Offer Accepted Offer Rejected

 

 

It is not a life lived

But because of an offer accepted

And for all those who eventually perish

It would be an offer rejected.

 

The preacher, as he concluded his sermon,

Gave the following admonition to all,

That they would live in such a way that when death comes

They would have the hope of living eternally with God.

 

And while the preacher was sincere

In his admonition to the congregation

Something was missing from this counsel

And that is the Gospel of salvation.

 

Many are trying to enter heaven

On what they do and do not do

And if you are one of these such persons

I have some serious news for you.

 

No amount of good deeds or acts

Will get any one into heaven

It is only by the precious blood of Jesus

That the penitent is forgiven.

 

No amount of sacrifice or self-denial

Will qualify us for the Lamb’s book of life,

Such will not guarantee us a pass

Even if it makes us feel nice.

 

In the Gospel of John and chapter 3

Jesus makes it very plain,

Unless a person is born again

There is absolutely nothing to gain.

 

Nicodemus was living a quality life

Being a teacher of the Jews

But Jesus stuck his spiritual bubble

And ransacked his religious views.

 

Except a man be born again,

Please my reader, let me repeat,

His impeccable life will count for nothing

If heaven is the home he seeks.

 

And you could keep the ten commandments

Including the highlighted fourth,

If you have not been born again

All this would still be a spent force.

 

It comes right down to two responses

Whether you accept or reject

The offer that God has made to man

For in Jesus all God’s requirements are met.

 

Our fruit is not a requirement,

Certainly not for our redemption

But for the critics and pundits looking on,

It is the evidence of salvation.

 

Jesus could not be the only way of salvation

If there was some other way,

Such would be a distortion of sorts

Like there is no black or white, just grey.

 

Accept God’s offer of salvation!

Jesus the way, the truth and the life,

In the final analysis this is all that counts

Even in the midst of all earth’s strife.

 

To accept God’s offer is to accept life

To reject is to reject the Lord Christ,

Thus, there remains no hope in the latter case

Having spurned God’s sacrifice.

 

Stewart Russell © February 10, 2021

 

What If

 

 

What if I end up in hell

Because I got it wrong,

Numbered among the “never saved”:

Though strong but wrong?

 

What if on my own merit

I listed all I would’ve done

Only to hear the words, “depart from me”

After life’s race I had run?

 

What if given my status

Especially in some church,

I was called a worker of iniquity

And left in the lurch?

 

What if lesser mortals

Made it into heaven

And hell became my reward though

I believed I was forgiven?

 

 

 

What if as a Christian

I did all that was required

But on that great judgment day

I ended up in hell’s fire?

 

What defense have I

In heaven’s court of law

Or on what human legal experience

Could I then draw?

 

Did you not realize

These are all questions?

Have you ever given thought to such

In any form or fashion?

 

Do we have a right

To God’s mercy and grace?

Is there merit in any one of us-

Even a tiny trace?

 

 

 

If your answer is yes

Then you do have a right

But how would such stand up

In light of the Light?

 

Not well, I would imagine,

Given our sin nature

For regarding who by nature we are,

There’s a bigger picture.

 

That picture, my friend,

Is Yahweh:

The one that sees all, knows all

And has the final say.

 

No merit of heaven

But justly deserving hell

And God would still be justified

Even if no warning bell.

 

All of this is to say

We’re all without merit,

Regardless of status or ethnicity

Hell is our exit.

 

A delight in the Law

Is not a delight in the Lord

So, ‘tis only by God’s grace and mercy

And faith in His word.

 

My just dessert, I repeat,

Is a burning hell

And my argument based on the Law

Is a sure death knell.

 

“I never knew you”

Wasn’t said to the saved

But to those who highlighted works

And not morally depraved.

 

Not to the born-again,

Were these dreaded words said

But to the self-righteous Pharisees,

Who were spiritually dead.

 

 

 

What if you keep the law

But do not know the Christ,

You will wake up in hell, I tell you!

Your good will not suffice.

 

The Law cannot save,

It was never meant to

But to point us to the one who can

And that one is Truth.

 

Stewart Russell © August 5, 2025

 

If Christians Believe

 

 

If Christians believe

What they say they believe,

Then, when death approaches,

They should be relieved.

 

There should be rejoicing

Rather than solemnity

And the bombarding of heaven

For added longevity.

 

To see the Saviour’s face

Should be their avowed aim;

To see the one who died for them

As they undeniably claim.

 

Instead, they try to prolong

Their departure from here

Requesting from fellow believers

Much fasting and prayer. 

 

 

 

If they go straight to heaven

The moment they die,

Then, why so dejected and morose?

Please tell me why?

