I watchd a short video “The best 3 minutes of preaching I’ve ever heard or seen,” by Josh Howerton. The video Howerton was referring to was that of the Scottish preacher Alistair Bagg speaking. It goes like this: Allistair asks a question, “If you were to die today and stand before God, and He asked you, ‘Why should I let you into My heaven? What would you say?”
“I had faith.” “I believed.” “I am this or that.” If we answered it in the first person, we immediately have gone wrong. The only right answer is in the third person – “Because He – Because He.”
“Think about the thief on the cross. When he went to heaven, an angel must have asked him, “What are you doing here?”
And the thief answered, “I don’t know.”
The angel said, “You have never gone to Bible study, you have not been baptized, how did you make it?”
When the thief could not answer, the angel went to get his supervisor angel who said to the thief, “Let me ask you this, ‘Are you clear about the doctrine of justification by faith?”
“Never heard of it.”
“Well then, on what basis are you here?”
And the thief said, “The Man on the middle cross said I can come.
For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It is good to pass on words of wisdom to believers for encouragement and words of enlightenment to unbelievers for salvation. Here’s a sample of a few profound words of wisdom to pass on.
On Christ’s work of redemption based on Romans 5:15, Pastor Jared Carlson said, “Jesus died to harmonize the full wrath of God’s justice with the full mercy of God’s compassion.” To which I add, “It is better to desire things of heaven than to dread things of earth.”
Billy Graham based these words of wisdom on God’s holiness according to Isaiah 6:1-3, “Only when we understand the holiness of God will we understand the depth of our sin.”
“For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, ‘I will dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones’” (Isaiah 57:15). A.W. Tozer had this to say about God’s dwelling place, “Deep inside every believer there is a private sanctum where dwells the mysterious essence of His being.”
Charles Spurgeon made this comment on God’s sovereignty based on Isaiah 46:9-11, “I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more, or less, than God wishes.”
You could round out your conversation with your listener with another thought for them to think about: “There is One who makes people holy –>> Jesus, plus those people who are made holy– >> believers, = God’s family.” Then ask them, “Have you been adopted yet?”
So, here’s your assignment concerning words of wisdom: “Pass it on and invite your listener to think on these words of wisdom for their good and God’s honor and glory.
May you rest in the truth that you are fully known and deeply loved by the One who sees every step before you take it and hears every word you say before you speak it.