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Heavens Light 1-27-10 All Things For Good

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All Things For Good

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good

to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NASB

 

And we know – This in fact something we are assured of, it is the promise of God. It shall not fail, for it flows from the mouth of the Almighty God, who cannot lie, and whose power and knowledge are beyond comprehension. Again and again the scripture reassures us of things we have certainty of such as…

1 John 3:14 – 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, NASB

2 Corinthians 5:1 – 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. NASB

We are certain of this truth because it is “according to His purpose” and none can thwart God’s purposes and His plans. This not a wavering matter. The apostle did not say “we think,” or “we hope” but rather “we know.” This according to Paul, we can count on, God works all things for good for His saints!

 

God causes all things to work together – The Providence of God

Consider with me the weight of this statement…..God causes all things to work together! Here we see the great hand of God working in the midst of all things to make them work together for a purpose, for His purpose. Make no mistake, God is bringing all things of all times and ages, all men and women, all angels and demons, all nations and peoples, every planet and star and whatever can be named to an expected end! God is causing all things to work together! Consider with me for a moment the scripture……

Hebrews 1:1-3 – 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. NASB

Colossians 1:15-17 – 15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities —  all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. NASB

Job 34:14-15 – 14 “If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust. NASB

Acts 17:24-28 – 24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said,‘ For we also are His offspring.‘ NASB

Ephesians 1:11– In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, NASB

Look closely with me at what the apostle says…….

·      God causes – God is the primary cause behind everything that happens, and He uses the means of secondary causes to accomplish His sovereign will.

·      all things – This is happening with “all things.” Not some things, or most things, but “all things.”

·      to work together – He is working them “together” so that they cooperate to bring to pass His expected end!

God arranges the circumstances of history according to his purpose and plan- God is very diligently governing this creation He has made. It is all coming to pass exactly like He planned it, He will be sure to see that it does. The rain falls on the good and the bad, both peace and calamity come from God. Every authority which is on the earth has been established by God. All the events of human history had the divine approval before one of them ever came to pass. God rules on the Throne in heaven!

1 Chronicles 29:11-13 – 11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O LORD, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from Thee, and Thou dost rule over all, and in Thy hand is power and might; and it lies in Thy hand to make great, and to strengthen everyone. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name NASB

 

all things to work together for good to those who love God

Do you love God? Is He your treasure and are your affections set on Him! Here is a promise for you! Here is a promise where we can find hope, assurance, comfort, faith, and strength to endure the race! God is working for our good!  This God of Providence, the Almighty is working all things together for our benefit, for our well-being, for our joy, for our eternal hope and blessing! This is to say that no matter what happens(if we love God and are “the called”), whether good things or bad things, joys or sorrows, pleasures or pains, mercies or judgments, God is working them for our ultimate good and well-being! Consider with me some of the things that work for our good……..

·      The worst things – God uses the worst things of life for our benefit.

Ø      The worst things drive us to God where we have all that we need

Ø      Our sorrows work for our good driving us to find comfort and rest in God alone

Ø      Our pains work for our good causing us to look to God to find healing and strength

Ø      God’s judgments and discipline bring about a harvest of righteousness and peace in our lives – They cleanse from our sins

When trial or trouble comes my way, it is God who holds me in the palm of His hand. More than this, we have the promise of eternal life with God in that place where there is no more crying or dying or pain. God our Father is even working everything for our own good having at all times our best interest in His mind. He will care for us, He will shepherd us, he will protect us and love us until we reach our home!

·      The best things – God uses the best things of life for our benefit.

Ø      He fills us with His blessed Holy Spirit, the fruit

Ø      He gives us the treasures of His Word, His promises

Ø      His angels camp roundabout to keep us secure

Ø      We receive His mercies everyday – abundant grace

Ø      We have everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him – He is an all-sufficient resource

Ø      He gives us richly all things to enjoy

Consider further what things God has done to secure our eternal well-being and the surety of His purpose for our good!

·      It is by grace – We have all these benefits by God’s umerited favor. We didn’t earn it, indeed we couldn’t earn it, it was God gracious love that motivated Him to save a people for Himself not according to anything we have done but for His own purpose.

2 Timothy 1:9 – 9 who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, NASB

·      It has been secured by Christ, it will not fail – This favor of God which we now possess is “In Christ” and “because of Christ.” Jesus paid it all, He purchased us which His atoning sacrifice on the cross and satisfied the requirements of God’s righteousness on our behalf. It is finished, it is bought and paid for, it is a done deal, we have been justified once and for all!

Romans 3:21-24 – 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus

·      It is eternal – God is eternally pleased on our behalf in Christ! We shall never die, we have passed from death into life(John 5:24), none can snatch us from His hand(John 10:28), and nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ!

Romans 8:37-39 – 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NASB

It is abundantly clear from these things that we have a sure hope and certainty of ultimate good which shall shortly be our possession forever. When all of the mighty working of providence is complete, we shall lie down and rest in the eternal kingdom of God and none shall ever harm again for the coming ages of all eternity! We shall be perfectly fulfilled, joyously happy, and completely  satisfied and overflowing with the marvelous blessing of God, world without end!

 

to those who are called

Dear friends, were you so wise as to look for the Savior that you might find Him and trust Him? Were you so smart that you figured out that God’s salvation in the death of His Son was the hope for your soul? Did you work salvation for yourself by the strength of your arm? Did you possess the light of life in your dark soul by the work of your helpless will? I tell you NO! You were a helpless wandering, aimless sheep, lost on the mountains in the land of Nod til the Savior bright and true called you by name to return to His fold! It was the voice of God which “called you out of darkness” ( 1Pet 2:10) and “brought you to Himself.” (Ex 19:4, John 6:44) It was His divine choice which decided to set His love upon you and “set your destiny beforehand” (Rom 8:29-30)  by His own purpose and grace.

Romans 8:28-30 – 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. NASB

This calling which you have received had its origin in the heart and mind of God, long ages before the world was ever created.

Ephesians 1:4-6 – 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. NASB

Make no mistake about it, He called and you came by a power which was not your own. Indeed you could not even see the Kingdom of God until your were born again by the regenerating power of God’s Holy Spirit. You may not understand it yet, but let me make this suggestion…..you should spend your days thanking and glorifying Him for His electing grace rather spending your days arguing with Him about His rights to do it! What wonderous love is this that would call us His people who are not His people? Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise Father , Son and Holy Ghost!

 

according to His purpose

Here is the divine plan behind all of the mysterious providence of all of the ages of God’s boundless creation, it is all according to the purposes of God.

Lamentations 3:37-38 – 37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? NASB

God has a plan! God has a purpose and He will surely do it!

Isaiah 46:9-11 – 9 “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure‘; 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. NASB

Yes He will! He has a plan for our well-being, a plan for our good! God is working for our good saints, and we have a sure hope which is unchanging, immovable and will come to pass in due time!

Notice with me…….

·      His plan is for our good!

