Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
When the term Reformed theology is used, it often refers to something less historical. Often it refers to a theology that acknowledges the doctrine of predestination and holds to a high view of the Bible as God’s inerrant Word. Sometimes it is also identified with the so-called five points of Calvinism: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. These are all important teachings of the Reformed tradition, but they do not fully encapsulate or describe Reformed theology.
A better starting place is five statements that have been called the five solas of the Reformation. These five solas (sola is the Latin word for “only” or “alone”) are sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (God’s glory alone). Put together, these solas clearly express the central concerns of the Protestant Reformation, which was about worship and authority within the church as much as it was about individual salvation. The “alone” in each is vital, and they emphasize the sufficiency of God’s Word and the gracious nature of salvation, received by faith alone, in Christ alone. The last of the five solas, soli Deo gloria, is the natural outworking of the first four. It reminds us that Reformed theology understands all of life in terms of the glory of God. To be Reformed in our thinking is to be God-centered. Salvation is from the Lord from beginning to end, and even our existence is a gift from Him.
Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
Sermon of the Week: Erwin Lutzer: The New Jerusalem: Glimpsing Our Heavenly Home Beyond Time
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The return of Christ is the defining hope of every believer. The New Testament urges us to live our entire lives with His coming always in view. As the apostle John writes, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:2–3).
This sermon series aims to reorient our lives by refocusing our vision. Rather than resolving every debate surrounding prophetic details, these messages will offer a foundational overview of future events—and, more importantly, deepen our love for Christ as we joyfully anticipate His return.
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Have a blessed day, and thanks for listening! Visit my website to learn more at https://www.biblicaltalks.com
Welcome to a Biblical Talks Sermon of the Week. The return of Christ is the heartbeat of Christian hope. The New Testament called us to live each day with his coming in view, as in 1 John 3, verses 2-3, proclaims Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared. Listen, erwin Lutzer is going to invite us to shift our glaze in our lives toward that glorious future. It won't sell to everybody in every debate or prophecies details dealing with the eschatology, but it will sketch a faithful outline of what to do and what is to come and stir a deep love for Christ as we joyfully wait for his return. Love for Christ as we joyfully wait for his return. Here's Dr Erwin Lutzer On the King invite us to reign with him.
Speaker 3:Welcome to eternity. This is the last in a series of messages entitled when he Shall Come, events that will surround the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a future in which all of us shall be involved. If you were with us from the beginning, you know that we suggested that it was best to look at the return of Christ in two stages. First of all, jesus Christ comes for his church, and then there's the period of the Great Tribulation, the rise of Antichrist, and Jesus comes in, glorious appearing and stands on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem with his people, and then there's a thousand-year reign of Christ, called the Millennial Kingdom. At the end of that, jesus Christ delivers the kingdom to the Father. The Father again appoints the Son to rule and to reign. But also, if you were with us last time, you know that we spoke about that terrifying judgment, called the great white throne judgment, when all the dead of all the ages who are unbelievers will be judged personally by God. Well, today we come to a very happy scene. It's the story of the new Jerusalem. It is the story of eternity, the story of heaven. There are three reasons why I'm preaching this. First of all to give us some kind of a glimpse into eternity and what heaven will be like. I realize it is very inadequate. In some sense it's like two infants in a womb talking about what they will be doing once they are born and are 25 years old. They have no idea. I mean, it's a whole different realm. But we're going to try, because the scriptures invite us to try to understand eternity and our role in it. Secondly, I hope that those of you who are coming today with burdens you are unemployed, you're going through a time of distress physically, a lot of pain, a lot of heartache Remember that eternity is coming. I want you to be encouraged. I want you to live with eternity in mind.
Speaker 3:Last night I called my mother, as I always do on Saturday evening, and my mother will be 102 years old in about a week's time. In about a week's time and, as I have frequently said, and you've probably heard me say, at the age of 102, she will tell you that she has no peer pressure. All right, no peer pressure. But she asked me a question that she asks me every Saturday evening. She says what are you going to preach on tomorrow morning? I said, mother, I'm going to speak about heaven and immediately she said, oh, that will be glorious. And then she began to quote a poem in German about the beauty and the glory of heaven. She's looking forward to heaven, very, very anxious, and actually thinks that God apparently has forgotten her address. So I want you to live for eternity, even before you're 102.
