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In The Garden Daily Devotional
Easter Sunday Message
"The Final Call"
Pastor Wayne Clabaugh
Scripture Text:"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here,
but is risen:" Luke 24:5b and 6a (KJV)
FRIEND LET ME ASK YOU TODAY, "WHAT CAUSES A MAN TO SO
REJECT GOD?"
Some of the greatest words in the Bible are found there
in the 24th chapter of Acts and in the 24th verse where
we read:
"And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife
Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and
heard him concerning the faith in Christ." Act 24:24 (KJV)
Have you had anyone send for you lately and ask you to
tell them about the RESURRECTION OF THE LORD? Why is
that do you suppose?
This was a man was a Heathen who was indifferent to the
things of God - let alone this Christ - yet he was
persuaded by the urgency of the message of Paul and more
importantly the testimony of Christ, and against all of
the advisors at his disposal - and all of the urgings of
the military at his command, he "desired" that he might
"hear Paul" concerning "faith in Christ". Oh what a joy
Paul must have felt along the way as he slipped into his
Sunday Best and tethered on his best sandals and made
his way to the house of Felix and Drusilla.
As Paul - filled with the fullness of God expounded the
grace and the mercy of a soon coming King - in the
end... though Felix was moved to receive this Christ
which Paul shared with him, his final words to Paul
"this time" was
"Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient
season, I will call for thee." Acts 24:25 (KJV)
This is the equivalent, my friend, of seeing the cross
as a symbol of God's sovereign grace; it is the
equivalent of placing lilies at the foot of that cross
and even draping the cross with a piece of cloth to
signify that Jesus was no longer in the tomb but that He
had risen: all "symbols" of Christianity; and then
worshipping the Easter Bunny. If you cannot... do not...
WILL NOT experience the saving power of the cross - it
is of no effect! You may as well worship the Easter
bunny, and at least have the taste of chocolate in your
mouth.
Felix made it clearly abundant and abundantly clear that
he could not, did not, that he WOULD NOT receive this
Christ or the saving power of the cross at this time
because it was not a time of "convenience" for him. What
was he saying? Felix knew debauchery and wickedness
greater than most men of his day. He was known to have
at his command a group of assassins and had himself
ordered the removal of men of God in the Synagogue - as
well as men of Political office "by assasination" and
his hands were stained with blood, and his conscience
was as close to seared a scould get. He was living a
life of sin with a woman he had stolen in adultery from
another, and he was known to be the most cruel and
wicked Governor of his day. He was in fact, headed for
destruction, for Nero Himself had ordered that he be
executed for his crimes, yet he was spared in the end
because of family ties to the government of Nero.
Eventually, an earthquake took his life and that of his
mistress, and he died a beaten and judged man.
He could have Escaped My Friend! He could have listened
to his heart that day when Paul told him of the coming
Judgment of God on the wicked, and the compassionate
grace and mercy bestowed on those who simply believed.
But for whatever reason Felix did not escape through the
cross, and he "was" and "will be" judged by it.
But if we sat and wondered today about other men of the
Bible who had the chance to escape - someone from the
old Testamant I would say that the account of Lot trying
to escape to a town called ZOAR would come quickly to
mind. Look at Gen 19:12,13 (KJV)
"And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides?
son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and
whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this
place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry
of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and
the LORD hath sent us to destroy it."
I am speaking today of the great escape of Lot and His
family to a small city called ZOAR from the town of
Sodom where sin and debauchery and decadence abound.
Friend, whether you like it or not, we are all heading
for one of the greatest events that will ever be
recorded in the history of man. Never since the flood,
nor since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah has
there been nor will there ever be the destruction that
is heading this way in the very near future. As much as
I would like to stop and speak today about the
Blessedness of Easter, and speak of that Great
Resurrection Morning I cannot, because my mind and my
heart is heavy thsi morning and I feel God leading me by
His Holy Spirit to use this Easter Sunday Message as a
word of WARNING and NOT OF COMFORT! If you are not
saved, you are headed for destruction and the only thing
that can save you today is the POWER OF THE CROSS. You
cannot just look at it; you cannot just decorate it with
lilies; you cannot just drape it with a piece of cloth
and say that you have observed Easter Sunday Morning. If
you cannot FEEL the power of that Cross of Calvary in
your life today, then you need to cry out to the Lord
your God today and ask for Him to SAVE you. You are lost
and in need of escape from the certain destruction that
is headed your way, if you do not receive Jesus as your
Lord and Saviour.
