Raised Up by God

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This is a message given by guest speaker Rev. Randy Spacht who is a missionary affiliated with the organization, One Mission Society. Randy used details from the story of Ehud in the book of Judges to illustrate how God raises up individuals at specific times for specific tasks in the work of His kingdom.

Redemption: Sinners' Smartest Option - Part 2

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This is the sixth sermon in a series of messages on the topic of redemption. This message speaks about the work that God does in the heart and life of the individual who is redeemed.

Written Excerpts:

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
Introduction:

We’ve been doing a series of sermons on the topic of redemption. This is a topic that is woven through the entire Bible from front to back. Every single person is in need of redemption and our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, has provided a perfect plan.

Salvation and redemption is a free gift offered to everyone. That is, it cannot be earned or deserved by effort. But, it is not automatic. God has clearly outlined the choices and decisions that a person must make in order to acquire the gift for themselves.

Last Sunday we considered our decisions or choices that are conditions for appropriating the plan God has provided.

Today, as we focus on the second part of the topic: “Sinners’ Smartest Option,” we are specifically talking about God’s provisions, and we are going to discuss the actual redeeming process that God works into our lives.

II.  God’s Provisions

We’ve already talked about how desperately humanity needs redeemed, and how effectively Christ provided it with His life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. Once an individual follows the admonitions in God’s Word and meets the conditions we spoke about last Sunday, then God begins to effectively apply the power of redeeming grace in the life of the believer.

This is what God does:

A.  He Justifies Us

Jeremiah 31:34 (NKJV) ³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Romans 5:1 (NKJV) ¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 8:12 (NKJV) ¹² For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

B.  He Regenerates Us (Initial Sanctification)

John 3:3 (NKJV) ³ Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

C.  He Adopts Us

Romans 8:14-17 (NKJV) ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ….

Galatians 4:6-7 (NKJV) ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Ephesians 2:19 (NKJV) ¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

D.  He Sanctifies Us

I already mentioned earlier that initial sanctification begins at the new birth (regeneration). However, the Bible emphasizes additional need for holiness even for Christians.

John 17:17 (NKJV) ¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) ¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

2 Corinthians 7:1 (NKJV) ¹ Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 (NKJV) ³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; ⁶ that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷ For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV) ²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Cleanse; Set apart for holy purpose, not ordinary.

Some verses are in grammatical forms that denote gradual process. Other verses are in grammatical forms that denote completed process. Both emphases are intended.

E.  He Glorifies Us

The final phase, perfection in every area, occurs when we arrive in heaven.

Romans 8:20-23 (NKJV) ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³ Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Romans 13:11 (NKJV) ¹¹ And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJV) ²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Conclusion:

One of the reasons I used the title “Sinners’ Smartest Option” is partly because of the choices and decisions that need to be made which we talked about last Sunday. Another reason for the title is because after we understand what God does with us and for us in the process of redemption, who in the world wouldn’t want to experience it?

Forgiveness, pardon, and wiping the record clean; Transforming and recreating us into someone we never could have become; Adopting us into the royal family of God after we had lived outside the kingdom and estranged from the King; Purifying our hearts and lives to conform more and more to the image of Christ. Finally, completely restoring everything that was lost in the Fall – perfect health, perfect understanding…. !

Oh, hallelujah! What a wonderful Savior!

What a Wonderful Savior #345

Redemption: Sinners' Smartest Option - Part 1

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen now, click on the play button of the audio player shown.)

This is the fifth sermon in a series of messages about the theme of redemption. This message focuses on the conditions for faith that are described in the Scriptures.

Written Excerpts:

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Introduction:

We’ve been doing a series of sermons on the topic of redemption. This is a topic that is woven through the entire Bible from front to back. Every single person is in need of redemption and our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, has provided a perfect plan.

John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace and many other hymns said this when he had reached the later years of his life, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!" (Today's Best Illustrations)

(R. L. Wheeler – Draper's Book of Quotations) If I had the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the meekness of Moses, the strength of Samson, the obedience of Abraham, the compassion of Joseph, the tears of Jeremiah, the poetic skill of David, the prophetic voice of Elijah, the courage of Daniel, the greatness of John the Baptist, the endurance and love of Paul, I would still need redemption through Christ's blood, the forgiveness of sin.

Last week we talked about the plan of redemption being a wise plan designed by God exactly the way that matched our great need. That plan was fulfilled in the life and sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He was truly God and truly man, who freely laid down His life as a perfect sacrifice and He rose again in victory over the Devil and the curse of death upon the human race. Salvation and redemption is a free gift offered to everyone. That is, it cannot be earned or deserved by effort.