Jeremiah 29:11-14 – 11‘For I know the plans that I have for you,‘ declares the LORD,‘ plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13‘And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14‘And I will be found by you,‘ declares the LORD,‘ NASB

·      He is pleased to do it!

Luke 12:31-32 – 31 “But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock , for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. NASB

·      He is uses all things to bring it to pass!

Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NASB

 

Practical helps we can find here!

·      We can trust in and rely upon God! – Psalm 9:10

·      Be thankful for every circumstance! In good times and in bad! 1 Thes 5:18

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

Or read about the Christian Gospel here:  http://www.ligonier.org/welcome_whatisthegospel.php

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 1-11-10 Abiding in the Word

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Abiding in the Word

 

John 8:31-32 – Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

 

Tonight I would like to talk to you about Abiding in the Word of God.

 

There are three basic disciplines in the Christian life. These are:

·        Daily meditation on the Word of God

·        Daily communion with God through prayer

·        Regular fellowship with godly Christians

These basic disciplines are vital and necessary for every Christian to live an effective and productive life in order to both glorify God and enjoy Him.

·        They are basic because they make up the regular God ordained method for nurturing our relationship to Him and to His people the church, of whom we have become members. 

·        They are disciplines because these are something that require disciplined effort to maintain, habits to be formed and kept for the rest of our Christian life.

·        They are vital because without them we will surely lack the kind of spiritual life that they produce in and through us, as we will be disconnected from the life giving sap of the True Vine, Jesus the living Word.

·        They are necessary because we are new creations in Christ created to live by His Word and enjoy a communal relationship with Him and the Father, by the Spirit in prayer, and to become an effective and productive member of His family the church.

 

Now the first and most important discipline in the Christian life is the daily meditation on the Word of God. This is because the Word is where God speaks and communicates to us. It is the place where the understanding of who God is, what His purposes are in the world, and who we are and what our purpose in the world is communicated to us from the One who made us.

In fact, Bible is God’s way of speaking to us most clearly about everything we face in life, and how He expects to be worshipped and how He expects us to live. The Word of God is the wellspring from which all of God’s blessings flow into our life.  

 

The Bible is an amazing book. Its not just a book you read for information, it’s a book you read for transformation. The Words of the Bible are the very Word of God and they powerfully change your heart and life as you consider and meditate upon them. The Bible enlightens us, changes us, judges us, equips us and makes us grow. It penetrates our hearts and like a sharp sword cuts out the cancer of sin from our lives. The Bible comforts us, fills us with joy, gives us hope, and it teaches us to worship and praise the Living and true God. The Bible is the living Word of God. Through it we learn to know and experience God and His Son Jesus the Christ.    

 

Now in light of this, I would like for us to take a very brief look at 2 Peter 1:3-4…..

 

Now the main point here is that God is, through the Word, conforming us into His image. He is making us to be like Him and transforming us from the inside out, as we come to know Him, through the Word.  

 

2 Peter 1:3-4 – 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. NASB

A. 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness – Here Peter is clear that we have everything necessary granted to us by God for us to live and become like God (godliness). All the sufficiency that we need to be godly has been given to us by God. Everything we need to be patient and kind, loving and gracious, wise and prudent, joyful and fulfilled….everything we need is already ours!

 

B. through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. – And here He describes how we get these all sufficient resources…. “through the true knowledge of Him.” That is, as we come to truly know Him. It is in knowing God that we have all that we need for life and godliness, because these things come from Him personally to us, and there is no other means by which they can be obtained except through personal relationship with Him. No religious duty, church work, community service, or any other means can cause us to become like Christ. That only happens as we come to know Him and trust Him, and love Him.

 

C. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, – And here is how we come to know Him, that is, through “His precious and magnificent promises.” It is through God’s revealing of Himself to us through the Word that we are transformed into His likeness. 

2 Corinthians 3:18 – 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASB

D. in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust – Now here we see that it is “by them you might become partakers of the divine nature.” You see it is by the promises, the Word of God, that we become “partakers of the divine nature.” Consider “partakers of the divine nature.” Here Peter is saying that through the “great and magnificent promises of God,” we “become partakers of the divine nature.” Here is what he means…we become like Jesus as we come to know God through His Word. Now this is God’s great purpose in our salvation, to conform us into His image, to make us like Him.

 

Therefore it is of utmost importance for us to spend much time with God in His Word. There is absolutely no substitute for daily meditation on the Word of God. It is simply the most important activity that we engage in as a Christian. We must learn to feed ourselves on the bread of life and through it to become like God and we come to know Him through the Word.

 

His Word is the all sufficient resource for us to have an abundant and glorious spiritual life for now and forever. It is filled with “everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him.” On the basis of these great provisions that God has made for us to become like Him through the Word, it is therefore imperative that we seek Him through the Word. As we behold His perfections, and His marvelous goodness, and we see His character and nature in the Word, we begin to long for and crave to be like Him because of His excellent greatness. This longing is zealously instilled in us by the His Spirit which is in us, and through this longing and powerful conviction by the Spirit, through the Word, we become like Him. Now it is obvious then, that if we spend little time seeking God through His Word and communing with Him in the Word, we will in very little degree become a partaker of His nature. Then we will remain in our pitiful state of doubt and fear, always looking for self-esteem and someone to make much of us, and remaining in our spiritually insensitive state of narcissism, serving self and sin, that we were in before we came to Christ. But if we let the Word of God dwell in us richly, we will come to posses all the wealth of knowing Christ, and living in abundant life that comes from walking in Him, by the Spirit, and partaking in the divine nature.

Colossians 2:2-3 – 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God‘s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. NASB

Our life will then be filled with the fruit of His Spirit….

Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. NASB

Now this is the very thing we are longing for, and searching for in all our pursuits. The problem is, these things are spiritual treasures that come from Christ and cannot be obtained in lasting form upon the earth, or through things in the earth. They are other worldly, supernatural. Therefore we will never have lasting joy and will simply never find it, until we find it in Christ. Jesus the living Word, is the wellspring of these treasures in our life. In fact, He Himself is the great treasure we come to know through the Word. This is what he describes in John 17 as being eternal life itself…that is know God and Christ!

John 17:3 – 3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. NASB

 

On this basis then, I want to encourage you to seek the Lord through His Word and to discipline yourself in this matter in 2010. It is the most important thing that you can do in your life, period. And not only do I want to encourage you to read the Bible and come to know Christ through it, but to in fact do what he says to do there. After all, He is Lord of your life, is He not?

James 1:25 – 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. NASB

But if you only read the Word and spend time there out of a sense of duty, you will have missed the boat and this will simply become another religious exercise in futility which will not bring about the kind of abundant spiritual life that God promises. Instead it must become your great delight. Now this may in fact be a problem at this point. Maybe reading the Bible is a dreadful experience for you as you just don’t enjoy it, or it scares you to death with all of His holy commandments, or you have much trouble understanding it. To this I would like to encourage you to….