Speaker 3:Another reason is we're going to discuss who's in and who's out. Not everybody gets to live in the holy city, and this is not my decision, it's not my wisdom, it is God's, and we're going to look at what God's Word has to say about it. Now, many years ago, when I was a lot younger, I memorized Revelation chapter 21 and 22, but I did so in the King James Version of the Bible. So when I quote verses from time to time, you may notice a little bit of difference, not a difference in meaning, but maybe a difference in word order in the older version. So I'm going to begin with Revelation 21, which is where you should turn to, and if you're listening by some other means, please find your Bible, revelation chapter 21, and I'll introduce the first few verses.
Speaker 3:John said I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I, john, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away. What a description. Let's begin right at verse 1. I saw a new heaven and a new earth. You remember what we learned last time? It's during that period between the millennial kingdom and eternity the new heaven and the new earth that you have the earth being totally destroyed.
Speaker 3:Theologians debate as to whether the Bible teaches it is going to be obliterated or simply remade by fire. Either way, this is a new heaven and a new earth. This is a new heaven and a new earth, a brand new universe that is free from every single taint of sin and curse. And this new Jerusalem that comes down as a bride adorned for her husband, that new Jerusalem is the eternal state of the redeemed. That is heaven. When my father died two years ago and when any one of us die right now, we do not yet go there because we need our resurrected bodies and the events that we've been talking about need to take place, and then we will be in that new Jerusalem that is coming down from God, out of heaven, as a bride. This bride very, very beautiful. You know, james Vernon McGee was an old Southern preacher that you sometimes still hear on the radio, even though he passed away many years ago. But he used to say you know, I believe that God does a miracle, he said, because every bride is beautiful on her wedding day. Well, miracle or not, this bride certainly is full of bling, adorned for her husband the new Jerusalem, sparkling, beautiful, scintillating beyond our imagination, beautiful, scintillating beyond our imagination.
Speaker 3:Now, before we ask the question of who is occupied in this building, who lives in the new Jerusalem, before we do that, let me isolate for you some things that aren't going to be there, and this is going to be very joyful for those of you who are suffering. You'll notice. It says in verse 4, is it not that God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes? Actually, the Greek text says it, like our translation says it that God will wipe away every tear. As if to emphasize every single bit of sorrow, as if to emphasize every single bit of sorrow, every issue that causes you concern. And then the text also says he will wipe those tears out of your eyes, as if God is getting at the very heart of what it is that troubled you here on earth, so that you can put it away forever. It's not as if God necessarily takes a handkerchief and wipes our tears. He gives us understanding, he takes away all causes for sorrow so that, whether it is because of the regrets that we have had, or may it be because some people aren't in heaven that we hoped would be there, either way, the sorrow is gone, and it is gone forever.
Speaker 3:Furthermore, no death. The Bible says If you're a choir director, there is a possibility that you can continue your vocation in heaven. If you're a funeral director, you're going to have to be retrofitted for something brand new. The whole idea. There is no sorrow, no parting, no goodbyes. And then it says no crying, no mourning, no grief and finally, for those of you who live with chronic pain you ought to underline this in your Bible and there will not be any more pain. For the former things are passed away. Anybody happy because of that. No more pain. Well, all that by way of introduction.
Speaker 3:Now let's get right down to the issue who dwells in the holy city, the new Jerusalem? Well, the answer, of course, is God and his people. I quoted it a moment ago. Behold, the dwelling place, of course is God and his people. I quoted it a moment ago. Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be his people, and God himself shall be their God.
Speaker 3:Wow, you'll notice that the older translations say that the tabernacle of God is with man, and here we have the dwelling place. Well, either translation is good. The word actually is tabernacle, because that's where God dwelt in the Old Testament times, you see. And so what the writer is really saying is is that the tabernacle of God, the very dwelling place of God, now is with people. Now, to understand that, let's keep in mind that in Old Testament times you recall it, don't you?
Speaker 3:God set up a whole structure by which people could come to him. There was what was known as the tabernacle, there was an outer court, there was the holy place where priests could freely go, but then, behind that, there was the holy of holies, where the priest could go only on one day a year, the Day of Atonement, god was trying to signify to people that he was fixing a way by which he could connect with people who are sinners without himself being contaminated. That is the big storyline of the Bible. How does God dwell with people when they are sinners and he himself not be affected by their sin? So God says, even though I exist everywhere, I'm going to be localized in the Holy of Holies. That's where my glory is going to be seen.
