25 Minutes
We are denied what we fervently desire. We are required to continue in a situation which we do not enjoy. We are not to be amazed when we go through hard places with the Lord. We are to rejoice. We are to share in the sufferings of Christ. If we do, we will rejoice and be glad when the Lord returns to earth in His glory. If instead of finding fault with the instruments God uses to save us from our sinful nature, we open to the Lord and sup with him, we will grow spiritually. We will become wiser, stronger, and better able to be there for others. It is necessary now to teach hard things. Yet, we are never to be unscriptural. Let me say at this point that it indeed is hard to remain in the program of redemption. We are still finding it hard to keep the Sabbath holy. We are still finding it hard to let go of worldly recognized months of celebration. We think to have a full month for black history, for women’s history, for hispanic heritage, native american heritage, asian american heritage, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride. And don’t attempt to list all the days – beginning with the self worship day called “birthday”. The world has christmas day, family day, even earth day, there is even a zero discrimination day,...nuff said. Do these proclaim to know the Lord? There were three crosses at Calvary; God was crucified in the midst while stretching out both hands offering salvation. One accepted Christ as Lord, the other railed against him. There was one crucified saved at the last moment. And there was one crucified unsaved. It is impossible to go through this life without being crucified in one manner or another. The character of God’s people is compounded from integrity, faithfulness, truth, and honesty.There is too much duplicity among people saying, “here is truth”. You’re either in Christ’s right hand or at his left hand. Any lackness of character, unwillingness to deny self, will make it hard to be saved.
God has a reason for the hard way of salvation. The wicked are facing fires so intense, so painful, and so terrible that we need not worry about the justice of God. God is putting His people through painful experiences now so He will be free to judge the wicked at a later time. Otherwise, Satan would point the finger at God and accuse Him of permitting His elect to practice wickedness without retribution. God has a rod for measuring the building, the gathering of His people in times of trouble and calamity that are foretold. It is for our reformation that we might have no deficiency according to the true model. We must be measured to determine whether we make God's glory our end and His word our rule, in all our acts of worship and of life. And whether we come to God with suitable affections, and whether our conversation is as becomes the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the gospel of the kingdom.
There are those among God’s people today who are in doctrinal, and consequently moral chaos. This is because they reason not with the hard sayings of God that they might come to the greater truth. One will forfeit salvation when one’s character deteriorates from rejecting truth. Choruses are changing from what is pleasing to the ear and sensual, to more rugged modes and meters presenting hard words that speak of the kingdom of God and of righteousness. There is to be wielded the two-edged sword of the Word of God. The traditional “just reading” the scripture is far too tame to counteract the moral depravities of the world. Let the word of God cut, that we may understand the essential of the written word. That it may be lively in seizing the conscience of the hearer. God’s truth is vital light. It is to convince powerfully the whole truth of God as it performs critical dissection of God’s wisdom from man’s wisdom. It cuts off ignorance from the understanding, rebellion from the will, and enmity from the mind, which, when carnal, is enmity itself against God. Here is how reasoning in the word of God must be...its sharpness is tempered, hardened and softened, to mortify sin while comforting the soul to unveil the most secret and remote thoughts. It will discover to men the variety of their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of them, the bad principles they are actuated by, and the sinful ends they act to. The word will turn the inside of a sinner out and let him see all that is in his heart. Now such a word as this must needs be a great help to our faith and obedience. These cuts are for our salvation.
We are sons, daughters of God, and God does not want us to be condemned when He judges the world. It will only be a little while. We are not in a grave, only on a path, and we have the light to show the way. Be not fearful of the trying fire. Only the bondages of sin will be burned away. Christ is Alpha and Omega. What He commenced in our life, He will complete in a most glorious fashion. We will come to know His faithfulness, just as did Job, Abraham, Daniel, and all the faithful others who went and will go through difficulties for a season. We can drink of this cup. And with that truth we come to understand the hardest thing about being saved is seeing ourselves in every word of God. With open face we are to behold the glory of the Lord that we may be changed into the same image. Because all have sinned it seems hard to overcome condemnation. Though unworthy and undeserving we are so loved of God. And in that love we discover that Christ has paid the price for our salvation, and we immediately begin to walk in that light. That is the power of God’s Word. It works through the mirror principle. That means doing this hard thing – seeing ourselves as God sees us.