 

Cultivate a hungry heart and make the Word your delight – Learn how to delight in God and in His glorious Word. This happens as we begin to see the world through God’s eyes, as we come to understand His Word. And this we cannot do until we come honestly to God and ask Him personally for the understanding of His kingdom with a humble heart. Until we are honest with Him, and ourselves, about the sin that lives in our hearts, we will be blinded to the transforming power of the Word. We will be hiding in the bushes with guilty Adam. And what we need to do is come out into the open and fellowship with God. He will accept us and he will heal us, if we will let Him. I want to encourage you to open your heart before God, and let Him come in and wash your conscience, and forgive your sins, and set you free from the guilt and shame that sin has wrought in your life. And with this open honesty then, you come and fellowship with Him in the Word, and seek Him personally for the understanding of it, and He will grant you abundant life through it. In fact, you will begin to become like Him…loving, gracious, kind and patient, gentle and humble in heart.

 

Consider how those who have delighted in God’s Word before expressed their great delight in His Word. I have handed out this Scriptures and I want to encourage you to read them and meditate on them. I believe they will help you to cultivate a hungry heart that delights in and longs for God’s Word!

 

Psalm 119:127-131 – 127 Therefore I love Thy commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold. 128 Therefore I esteem right all Thy precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way. 129 Thy testimonies are wonderful; – Therefore my soul observes them. 130 The unfolding of Thy words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. 131 I opened my mouth wide and panted, For I longed for Thy commandments. NASB

Psalm 119:47-50 – And I shall delight in Thy commandments, Which I love. And I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Thy statutes. Remember the word to Thy servant, In which Thou hast made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, That Thy word has revived me. NASB

Psalm 112:1-3 – 12 Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments. 2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. NASB

 

Lets end with this Word from 1 Peter….

 

1 Peter 2:1-2 – 2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, NASB

 

 
 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

Or read about the Christian Gospel here:  http://www.ligonier.org/welcome_whatisthegospel.php

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 12-21-09 Christian Love in the Church Part 3

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Christian Love in the Church – Part 3

1 John 3:18

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue,

but in deed and truth. NASB

 

 

Colossians 3:13 – 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. NASB

A. bearing with one another – Here explains the patience he mentioned in the verse before, that is, suffering long with each other…“bearing with one another”…..enduring each others failings, and even their injuries toward us..we are not to be easily provoked with others, but rather willing to bear others burdens and weaknesses….many times these may be things that annoy us or irritate us, but we are to patiently bear with these……

B. and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you – And when we have been offended, or irritated or provoked by a brother or sister, we must forgive…“forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” …..forgive, you must forgive…

Mark 11:25-26 – 25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.  26[“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” NASB

Christians must forgive…..this is our way of life…this is Christ’s way of life…our entire union with Christ is based in the forgiveness of our own sins….this is how we became Christians, we were forgiven….and this is the primary thing that distinguishes us from the unbeliever….we have been forgiven…..therefore we must be willing to forgive, and to love and to heal. We must not hold the sword of vengance but rather the healing salve of forgivness.

 

Colossians 3:14 – 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. NASB

A. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity – Here he writes, “beyond all these things”….if putting “on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness, and patience” isn’t enough…or bearing with one another and forgiving one another were not enough added….here he tells us “beyond all these things”……“put on love” ….Here is the crown that rests on the head of all other Christian virtues, it is Love….This is the substance of Christianity! This is the great and foremost commandment! This is the purpose for which we were made, to put on love….

1 John 4:16 – 16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love , and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. NASB

Are you in Christ….then your life is to be characterized by love….

 

Here Paul writes that love is….. “the perfect bond of unity”….love is the “perfect bond,” it is the glue that holds us together….love for our brethren holds our hearts together in the inner man, where there is a sweetness of charity toward our brothers, and a longing to see them blessed and benefitted…..to see them propsered and healed, cared for and lacking nothing….love is “perfect” to motivate our hearts for our brother’s good and brings us together as one….it is the “bond of unity”….love for our brothers and sisters the harmony that holds our hearts and lives together as one…it is “the perfect bond of unity”…though we may have many other Christian virtues, if we have not love, these lack the completeness and the harmony that is motivated by love….love must be the reigning principle in all our virtues…

 

And when we love, we strengthen the quality of all the others virtues…listen, if you love, you can be compassionate, and kind….if you love, you can be humble and gentle….if you love, you can be patient and bear with even the most difficult people… if you love dear Christian….you can even forgive……and then we are truly Christ’s disciples….when we abide in love…..

 

Colossians 3:15 – 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. NASB

A. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts – Here see the Prince of Peace in His rightful place, “ruling in your hearts”…..Let PEACE RULE….this is profound….let PEACE preside in your “hearts,” sit as King there, govern and control you…..dear Christian, does the peace of Christ RULE your life? Why should you live in the tumult and tossing of the sea…why should you live in conlict and strife with your brethren? “let the peace of Christ rule in your HEART” ….let it rule in the inner place, we no one sees but you and God, let your thoughts and intentions in your “heart” be ruled by Christ’s peace…. When a man loses his peace, it is an awful proof that he has lost something else; that he has given way to evil, and grieved the Spirit of God. While peace rules, all is safe… Let harmony and calmness season your thoughts toward your brothers and sisters…

B. to which indeed you were called in one body – Family, This peace, Paul says, is that “to which we were called”…. He “called us” to peace…. “in one body”….we were called to peace and harmony with our brethren, let us therefore let peace rule and reign among us…. we were “called” by God to peace…to King Jesus, the Prince of Peace….we will answer the call and lay down our swords?….why should we fret?….do we not have eternal life?….are we not loved by God?….will He not see us through til the end, when we will lie down and rest in His peace forever??…Rest your soul now in the promise of God….we will lie down in peace…. (Hos 2:18)

C. and be thankful – “And be thankful” …..that is, to be appreciative of the benefits we have received from God….to be grateful, to have gratitude in our hearts….to realize that even though we deserved death, and rightfully so, Christ has of His free Grace given us life……even though we offended Him, and blasphemed His name by our countless sins, and even though we provoked Him to anger 10,000 times by our rebel thoughts, words and deeds….He has repaid us with kindness and mercy and love…. Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?……family, let us rejoice with thanksgiving for the grace of our God!

 

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

Or read about the Christian Gospel here:  http://www.ligonier.org/welcome_whatisthegospel.php

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 12-10-09 Christian Love in the Church Part 2

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Christian Love in the Church – Part 2

1 John 3:18

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue,

but in deed and truth. NASB

 

 

Colossians 3:13 – 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. NASB

A. bearing with one another – Here explains the patience he mentioned in the verse before, that is, suffering long with each other…“bearing with one another”…..enduring each others failings, and even their injuries toward us..we are not to be easily provoked with others, but rather willing to bear others burdens and weaknesses….many times these may be things that annoy us or irritate us, but we are to patiently bear with these……

B. and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you – And when we have been offended, or irritated or provoked by a brother or sister, we must forgive…“forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” …..forgive, you must forgive…

Mark 11:25-26 – 25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.  26[“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” NASB

Christians must forgive…..this is our way of life…this is Christ’s way of life…our entire union with Christ is based in the forgiveness of our own sins….this is how we became Christians, we were forgiven….and this is the primary thing that distinguishes us from the unbeliever….we have been forgiven…..therefore we must be willing to forgive, and to love and to heal. We must not hold the sword of vengance but rather the healing salve of forgivness.