 

Absent from the body

Is to be present with the Lord,

If death facilitates this gateway

Why death do they abhor?

 

Could there be doubts?

Lingering doubts for example

That plague the Christian’s mind

Just like other people?

 

I must confess

That I am not at all sure

About what happens after we die,

At least, not any more.

 

I used to think I did

Until just a few years ago

And while I used to preach about it,

I truly didn’t know.

 

Let me emphatically say

I am no less a believer,

Jesus is the fact I will never deny

As my eternal Saviour.

 

I am cool with my demise

Though it’s not something I relish,

Death for me is not a desire

Or an eagerly awaited wish.

 

Unlike my fellow believers

I do have lingering doubts,

But I do know most assuredly

Death is not the final bout.

 

 

There is life beyond death

And this I most definitely know

For when Jesus rose triumphantly

He proved it to be so.

 

I may not know what happens

Immediately after death

But both here and in the hereafter,

In my Saviour I’ll rest.

 

I have nothing to prove

For Jesus has proved it all

And I shall be eternally grateful

Having answered his call.

 

 

Why pray to live on here

If to heaven we immediately go

With death being the gateway?

I want to know.

 

And why all the sadness

That accompanies death

If immediately on our passing,

We will enter our rest?

 

It baffles me, to say the least,

And maybe it baffles you too

But I take comfort in what Jesus said

And I trust so do you.

How and when this will roll out

I cannot exactly say

But for all that trust in Christ

It will happen one day.

 

Stewart Russell © May 14, 2024

 

 

Away From Me

 

 

Get away from me

You vile being

Bringer of evil and gloom,

For me there’s hope

For you there is none

Your days are numbered,

You are doomed.

 

An opportunity you had

In heaven

But overcome with pride,

“I will raise my throne

On par with God.”

But down

You were cast

And heaven denied.

 

In the Garden of Eden

You tried again

And deceived Mrs. Adam,

But God

Set you up

And crushed your head

As he revealed  

In redemption’s plan.

 

Not long after

Things got bad

As bad as things could be,

There was a flood

And mankind was drowned

But Noah was saved

And his family.

 

You are as persistent

As a mosquito

Or the flies we often see,

But with

Submission to God

In James we’re told

Resist you

And you will flee.

 

That is the key

In dealing with you

Whenever temptation you bring,

Get thee behind me

You destroyer of life

I will live

For Christ

And of Him I will sing.

 

You wanted King Herod

To kill the Christ Child

But nothing takes God by surprise,

Your plan was thwarted

And you were denied

For sure

The wise men

Were really wise.

 

I will not indulge you

In conversation

Whenever you come to me,

I have better things

With my life to do

So away with you

And that I mean

You evil adversary.

 

With Jesus on the cross

And then in the grave

Perhaps you thought you had won,

But the stone

Was rolled away

From before the tomb

And triumphantly

Rose God’s Son

 

One final thing

I will mention here

And it has to do with the end,

You’ll go to hell

With your demon crew

And I will be

With Jesus

My Savior and friend.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2017

 

Where Is Paradise?

 

 

Where O where is Paradise?

I’d really like to know,

 I know that it must exist

For the Bible tells me so.

 

I can’t but believe the Word

Especially the words of Christ,

Two inferences I therein see

As he spoke of paradise.

 

Luke 23:43

 

The first is found in Luke;

The second in the Revelation

And both of these I noticed

Connect with our salvation.

 

Revelation 2:7

 

The first is about the thief

That with Jesus was crucified,

The other is about the tree of life

That is in the midst of paradise.

 

1 Corinthians 12:4

 

There is a third reference

And this is attributed to Paul:

He was caught up into paradise

And in the Bible, these are all.

 

Some cite Abraham’s bosom

As recorded in Luke 16:

Verses 19 to 31

Paint a picture of this scene.

 

Much is read into this passage,

Much is generally implied

And when there is speculation

In such I won’t confide.

 

The rich man, it is explicit,

Was definitely in torment,

He wanted Abraham to send someone

To warn his brothers to repent.

 

So, not much going here

To explain about paradise,

It’s not Abraham’s bosom for sure:

This is not even implied.

 

 

 Jesus assured the thief,

On the day he was crucified

“Today thou shalt be with me”

And he ends, “in paradise.”

 

What that fully meant?

I surely do not know;

Jesus was buried that same day

Is what the Bible shows.

 

As a result, some conclude,

It’s a compartment in hades

Where the born-again believer goes

On the event of his demise.

 

There in spirit consciousness

He awaits the blessed resurrection

Which shall be on the last day

As recorded in Revelation.

 

“He that overcomes,” Jesus said,

“Will eat of the tree of life,”

And this tree, he continues,

Is in the midst of God’s paradise.

