Anchorpoint Radio

If we asked you “Where are your sins?”, what would your answer be? Surely, you wouldn’t respond that you don’t have any sins. God says we all do – and if you’re honest, you would have to agree – totally. The Bible is clear on this description of us. And sins become heavier as time goes on – they accumulate, they get entangled.  They make life complicated and messed up. What burdens they are! How can we ever get rid of them? Today’s message looks at the picture of sin in our lives as a heavy burden and the need to have that burden removed. Are you tired of carrying around this burden? Then, come to the Saviour. God had laid on Him the iniquity of us all! 

There is a beautiful verse in Isaiah 1:18 and it says, “Come now, let us reason together”, says the Lord, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” It’s no less than the Lord God of heaven who is speaking here and – imagine – He is wanting to reason with us - poor sinners. He is making an offer to provide us with a slate wiped clean in His sight. Ugly sins washed clean – as white as snow as it were. Is that not something that you would like? 

Well, today’s message is a beautiful one as it centers on the place that God centers – it brings us to the cross of Calvary. The cross where the Lord Jesus Christ shed His precious blood for guilty sinners such as you and me. Does Calvary mean anything to you personally? Or is it nothing more to you than an event in history - something that happened to Jesus many years ago? Or does it mean EVERYTHING to you? We hope that it will – because it is the central focus of the Bible. The cross is why Christ came.

You know, as human beings, we all have the ability to look into the future somewhat, become aware of what just may happen to us and our loved ones, and make the necessary preparations. It’s the only wise thing to do. We often we prepare for things that MIGHT happen to us. What about things that surely WILL happen? Have you prepared for SPIRITUAL realities? For your day of departure from this life? For your ULTIMATE destiny? Wouldn’t you love to have such pressing questions settled once and for all? You can. God says you can. And you must. We trust that today’s word from the Bible will help you to be ready to meet God. To have your sins forgiven once and for all. Only then will you really start to live!

The gospel message is basically the retelling of a report that God has given to man - a report concerning His way of salvation. It's not a list of do's and don'ts or of a set of beliefs and practices you must follow to become a member of a church group. His report is given throughout the entire Bible, beginning long ago with the prophets, right up to the time of Christ and beyond with the writings of His followers in the New Testament. And it's a report that must be received. God wants you to believe what He has written. Isaiah Chapter 53 begins with this question - "Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" That is, God is asking the question - Who really believes what I'm saying here? You see, God has given us the facts - about our sin - and about His remedy for it. Are you going to believe it?

In Acts Chapter 4 we read one of the earliest gospel messages ever preached. The apostle Peter declared, “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” It was short and to the point – we need to be saved - and the only Person Who provides that salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ. 

It's amazing how the prominent atheists of our day are trying to promote the idea that faith means believing without evidence - just a leap in the dark, as it were. This is categorically false when it comes to biblical faith. Christianity is based on solid, eye-witness testimony of individuals who were in direct contact with Jesus Christ. And the gospel writers put their experiences on paper for the very purpose of providing historical FACTS upon which we can base our faith. Biblical faith is grounded on evidence - not fantasy, myth, or wishful thinking. We hope that you won't fall for this false conception of faith that atheists would have you to believe.

It is always important, when considering a particular teaching or line of thought - on any subject - to go back and test the ORIGIN of that teaching or thought. If you've ever wondered about certain religious systems, for example, be sure to research the history behind those systems. On today's Anchorpoint, we will explore the solid historical background of the Christian faith and the significance of an extremely unlikely convert - a strict Judaic Pharisee called Saul of Tarsus - in the eventual spread of the gospel message.

Anyone who is familiar with the Bible at all will discover almost immediately that mankind has a problem. God makes this very clear from beginning to end. We are broken and damaged - unable to meet up to our own standards, let alone the standards of God. And since God hates sin, since no sin can enter into His presence, that leaves us with a very serious problem indeed. Is it possible to have our guilty record made clean? From start to finish? Is it really possible to have ALL our sins forgiven? A clean slate, as it were? Yes! It's called justification - and it's the topic of today's broadcast.

There is one word that describes true born-again Christians everywhere - the word is ‘forgiven’. What a wealth of blessing that one word contains! Peace with God, a debt paid, a stain removed, a burden lifted - and so much more! Yes, the Bible says that we have all sinned, and settled peace will never be ours until we are right with God. Do you know anything about the meaning of the word ‘forgiven’ in YOUR life?

