https://the3rdonlive.wordpress.com/2020/10/19/5198
11\15\2020 wordpress.com\post\onlizinenet.blog\\o/the3rdonlive.wordpress.com
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Words of Wisdom for Daily Life
The Darkness Into The Light Words of Wisdom for Daily Life by Child Of God GOOD WORKS AND BROKEN KEYS An Incident at Niagara: Faith, necessary to salvation, because we are told in Scripture that works cannot save; to tell a very familiar story, and even the poorest do not misunderstand what I say: a minister was one day going to preach. He climbed hill on his road. Beneath him lay the villages, sleeping in their beauty, with the corn- fields motionless in the sunshine; but he did not look at them, for His attention was arrested by the woman standing at her door who, seeing him, came up with the greatest anxiety, and said, “O sir, have you any keys about you? I have broken the drawers, there are some things that I must get directly.” Said he, “I haven’t keys.” She was disappointed, expecting that everyone would have some keys. “But suppose,” he said, I had some keys, they may not fit your lock, and therefore you could not get the articles you want. But do not distress yourself, wait till some one else comes up. But, said he wishing to improve the occasion, “have you ever heard of the key of heaven?” “Ah, yes!” she said, “I have lived long enough, I have gone to church long enough, to know that if we work hard, get our bread by the sweat, our brow go act well towards our neighbors, and behave, as the Catechism says, lowly and reverently to all our betters, and if we do our duty in that station of life in which it has pleased God to place us, and say our prayers regularly, we shall be saved.” “Ah!” said he, “my good woman, that is a broken key, for you have broken the commandments, you have not fulfilled all your duties. It is a good key, but you have broken it.” “Pray, sir,” said she, believing that he understood the matter, and looking frightened, “what have I left out?” “Why,” said he, “the all-important thing, the blood of Jesus Christ. Don’t you know it is said, the key of Heaven is at his girdle; he openeth, and no man shutteth; he shutteth, and no man openeth? “And explaining it more fully to her, he said: “It is Christ, and Christ alone, that can open heaven FOR you, and not your good works.” “What!” said she, “are our good works useless?” “No,” said he, not after faith. Believe, you may have as many good works as you please; but if you believe, you will never trust in them, for if you trust in them you have spoilt them, and they are not good works any longer. Have as many good works as you please… still put your trust wholly in the Lord Jesus Christ, for if you do not, your key will never unlock heaven’s gate.” So then we must have true faith, is because old key of works, broken by us all, that we never shall enter Paradise by it. You pretend that you have no sins, to be very plain with you, you deceive yourselves, and the truth is not in you. If you conceive that by your good works shall enter heaven, never was there a more fell delusion, you shall find, at the last great day, your hopes were worthless, like sere leaves from the autumn trees, noblest doings shall be blown away, or kindled into a flame in which you yourselves must suffer for ever. Take heed of your good works; get them after faith, but remember, the way to be saved is simply to believe in Jesus Christ.Without faith it is impossible to be saved, and to please God, because without faith there is no union to Christ now, union to Christ is indispensable to all our salvation. As I come before God‘s throne, my prayers, won’t get answered, unless I bring Christ with me. The Colossians of old, when they could not get the favor from their King, adopted singular expedient; they took the king’s only son in their arms, and falling on their knees, cried, “O King, for thy Son‘s sake, grant our request.” He smiled He said, “I deny nothing to those who plead in my Son‘s name.” It is so with God. He will deny nothing to the man who comes, having Christ at his elbow; but if he comes alone he must be cast away. Union to Christ is, after all, the great point in salvation.Let me tell you a story to illustrate this: the stupendous falls Niagara have been spoken of in every part of the world; but while they are marvelous to hear of, and wonderful as a spectacle, they have been destructive to human life, when by accident any have been carried down the cataract. Some years ago, two men, a bargeman and a collier, were in a boat, and found themselves unable to manage it, it being carried swiftly down the current that they must, inevitably be born down and dashed to pieces. Persons on the shore saw them, but were unable to do much for the rescue. At last, one man was saved by a floating rope to him, which he grasped. The instant the rope came into his hand a log floated by the other man. A thoughtless and confused bargeman, instead of seizing the rope, laid hold on the log. Was fatal mistake: imminent peril, the one the one was drawn to shore, He had connection to people on the land, while that other, clinging to the log, was borne irresistibly along, never heard of afterwards. Do you not see that here is a practical illustration? Faith is a connection to Christ. Christ is on the shore, so to speak, holding the rope of faith, and if we lay hold of it with the hand of our confidence, he pulls us to shore; but our good works having no connection with Christ, are drifted on down the gulf of fell despair. Grapple tightly as we may, even with hooks of steel hooks, they can not avail us; in the degree. Child Of God godandi.blog/2020/11/18/words-of-wisdom-for-daily-life-81 |
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“And besides all this, between us and you
a great chasm has been fixed, so that those
who want to go from here to you cannot, nor
can anyone cross over from there to us” (Luke 16:26.)
“After that, we who are still alive and are left will
be caught together with them in the clouds to meet
The Lord in the air. And so we will be with The Lord forever.
Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17,18.)
Message summary: Let us be filled with anticipation for this future
Heavenly Reunion.
