Why Be Saved Today?

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Why now? Because of:

I. The of SUBTLETY of Satan

A. To DECEIVE you 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. We are inundated with a barrage of propaganda from the world. It comes in the form of ‘science’ (see 1 Timothy 6:20 20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:). We are told that God doesn’t exist, that the physical universe is just an accident of nature, that man is just a more evolved animal and not made in the image of God, that the Bible is an arcane, ancient book filled with fables of men attempting to explain the things that frightened them as they were beyond their control or understanding. The dominant religion today, secular humanism, teaches that the idea of sin is a fallacy and truth is not absolute. What is being planted in the minds and hearts of the people is confusion. This is the same plan that Satan used in the Garden of Eden to confuse and deceive Eve. It is amazing, but true, that Satan’s ways have not changed. He and his minions still deceive men by the millions every day. Reality itself is denied every day. We are told that biology is no more than a simple social construct. If Satan can deceive people into accepting an obvious falsehood such as transgenderism then people will accept anything no matter how ludicrous.

B. To DISTRACT you Matthew 13:22 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. There is a war being waged around us all the time. It is a spiritual battle for the souls of men. The Devil uses an ancient tactic, one that has been used in war for all of history, the tactic is to distract the enemy. Distraction serves the purpose of causing the prey to expend their resources, their attention for the wrong purpose. We are assailed by the things of modern life that consume our time, TV, internet, sports, movies, hobbies, and of course work. Each of these take a portion of our time. I have often heard the term ‘multitask’ but this is really an impossibility. No one can concentrate on two things at the same time. Sometimes people do have more than one thing going on simultaneously, but it is not really possible to hold two thoughts at the same moment. They are merely switching from one thing to another quickly. If you are kept busy thinking about the things of the world you will not be thinking about God, about eternity and about where you will spend eternity.

C. To DISCOURAGE you Matthew 13:20-21 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. The World and the Devil has convinced many that:

1. God is not a loving Creator, but an angry, vengeful deity that seeks an opportunity to punish them for the slightest transgression.

2. That a life given to God would be devoid of any pleasure or happiness.

3. That Christians are joyless, judgmental hypocrites.

4. That they could never be good enough to be saved any way so ‘eat, drink and be merry’.

D. To DELAY you Matthew 8:21-22 21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. If Satan can delay your decision to accept Christ he knows that death will claim you in the end. Also, the more one rejects the wooing of the Holy Spirit the harder the heart becomes. As one grows older the more difficult it becomes to overcome the hard callousness of the heart built up from years of sin and rejection of the Truth.

E. To DEPRIVE you Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.The SCARS on your life

F. Sin often leaves PAINFUL scars

G. Sin often leaves PERMANENT scars

II. The SCOFFERS around you are often:

A. ENVIOUS Acts 4:36 – 5:3 36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land. Many of those who have tasted the carnal life and then see the joy of Christ in others are driven by envy to denigrate the Christian faith and the new life with all its joys. Believers are mocked and at times much worse.

B. EGOTISTIC – The sin nature causes man to be selfish. The scoffers are interested in soothing their own conscience. They try to take others down to their level rather than turning to Jesus and have their sins forgiven and their lives made new and whole.

C. EVIL – Jude 1:3-4 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. There are men who have gone so far into sin that they are completely given over to Satan and are used by him to dissuade others from receiving Christ. Matthew 23:13 13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

III. The SETTING of your ways Matthew 15:1-3 1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

A. We become SET in our ways – Habits can become second nature and with the passing of time are more difficult to change.

B. We become STUBBORN about our ways – One of the hardest things we can do is admit that we have been wrong. Tradition and habit can override what we know to be true. Pride also hobbles our ability to change and repent of our sins. Repentance is an absolute necessity for salvation.

IV. The SUDDENNESS of death James 4:13-14 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Luke 12:16-24 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Consider the following points with this in mind; death comes to us all and we never expect it.

A. The SNAPPING of the jaws of death – Man lives his whole life in the fear of death. Death is a subject that most avoid if they can. The very thought of our mortality is frightening to the point of overwhelming our emotions. Man is proverbially ‘whistling past the graveyard’.

B. The SMELL of the smoke and flames of Hell – The sinner knows in his heart of hearts that he is worthy of God’s anger and punishment. In the moments of honest reflection one can sense the reality of the coming judgment.

C. The SHORTNESS and uncertainty of life – A long life in our time would be an hundred years. Now that I have decades, I can testify how quickly time passes. It seems just a few days ago that I was leaving home and enlisting in the USAF. A relative of my wife once said that “we never grow old, just our bodies do.” It is a common self-deception that we will always have more time. Man does not want to accept that the truth that we see in Hebrews 9:27 [27] And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: But it comes to all and much sooner that we expect.

V. The STIFFENING of our will Proverbs 29:1 1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

A. Sin HARDENS the heart – The first time one commits a particular sin, the prick felt in the heart is intense, but the next time it’s less and each time it grows fainter until it is no longer felt at all.

B. SELF-CONFIDENCE hardens the will – Man’s ability to self-justify. He seems to think that God will make an exception in his case. This combined with pride often leads a man to reject the will of God to follow his own desires.

C. SPURNING the gospel hardens the heart and will – The more times that a man hears the Gospel and willfully rejects it, the harder his heart becomes.

VI. The SAVIOUR will soon return

A. The SAINTS will be taken Matthew 24:36-41 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

B. SINNERS will be left behind

C. A STRONG delusion will be sent to those who have heard and rejected the gospel. I believe that we can see the stage being set today for the strong delusion that we read of in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 [11] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: The reports of UFOs with the attendant speculation of life on other planets. News of so-called exoplanets have been aired recently invoking the idea of other ‘earths’. Old religions are being revived to explain the questions that naturally arise in the mind. Some come dressed up in new coverings, one example of this is nature worship, now called ‘the environmental movement’. It still the same old worship as described in Romans 1:25 [25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

D. SHOCKING tribulation will follow Matthew 24:21-22 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. The Tribulation will be a time of judgment being poured out upon the earth The reality of God’s wrath will. Be greater than anything in our experience. Many want to say the prophecies in the book of Revelation are symbolic because of the enormity of the coming events.

VII.The SEASON of Conviction may pass – come while:

A. The Spirit is PRODDING your heart John 6:44 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

B. Christians are PRAYING for you

C. Someone is PREACHING to you

D. God’s providence is PRESSING

VIII.The SORROW of others

A. They are CONCERNED for your soul

B. They are CAUGHT UP in the knowledge of your sin

C. They are CONFORMED to your lifestyle (ie. Children, companions)

D. They are CONTAMINATED by you influence (wife, friends)