 

Colossians 3:14 – 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. NASB

A. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity – Here he writes, “beyond all these things”….if putting “on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness, and patience” isn’t enough…or bearing with one another and forgiving one another were not enough added….here he tells us “beyond all these things”……“put on love” ….Here is the crown that rests on the head of all other Christian virtues, it is Love….This is the substance of Christianity! This is the great and foremost commandment! This is the purpose for which we were made, to put on love….

1 John 4:16 – 16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love , and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. NASB

Are you in Christ….then your life is to be characterized by love….

 

Here Paul writes that love is….. “the perfect bond of unity”….love is the “perfect bond,” it is the glue that holds us together….love for our brethren holds our hearts together in the inner man, where there is a sweetness of charity toward our brothers, and a longing to see them blessed and benefitted…..to see them propsered and healed, cared for and lacking nothing….love is “perfect” to motivate our hearts for our brother’s good and brings us together as one….it is the “bond of unity”….love for our brothers and sisters the harmony that holds our hearts and lives together as one…it is “the perfect bond of unity”…though we may have many other Christian virtues, if we have not love, these lack the completeness and the harmony that is motivated by love….love must be the reigning principle in all our virtues…

 

And when we love, we strengthen the quality of all the others virtues…listen, if you love, you can be compassionate, and kind….if you love, you can be humble and gentle….if you love, you can be patient and bear with even the most difficult people… if you love dear Christian….you can even forgive……and then we are truly Christ’s disciples….when we abide in love…..

 

Colossians 3:15 – 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. NASB

A. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts – Here see the Prince of Peace in His rightful place, “ruling in your hearts”…..Let PEACE RULE….this is profound….let PEACE preside in your “hearts,” sit as King there, govern and control you…..dear Christian, does the peace of Christ RULE your life? Why should you live in the tumult and tossing of the sea…why should you live in conlict and strife with your brethren? “let the peace of Christ rule in your HEART” ….let it rule in the inner place, we no one sees but you and God, let your thoughts and intentions in your “heart” be ruled by Christ’s peace…. When a man loses his peace, it is an awful proof that he has lost something else; that he has given way to evil, and grieved the Spirit of God. While peace rules, all is safe… Let harmony and calmness season your thoughts toward your brothers and sisters…

B. to which indeed you were called in one body – Family, This peace, Paul says, is that “to which we were called”…. He “called us” to peace…. “in one body”….we were called to peace and harmony with our brethren, let us therefore let peace rule and reign among us…. we were “called” by God to peace…to King Jesus, the Prince of Peace….we will answer the call and lay down our swords?….why should we fret?….do we not have eternal life?….are we not loved by God?….will He not see us through til the end, when we will lie down and rest in His peace forever??…Rest your soul now in the promise of God….we will lie down in peace…. (Hos 2:18)

C. and be thankful – “And be thankful” …..that is, to be appreciative of the benefits we have received from God….to be grateful, to have gratitude in our hearts….to realize that even though we deserved death, and rightfully so, Christ has of His free Grace given us life……even though we offended Him, and blasphemed His name by our countless sins, and even though we provoked Him to anger 10,000 times by our rebel thoughts, words and deeds….He has repaid us with kindness and mercy and love…. Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?……family, let us rejoice with thanksgiving for the grace of our God!

 

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 11-25-09 Christian Love in the Church Part 1

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Christian Love in the Church – Part 1

1 John 3:18

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue,

but in deed and truth. NASB

 

Believing the Gospel and being saved from sin and death, reconciled to God and to His Son is the most wonderful blessing from God that we could receive. It is a marvelous privilege to have our sins forgiven and to now have a loving relationship restored between us and God. The Christian life is filled with the amazing blessings of joy and peace, and our life takes on new meaning and purpose as we surrender our life to Christ Jesus the King.

 

This also comes with the amazing benefit of the Fathers love, becoming a child of God and being adopted into His family, the church. As John writes,

 

1 John 3:1 – See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. NASB

 

Along with this blessing of being in God’s family, also comes the responsibility to treat one another with love and respect. We are to treat the members of God’s family with the same love that He has loved us with and walk after Him and follow His example of love and care for each other just as He commanded us.

 

John 13:34-35 – 34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” NASB

 

In order to examine this responsibility of love to one another more closely, lets look at the passage in Colossians 3:12-17.

 

Colossians 3:12 – 12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; NASB

A. And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved – Here the Apostle reminds them of their election by God and of the Love of God which was upon them from the beginning….that they are “chosen of God”…..it is no small thing that they would be “chosen of God,” …..this speaks of their divine election, the decision in the heart and mind of God to save these Colossians from before the creation of the time….. Paul writes in many places of this election….consider…

Ephesians 1:4-6 – 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. NASB

2 Thessalonians 2:13 – 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. NASB

See here the free grace of God expressed to a helpless people, a people who had earned God’s wrath, but instead received His mercy…..and therefore they have become His “holy and beloved” saints! Paul speaks here that they are both “holy” and also “beloved”…. First that they are “holy,” that is set apart by God to be His special people, the Greek word here is hagios which means sacred or morally pure, consecrated or cleansed for special use, and is also used for the English NT word saint. Moreover he describes them as “beloved,” that is they are dearly loved by God. Notice here God’s disposition toward His church, He “dearly loves” them. And because He has decided to love them, He has “chosen” them and set them apart from all other people in the world for His own purpose, to be His own people, His saints, His holy ones,

Titus 2:14 – who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASB

And so Christ’s people in His church are His “chosen, holy and dearly loved” people! Amazing,…. wonderful,…. marvelous! It is for this reason that we have a great responsibility to one another in the church and are to treat the other people in the church around us with the utmost love and respect. Therefore Paul will now describe how we are to treat one another.

B. put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience – He says, “put on a heart”…notice here he gets right to point. If you are going to love and respect your family in Christ, you must do it FIRST in your heart, that is, it must be sincere and genuine(Rom 12:9).….make sure it lives in your heart, in your longings and affections, in the deepest part of your being…..And what should live there…. “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”….Ah Hah! Now this is how a Christian is to live….and this is how a Christian is to love….especially other Christians…in fact it is by this love for other Christians that we know we are really Christ’s disciples….

1 John 3:14-18 – 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. NASB

Here in Colossians 3:12, Paul describes what this Christian love looks like practically in our life….it is, “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”…. Here is how we treat one another in the church….

