Behold, NOW is the accepted time

Simple Gospel Podcast

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-8:13

Behold, NOW is the accepted time

presenting the offer with urgency

Justin Holm

Jan 17, 2024

God sets the timer.

Right?

Did I start time?

I did not push the button.

God was in the beginning.

He started time.

He will finish time.

And He does everything … on time.

You knew that was coming, right?

Did you smell it?

Did you feel it?

That pause, right before there.

Now time tends to have a manipulative control over our emotions.

Long pause.

And I don't like that I can't control time.

Time does have a comfortable rhythm if you just kind of flow with it.

And if you allow God to run time, you have a much better relationship with God and with time.

But if you try to force your will over the power of time, who's going to win?

Time is going to win.

Time Runs Out.

Time has a schedule.

We’re going to talk about the timing of the gospel.

The Gosple is good news.

It’s a presentation: an offer from Heaven.

God says, “I would like to give this to you, however … there is an expiration date.”

The offer is on the table. For a limited time.

For a limited time, limited availability.

Here it is in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 6 verse 1 says, “We then,” now this is us," “We then, as workers together with Him.”

Who do you think the Him is?

God.

We then, as workers together with God.

This is nice.

I like to be on that team.

If I was going to be on any team, I would want to be on “team God.”

We then, as workers together with God, beseech you.

Now the word beseech means to use animation and strong emotion to compel you.

It's to beg you.

It's to get down and to say, I humbly plead with you.

We then, as workers together with God, beseech you.

Meaning, God is beseeching them and now we are beseeching them.

Who's the them?

The lost world.

We beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Now, how could you receive the grace of God in vain?

Any ideas?

So, if you receive the grace of God truly, you act on it.

And it changes you.

And the grace of God includes salvation.

He's saying, “Don't get an offer from God of the grace of God and then you take it, you evaluate it, and you just dismiss it.”

You're like, nah, not for me.

Now the next verse is in parentheses, which means it further clarifies verse 1.

God thinks in complex concepts.

God is no longer in kindergarten.

God has graduated well beyond first grade, tenth grade, twelfth grade.

God is college level.

Sometimes God invites us to participate in intellectual complexity.

So, let's start at the beginning, give it a little ramp up.

We then, I like that, it's a team effort.

I do not want to be the solo captain of my ship.

We then, as workers together with God, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain.

I can't even say that without pain in my face.

I do not want you to receive the grace of God or the help, the salvation offer in vain.

Why would you say no to this offer?

What is wrong with you?

Right?

Okay, so now this is the parenthesis verse.

It says, For He saith, now we're speaking on behalf of God, we're pleading with these people, begging them, compelling them, pulling them, magnetizing them, we're beseeching them.

It says, For, here's the reason why, why you should not receive the grace of God in vain.

For He saith, I, God, have heard thee in a time accepted.

I want you to notice, God was listening on His terms, and His terms are two words, time accepted.

I will hear you if, IF … it's during the appropriate time frame.

I have heard thee in a time accepted.

That means there is coming a day when God will hang up the phone.

For He saith, this is God's perspective, so it doesn't matter what we think, it matters what God thinks.

For He saith, God says, I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation …

Notice it didn't say the year of salvation or the season of salvation or the quadrennial, which means a four-pack of years.

I have heard thee in the day of salvation.

The offer is on the table.

This is God's timeline.

He says, I'm going to make you an amazing deal that you cannot refuse without amazing consequences.

I have heard thee in a time accepted.

In the day of salvation have I succored thee.

The word succor is better pronounced, succored, means to offer help.

God says, I'm here to give you grace.

I'm here to give you help.

I'm here to provide the offer of salvation and I would like you to receive it, but not in vain.

Then there's a colon, which means we're not done clarifying.

Let me repeat what He just explained.

It says, Behold, NOW.

That means open your eyes, realize there's urgency right now.

Behold, NOW is the accepted time.

He just said the time accepted.

Now He's saying the accepted time.

Behold, NOW is the accepted time.

Behold, NOW is the day of salvation.

The words behold and now appear together in your King James Bible 114 verses.

When God says “behold, now,” He means wake up, open your eyes spiritually, look at it, evaluate, and make a decision.

Behold, NOW is the accepted time.

God presents salvation with urgency.

Meaning the offer is not endless.

Now, if you receive salvation properly, you receive eternal life.

That is endless.

But this offer is limited.

Behold, NOW is the accepted time.

Behold, NOW is the day of salvation.

Now, this mindset does not come from ourselves.

This mindset comes from the Time Setter, the Time Maker, the Offer Giver.

So, the One who …

to put together the package deal of salvation.

He says, I'm gonna offer My Son, I'm gonna offer eternal life, I'm gonna offer full payment, I'm gonna offer restitution, reconciliation, redemption, I'm gonna offer you the best deal ever, but I need you to realize, Mr. Receiver, there's gotta be some urgency to accept it.

I'm gonna send My workers, according to verse one, I'm gonna send My workers together, working with Me, …

to beseech you to receive the gift on time, inside the time frame.