Dr. James E. Martin God’s Soldiers

“…Choose ye this day whom ye will serve…” Joshua 24:15

II Timothy 2:3,4 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

G I  A well known term in most households today  Most young boys play like they are “G I Joe”  Term actually stands for “Government Issue”

1.G reat I nvitation 2.G reat I niquity 3.G reat I mprisonment 4.G reat I mpossibility 5.G rand I nheritance

We all receive, and respond regularly to invitations of all types: Birthday parties Weddings Anniversary parties Retirements Many more

In John 7:37-38, Jesus said: “…if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” In Matthew 11:28 He said: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

The Word of God declares: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5

This iniquity, my friend, is universal, and therefore: IT INCLUDES YOU. As you ponder the above statement and possibly consider totally rejecting it, please understand the following texts from the Bible that prove the statement to be accurate.

“As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.” Romans 3:10 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” Isaiah 53:6 NOTICE WORDS LIKE “ALL”, “EVERY ONE” IN THE ABOVE VERSES. THIS MEANS THAT NONE ARE EXEMPT!!!!

You may be thinking by now, “O K, this iniquity includes me. So what?” Before you stop reading, you should, in all honesty, consider the next “G. I.” It is the end result of NOT addressing these previous “G. I.’s”.

“For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23  Death is universal… It affects all  “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Hebrews 9:27  This verse indicates physical death  There is a second death mentioned in the Bible also: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14

The first death is that which we all must face. The second death means, “An eternal separation from God.” The Bible indicates that this place of separation will be in a place known as the “lake of fire.”

As previously stated, the first death is unavoidable. The second death is AVOIDABLE!!! Yes, my friend, you heard (read) that correctly. It is avoidable!!!!!!

How then can I save myself from this avoidable end????? The simple truth regarding this question is that, “YOU CAN’T!!”

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…” Titus 3:5 This clearly shows, my friend, THAT YOU CANNOT SAVE YOURSELF!!

Since you cannot save yourself, you should consider looking to One who, not only CAN, but WILL do the saving!!

“Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6 For you to respond to His Great Invitation, you MUST: 1.Admit that you are a sinner. 2.Believe that Jesus Christ died for you. 3.Repent (turn from) your sin. 4.Trust Him, by faith, to be your Savior.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:3