 

In Compassion…..are you concerned about others?….we are to be moved in our inner self with concern for others….to be considerate and loving toward others in our hearts, with a godly longing and affection….and to put this concern to action and do something about it….and compassion in our hearts moves us to mercy and kindness with our hands….

 

In Kindness….we are to be kind to others, to express benevolence and goodwill to people…with real action….in good deeds and kind words…we are to devise ways to bless our church family, not to ignore or to harm them…we must help them when they are in need and we speak to them with words that encourage and benefit them.….we should be a blessing to others, not a curse…we should serve them in love, with mercy in our hearts….

 

Humility…..we are to humble ourselves before others…we are to lower ourselves before others, to make ourselves of no account and others of much account…. to consider others as more important than  ourselves….as Paul writes in Philippians….

Philippians 2:3-5 – 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, NASB

Humility is the chief characteristic of godliness in the Christian Life…..it is the wellspring of all other virtue….Humility is the opposite of pride…..we must forsake our pride if we are to love other people….we are not to be puffed up and conceited toward others, considering them of less account than ourselves, but rather to regard them as higher than us, to make ourselves low, and to do this with sincerity in our hearts….pride is the chief enemy of our souls and humility is the medicine which kills pride…..May God help us to humble ourselves before Him and before our church family…..

 

Gentleness and Patience …. “Gentleness” is that quality of character whereby we have restraint and temperance in our attitude….it is to have self control over our emotions, in a meek and mild way….and this we cannot do with out “patience,” that good fruit of the Spirit that allows us to bear with others and to suffer long toward them without complaint….to suffer without complaint… we are to be gentle and patient toward God’s people, with meekness and temperance, with kindness and compassion in our heart…we are to treat them as soft and  gentle lambs, not as roaring and fierce lions…Christians are to be gentle and patient people, especially toward our brother or sister, for whom Christ died….

 

Are you having problems in your marriage?…..problems in your family relationships?….problems getting along with people in the church?…Hear the Word of the Lord….. “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness, and patience”…….

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 11-3-09 The Folly of Idolatry

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The Folly of Idolatry

Exodus 20:2-3 

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before Me. NASB

 

Having come to know these high and Holy truths about God, how could we refuse to acknowledge His Lordship? What mischief would fill our hearts that would cause us to rebel or disobey God and His Holy Word? Let us be assured that there is none like Him! He is exalted, lifted up high above the heavens, He is Lord and His commands are to be fully obeyed.

Isaiah 44:6-8 – 6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. 7 ‘And who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. 8 ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'” NASB

In the Ten Commandments, God lays out His Law in a summary. The first four deal with man’s relationship to God, the last six deal with man’s relationship to man. Thus the great commandment and the second, love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. Notice though the sequence and priority given. The first commandment states,

Exodus 20:2-3 – 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. NASB

Here God speaks of the great priority of mankind, that He is to have the first and rightful place. Does this Great King of the Universe, Creator, Omnipotent, All-Knowing God, deserve any less? Should what has been formed say to Him who formed him, you are not important to me? Why should God give us another breath? Why should we not be consumed in the fiery wrath of judgment for our great transgressions against Him? Oh blessed Mercy! Oh sweet sound of pardon! Yet He would even make us kings and priests to reign with Him! What wondrous love is this?

Nevertheless, mankind rebels, curses, even profanes the glorious name of God with such audacity to form a detestable idol and bow down to it. God therefore addresses this matter of second and third importance saying,

Exodus 20:4-7 – 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. NASB

Consider what ignorance is in man that he would value and honor a worthless thing above the Great and Glorious Creator who made it all! With what blindness has man been stricken as to do such a deplorable thing? You become like what you worship.  What profit would be gained to a man for bowing down to a block of wood? Indeed those who worship a dead lifeless thing will become like them, a dead lifeless thing! They will be cut off from the Author and Source of life!

Psalm 135:15-18 – 15 The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 16 They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see; 17 They have ears, but they do not hear; Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths. 18 Those who make them will be like them, Yes, everyone who trusts in them. NASB

Justice demands that such a person be shut out from the good presence of God with fierce wrath and utter finality! Is there greater mutiny? Is there a greater sin of arrogance? What a poor pitiful creature man is, taken in his idolatry, to exchange the Glory of the Immortal God for a worthless, dead inanimate object! God’s judgment will be sure and final!

Isaiah 44:9-11 – 9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame. NASB

Consider the absolute folly of such a thing! Man takes wood from the forest to cook his meals and warm himself. He then makes it into a creation with his own hands and then bows down to worship it, even placing his trust in the same. All the while the God “who gives life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25) looks on with great patience, overlooking this great blasphemy and granting them the good things of life.

Isaiah 44:12-17 – 12 The man shapes iron into a cutting tool, and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers, and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes, and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house. 14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak, and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image, and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for thou art my god.” NASB

What blindness has darkened man’s eyes? What great lie has deluded his pitiful heart? Where is his understanding? Consider how many people today just move through life without even stopping to give thanks to God? How many curse and blaspheme His name, never stopping to consider His great command to repent? Indeed mankind and his world are perishing, even wasting away and all the while he thinks he will live forever or somehow save himself. Stricken with blindness, he gropes about in futility refusing to simply bow His knee to the One who gives him breath! Oh what pity! Here is described the natural state of man! Here his ignorance is made crystal clear, his utter inability to help himself stated plainly!

Isaiah 44:18-20 – 18  They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 And no one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” NASB

Let us consider what it might be in our lives, which, may be taking first place? Is it God and His commandments? Or God forbid, something else. Could we be guilty of such treason? What is it that we truly value? What do we worship or ascribe worth to?

When we begin to value God above all other things in our lives, then we will begin to become like Him! When we see the great value of life that God has given us, we will then begin to live with great purpose and meaning. When we put God in the first and rightful place, then we will begin to glorify Him in proper measure.

Matthew 22:36-40 – 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.‘   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.‘   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

  
 
 

This lesson is available in PDF format here:  http://www.heavenslight.org/devotional/The_Folly_of_Idolatry.pdf

 

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 10-20-09 A High View of God Part 2

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From my January 2009 Sermon at HCF ABQ……

 

A High View of God – Part 2

 

Psalm 95:3-6

3 For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth; The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it; And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. NASB

 

Acts 17:26-27 – 26 and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, – This is to say that God is the One who created all the nations with a very definite intended purpose. He is the One who confounded the language at Babel and dispersed the nations to the four corners of the earth.

 

having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, – God is the One who raises nations up and tears them down. He “appoints the times” of their prosperity and the times of their demise. He determines how much land they will posses and where there dominion shall stretch….“the boundaries of their habitation”….

 

27 that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; – Why did God make mankind to live upon the earth and establish their times and boundaries? That “they should seek Him”….”that they might grope for Him and find Him”…learn here the great ignorance, foolishness and unrighteousness of the nations of mankind…when they ought to contemplate his wisdom and all His works, and thus come to a knowledge of his existence and character…..each one having the opportunity to come to know Him…..instead have gone after all other gods and rejected the true and living God….

