Just out of curiosity, when someone states, “Praise The Lord,” I wonder if they are making an off-the-wall comment or if they really mean to praise our Jesus. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)
If they really meant to give praise, glory and honor to the name of our Savior, wonderful. After all, we’re told in Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
On the other hand, Matthew 7:21-23 states, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father, who is in Heaven. On that day, many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do mighty works in Your name? And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me you workers of lawlessness.’” The will of the Father is to truly have His Son as your Savior.
Exodus 20:7 is one of the Ten Commandments given by the Father. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” This verse is repeated in Deuteronomy 5:11.
For anyone who would say this was at the beginning of this earth’s existence, and it no longer applies; check out 2 Peter 3:8; “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved; that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” This being the case, if Exodus and Deuteronomy took place about 3,500 years ago, to the Father it would have been the same as about three and a half days ago. Many forget that God created time for humans, and He is not controlled by it.
He also hears our spoken words as well as knows our every thought. For those who say they have not, nor do not, sin daily, we look at Romans 3:23; “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.”
Then there’s Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”
The question arises, if we’re all sinners, how can we possibly be forgiven and have eternal life with Jesus? Here’s where we review Romans 10:9-13, “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…. For the scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Once again, for clarification purposes, Paul states, “with our mouth.” This does not eliminate anyone who is physically unable to speak. The Father reads our minds as if we are speaking out loud. David told Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9, “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
If we’re all sinners, who can possibly be saved? Please understand God has no illusions about us and knows we are going to fall short. This is why He sent a part of Himself to this earth as the only pure, sinless blood sacrifice for our sins that ever could be made. Our responsibility is to admit what we have done and ask forgiveness.
In 1 John 1:8-10, we have the true mechanics of this. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Personally, I do not want to ever call God a liar.
By the time this earth finally comes to an end, there will be two absolutely unforgivable sins. The first is present right now. Anyone who refuses to receive and accept Jesus as their Savior before taking their last breath here will end up at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. Everyone in that line is bound for the lake of fire with no exceptions, and no forgiveness will be given.
For someone to say they have sinned so greatly that God would never forgive them, they do not know the true power of the blood shed by our Savior at Calvary. When Jesus stated, “It Is Finished,” in John 19:30, He was letting all of us know that the perfect sacrifice had been completed that would be accepted by the Father. This just didn’t cover some sin but every sin we would ever commit. The disclaimer to this is that we must receive and accept Jesus as our Savior and ask His forgiveness for our sins. Then, we are eligible for the 1 John 1:8-10 forgiveness.
A simple statement I heard once: “Know Jesus, Know Forgiveness”; “No Jesus; No Forgiveness.”
The second unforgivable sin will take place during the tribulation/wrath 7-year period. In Revelation 14:9-11, it states that all who take the mark of the beast, signifying they are worshipers of the antichrist who is acting on behalf of Satan, will spend eternity in the lake of fire.
When I think of what my Savior did so that I could have eternity with Him, I realize just how unworthy I have been and really still am. The fact that He loves me so and is willing to forgive all I’ve done causes me to want to absolutely Praise Him! In 1869, Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) wrote a hymn titled, “Praise Him! Praise Him!” It really covers a lot about proclaiming our love for our Savior.
1.) Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our Blessed Redeemer. Sing, O earth–His wonderful love proclaim. Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory; Strength and honor give to His Holy Name. Like a Shepherd, Jesus will guard His children; In His arms, He carries them all day long.
Ref) Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness. Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song.
2.) Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our Blessed Redeemer. For our sins, He suffered and bled and died. He our Rock, our Hope of eternal Salvation, Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified. Sound His praises, Jesus who bore our sorrows; love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong. (ref)
3.) Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our Blessed Redeemer. Heavenly portals loud with Hosannas ring. Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever: Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King. Christ is Coming, over the world victorious. Power and glory, unto the Lord belong. (ref)
We worship a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who goes beyond amazing. While our Father could have demanded our love and loyalty, He allows us to make our own personal choice of where we will spend eternity. We are left to decide if we will spend it with our Jesus in eternal Heaven, or with all who refused to receive and accept Him through eternity with Satan and his demons in the lake of fire.
If you have not asked Jesus to forgive you and to be your Savior, now would be a great time to do so. The end of this age is obviously very near its end, and no one should take the chance of not being with the Shepherd.
Please make the best and most important decision of your life. Hope to see you at the Rapture!