Speaker 3:Now that tabernacle of God is now with men, that holy place, the holy of holies, was a cube. In a moment we're going to be finding out that the city of Jerusalem is a cube, a much bigger cube. Why the connection? The connection is simply this that we are going to be dwelling in the holy of holies throughout all eternity, in the very presence of God, with no fear of being contaminated by sin, because we will be holy and totally free of all sin forever. Anybody like that? Sin forever? Anybody like that? If you don't like your sin, you'd have clapped. If you like it, you might not have clapped for that one.
Speaker 3:Now imagine the presence of God directly. You see, that's why it says here that there is no temple in it. I'm in verse 22. For the Lord, god Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it and the Lamb is its lamp. Just imagine for a moment folks Think it through. This will be our first experience with uncreated light. You see, it has no need of the sun or of the moon because, after all, god is now the light and that light is uncreated. That's part of who God is, and here we will be in light, and the scriptures make it clear no need of the sun or of the moon. All direct, immediate access to God, with no barrier in between, no need for a mediator.
Speaker 3:If I mention to you the name of Johnny Erickson Tada, you will remember that she has been a quadriplegic for possibly about 35 or 40 years. She has suffered greatly but blessed millions in what she has learned through her suffering. But I remember her saying the thing that I look forward to when I get to heaven, she said, is not because I'll be able to park my wheelchair in the vestibule of heaven and be able to run to Jesus to worship him. She said. What I will like the best and what will be most meaningful to me is instant, continual communication with God, without a hint of sin ever coming between us. That's what it's going to be like. Imagine a mind so pure that you wouldn't mind if your wife and your family, and your daughters and your children knew every single thought, no guilt, no shame, nothing but purity, for the pure in heart shall see God. So God is going to dwell with his people in the new Jerusalem. Now, very quickly, we'll say a word about its size, or we could say the description You'll notice.
Speaker 3:In verse 18 we have another look at this beautiful city. He's taken to a great and high mountain and showed the holy city, the new Jerusalem that came down from heaven and having the glory of God, its radiance is like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great high wall with 12 gates, and at the gates oh, you know, did you notice it there in verse 12? Peter is not at the gate. After all that, the text says that there are 12 gates and 12 angels. They are there and you'll notice that on the gates are the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. So you have a representative group from the old testament, saints, verse 14 the wall of the city has 12 foundations and on them were the 12 names of the 12 apostles. So you have in this city still the distinction between Israel and the church, but at the same time all of them together In the new Jerusalem, all the saints of all ages enjoying God.
Speaker 3:And now a word about the size of the city. It says in verse 15, the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and its walls. The city lies four square. Its length is the same as its width. He measured the city with a rod 12,000 stadia. That's an old system of measurement. I googled it last night to try to find out exactly how long it was and I discovered that there is disagreement because there were various measurements depending upon the country and the location of where you were, depending upon the country and the location of where you were, and generally it is said that this particular stadium might even be over a mile long. If that's true, then you have 12,000 miles, or more, 14,000 miles, and you have. It says its length and its width and its height are all equal.
Speaker 3:Can you imagine a city that would go from Colorado to the Atlantic Ocean and from the northern part of the United States all the way to the Mexican border, and then be 1,500 miles high. Think of the condos that are there. Oh, it's got plenty of room, plenty. And furthermore, you know, when it talks about streets, we always think of streets needing to be horizontal. We go from here to there. Imagine this we are going to be in glorified bodies. Everyone that's there is in a glory. The Bible says that we shall see Christ and we shall be like him when we see him, as he is the same kind of body that Jesus had. You know what that means? Think about it. It means that we will be able to go vertically just as easily as we'll be able to go horizontally. So maybe the streets of the city are just as much up and down as they are across. Either way, it will not matter, because at that time, your thought, your desire will give you the strength to simply be there. It'll be that effortless, that simple, and just imagine, you need no sleep ever, because your body is eternal, like Christ's.