9. Romans 1:20-22 – 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. NASB

In contrast then, to fallen mankind, it is imperative for us who would “follow Jesus” to pursue Him and lay hold of Him….This then we state as a Core Value for Christian people…..To know God and to love Him is the all-consuming passion of our lives. There will be no rivals in God’s kingdom for His esteem and devotion. This is why Jesus states in Matt 22:36 that the great and foremost commandment is, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This means that we are to love God with everything that is within us. It means we are to devote to Him everything we own and every part of our life.

·      with all your heart – this speaks of our emotions, our inner being is to be wholly devoted to God with strong affection

·      with all your soul – This means, to love God more than our life, to be willing to give up your life to him, and to devote it all to his service; to live for him in all we do, and to be willing to die at his command.

·      with all your mind –  We are to love God with our intellect, with all the powers of our mind, bringing our memory, thought, imagination, reason,judgment, and all our mental powers, as willing subjects to bow at God’s feet in adoration and love. To love His Word and His Gospel more than we do the vain thoughts of our own minds, the entertainment, comedy and communications of the world, and to give firstfruits of our time unto the meditation and worship of God.

·      with all your strength –  with all the faculties of soul and body. To labor and toil for his glory, and to make that the great object of ALL our efforts.

Therefore if we value God because He is supremely valuable, then we must love Him with a wholehearted devotion which manifests the true love that we do have for Him. Good Christian, can we look at your life and see the evidence of your love for God? Or is something in your life competing with Him for your love and devotion? Only when we come to love God with our whole being will we be truly satisfied. Only then will we be content and fulfilled! This is the purpose for which we were made.

10. Deuteronomy 10:12-14 – 12 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? NASB

 

Acts 17:28-29 – 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’ 29 “Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.  – God is the Father of all Creation. He is the Sustainer of all of Life! He is the one who gives us life and breath and all things! He has made us to glorify and enjoy Him, to know Him and to love Him….for we “are His offspring”…. We were created in His image so that we could experience His excellency as God, and enjoy His eternal goodness and mercy!

 

And so we seek to constantly build up the Church by preaching and teaching relentlessly about who God is and what He is like….so we would have a Core Value like this ……The continual proclamation of His character and nature is a fundamental element in our worship.

 

As we have discussed, we have a very high view of God. Therefore it only follows naturally that we must learn of Him. Because God is incomprehensible in so many ways, it is a constant endeavor to learn of all the glorious attributes of God. God is glorious. His glory consists in the overwhelming and overflowing beauty which stems from the sum total of all His attributes working together in perfect harmony. God is perfect in His holiness, justice, wisdom, power, grace, mercy, and love. God is so magnificent, so awesome, so wonderfully mysterious that it will take us many ages and ages to experience the glory of His riches. His resources and His attributes are inexhaustibly vast.

Ephesians 2:7 – 7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. NASB

As we have seen, this is our great duty, it is to know and to love and to worship God. Therefore we press on into a greater knowledge and understanding of His being, His character and His nature, we seek to know who God is and what He is like. As this knowledge becomes more and more clear to us, we then have a further understanding of His purposes and ways, and gain deeper insight into who we are, why we exist, and how we can glorify God. Clear knowledge of God from the Bible is the kindling that sustains the fires of affection for God. It causes us to be raptured away into the glory of God and His wonderful being and to worship Him. God’s greatness can hardly be comprehended but we are told again and again in scripture to tell of His wonderful greatness to the generations after us.

11. Psalms 145:1-5 – I will extol Thee, my God, O King; And I will bless Thy name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless Thee, And I will praise Thy name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise Thy works to another, And shall declare Thy mighty acts.  5 On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, And on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate.  NASB

To make God the center of our preaching and our corporate worship is to say that we are “God- centered.” This of course would be in contrast to being “man-centered” which would be humanism….and to worship the creature rather than the Creator….. 

 

Acts 17:30-31 – 30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” – Here the Gospel call of repentance is announced and the fearful Day of the Judgment of God through Jesus Christ is proclaimed. In times past God has overlooked the foolishness and ignorance of the nations in rejecting the knowledge of Himself….but no longer….now He has come and manifested Himself through our Lord Jesus, and made His person, His ways, and His purposes crystal clear for all to see. Moreover, He has commanded repentance and warned that He is coming in judgment and given a refuge through the Cross for all to come and be forgiven, washed and made worthy to stand in His presence. God is now “summing up all things in Christ” and bringing the History of the world to a climactic end as He destroy evil, death and hell forever…and creates a new heavens and a new earth, in which His people will lie down in peace forever and ever, world with out end….

 

And so the Great God of Heaven and Earth is to be worshipped….so we would express this as a Core Value for all Christian people….In fact this is the definition of worship, to ascribe worth to God and to see, comprehend, experience and exalt the glory of God – To worship is to “ascribe worth to something.” It is to honor OR lift up and exalt something above ourselves and to savor and cherish its nature and virtues. Since God is the paragon of all virtue, then to “see and comprehend” His virtue is to ascribe worth to the MOST WORTHY things. Because God is the most worthy and highest, the most transcendent and glorious of all, then the truest and highest form of worship is to ascribe greatness and glory to God.

Psalms 96:4-6 – 4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. 9 Worship the LORD in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth. NASB

Consider then the “experience” of the glory of God in worship. When we are able to comprehend the glory of God by understanding the great truths about His person and nature, and delight in Him, then we are able to experience the wonder of His mysterious and incomprehensible nature. As the Spirit of God brings illumination to the Word of God, bringing understanding to the God’s character and nature, His ways and means, and the purposes of God, we experience the “unveiling” or “revelation” of God and “partake in the divine nature.”

2 Peter 1:2-4 – 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. NASB

One great benefit of true worship is the transforming process it carries out upon us. As we ascribe worth to God and we value and truly treasure His attributes, we become like Him. We become like what we value and worship. Because these are the things that we value, if we truly value them in our hearts, then our sincere desire to possess these values will motivate us to treasure and cherish them and this will transform us into His image as the Scripture clearly teaches…..

12. 2 Corinthians 3:18 – 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASB

 

Conclusion: Therefore, on the basis of the fact that God is the highest and most worthy of all, and that the truest form of worship is to see and comprehend and delight in His person and truth, we seek to always “exalt Him” or “lift Him up.” We seek to have a “High View of God.”……

 

 

This Sermon can be heard on audio here:  

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/08-09/misc/02-01-2009_Sunday_11AM.mp3 

 

Handout

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/lessons/08-09/handouts/High%20View%20of%20God%2002.01.09.PDF

 

HCF Core Values

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/docs/HCF_Core_Values_2006c.pdf

 

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 10-10-09 A High View of God Part 1

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From my January 2009 Sermon at HCF ABQ……
 

A High View of God – Part 1

 

Psalm 95:1-6 – 95 O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth; The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it; And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. NASB

 

Consider with me ….What is truly valuable? What is important? What is truly essential to life? What is at the center of our origin and what is the purpose of our existence?