Did you know that you could know for sure that you'll be in heaven? Well, the Bible says you can. And much more than that, the Bible says that you MUST know it before you die. Now is the day of salvation. Crossing your fingers and hoping for the best will not do it. Sin is serious. It must be taken care of in the here and now. It will be too late after you die. God wants you to be saved in life, while there is time. And He wants you to know and enjoy it for the rest of your life here below.

It's a question of paramount importance. It's the biggest question you will ever answer in your lifetime. And it's a question that you cannot avoid. "What shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?" In today's broadcast, we will hear how two Biblical characters ultimately answered that question - and how tragic their answers were! We have Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. And we have Judas Iscariot, a supposed disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both decided they wanted something else. Imagine wanting ANYTHING other than Christ in your life, your sins forgiven, and peace with God! How foolish to think that anything temporal in this world is a good bargain compared to what Christ offers! We hope that today's message will focus this pivotal question for you. 

The foundational difference between Christianity and all other world religions is the fact that the restoration of man's relationship with God is based entirely on God - not in any way dependent on who we are or what we can do. We cannot get right with God by doing good works of our own nor by a cooperative effort between ourselves and God. Religions and spiritual philosophies require us to work at it, to offer something of ourselves. This is not what the Word of God tells us. No, Christ came to pay our debt when we were bankrupt in our sins. God makes it clear that "By grace are you saved through faith." Faith is the means by which we can avail ourselves of God's wonderful gift of eternal life. Simply taking God at His Word.  

On today’s broadcast, we’ll be considering making the necessary reservations for the most important journey we could every make – the journey into eternity. Nobody finds themselves in heaven without a prior booking. Are you prepared for that trip? Your certainly need to be! The old hymn says, “My passport to the realms of bliss is Jesus died for me.” Have you made YOUR reservation? 

Perhaps the most well-known of all the verses in the Bible is John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life." It has often been called the 'gospel in a nutshell' because through it a person can know all the elements of the gospel message. Today we will be looking specifically at this wondrous verse. It contains a number of superlative things - the greatest power, the greatest passion, the greatest people, the greatest provision, the greatest person, the greatest plan, AND the greatest purpose! What a marvellous verse! 

What exactly is the gospel? Well, as we shall hear today, it’s been described as the “greatest possible blessing”, given by the “widest possible invitation”, based on the “highest possible authority”, and received on the “simplest possible terms”. What a wonderful message! We’re sure that every Christian will enjoy this simple and clear gospel message and trust that any unsaved person listening today will drink in this wonderful message for themselves.

The gospel message is not complicated. It is God's offer of grace to sinners who don't deserve it. It's a simple extension of pardon to anyone willing to accept the guilty verdict and come and receive it. Why is it then that multitudes are not lined up at the door wanting to get it. The answer is simple. Most people don't take God seriously when He says that we need salvation. They also think that there is something that they can do. The gospel message is that you need to have your sins forgiven and that God has provided the means to do that.

In the Gospel of Mark Chapter 10 we find a very interesting story of an encounter that a young man had with the Lord Jesus Christ. He asked, "What do I need to do to inherit eternal life?" Today’s message looks at what was fundamentally wrong with that question. But we will also learn about the tragic truth that it is usually only ONE thing that keeps a sinner from trusting Christ. How foolish it is to trade eternal life for one fleeting thing that you may hold so dearly today. Come to Christ today won't you, and be sure that you will never face an eternity of regret and sorrow at making the same wrong decision that this rich, young ruler made.

There was a story that Jesus told about a man who prepared a great banquet feast – and the invitations all went out. “Come for all things are now ready!” But there were many refusals. A lot of them! Jesus said the man became angry and sent his servants out to bring in other people to his banquet instead. Well, His point was simple. The gospel message goes out to all – but then the refusals come in - excuses that will not hold up when placed before God. You see, God has also prepared a tremendous banquet as it were - filled with good things – eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, a life with Christ, peace, purpose, endless fulfillment and joy – to name a few! We hope that you will not come up with excuses for rejecting the call of God for salvation.

Many people know something of the Exodus story in the Bible – the story about how God delivered the Israelites from slavery by visiting Egypt with ten formidable plagues, the last of which was the death of the first born of all those who refused to obey the Lord’s instructions. But God told the Israelites to slay a lamb, a perfect lamb, and to put the blood on the lintel and side posts of the door to their houses. God told them that when He “saw the blood, He would pass over them” – meaning that they would be protected from the last terrible plague. Who is the Lamb? John the Baptist tells us, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” It is the Lord Jesus Christ himself.