Anchorpoint Radio

Has Christ ever done anything for you? Think about it. The first verse of Isaiah 53 asks a similar question – “Who has believed our report?” That is, many people hear God’s report of His Son – the gospel message of how Christ died for their sins – but don’t believe it. Has Christ ever done anything for them? In unbelief, they would likely answer “No”. And they are wrong. The Lord Jesus was willing to go all the way to the cross for sinners. But all of Christ’s work would be to no avail if He is not received personally as Lord and Saviour. So ask yourself again, “Has Christ ever done anything for me”? 

The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that we were all born sinners, spiritually disconnected from God because of sin. We start out spiritually dead – with low thoughts about God and high thoughts about ourselves. Since our lives are infected by sin we end up with broken relationships, self-destructive behaviour, sinful habits, bitterness, and confusion as to what life is all about anyway. The good news of the gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to remedy this dire situation by taking care of the root cause of all our problems – sin. As the sinless substitute, He was able to bear our sins and put them away, bridging the broken connection with God again. 

It is hard to enter in to the devastation felt by Jesus’ disciples when they watched Him being taken, crucified, and left to die. All their hopes were completely dashed. They had trusted in Him as the long-awaited Messiah – and yet He died seemingly helpless upon a Roman cross. The Lord Jesus had told them that it would happen – it was why He came - but they just couldn’t take it in. So now, their world crashed in upon them. All hope was gone! What a desperate Saturday it must have been for them! But WE know the end of the story – or the beginning really – that Christ would rise again in the power of an endless life and share that life with all who trusted Him with their souls. Yes, the truth of Easter brings hope and new life to all who believe in Christ for their salvation. 

Everybody enjoys hearing stories of instances in the lives of people when they were rescued, or their whole course of life was drastically changed, or they discovered some new thing. Today’s message is one of such stories – but it is more than an account of a life-changing event. It is an account of an Eternity-changing event! Yes, a story of salvation. Join us as evangelist Matthew Cain tells us about how he came to know the Saviour. He does this by relating it to the story of the publican and the Pharisee in the Bible. Matthew uses this comparison as he describes his own life as both of these – once as the self-righteous Pharisee – but then as the poor sinner who needed to be saved.

There are many Bible stories about how the Lord Jesus Christ healed the sick and dying. He was known as the “Great Physician” whose compassion and healing power attracted multitudes of sad and afflicted people. But not all people were drawn to the Saviour – in fact, the religious people were the greatest critics. They felt they had no need of Christ in their lives. He exposed their hypocrisy and sin – and they hated Him for it. Is it any different today? Join us as we look at “the REAL pandemic” – that is, the pandemic of sin in our world and God’s remedy for it.

Well, it seems that in our day and age, there is so much of the very foundation of the Christian faith that is under attack, isn’t there?  One sad reason for this is the fact that more and more of our children and young people are growing up without ever being taught the principles and truths of the Word of God.  Many are not even sure who Christ is, let alone the Bible’s teaching about salvation and Christian living.  In today’s broadcast, evangelist Marvin Derksen will take us back to the foundation of our Christian faith using three simple truths to illustrate the basics of God’s great salvation.

Both national and personal levels of uncertainty, anxiety, and mistrust have arisen over the past months as a result of the pandemic crisis the world is experiencing. What really is going on? Who holds the real answers? Who can we trust? All of these questions have been bouncing around for some time now and the answers seem to change with each news report. Well, there is really only One in whom we can place our full confidence and trust – and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only person who ever lived who was trustworthy in all that He said, did, and promised. And WHAT can we trust in? Well, it’s the Word of God, the Bible, whose authority and reliability has remained firm and established down through the ages.

You know, the Lord makes some surprising statements in His Word. Sometimes, you just have to stop and think about them. For example, 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." But there are two amazing truths in this one verse - that God SO loved the world and that God actually GAVE His only Son. What a statement! 

On what basis can we hold the Bible as the authority in all aspects of our lives in the twenty-first century? This week’s message continues to examine the concept of Biblical inspiration and the manner of God's revelation to us. After all, we would understand nothing about God unless He reveals His mind to us. This He does through the solid foundation of Biblical teaching and the instrumentality of inspired writers. But the ultimate authority and power standing behind the Word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His claims and prophecies were backed up by His tremendous power over death. Yes, the resurrection of Christ gives the iron clad stamp of approval by God Himself that the words He spoke and the scriptures He referred to were undisputedly authoritative.

The Bible has always been under attack by unbelievers down through the ages. In fact, The Word of God and the authority of Christ himself was openly questioned by skeptics long ago. The human heart hasn't changed, and there still is a resistance to accepting what God has to say about people and about His Son. How is it that we can depend on the Bible's message for us today? Where does this authority come from? On what basis does the Bible claim our attention and allegiance? We trust that these insights will be helpful in settling the Bible as a foundation in YOUR life.