 

Well we all know the answer is God! God is truly valuable. God is important. God is truly essential to life. God is at the center of our origin and God’s purposes are the purpose for which we exist…..after all we were “created by Him and for Him”…..Col 1:16

 

Therefore when we consider our lives and what is essential and what we should hold as truly valuable, we must see things in relation to the way the really are. If we want to know in what our value system should consist, or what we should consider to be truly valuable, we must see things as they have been defined by God. This is because everything in the world derives its meaning, purpose and value from God. God being the Creator of all things, is also the one who designs those things for the purposes for which He made them, and it is He who sees to it that His purposes are upheld and accomplished in the course of time and History. 1. God is bringing His world to an expected end by His own Almighty Providence, and God is the One who “works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11). This includes everything in the world that He has created…..

 

2. Consider therefore that we as a group of local Bible believing Christians ought to consider what we hold as truly valuable and allow God to be the One who defines for us what is truly valuable and worthy of our worship, our efforts and the devotion of our lives. In short, whatever it is that God renders to be valuable, this should be what we consider and deem to be valuable as well.

 

With this in mind let me call you attention to the HCF Core Values handout that is in your bulletin this morning.

 

Now in the Church and in theological circles this matter is usually referred to as our Philosophy of Ministry….although our Philosophy of Ministry could be quite a bit more involved, these values makeup for us the “Core” principles of how we view God, our lives, our church and everything in the world. These are the essential things that makeup our value system.

 

Now I don’t intend to go through them all, but I do want us to look at our first Core Value and consider that this morning. What then, is our chief value? Have you ever thought about this…..what is the most truly valuable thing in the world? Well let’s give this some thought…

 

A High View of God – We value God far above everything, for He is the most worthy and valuable being that exists. It is imperative to see Him as He really is, the Creator of everything and paragon of all virtue, the Almighty God. It is our utmost desire to glorify God by pursuing a high view of God. To know God and to love Him is the all-consuming passion of our lives. The continual proclamation of His character and nature is a fundamental element in our worship. In fact, this is the definition of worship, to ascribe worth to God and to see, comprehend, experience, and exalt the glory of God.

 

Now in consideration of having and developing a “High View of God” I would like us to consider the text in Acts 17:24-31….with a particular focus on verses 24-29….open your Bibles to Acts 17:24….

 

Acts 17:24-31 – 24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’ 29 “Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” NASB

 

 

Acts 17:24 – 24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, – God is the Creator of all things. It is God who made the world by His mighty power. God created everything out of nothing, and this was only a small example of His immense power. He is a being of unimaginable power and glory beyond our comprehension. He speaks and the universe leaps into existence….. so Jeremiah would say….

3. Jeremiah 32:17-19 – 17 ‘Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee, 18 who showest lovingkindness to thousands, but repayest the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The Lord of hosts is His name; 19 great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; NASB

 

since He is Lord of heaven and earth, – He is the Lord of Heaven and earth. This is to say that God is Sovereign, He is the supreme authority. God possesses absolute dominion and authority over all things. So He is said to sit on a “throne” in heaven! Just think how ridiculous it would be to say that God created the universe, but He is not in control of what takes place in it. 4. Well the truth is God not only controls nature and history, but He literally sustains the entire universe by his power, and orders the events of his entire creation to accomplish His own purposes and plans. He is the One who establishes all other authorities in Heaven and on the earth. And He does these things for His own purposes which no one can hinder or thwart. He is the only Almighty Lawgiver, Judge of the Living and the Dead and the great loving heavenly Father of Creation.

 

This knowledge then, dear family causes us to make a statement like this in our “Core Values”…

We value God far above everything for He is the most worthy and valuable being that exists. To say that God is most valuable is an understatement. In fact, God is what brings definition to value. In other words to say that we value God, is to say that we esteem Him, that we estimate Him to be most worthy of our adoration, our praise and our worship. This is obviously because He is the definition of that which is good, honorable and worthy of high esteem. As the scripture says,

5. Exodus 15:11 – 11 “Who is like Thee among the gods, O LORD? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? NASB

Therefore we esteem God above everything else because He is so high above, or so

much more worthy than anything else because everything else derives it value in

relation to God because He is the standard for what is good or worthy of esteem, in

fact He is the Creator of everything. Things derive their value based on the purpose for which they were created.

6. Revelation 4:11 – 11 “Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.” NASB

Why is God worthy to receive glory and honor? Because at His will they “exist and were created.” Nothing has its existence except at the will of God. Nothing has its being, except by His design and continued Providence. God deemed it fit and good to create the world and mankind upon it, how could we do anything less than pay Him homage as the high and lofty One.

 

Acts 17:24-25 – 24b does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything – This is to say that God is Self-Existent and Transcendent. He is not dependent upon His creatures for happiness or any other thing. Sorry to blow your self-esteem bubble, but God doesn’t need you because He is lonely! On the contrary, we need Him for our life and breath moment by moment or we will perish. The entire creation is absolutely dependent on God for its existence. God is eternally self-dependent. The creation of angels and men added nothing to God, for He existed billions and trillions of years (eternally) prior to their creation. He was perfectly blessed in Himself before the first creature was ever called in to being….so He would say to Job….

7. Job 38:4-7 – “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, 5 Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it? 6 “On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? NASB

God is Transcendent. If God is the source of life, He therefore transcends it, and the dimension in which it exists. This is to say that God is not so confined to time and space as to live in an earthly temple. God is omnipresent which means that He transcends the dimension of time and space. He is a BIG God…..He can handle your problems dear family….so that Isaiah would say….

Isaiah 40:12-18 – 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance, And the hills in a pair of scales? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has informed Him? 14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. 16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. 18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? NASB

 

since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things – This is to say that God owns everything as He Himself is the only Lifegiver and Sustainer of Creation. Further, that every living creature, including all living things, mankind and all angels (Satan included) owe their existence and their continued existence to God. As God says of Himself…..

8. Psalm 50:10-15 – 10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all it contains. 13 “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of male goats? 14 “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High; 15 And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” NASB

 

And so we would express in our Core Values the importance of recognizing God for who He really is….It is imperative to see Him as He really is, the Creator of everything and paragon of all virtue, the Almighty God. It is our utmost desire to glorify God by pursuing a high view of God.

 
 
To be continued next post…..
 
