April 14, 2020
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Magicians are a sneaky bunch. Many of them might better be called illusionists. Oh, l know it looks like they made something disappear or turned into something else. But there's this little secret that's behind a lot of those tricks. It's called misdirection. See, when magicians learn to keep talking - talking fast, mostly. Like me. They call it patter. Purpose: to distract unsuspecting folks like me to look over there while the real trick is being done over here. Just get me looking in a different direction and you can probably fool me.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Secret Plan for Keeping People Out of Heaven."
There's someone who's the master of misdirection. He just happens to be the master deceiver of the universe. Yes, the devil. Whose goal is simple - keeping people out of God's heaven, including you and me. He knows his plan has to be very clever. And it is. We'd never know what it was if it weren't for the divine intel in the Word of God. We're about to blow his cover right now, and possibly expose what he's trying to do in the heart of someone who's listening right now - maybe even you.
His secret plan for keeping people out of heaven is revealed in 2 Corinthians 4, beginning with verse 4. It's our word for today from the Word of God. "The god of this age (that's small "g" god) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
Here's the life-saving truth: if a person ever really gets a clear look at who Jesus really is and what He can do, the devil's probably lost them. If you really see how awesome, how deep, how unloseable His love for you is, you won't want to go much longer without Him in your life. And the place where your heart-eyes see that love is when you look at that bloody cross where God's Son is dying on a tree He made, crucified by men He created. For you, taking all the hell for all your sin so you'd never have to.
That love stole my heart away - as it has millions of others. And when you see that Jesus crushed death three days later when He blasted out of His grave, you realize He has all the power you will ever need to fix what you could never fix and change what you could never change.
So the enemy of your soul says, "Anything but Jesus. I've got to get them looking at something other than Jesus. Anything." That's how he can blind you to what the Bible calls "the glory of Christ." If he can keep you blinded until your last breath, he'll win. You'll be lost forever.
So here's the question - what's between you and Jesus, blinding you to His love and His power? Christians who are hypocrites? The ways Christians or religion have hurt you? Or maybe he's got you pinning your hopes on a religion that's about Jesus - but you're missing that your eternity depends on a relationship with Jesus!
Maybe there's a guy, or a girl, or your family standing between you and Jesus. Or something you don't want to give up. Maybe a tragedy in your life that you blame God for. Or your intellectual pride. All I know is, the enemy of your soul is trying to use someone or something to keep you from seeing Jesus. To misdirect your attention to something that can never satisfy your soul, and certainly never get you to heaven.
But the issue of your eternity is all about one thing - one Person. It's all about Jesus. Just Jesus. The One who loved you enough to die for you. The one who's powerful enough to walk out of His grave, who's waiting to walk into your life right now. And loves you as you have never been loved. And He wants to change your eternal destination from hell to heaven. Don't you want this? It's Jesus! That's all it's about.
You ready to begin a relationship with the One who loves you most? Tell Him that right where you are. And listen, go to our website as soon as possible. It will help you be sure you belong to Him. That's ANewStory.com.
If you miss Jesus, you miss heaven. He's close today, arms wide open. Please - don't miss Him!