Speaker 3:Now, as we continue, I want you to notice the materials of the city, but I'm not going to mention it. If there's a jeweler present, it would be very interesting for you to read verse 18 and following, where you have all of the different, many jewels and precious stones that are mentioned, and may I say that this may all be symbolic. You have to remember that John was seeing the holy city come down from heaven and he had to put into words that he could understand and that we could understand. He had to do that so that we would get a glimpse of what it was like, and so he writes all of those beautiful, beautiful arrangements. The only comment I'll make here is to remember that God is into beauty, god is into architecture. You look at the way in which this city is constructed and you realize that God is a builder. In fact, it says that Abraham looked forward to a city which has foundations whose builder and maker was God. So this is God's city, built by him for his dwelling place and for his people.
Speaker 3:Let's take a moment and ask ourselves what are the privileges of those who live within the city. What are the privileges? Well, first of all, notice that there's going to be equality. There's going to be equality. Now, you'll notice. It says that by its light verse 24, the nations will walk and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. That's dependent upon an ancient custom. When a king was submitting to his superior. He brought whatever he had and laid it at the feet of the superior king. So you're going to have kings that are going to bring their glory and whatever they had on earth, and they're going to bring it and lay it at the feet of Jesus. It says that the nations also it speaks about. They will bring their glory and their honor into it. I imagine that, even though the nations will be represented in heaven, there will be no nationalism, there will be no feeling of superiority, obviously because of sinlessness and because we're all there with a common purpose, namely the worship and the service of Jesus. So there's going to be equality in the holy city.
Speaker 3:And then, for those of you who are into vitamins and health foods, catch this chapter 22. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, brightest crystal, flowing from the throne of God and from the Lamb, through the middle of the street. You have to get this now. There is the throne of God, from the throne comes a river of water of life flowing right through Main Street, right in the middle of Main Street, that's what it says. And low on either side of the river there's the tree of life. But we have to stop there. It can't just continue.
Speaker 3:Tree of life you remember where we encountered it before Book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve were there? There was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And God says whatever you don't eat of that tree. They went against his word and they ate of that tree, and then God would not allow them back into Eden. There's no going back to Eden. And God actually made sure that they wouldn't go back. Why? Because if they were to eat the tree of life, they would live forever as sinners. They would never die. You say, oh, that would be really good. I don't think so. Just ask my mother. You know, once you're aged, you're longing. You're longing for death and to be with God, and you'd be locked into this existence when God has something so much better planned for you. And so, as a result of that, they did not eat the tree of life. Thankfully, now you can eat. You can eat from the tree of life and, what is more, the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Speaker 3:Now, for many of us that's confusing. You say well, you know we have limitless energy in heaven, we have strength in heaven. Why is it that we need to eat. Well, here's the deal you don't have to eat in heaven if you don't want to, but I think that we do eat in heaven and that should not be a surprise to you. Jesus, after he received his resurrection body, he ate with the disciples. He ate fish along the Sea of Galilee, on the shore, and he ate with them. If we eat in heaven, it will not be because we have to, but we will eat because of the enjoyment of eating. Some of you can hardly wait. Amen.
Speaker 3:So there's going to be health in heaven. It says that no one will ever hunger, nor will the sun beat upon any. What a glorious experience that will be. And then there will be service. We have to continue to read. It says in verse 3, no longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his servants will worship him. Now some translations may say his servants will serve him. Why the difference? It's because this word actually is the word service, but it's generally the kind of service that you do within a temple or a service that you do within a church, that kind of service. So it really is worship. We are going to be busy serving the Lord. And then, lest you think that that isn't the case, verse 5, and night will be no more. They will need no light of the lamp or the sun for the Lord. God will be their light and they will reign forever and ever the expression in Greek is the strongest language that you could ever use for forever. Literally, they will reign into the ages of the ages, with no end at all in sight. Ever. Wow, you know the cartoon the Far Side.
