Reference: Hebrews 9:13-17
It is a very sad thing to say that theaverage person today is totally ignorant of the facts as to why Jesus Christcame to this earth and died on a cross and ascended back to heaven to becomethe mediator between man and God. It has been said by many that if man choosesagainst Christ, he stands on his own good works against the good works ofChrist accomplished on the cross of Calvary. From this statement is derived thesimple belief most people believe was the purpose of Christ's coming to thisearth to die on the cross. The common belief in the religious world today isthat confession on the finished work of Christ on the cross is what will savean individual imparting eternal life to them. What this belief boils down to isthat one is saved by the work that Christ did on the cross and that nothing canbe added by man to merit his or her salvation. It is of course an establishedfact that man cannot save himself, but what most people are ignorant of todayis that to confess that you believe that Christ died for the sins of the worldis absolutely not what saves a person making them a born again child of Godready and prepared for heaven. How is it possible to become a saved born againnew creature in Christ based on the fact that you believe that Christ did dieon the cross? If your mind can understand the fact that Christ died and shedhis blood for the purpose of putting into effect the new testament covenant,then you can be on your way of becoming a true born again child of God filledwith all the measure and stature of Jesus Christ.
I want you to notice veryclose as to what it says in our text of Hebrews9:17. Here you will find it sayingthat a testament is of force after men are dead. Do you know what thismeans? Let me explain it to you like this.... Do you understand what it meansfor a person to have a will written up before they die? A great deal of peopletoday have what is called a will that name certain people as an inheritor ofcertain things after they are dead. The will is not read or brought into effectuntil the owner of the will dies. When the person dies, the will is read beforethe family by an Attorney. An Attorney of the law has the power to divide thedead persons property that he has left to the people that are named in thewill. If your uncle died and left a will of his possessions, then you may benamed as an inheritor in his last will and testament. Whatever is stated in thewill of the one that has one after their death, then all who are named withinit will receive whatever it is stated to be given to them. The New Testament isthe will or covenant that God has made to mankind. The will could not be putinto power unless someone died and shed their blood for it. This is exactlywhat Christ came to do. His death and resurrection put into power the gospel ofChrist, as it is also called. This is why Paul said in Romans 1:16-17 that he was notashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyonethat believes. So therefore to believe the gospel is what will save anindividual, but today we have thousands of preachers proclaiming falseteachings as to what the gospel is that will save you. Just to believe thatChrist died on the cross and that he died for our sins is not what the gospelis that will save you. The gospel that will save you is the new covenant thatGod made with the house of Israel and of Judah and finally to whosoeverbelieves. When Christ died on the cross he said that "it isfinished." This meant that he died and shed his blood that will put intoeffect the new covenant. We are told that without the shedding of blood thereis no remission of sins. The many false teachers and preachers today are sayingthat belief and confession on the finished work of Christ is what saves you.This is believing only a small fraction as to what the gospel reveals. Christbrought to this earth a perfect plan of salvation that will redeem man back toGod like he was in before he fell prone to sins power in the garden of Eden.Just believing on the one that died for it, putting it into power does not norcannot save you. You can only be truly saved by your believing the plan ofsalvation that the gospel reveals, and if you think that accepting Christ asyour personal Lord and Saviour is all there is connected with salvation, thenfriend, you are being deceived. The gospel contains many doctrinal truths thatyou must receive and believe to be saved. Your believing what the gospelreveals is what saves you and makes a new creature out of you. God's word iscreative. It will renew your mind making it the mind of Christ. There arehundreds of doctrines of devils that will sear your conscience causing you tospeak lies in hypocrisy. Only truth will set you free from the power of sin andSatan. The teaching in today's religious world is that all you have to believeis to confess that Christ died for your sins on Calvary. What they fail to tellyou is what the work was that Christ came to reveal to this earth. Just tellingyou that believing Christ died for your sins is just to tell you of the onethat brought a perfect plan of redeeming salvation. Why don't they preach thedivine plan of salvation that Christ brought to this earth? Simply because theyare void of the truth that the gospel reveals. The word of God tells us thatall scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,for correction, and for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may beperfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (II Timothy 3:16-17) Doyou call the teaching of belief on Christ as being instructed in righteousnessunto perfection? Have you ever wondered what the finished work was that Christsaid he finished while dying on the cross? How can you say that believing thefinished work saves you if you don't know what that work was? The false prophetwill tell you that you don't have to live the life that Christ lived becausehis living the life excuses all your sins that you commit. How can you be soignorant as to allow some false teacher to make you swallow this? Christ liveda sinless life and he revealed how we can do it also. Why do you think theBible is filled with statements like saying that we are to be holy as he isholy? Why don't you search the scriptures to find out how many says thatwithout holiness no man shall see the Lord etc? What kind of a church do youthink Christ is coming for? Do you think he is coming for a sinning church likeall reveal to be today? He is coming for a glorious church my friend, whichwill be a church without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. Do the sin committingconverts in today's churches sound like the church Christ is soon to come for?Are you part of a glorious church? Are you too dead in sin to care? Are youfloating along with the crowd that's on the broad way to destruction???