The problem with understanding the Bible for just about all of us is that we all come to the Bible with our OWN way of thinking. We've already decided what God is like and what we are like. Unfortunately, it is usually a very wrong assessment. In the gospel of Luke, Chapter 15 the Lord Jesus Christ tells a story that we know now as 'the prodigal son'. But there is more to the story than the son who left home for a far country and later returned to his father. You see, the Lord Jesus was telling the story to a group of self-righteous Pharisees.  Yes, the prodigal son certainly needed forgiveness all right, but so did the religious congregation. You see, they ALL needed a 'change of mind'. They needed to look at reality the way that God reveals it to us in His Word. And so do we!

The Bible is filled with accounts of individuals who actually had one-on-one dealings with the God of heaven. There are many of these fortunate individuals whose experiences with the Lord Jesus Christ were recorded for us in the New Testament. Today's message is about one of these tremendous experiences in the gospel of Luke, chapter 19. It may be a familiar story to you - the story of Zaccheus - a hated person in his community of Jericho - a tax collector and a cheat. Would Jesus have dealings with a person like that? You bet He would! 

God has made it clear and plain in the Bible that He is the only God there is. It is hard to be more emphatic. He says it more than once: "I am God and there is none else". And what kind of a God is He? Well, the Bible says that He is a just God and a Saviour. He does only what is right and just. That is a tremendous thing - but a fearful one as well. Why? Well, we are 'unjust' - sinners - people who have turned our back on God and gone our own way. Justice requires that we face our sentence of condemnation. But God also proclaims the sinner just who believes in Christ for salvation. And the remedy is simple - "Look unto Me and be ye saved." He has done it all. Isn't that wonderful?

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible - and you may know it - is John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.” A beautiful verse - the gospel in a nutshell. Well, today's message is based on the verse following John 3:16 - and here's how it reads, "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." An equally beautiful verse, don't you think?  But does this verse mean that we are not condemned? No. The world is already lying under total condemnation by God because of our sin. That’s why the Saviour came. Have YOU ever acknowledged this fact?

It's a common mistake for many people to think that there is something they have to DO to gain acceptance with God. An individual may rightly begin to realize a sense of need in their own soul - a need to have matters settled with God - a need to have their sins forgiven. Maybe you're at Anchorpoint today with a desire to have the salvation that the Bible speaks of. Or maybe, you are merely curious about these things. Either way, we're glad you've tuned in because today's broadcast will have many of the answers you're looking for.

Who doesn’t like the old, familiar hymn with the catchy tune “We Three Kings of Orient are”? It conjures up images of bejewelled noblemen riding on stately ornamented camels, each with a gift in their hands. Well, the real story from the Bible is a lot different from that. Yes, there were “wise men” or magi that actually made that arduous journey in search for a King, a Messiah. But their quest was for something far deeper than to see the latest heir to the throne. They had heart longings to personally meet the Saviour promised by God. It was worth it for them to leave their homes and head off in long, hard journey until they found Him. And find Him they did! What a joyous day it was for these men! Those that stayed behind in unbelief missed the greatest discovery of their lives! And how many are doing the same today?

We can become so familiar with the Christmas story that we lose the awesome wonder of that day! And so many people miss the message completely - a message brought to us from heaven by angels no less! Tremendous news of a Saviour given “unto US”! Why would God even do this for sinners who hated and rejected Him? And who still do! Well, the only reason is in God’s great heart of love for sinners like us. Yes, this gospel message of good will to mankind came from the lips of angels. We would do well to give it our utmost attention, don’t you think?

The Christmas message is really a year round message - it's the message of the gospel - God's invitation to sinners to receive His only provision for sin - the Lord Jesus Christ! Christians remember Christ's birth all year round - and praise and thank God for ever sending His Son to come to this world and die at the place called Calvary to reconcile sinners back to Himself. What a wonderful person Christ is! Do you know Him?

Titus 2:13 says, "Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us." Who's looking forward to this great event - the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ? Well, it's believers, of course. Christians. Those who have placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour. Are YOU a believer in Christ? Have YOU thought about His return today? It's a blessed prospect, and though the Bible does not give any date for this great event, we know that it could happen at any time. Is the prospect of the Lord's return a blessed one for you?

I don’t have to tell you that we live in a wicked world. One that is harsh, hazardous, and unfair. Some would ask, “Why is there evil anyway? Where did it come from? Why doesn’t God do something about it? Why is there evil anyway, if God really exists?” Well, these are good questions, and the Bible has the answers. Are you ready to listen to them? In our uncertain and unstable world, we trust that you will find this message not only one of comfort, but of salvation for your soul