I want to take the time to point out to you today the
urgency of accepting Jesus while he may yet be found.
In the scripture I just read in Genesis 19, we see where
God had sent two angels to warn Lot and to remove his
family from the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, for they
were given instructions to level the city where they
were living for all of the sins and debauchery that did
there abound.
If youread the verse prior to the 12th and 13th verse in
genesis 19 you will see that several men who had
homosexual tendencies came forward to Lot's house when
they seen and heard of these two young angels that were
there. Now you have heard the stories of angels, how
fair and pleasing they supposedly are to the eye. They
were created beings and since God Created them (He
doesn't create junk), we know they were probably very
good looking men or beings, because that's something
else we have learned that angels do not have gender for
there is no need for it. They are not given in marriage
and they are not blessed to have off-spring, but they
apparently had bodies that were much like ours and these
men of Sodom came to "have their way" with them.
We all know the story. Lot pleaded with the men that
they would leave the angels alone and that they would go
on their way. He even said that he would send out his
two daughters and they could have their way with them,
if they would leave the angels alone. Not so sure about
Lot's reasoning there, but I want to stop here and
mention how human Lot showed himself to be. He was
trying to be God's "man of the hour" and he was trying
to "help out God". OUCH! Have you ever done that? Get in
the way of what God was trying to do - because you
thought it needed to be "taken care of" from a human
venue. That's got my name written all over it. Lot was
even willing to place his very family at risk where
there was no need - for the angels could not have been
destroyed by these men nor could they have been harmed
in anyway. In fact, they ended up smiting these men and
blinding them so that they couldn't even find the door.
But here's what Lot was doing. He was trying to hang on
to what was his. He wasn't ready for God to destroy
Sodom for he had friends there and he very likely had a
lucrative lifestyle there, and he was not ready to give
it up. Several times the angels warned him to get his
family and get out of the city because of the
destruction that was about to take place, yet Lot would
not gather up his family and prepare them to leave. So
the angels - according to the WORD, took them by the
arms and got them out of harms way, while Lot still
holding on to "what was" implores that he might not
leave that area entirely but just seek refuge in a
"small city" named ZOAR.
There are many of us living in that kind of "pending
destruction". We know that there is "something up" and
yet we continue to live "as usual", paying no heed nor
seeking God for what He is trying to tell us. What we
have "known" and what we have "accumulated" through the
years has become our most prized possessions, and to
lose any of it, no matter how bad a life it might be, is
more difficult than just "staying in" for the count -
knowing all the while that the count could be our last.
By the way, the city of Sodom did not escape the
promised judgment of the Lord either.
But my friend, you have the great and wonderful
opportunity today to be delivered and to escape the
punishment of the wicked and the dead, by receiving into
your heart and life today my friend - THE POWER OF THE
CROSS - which is Jesus. He loves you and it is NOT HIS
WILL THAT YOU SHOULD PERISH, but that you would have
everlasting life. Will you receive Him today? Let's pray
- I will pray for you and with you and then I will ask
you to repeat after me...
Father, I have come to the cross during Easter week-end
for so many years, and I have seen the lilies and seen
the draped cloth and heard the sermon, but I have never
heard the word so stirring as I have today. I have
realized today that I have enjoyed the pageantry and I
have enjoyed the early morning sunrise breakfasts, and I
have enjoyed the singing and even the message. But
Father, I have never received the power of that Cross
into my life and I want to do that today. (Now here's
where I want you to repeat after me)....say "Jesus, come
into my heart. Save me form my sin; I receive you as
Lord of my life today; and I choose to live for you from
now on. Save Me Jesus! I receive you this day and make
an about-face to not serve the world or the devil
anymore. I will live for you for the rest of my Life, in
Jesus' Name, Amen."
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