Merciful Savior Online

Consider the nobleman who came to Jesus while at Cana in Galilee. He came to Jesus from Capernaum (in the valley along the Sea of Galilee) because his son was deathly ill, and he asked Jesus to come down to Capernaum and heal his son. But what did Jesus say? “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

Worship on Pentecost with Acts 2 reading and message.

How is it that one can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? How can one “be filled with the Spirit,” as the Apostle Paul commands us in Ephesians 5:18?

As Jesus ascended into heaven to the right hand of God the Father, so He will return in clouds of glory on the Last Day as our Judge. Only those who repent of their sinful ways and look to Him and His cross for mercy will be spared on that Day!

As Jesus ascended into heaven, so He shall also return on the Last Day, the Day of Judgment. He will come again in clouds of glory with His holy angels. Every eye will see Him! His return will be no secret rapture — both the believer and the unbeliever will see Him coming in glory! The true question for us is this: “Are you ready for His return and judgment? Are you prepared to meet Him?”

There is no escaping the judgment of God for those who reject His Word and turn aside from following after the true God. But those who repent and look to Jesus, the promised Messiah and Savior, for pardon and forgiveness will be saved from His wrath and given a place in God's everlasting kingdom.

We are saved by God's grace and through faith alone in Jesus Christ. How can we then walk as children of God in newness of life?

Though the religious rulers of Israel did not want to hear the word of the LORD warning them of God's impending judgment on account of their impenitence and sin, God sent Amos to tell them of their end should they not repent and return to the LORD. So also today, people do not want to hear the word of the LORD warning them and calling them to repentance and faith in Jesus, and God's judgment will not pass over those who fail to heed God's warning and look in faith to Jesus and His cross.

If we turn away from Christ and back into sin, seeking to turn God’s grace into a license to live in rebellion and enmity against God, we justly earn the wages and penalty for our sins, which is death and the eternal wrath of God. But if, by the grace of God, we continue trusting in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for our sins, we are set free from the condemnation of the law and from our former servitude to sin, and God’s gracious gift to us is forgiveness for all our sins and eternal life for Jesus’ sake. 

In Amos 5 and 6, God calls upon His people to repent of their sinful ways and turn to Him with all their hearts and souls, and they will live. If they do not turn to Him, from the heart, and seek His mercy, His judgment would come upon them and they would not escape. This has application to us today, as well. In the LORD, there is life. Apart from Him is only death and judgment.