It’s hard to be saved when we give others the power to determine truth for us. It is hard to be saved when we ignore biblical conviction in consideration of another. It is hard to be saved when we accept distorted beliefs of truth. It is hard to be saved when we cling to the old pattern of thinking and behavior. It is hard to be saved when we do not accept God’s free gift of love and grace. Where there was darkness we will be given light, where there was doubt, we will find faith, and where we feel despair, we will have hope. All of the sadness we felt from a life half-lived will turn into a joy of a purpose-filled existence. Life won’t be easier, it will get harder in the trials we go through but it will be brought closer to God in Christ. The hard way of salvation is not a deterrance. But it is the way that only a few will come to endure. We cannot be saved if we do not endure to the end. Many cataclysmic events will occur in our final time. Christ prepares us with truths to be revealed: family division, persecution, violence, suffering, false teachers, hypocrites, social, and environmental unrest, unfaithfulness and lack of love by many in the church. It is hard to be saved if we seek to use these things as valid excuses for falling away.
Matthew 7:13, 14
Now we should consider the essence of why it is hard to be saved rather than feeling lowly concerned about what it entails. We should be looking instead at all God does to open the gate for us. Before the world was created it was already planned out who was going to be the Christ and how salvation was going to be realized through his blood. God also had a plan for who was going to be saved, those who through faith are found in Christ to be blameless. Then there is the unimaginable: God sacrificed His Son for us. We know this, but has the concept dulled through repetition? Feel this in your gut. God killed His Son so we could live. The most famous passage in the bible: 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. How much does He love us? How much does He want us to be saved? He gave His Son. It is hard to be saved because of ourselves.
Romans 5:5-10
How can there be any doubt about God’s love for us. Notice especially how we are described in these verses. Weak. Unable to save ourselves. Lacking the strength. Ungodly. If being godly means being toward God, having God as our focus, living our lives for God, then being ungodly means being against God. Working against His counsel. Sinners. Offenders against God. Having missed His mark. Having fallen short. Then we are all called enemies of God. Weak, ungodly, sinners and enemies. That’s who we were when Christ died for us. He did that to reconcile us to Him and open the door to salvation. Now here is the truth of God. In giving us His Son to die for us should make it easy to be saved. We think the sacrifice ended at the cross. But not only did God give us His Son, He gives us all things. That’s why it is hard to be saved. Because we know not, we do not accept these all things. We hear not.
Romans 8:32 Ephesians 1:19, 20 Jeremiah 7:13, 25
What other things does God bestow upon us? All things that He sees to be needful and necessary for us, all good things, and more we should not desire. All things that could possibly be in a life of eternity. He has designed us for the inheritance of sons, of daughters. It is hard to be saved by comparison of all that God does for us and how little He asks of us. He asks that we believe when we hear the word, that we confess Him as Lord and Jesus as Christ, that we repent of our sins and be baptized for the remission of those sins and that we live holy lives before Him. That’s all. And yet we will dispute His truth in the face of what He says rather than do the simple things. After all He’s done for us. That is not saying the way will be easy. It won’t be because Jesus said the way was hard. We will be ridiculed, or worse, by unbelievers if we live our beliefs. We have to work to learn His word. We have to worship according to the pattern. The way isn’t easy, but think of how much He did to open the way for us. This is why it is hard to be saved...the nature of choice - some will choose not to follow God. Some will choose not to live holy lives. This is not what God wants; He wants all to be saved, but the nature of choice is that some won’t follow Him. Don’t be one of those who make the wrong choice. Isn’t it a wonder how our consideration of being saved meets with both a wonderfully profound and yet troubling thought. Christ did it all for us and yet we are told that we must strive, make every effort. Thank God that this effort does not at all minimize grace. It is hard to get through a narrow gate while it is opened and Jesus says it will be closed. And no convincing argument will open it. Salvation is not easy and it is not cheap. Take up your cross and see at what cost the count is...and ask yourself these hard questions...is it hard for me to be saved, and what must I do to be saved?
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