But, it is not automatic. God has clearly outlined the choices and decisions that a person must make in order to acquire the gift for themselves.

As we consider the topic of redemption being “The Sinners’ Smartest Option” we are going to break it down into two parts. The first part will focus on man’s decisions or choices. The second part will focus on God’s provisions.

I.    Man’s Decisions

It is certainly important to talk about how desperately humanity needs redeemed, and to talk about how effectively Christ provided it. But, even if a person understands those vital truths, he still isn’t enjoying the personal experience of being redeemed until he follows the instructions that God has laid out in order to receive it.

The word of God teaches that there are several conditions that must be met for any person to personally experience redemption in his own life.

A.  Confession

“Confess” – to say the same thing.

The Bible speaks about two kinds of confession.

1.   Confession about ourselves.

1 John 1:8-10 (NKJV) ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

We must admit & say the same about ourselves as God says about us. (i.e. we are sinners. We have violated God’s standards of righteousness and we are under the judgment of death.) This is the same point we made a few weeks ago when we talked about man’s greatest need.

2. Confession about Christ

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus [or Jesus is Lord] and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

We must say the same thing about Jesus Christ that God says about Him.

·     He alone is the atoning sacrifice for our sins

·     He alone has accepted our consequences

·     He is the only way to the Father/heaven

B.  Repentance

“Repent” – to experience a complete change of mind or thinking, resulting in a turning away from former beliefs and practices.

Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV) ⁶ Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Matthew 21:28-29 (NKJV) ²⁸ “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' ²⁹ He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.

Repentance results from true godly sorrow for sin.

2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (NKJV) ⁸ For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it [now]; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. ⁹ Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. ¹⁰ For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

C.  Faith (Believe)

“Faith” – A conscious choice to trust everything that is said about Christ (His identity and His sacrifice).

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus [or Jesus is Lord] and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV) ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The Cross, Not the Scales (John Stott in Authentic Christianity) The repeated promises in the Qur'an of the forgiveness of a compassionate and merciful Allah are all made to the meritorious, whose merits have been weighed in Allah's scales, whereas the gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales. (Today's Best Illustrations)

D.  Receive

John 1:11-12 (KJV) ¹¹ He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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:

Don’t know if “receiving” is actually different than believing, except to say…

Believing with just a mental agreement, but not a true confidence and trust is not really “faith.” But faith that is real and genuine will “reach out and accept/receive” God’s gift of grace, trusting that God will keep His promise.

Take It, It's Free! — Debbie Brumley, Concord, NC. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."

To emphasize the point of salvation being free and a gift from the Lord, our pastor held up a dollar bill and said, "You see this dollar bill? It is a gift to whoever will receive it. Now if you really wanted it, you would have to come and accept it."

If the pastor was still in possession of the dollar bill when he concluded his sermon, he could have made a strong point of how many souls are lost because they hesitate to accept the gift of salvation until it is too late. Any such plan to bring across that point, however, was foiled when our three-year-old son ran out of his seat to the front of the church and took the dollar from Rev. Massey!

Rev. Massey capitalized on the situation, however, and made and equally impressive point after the roar of the congregation had settled down. With our little son now back in the pew and proudly holding his newly acquired gift, an obviously pleased pastor changed his object lesson to: "If only folks could see the value of God's great gift, Jesus, they would be running to him also!" (Today's Best Illustrations)

E.  Obey

Obedience is not something we do to gain God’s approval so that He will save us. It is not something that we must do to earn His favor. Obedience is the visible sign that we do actually believe what we say we believe.

Acts 5:32 (NKJV) ³² And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."

Hebrews 5:9 (KJV) ⁹ And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV) ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Conclusion:

Today I have tried to explain what the Bible says about the conditions for being a recipient of redemption. We do believe that the sacrifice Jesus made is available to the entire human race, however only those who meet Him on His conditions will be awarded the benefits of His sacrifice.

Remember that these decisions are conditions that God has defined as the path to receive His saving grace, but never forget this… THE CONDITIONS DO NOT EARN ANYTHING.

Salvation is totally by the grace of God and it is totally through faith in Christ. By following the path He has defined, you merely show your faith in what He has said. You’re here this morning with the privilege of hearing how you can know you are redeemed or saved.

If you do not know you are redeemed, come and pray this morning to settle the matter for certain.

We're going to close the service by singing: Jesus Is Calling