"We Love Him because, He First Loved Us!" 
I John 4:19 (KJV)

 
McFadden Whaley Family Reunion Website 

 

 

Ethel McFadden, Family President

2nd Annual McFadden Family Reunion

Courtyard Marriott at Barefoot Landing

Myrtle Beach, SC

To the Family, Saturday, September 1, 2012


Text: Romans 10:9 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved.”

SUBJECT: HOW TO RECEIVE GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

There is probably someone in our family or perhaps many in our families and many other families who are not saved, or choose not to follow God. Sometimes it’s seems very hard to understand, and often very painful emotionally. We love our family and with a deep belief in God, it makes us have a sense of urgency for them.

We know as Christians that if a person does not receive Jesus Christ as Lord and savior and repent of their sins they will spend eternity separated from God. We want to make sure that our family members are saved.  God loves us unconditionally and He has a purpose and plan for our lives. St. John 3:16 “For God so Love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  It is through Jesus Christ that we are saved.  This is the most fundamental part that scripture tells us, you must accept Jesus, because He is the only way.

Jesus said I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  Sin separates us from God:  Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. “  Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.”  People often try to bridge this gap by doing a lot of good things.

Regardless of how good you are or how good you think you are if you are not saved you are separated from God. There is only one bridge and that is the cross; Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We know that tomorrow is not promised. Someone in this room tonight can have a car accident, illness, or anything that might end our lives here on earth today. We’ve all had a few family members who passed away, and we are not really sure about what their belief was when they were here.  We pray that someone was by their bedside to lead them to the cross before they drew their last breath. 

I have family members and friends that I Intercede for every day.  Even people that I don’t know.  I take them before the throne of Grace.  Hebrew 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  You don’t come before God like a wimp.  You come before His throne boldly. We must pray and make intercessions daily for our family members, friends even people that we don’t know.  Pray for all those who are lost, pray for those who are sick, pray for the bereaved families, pray for the young people.  We should be praying for our Government.  Election is right around the corner and I pray that everyone in this room who are eligible to vote will vote in this November election.

Sometimes, because our loved ones are not saved, Christians get angry and judgmental towards those family members who choose not to come to God. God is our creator, our maker and we love Him, but to those not following God, it’s hard for them to understand that kind of love. His Love is unconditional, His Love is so strong that we are willing to completely work on changing our lives to put him first in every aspect of each day as long as we live, till death.

But Christians who tell those who are not saved, that hell awaits them if they don’t have Jesus when they die, means nothing to them. Telling them that Jesus is their savior and they need Him, doesn’t mean a thing. God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.  If your family member is not spiritual, how can they understand the things of God? If they deny their own soul how could they possibly connect with God?  We are not in control of a loved one’s salvation or their personal choices in life. God is the only one who has the power over life and death, God already knows the path a person is choosing. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

But we as Christians should not ignore the fact.   We should minister to them every chance we get.  We don’t try to force them to do anything. We plant the seed which is the Word of God and He will give the increase in His own time.  Sometimes when a tragedy happens in a person’s life it brings family closer to God, while others run away faster, blaming God.

God allows us to have the freedom to choose, and we must respect others for their choices. We may not agree with it, we may shed tears over it, but ultimately, God waits with love hoping to receive anyone who will come to Him. 

When we talk to a family member who is not a Christian, we should always speak from love, not judgment. Jesus did not come and judge, he simply stated the Truth and continued on.

Judging them only makes people defensive, and we must remember that we cannot expect someone to live by the Word if they don’t hear or read the Word, or accept it. There may be family members who never find God, and then they pass on.

The word of God tells us that God Love us and He wishes none to perish, but all come to repentance. God never ever forced anyone, that would not be true love.  In order to find God, each person must first actively ‘choose to believe.

First, you must:

  • Admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.
  • Be willing to turn from your sins (repent) and believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the dead.
  • We have to get in a Bible teaching church. We need to hear the Word of God.  And not only be hearers of the Word but also doers of the Word.  It is through obedience that we grow.

In this room this evening, there might be someone here who has not repented of their sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as there Lord and Savior, I ask you to come right now. 

But God, commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Jesus came through 40 and 2 generations to die for the sins of the world.  He was crucified, died and was buried but early Sunday Morning He got up with all power in His hands.  

 

After this message the Holy Spirit took control and as a result, my daddy, Mr. Judson McFadden, Sr., believed on the Lord  Jesus Christ as His personal Lord and Savior at the age of 91 years wiser.   All to the Glory of God!