'S
START AT THE BEGINNING.
HAVE
YOU EVER:
✔1. Told a lie? (“white lies” are counted)
✔2. Taken something
that wasn't yours? (small things ...like paper clips
✔3. Had sexual
thoughts about someone else? (your spouse not included)
If you
have, the Bible says that you're a LYING, THIEVING,
ADULTERER!
BUT I'M NOT THAT BAD! THERE'S A LOT WORSE THAN ME!
Correct! Most of us aren't axe-murderers! But
the Bible says that we're not to compare & measure ourselves
against each
other, but against God's standards.
Now, we rarely think of ourselves as being bad because
“There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes..." (Proverbs
30:12). This is why most criminals in jail think they're innocent and
they've
been unjustly sentenced.
THE REAL QUESTION IS:
“Have we been true to God and
kept His Laws?”
Will the Judge let you off because you were speeding? No?
God won't let us off for breaking His rules either.
Not only is God pure & holy, but His laws are “holy,
perfect, just and good” & they warn us of the standard by which
He will
judge the world. He won't judge us according to our standards, but
to His!
The Bible mentions that in God's eyes, even the good
things we do are like filthy rags. When we compare ourselves to THAT
STANDARD there is no doubt ...”...all have sinned, and come
short of the
glory of God. “ (Romans 3:23).
WILL GOD JUDGE YOUR SIN?
The Bible says “...it is appointed unto men once to
die, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT.” (Hebrews 9:27) and “...Because
he hath
appointed a day, in the which he
will
judge the world in righteousness by that man... ” (the Lord
Jesus
Christ) (Acts 17:31).
God's standard is 100% perfection so this means that your
righteousness must match that of the sinless and perfect Jesus.
WHAT IS GOD'S PENALTY FOR SINNERS?
...ALL
LIARS, THIEVES, ADULTERERS fornicators, homosexuals,
drunkards, swearers, Jesus rejecters, murderers,
fornicators
(pre-marital sex), idolotors (a love replacing God e.g. sports,
money,
careers), users of magical arts (e.g. astrologers) shall HAVE
THEIR
PART IN THE LAKE WHICH BURNS WITH FIRE.
(Revelation 21:8; 1 Cor6:9)
SO WHAT'S HELL LIKE?
Jesus
spoke more about Hell than Heaven and with good reason - He didn't want
anyone
to go there! It's not a place where you can “party-on” with friends.
It's a
place of ....damnation, darkness, weeping & TORMENT
...EVERLASTING
burnings ...the FLAMES never go out & their WORM
NEVER DIES
...wailing & gnashing of teeth ...with NO TRANSFER OUT!
(Luke
16:26; Matt22:13, Matthew 13:42
Mark
9:44; Isaiah 33:14)
GOT TOO MUCH TO GIVE UP HAVE
YOU? .......OH REALLY?
My dear friend, you have no choice. At the moment because
of your sins, you are heading for hell faster than a speeding bullet.
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT SOMEHOW, SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME - THEY'VE
GOT TO “GET RIGHT WITH GOD”
Deep
within every person is the desire to be right with God. The Bible says:
“Because
THAT WHICH MAY BE KNOWN OF GOD IS MANIFEST IN THEM; for God
hath shewed
it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
world
are clearly seen, BEING UNDERSTOOD BY THE THINGS THAT ARE MADE,
even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE. “ (Romans
1:19-20).
There we have it folks - all people know of God and understand Him from
the
things that are around and no-one has any excuse.
BUT GOD IS LOVE AND HE WON'T SEND
ME TO HELL ........ WILL HE?
HE HAS
NO CHOICE! You've sinned and owe a debt you cannot pay ...and Jesus
paid your
debt He didn't owe! If you reject Jesus dying for your sins - what else
can God
do for you? The Bible says, “He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting
life: and HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE; BUT THE WRATH
OF
GOD abideth ON HIM. “(John
3:36)
YOUR ONLY HOPE IS TO TRUST ALONE IN JESUS DYING FOR YOUR
SINS
Faith
is complete trust and dependency upon someone. The
Bible says that Jesus shed His blood to pay for your sins and purchase
your
right standing with God. You can't earn it, buy it or work for it,
therefore
you must put your complete faith in Christ to receive it.
The
Bible says, “But TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, but BELIEVETH ON HIM that
justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
(Romans
4:5).
If you
do, you won't fear Judgment Day because you will “Be found in him,
NOT
HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS ...... but THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE
FAITH OF
CHRIST, the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH. “(Philippians 3:9)
ETERNAL LIFE IS A FREE GIFT! YOU CAN'T EARN IT. WORK
FOR IT OR BUY IT!
The
Bible says, “...the GIFT of God is eternal life THROUGH JESUS
CHRIST OUR
LORD. “
(Romans
6:23) and “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE
SAVED.”
(Romans 10:13) - that's anybody!
If you want to be saved, trust only in Jesus Christ &
pray from your heart:
“DEAR
GOD, I'm a sinner & deserve Your everlasting wrath in hell. Please
forgive
me & save me. I can't save myself. I believe Jesus' shed blood paid
for all
my sin. Thank you in
the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ for eternity in heaven. AMEN.”
WHAT WILL STOP YOU?
WHAT IS THE “CHOOK” IN YOUR MOUTH? Your love of sin,
pride, your plans, unbelief, delay, or fear
of
what friends will think - these are the “chooks”, and your love of
them,
that will stop you trusting Jesus to be saved.
It's far better to give up anything you have in order to
save your soul. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole
world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8: 36).
A YOUNG MAN once said to a
preacher: “I have too much to give up.”
PREACHER: “Do you believe
that God loves you?” YOUNG MAN: “Yes, I do.”
PREACHER: “How much do
you think He loves you?” A little while passed and ...
THE MAN ANSWERED: “He gave His
Son to die for me on the cross.”
PREACHER: “Do you really
think that if God loved you enough to give His only Son to die for you,
He will
ask you to give up anything that is good? God has given His best to
save you
from the eternal fires of hell.”
DEAR
FRIEND, “For God so
loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but
have everlasting life. “(John 3:16)
By
Harley Hitchcock
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
(Matthew 10:28) (Luke 16:22-24)
