Anchorpoint Radio

Some people don’t want to hear any bad news. This can have serious consequences when it comes to spiritual matters. The Israelites also did this. They actually wanted their prophets to tell them only good things - or even lies - if it made them feel more comfortable. The true gospel message doesn’t necessarily make you feel good, but it is important to face facts. Only then will you enjoy the blessings of God's good news. So, how about you? Do YOU believe what God says? Have you ever acknowledged your sin before God and accepted the just punishment for those sins? If you have, then there is a Saviour waiting for you! 

Today’s message explains the truths of the gospel very simply using just 4 words, and they each begin with the letter “L”. The first one is "lost" - making the uncomfortable discovery that you don’t know where you are or where you are going.The truth is, you are actually ‘lost’ long before you make that realization! This is what God is trying to get us to acknowledge. The gospel message includes three more of these "L's" - “left”, “loosed”, and the best one of all – “Lord”!

We live in the same 'present evil world' that the Apostle Paul mentioned in Galatians 1:4. It's not going to change. Men and women have chosen to use their free will for themselves, placing themselves on the throne and disregarding their Creator. And because of this, we have been going down one dead end road after another, seeking for a 'life worth living'. But the true life worth living starts with having your sins forgiven and being right with God. Only then will you have the correct perspective to view life from God's angle - the vantage point of His marvellous grace. Only then will you have the power and the purpose to live your life for Him.

The Bible speaks about wages - wages that each one of us earns. However, these wages are not the kind we look forward to. Death - the consequence of our sin and disobedience towards God. But it also speaks of a wonderful gift offered through Jesus Christ our Lord. Will you be content to take the wages of sin? Or will you look to the Christ of Calvary and receive the gift of eternal life that He alone can give? 

One of the beautiful pictures in the Bible is that of the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High Priest. Priests represent people before God – they stand in the place of the people. Did you know that Christ does that? Because He is sinless, He can come before God and plead for us. He does not need a sacrifice for His own sins. He had none. Instead, He has become a great sacrifice himself. He presented himself to God in our place and became a substitute for us, dying in our place on Calvary’s cross. We don’t need an earthly priest to bring us to God – we just need Christ! 

One of the simplest explanations of the gospel is found in Romans 6 and verse 23: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Basically, that is all you need to know of the gospel message to pass from spiritual death to spiritual life. As the old adage goes: "Life is short; death is sure. Sin the cause; Christ the cure." So what is the gift of God? Well, the verse says it is eternal life. But a gift needs to be received. Have you received it yet?

There are many calls that we hear from God’s word. Have you ever heard them? In today’s broadcast, the first call we hear is from the prodigal son – a famine and voice from the earth, Luke 15. And then, at a great banquet in Luke 14 - a feast and a voice from heaven. And lastly, from the lost sinner – a flame and a voice from hell - the words of the Lord Jesus Christ from Luke 16. And what about God’s wonderful invitation to you? Have you heard that call?

Anyone who reads the Bible is familiar with the Apostle Paul - the fanatical Pharisee who hunted and persecuted Christians before he came into personal contact with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. After this, Paul spent the rest of his days seeking to persuade the Jews and others to understand and believe what he had come to know about Christ and God's salvation. This week’s message looks at a passage in the book of Acts where Paul is addressing unbelievers and using the Old Testament - the law and the prophets - to convince them of the truth of the gospel and of their need to trust Christ. 

Solomon, the son of the well-known and beloved King David, was determined to find out what life was all about. He was known as the wisest man who ever lived. On top of all that, he grew up in the lap of luxury in a palace with servants at his beck and call. But Solomon wanted more - so he pursued all the businesses and pleasures his heart could imagine. At the end of it all, he lamented "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity".  A sad conclusion, isn't it? Abundant life, the life that only Christ can give, is the only thing that satisfies. Do you have it?

The Christian faith is very clear on this one important fact - that there is salvation in nothing or no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 states: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Man's universal problem is sin - and sin must be put away if we are to be on the right terms with a holy God. As sinners, we cannot do this ourselves. We need the intervention of another who has no sin of His own - that is, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. And there is only one way to receive it - by trusting in His work alone.