Anchorpoint Radio

The well known story in the Bible of Zacchaeus is about much more than how a short man climbed a tree to see Jesus. It's all about a sinner who earnestly sought out the Saviour, an individual tired of his sins, a rich man sick of his money who wanted instead the true riches of God's salvation. And, yes, it's also about a seeking Saviour - one who came specifically to seek and to save the lost - the one whose heart yearned for the salvation of sinful souls. Is it any wonder then that the two of them met?

There are many ways to handle the complexities of life - many ways of looking at or trying to make sense of the world around us. There is polytheism, secularism, humanism, and post-modernism to name a few. But all these fall short in fulfilling our greatest need - the need for forgiveness. The simple answer lies in John Chapter 10 - in  the Door to heaven. Who is this door? The Lord Jesus Christ whom believing souls can confidently trust for their salvation.

There's an interesting story in the Bible about the healing of a paralytic man by the Lord Jesus Christ. Amidst all the drama of breaking up the roof and lowering the man down into the crowd, the Lord Jesus remained unfazed. He didn't even seem that concerned about the man's physical condition. "Your sins are forgiven", He said. Why would He say this? The man needed to be healed, didn't he? But to Christ, he had a more obvious need - the forgiveness of sins. The same goes for you and me. 

The apostle Paul was a tremendous evangelist and wrote a large portion of the New Testament explaining the doctrine of the gospel. Many people have gotten saved through the wonderful verses that the Holy Spirit led him to write. Verses of conviction and verses of salvation. This episode looks at three verses in 2 Corinthians that explains the clear gospel message. 

Apart from the cross itself, there can be no more poignant a symbol of the horrendous sufferings of Christ than the awful crown of thorns that He wore. The hymn writer wrote, "See from His head, His hands, His feet; sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e'er such love and sorrow meet; Or thorns compose so rich a crown?" It was an instrument of pain, mockery and reproach that came from the hearts of wicked men. But it was also an emblem of Christ's ultimate purpose to put away the curse once and for all. 

Did you know that the very first question asked by God in the Bible were the words, "Where are you"? He expects a response, you know. He wants us to get ourselves located in relation to Him. Another important question in the Bible was asked by a young man who was about to die. He was looking for hope. And a third? Well, it's a direct question aimed at our personal decision to receive Christ or not. What would YOUR answer be?

Are we all "children of God"? Well, we certainly are all God's creatures, but unfortunately we possess the family likeness of our sinful forbears - a fallen, sinful nature. The Bible is clear that we need a second birth to bring us into the family of God. A birth from above. A spiritual birth. One that brings us into the family of God with the likeness of His Son. Has there ever been a time like that in YOUR life?

One of the most misunderstood concepts in religious circles is the actual definition of the word 'Christian'. Some countries are considered 'Christian' countries simply because Christianity is the belief system of most of its residents. Does being a Christian mean that you belong to a certain church or that you are a God-fearing, law-abiding citizen? No. The Bible's definition of a Christian is not any of these. You may be surprised at the scriptural answer to this question. Make sure that you are truly a Christian today - one that God recognizes as His very own.

Are you rich towards God? It's certainly possible not to be. In fact, if we are still sinners - if we have never been saved - then, we are definitely not rich towards Him. Our lives would be all taken up with ourselves - our own pleasures and plans. Lord Jesus Christ told a parable about such a person. Sadly, he forgot to take God into account and the Lord Jesus calls him a fool. Tragically, we are all in peril of doing the same thing - of coming to the end of life - perhaps unexpectedly - and finding out too late that we were fools in God's eyes. We hope that you take heed to Christ’s teachings in our message today.

Christ's message for us today is the same as He said to the people of His time - "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Instead of hiding behind the opinions and experiences of others, we each need individually to consider this command. It's a personal one. Make this the day that you stop to hear the word of the Lord Jesus Himself, acknowledge your sin, and trust in Him alone for the salvation we all most desperately need. We only have NOW. Eternity awaits all of us.