Speaker 3:There was a drawing that the artist gave that, I think, typifies many people's view of heaven A cloud with a man sitting there with angels' wings and he's playing a harp. And when you look at his face it looks as if he's just been marooned on an island and bored out of his mind for the rest of his life. And underneath it says I wish I had brought a magazine. My friend, that is not the way heaven is going to be. It's not going to be us gathering in one long church service and we begin on page one of the hymnal, sing our way through. And after we've finished singing our way through, we begin on page one again. Nothing like that. We are going to serve him. It says that his name will be on our foreheads and we will reign with him forever and ever, because, after all, we are heirs of God. We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3:When DL Moody lost everything in the fire, somebody said to him you lost everything. He said, no, there's a great deal that I haven't lost. They said oh, you're wealthy. No, no, no, no. He who overcomes the Bible says shall inherit all things. If your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, there is nothing that can happen to you on this earth that will be of any permanent damage, because you have a place reserved in heaven. There's a crown that only you can wear, there's a room where only you can enter, there's an assignment that you are the only one who can perform and you will be there reigning with Christ forever and ever. No wonder Cooper wrote how thou canst think so well of me and be the God thou art Darkness to my intellect, but sunshine to my heart Will reign with him forever and ever.
Speaker 3:A couple of comments about the lifestyle of the city. You read about the new Jerusalem and you say well, you know, that's interesting Gates walls. Why? Because if you read the entire text, you discover that nowhere does it say that the gates are ever going to be closed. It says, in fact, that they're going to be open, easy access. You see, you might have to go on assignment. We don't know what all that reigning with Jesus really means. It could be responsibility for other planets. God is an infinite God, but another thing that that signifies is a city.
Speaker 3:Now, isn't it interesting that the Bible began in a garden, the Garden of Eden. The Bible ends in a city. Why a city? Why not a farm? Why not a garden? Because you see, a city is community, a city is community, and so what you really have is the need for gates.
Speaker 3:Well, people connect. You know, for years, rebecca and I have lived in a condo building and sometimes the only time we really met our neighbors is that when we were going through the common entrance together. That's where we met. God says I want you to be connected to others. You're going to have a much larger family. Your mother will still be your mother in heaven, absolutely, and you will know her as your mother or your father, your relatives, your children, but at the same time, the intimacy that you have between your mother and yourself and your family, that kind of intimacy is now going to be extended to all the family of God and the same kind of things. I expect that we're going to be doing projects together, we are going to be doing worship services together, we are going to be doing assignments together, all in community there in heaven, and that's why we end actually in a city. So you have such things as walls, you have a water source, you have travel, you have the beauty of architecture, and all of these things are going to be ours.
Speaker 3:Now I hope that you take the time to read Revelation 21 and 22 on your own. I hope that you take the time to read Revelation 21 and 22 on your own, but I need to say that, no matter how John ever described it, it is really inadequate. But this is the best that we can do. I'm reminded of a little girl who was her mother, was reading stories to her about Jesus one night in a picture book with Bible stories, and the next morning she said oh, mommy. She said I dreamed about Jesus and she said you know, mommy, he's so much better than the pictures and I can assure you it's going to be so much better than this picture. We're going to be encouraged, but we won't need the Word of God. We are going to be strengthened, but we won't have to exhibit faith. We will be there in God's presence forever. You see, that's why the Bible says presence forever. You see, that's why the Bible says I has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for them who love him. This is the best that we can do until eternity. But I'll tell you, once we're there we'll wonder why it was that we wanted to live as long as we'd all desire to live. It's going to be great. Now I promised you that I would answer a question that is absolutely essential to you, and that is who's in and who's out.
Speaker 3:Well, let's take your Bibles now. I'm going to read from chapter 21. You'll notice I'm picking it up in verse 8. After this glorious description of the new Jerusalem, it says in verse 8, chapter 21,. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral sorcerers, idolaters and all liars, will have their portion in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. They will not be in the city. Now, essentially the same thing is over here in chapter 22. Verse 14, blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they might enter the city by the gates by the way, no gate crashers here. You're either on the list or you're not. It says very clearly that only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life no need to wonder whether or not the Secret Service took care of that, you'll notice. It says outside are the dogs, sorcerers, the sexually immoral murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. Idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Speaker 3:I'm speaking to you now and some of you say well, that certainly excludes me. I won't make it in the holy city, because this actually is quite characteristic of my life. I have some news for you. This is the best news you will ever hear today. I promise you It'll never get any better than this. There are going to be people in heaven who committed all of these sins and worse, and they will be in heaven. You say, well, why the big distinction? Well, it's here in the text. That's why we have to read our Bibles.