 

No hard and fast conclusion

As far as these references show

But if any of you has seen more

Please, I would like to know.

 

Stewart Russell © May 30, 2021

 

Houdini Christians

 

 

Houdini Christians

Just waiting to escape,

Tired of this sinful world

With all of its hate.

 

Trapped here below

While all heaven awaits,

Can’t wait to get up there;

Today would be great!

 

It is getting worse

As it was prophesied,

It is later than we think;

None can deny.

 

Houdini Christians

Just waiting to escape,

It’s not likely to get better

At any rate.

 

Like the escape artist

Whose name was Houdini,

Christians are about heaven

Not anything earthly.

 

 

Trapped here below

While heaven awaits

But still don’t like the idea

Of becoming the late.

 

Ignoring the command

To go and evangelize,

The world at large is being left

To its inevitable demise.

 

Go to Matthew 28

And there you will find

The mandate given to Christians

For all mankind.

 

But we are escapists

Just like Houdini

Hoping the Lord will appear

And usher in eternity.

 

 

 

Houdini Christians:

A group standing alone

Just waiting for the Lord Jesus,

Obsessed with going home.

 

Our hearts are disquieted

And for Jesus we yearn,

It has been a long, long time

Since he promised to return

 

Houdini Christians

Just waiting to escape,

Tired of this sinful world

With all of its hate.

 

Stewart Russell © October 6, 2024

 

If not Jesus, Who?

 

 

If Jesus cannot save his sheep

Tell me, who can?

Doesn’t it sound a little ludicrous

Considering salvation’s plan?

 

The preacher certainly can’t

Nor the dedicated pastor,

The evangelist can preach forever

But he is not the Saviour.

 

The prophet can prophesy

And the counsellor can assure,

The apostle may stir the people

But can’t open heaven’s door.

 

It is true Jesus waits to enter

And the sinner must open the door,

But it is the Father that draws:

No less and no more.

 

It is the Saviour, Christ Jesus,

That effects our salvation

And in concert with God and the Spirit

Completes our redemption.

 

None can come to the Father

Except through the Son

And them that come to the Son,

The Father draws every one.

 

 

 

So, if Jesus cannot save,

Tell me in all seriousness, who can

When it is Jesus that died

To effect redemption’s plan?

 

Nothing is impossible with God;

That is, nothing that He wills,

And anything that He has done

He is able to do still.

 

None that comes to Christ

He will ever cast out

And His word is eternally reliable

And this is without a doubt.

 

None that Jesus saves

Can in no wise be lost,

He paid sin’s price on Mount Calvary

On that middle cross.

 

There were other crosses too

One to the left and to the right

And one of the thieves hanging there

Received his spiritual sight.

 

 

Imagine him calling on Jesus

Minutes before Jesus died

And there receiving eternal life

From Jesus, the crucified.

 

If not Jesus, who can?

There is none other who can,

Only Jesus can unlock the gate

To let in a penitent man.

 

Such a one shall not perish

But has everlasting life

And the Father gives this assurance

On account of Jesus Christ.

 

  

Stewart Russell © February 12, 2022

 

What Ultimately Matters

 

Rejoice not because the spirits

Are subjected unto you,

Let it be known my brother and sister

This is nothing you can do.

 

What ultimately matters

Is where your name is written,

It ultimately matters to you and me

That it is written in heaven.

 

They had only just returned

From the mission of great success

And they were over their heads

Re their phenomenal success.

 

What a report they shared

Obviously reveling in the flesh

But the Lord Christ revealed to them

It was less than second best.

 

 

Rejoice not because the spirits

Are subjected unto you,

Let it be known my brother and sister

This is nothing we can do.

 

All honour is the Lord’s

And all glory belongs to him

And to attempt to share in his glory

Is accounted to us as sin.

 

You’d recall foolish King Herod

Who thought he was a god

And because he accepted such glory

His was a terrible fall.

 

His life was ended that day

And like so many that followed

In the dust of their so-called empire

They too were swallowed.

 

Napoleon the great and Hitler

But before these two, the Jews

That crucified the Lord Jesus Christ;

All came to their just due.

 

It behooves us therefore

To regard the words of the Christ,

For a born-again child of the Saviour

Is to acknowledge his sacrifice.

 

It matters not what we achieve

Or who is subjected to us,

What matters at the end of our sojourn

Is that we belong to Jesus.

 

 

Rejoice not because the spirits

Are subjected unto you,

Let it be known my brother and sister

This is nothing we can do.

 

What ultimately matters

Is where our name is written,

It ultimately matters to both you and me

That it is written in heaven.

 

Stewart Russell © September 29, 2024