LOST! Finally... eternally... forever! The thought fills the heart of every sensi­ble and believing person with fear and dread. To be lost is to be forever sepa­rated from God; from believers of all ages; from all the blessings that God has promised. Do you want to be lost? Surely not! Yet Jesus clearly taught that more would be lost than would be saved (Matt. 7:13 -14).

Usually we hear: "God would not be so unmerciful as to cause me to go to hell forever." And such is true. Then who is responsible if I happen to be lost? Who will be to blame?

The fact is that there is not a single per­son on earth that can cause you to be lost - unless you want to be lost! In Acts 13 Paul and Barnabas found themselves in Antioch . They began to preach a risen Christ, and soon found some contradict­ing and blaspheming what they taught. The apostle then reminded them: "It was necessary that the word of God have first been spoken to you, but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo we turn to the Gentiles." Here were Jews unworthy of eternal life in their present state. Who was responsi­ble? Who had judged them thusly? Paul said they stood self condemned in the matter. God could not be blamed; he was not the cause of them being lost.

This principle has always been true. We see it even in civil matters. A man mur­ders his fellow man, is brought to court, found guilty and sentenced to . Whose fault is it? Some might say, "it is the judge's fault, for he sent the man to ." No - all the judge did was pass sentence. The er had already, in the truest sense of the word, judged him­self How? By violating an established principle of law. So it is in spiritual things. There is that same principle of law, and when it is violated, penalty must come. All the Lord does is pass sentence - the guilty offender is the real person who determines his destiny.

No - we can blame no one but self if we are lost. Neither God nor our fellow man can be blamed. It may be true that an­other person may entice us to sin, and they will surely be held accountable for that. But we must remember that we did not have to give over to the temptation. When judgment day comes, all the arguing and pleading; all the begging and crying will be in vain if we have lived in violation of God's law while on this earth. Jesus said many would do this "... in that day" (Matt. 7:21 -23). He then concluded with the statement, "depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Now, is Jesus at fault? The Lord had not worked the iniquity; the guilty had.

All of us will one day be judged and 1ave sentence passed. Live your life here so that when the Lord faces you, you won't have to turn to a brother or sister and say, "you caused me to be lost; it's your fault." No - the outcome of a man's destiny will be of his own making - not that of someone else. We should live so that in that day the Lord will say, "well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter into the joys of thy Lord." – Bill Moseley

 

 

 

I suppose all preachers wonder from time to time how their audience views them. It occurred to me once how I must appear in the eyes of a child. It then dawned on me - I have had a car­load of them tell me over the years, even some here at Taylors - and they usually have the greatest way of doing it. I see what I look like to them usu­ally in a drawing of some kind. A pul­pit stand is there, a board or screen and then a picture of me - oh, yes! There I stand glasses and all in all my thin haired glory! But I cherish every one of these statements by the little ones.

I once had one of my grandsons (when he was much younger!) hand me his view of the sermon I had just preached - point by point as he had written them down. But there I stood too in his picture. I have had some of my "fans" real often give me an impression of my preaching; dozens of times, either at home or in gospel meetings. Held a meeting once, and the last night I got a "love letter" from a young lady (second grader, folks!), along with a picture. Yeah - Willie let me keep it.

What all this says to me is that when I am in the pulpit I had better behave myself. I know that God hears and sees me, as well as grown folks. But the little ones do too, and that says to me, “Moseley, you have an awesome duty - not only to preach, but to ap­pear as you ought in the eyes of little ones!” - Bill Moseley