Speaker 3:It says in chapter 22, verse 12,hold I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me. And then it says in verse 14, blessed are those who wash their robes so that they might have the right to the tree of life, that they may enter the city by the gates. The issue really is not the greatness of your sin, however terrible it might be. God is able to take care of that. The issue is whether or not you have had your robes washed by Jesus and you are clothed in his righteousness, and not your own. That's really the issue. And this gift of righteousness is a free gift. I want you to notice what the text says. What a wonderful way to end the scriptures. It says in verse 17,. And the spirit and the bride say come and let the one who is thirsty come, let the one who desires take of the water of life without cost. If somebody tells you that you have to give money to go to heaven, that is not the gospel. If somebody tells you that you have to deserve going to heaven, that is not the gospel. None of us deserve it. If somebody tells you that it comes through your participation in a church somehow, through baptism or other means, that that is not the gospel. The gospel is those who are thirsty come without money, without price, to freely receive a gift that is the gift of eternal life. It is the robes that have been washed by God so that you can enter through the gates into the city.
Speaker 3:One day Dale Moody said that he was in a meeting and he was listening very carefully. And an old man stood up and said it took me 40 years to learn these three things. And everybody who listened thought well, you know, that's really good If it took him 40 years, maybe we can get a jump on things by listening carefully. And what the man said is number one, that I cannot earn my way to heaven. That's the first thing I learned. By the way, have you learned that it's not a matter of your goodness? You won't make it. The second thing he said I learned is that God doesn't expect me to earn my way to heaven. God knows we can't. He knows that better than you know it yourself. And then he said the third thing I learned is that Jesus did it all for those who believe and trust him. Is there today a hunger and thirst in your heart to know God and to know that you have the robe and that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, because elsewhere in the previous chapter that's what it says only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Then freely come to Jesus and receive the gift book of life. Then freely come to Jesus and receive the gift. Come as you are to receive it.
Speaker 3:A number of years ago a very well-known pastor was dying. He'd been very effective in ministry actually the pastor of a church and the president of a seminary at the same time Wrote books. But as he was dying he was troubled. See, even Christians can be troubled at death. And some of his friends thought you know what we'll do, we'll encourage him, We'll think of. Oh, you know, through you, god did this. Through you, god did that. It gave him no peace and comfort Until someone reminded him that we are received into heaven totally independent of all the good that we've ever done, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and that's why we sing clothed in his righteousness alone, faultless, to stand before the throne. The terrors of law and of God with me can have nothing to do. My Savior's obedience and blood washed all of my sins from view. My name on the palm of his hands, eternity cannot erase Forever. There it stands, a mark of indelible grace, and that's the way we'll enter the holy city. And so the Bible ends testifies to these things, saith. And now Jesus is speaking. Surely I'm coming soon. Amen, come, lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all a man.
Speaker 3:God says after that, I've nothing more for you to say, and neither do I. Let's pray together, father. We have nothing to say too. We're out of words. Why would you so honor us? Why would you send Jesus to purchase sinners? We pray that no one who has heard this message today would love their sin more than loving the Savior. For those who do wrestle with them, show them their need to receive the free gift. I pray even now that right now people might be praying and say Lord Jesus, I receive the free gift of eternal life that I might know you and walk with you forever. Do all that in our hearts, oh God. We pray, and for those of us who love you, may we always live with eternity in view. Before I close this prayer, do you have to pray now in your heart? Receive Jesus, even where you are seated or no matter how you are listening. Say Jesus, be my Savior, I thirst, I receive. We pray in his name, amen.
Speaker 2:Hello, my name is Michelle Tolliver and Biblical Talk's book offer for the month of December is Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Our moral consciousness and moral judgments are proof to the human race that a moral being exists God. Mere Christianity explores the core beliefs of Christianity by providing an unequaled opportunity for believers and non-believers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith. A brilliant collection, mere Christianity, remains strikingly fresh for the modern reader and at the same time confirms CS Lewis's reputation as one of the leading writers and thinkers of our age. The book brings together Lewis's legendary broadcast talk during World War II. Lewis discusses that everyone is curious about right and wrong, the human nature, morality, marriage, sins, forgivenesss. We will send you the book. Please go to biblicaltalkscom and click the Donate here tab. Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks.
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