 

This Sermon can be heard on audio here:  

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/08-09/misc/02-01-2009_Sunday_11AM.mp3 

 

Handout

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/lessons/08-09/handouts/High%20View%20of%20God%2002.01.09.PDF

 

HCF Core Values

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/docs/HCF_Core_Values_2006c.pdf

 

 

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 9-25-09 The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ – The Gospel and Evangelism

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The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ

The Gospel and Evangelism

 

Acts 1:8

but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and even to the remotest part of the earth. NASB

 

Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

To be sure, this is not to say that people don’t make a conscious choice to believe in Christ and that we don’t try to persuade them to believe, of course we do. People must make a conscious choice to be saved and respond to the Gospel in repentance and faith. Of course they must and this is the response we seek from them when preaching the Gospel to them. It is important to recognize however (not for the hearer but for the Christian witness), that if and when they do respond with true repentance and saving faith, they have done so by the power of God through regeneration and primarily because of His choice for their salvation. The outworking of His election then does have a moment in time and space when it comes to fruition and someone believes and is saved. This conversion is what we seek when sharing the Gospel even though we realize it is a supernatural work that God must perform in the hearts. So we seek to sow the Gospel seed, and expect others to water somewhere down the road, but it is God that causes the growth and brings to life. We may see one come to faith and repentance, and we may not.

1 Corinthians 3:5-7 – 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. NASB

Further, in sowing this Gospel seed we should seek to accurately and vividly portray the Gospel in the most serious yet amiable way that we can. After all, a right response to Christ’s Gospel call is the most important decision that anyone will ever make. It will either be the “fragrance of life” to them or the smell of death, but they must either repent and believe, or perish. There is no middle ground with Christ. Either He is Savior and Lord, or we are at enmity with Him. In His words, either we will repent, or we will perish.

Luke 13:5 – 5 “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” NASB

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 – 14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? NASB

But as a Gospel witness, even though we seek a human response to our fervent efforts to persuade men of their lost condition and need to repent and believe, we also realize that this ability only comes from God through regeneration and effectual calling, so we are able to be both bold and patient with our hearers knowing that God will work His own will in His own good time. We can be bold because we carry the very words of life and we have direct orders from the Sovereign of the universe to do it. We carry the message of the triumphant King coming in to conquer what is rightfully His, and we are ambassadors sent to warn and encourage our subjects to surrender and be blessed or to resist and be destroyed. However, surrender or resistance is not in our power to grant, but we only come as a messenger of the good news of free forgiveness for rebellion and gracious lovingkindness and blessing to all who will surrender.

Our job is to be faithful to the message of the King and a good ambassador of His Kingdom. A godly Christian example and clear presentation of the Gospel are the most effective tools we have to point people to Christ, but only He can give them a “new heart and a new spirit.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 – 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. NASB

Another important thing to remember is that God does all good things in His own good time. Therefore we must be patient in seeing others come to Christ. Many times God uses several people and different means to bring people to Himself and we are just one of these tools in the hands of God to help get them there. Therefore it is important to be patient and loving as we witness, hope and pray for the salvation of those to whom we preach. Consider these words again from J.I. Packer….. “if on the other hand, you meet a person who is not thus prepared, a person who as yet has no conviction of the truth of the Gospel and perhaps no idea, or even a false idea, of what the Gospel actually is, it is worse than useless to try and stampede him into a “snap” decision. You may be able to bully him into a psychological crisis of some sort, but that will not be saving faith and will do him no good. What you have to do is take time with him, to make friends with him, to get alongside him, to find out where he is in terms of spiritual understanding, and to start dealing with him at that point. You have to explain the Gospel to him, and be sure that he understands it and is convinced of its truth, before you start pressing him to an active response. You have to be ready to help him, if need be, through a spell of seeking to repent and believe before he knows within himself that he has received Christ, and Christ has received him. At each stage you have to be willing to go along with him at God’s speed, which may seem to you a strangely slow speed. But that is God’s business, not yours. Your business is simply to keep pace with what God is doing in his life. Your willingness to be patient with him in this way is the proof of your love of him no less than of your faith in God. If you are not willing thus to be patient, you need not expect that God will favor you by enabling you to win souls.” With this knowledge then of the Sovereignty of God and of the inevitable human response that is necessary for anyone to be saved, let us draw several conclusions from what we have learned.

God is Sovereign – People come to faith by the effectual calling of the Spirit of God because they have been elected by God. God is Sovereign in who the elect are, and He in His own time and in His own divine method saves those whom He has chosen.

Universal Call – We have no ability to discern who the elect are and are not, therefore we are diligent to preach the free offer of the Gospel to all people in hopes that they are elect and will respond, regardless of race, class, gender or any other distinction. Their salvation remains in God’s effectual call, not our ability to wrangle them with fine sounding words or skillful apologetic arguments. These may help, but in the final analysis it is the effectual calling of God that brings people to conversion.

Prayer – Prayer is a vital part of evangelism as salvation requires the hand of God to move upon an individual and regenerate their soul and give them the ability to grasp the Gospel. God in His sovereignty then, has been pleased to allow us to participate in people’s salvation through prayer and preaching. Praying for the salvation of those to whom we witness is important and necessary.

Gospel content – Our methodology is not the primary issue in evangelism but rather the content of the message of the Gospel itself is primary because it alone is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” The content of the Gospel message is a matter of grave importance so that we clearly articulate the Apostolic (of Jesus and the Apostles) message of the Gospel.

Human Response – It is of utmost importance that we stress upon people their responsibility to repent of their sins and make a conscious choice to trust in Christ as their righteousness before God. Their must be a public conscious response to Christ of which baptism is the crowning event of ones public confession and identification with Christ as both Savior from death and Lord of our life.

Christian Duty – It is our responsibility to be a witness of the Christ and His Gospel, but it is not our responsibility to somehow change people’s hearts. That is God’s work. Therefore let us simply present Christ and Him crucified, and do this to the best of our frail ability and leave the results to God. This should allow us to be bold, patient and faithful in our proclamation of the Gospel as we confidently rest in the fact that God’s Word will accomplish that which He sent it for.

Important things in sharing the Gospel

There are no magic bullets when it comes to sharing the Gospel. It is simply a matter of us being a faithful ambassador of the message of Christ. However there are many guiding principles that can help us to be as effective as possible.

1)      Simple Message – Communicate the simple truths of the Gospel clearly.

God – It is a message about the One true and living God and His claim on our lives as our Sovereign Creator and Righteous Judge.

Man – Man was created by God, in God’s image, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But man sinned against God by disobeying His holy law. Man therefore separated himself from God’s holy and satisfying presence, and incurred His wrathful displeasure. This is why there is death and suffering in the world.

Christ – Christ’s death was the substitute payment for the penalty that we deserved for our sin. His death is God’s only provision for the forgiveness of man’s sin and the appeasement of God’s wrath against him. His life provides a perfect righteousness for us in the sight of God.

Response – We are called to respond to this good news in repentance and belief – turning away from our sin and self-sufficiency toward God, and trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the substitute penalty that we deserved for our sin.

In one sentence, “Man has been separated from God (the Creator and sustainer of life) because of sin, and sin is why there is death in the world, and Christ is God’s provision to atone for man’s sins, and man can simply receive God’s provision through repentance and faith.”

Romans 3:21-24 – 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; NASB

2)      Gentleness and Respect – It is important to be a witness with Christian character and integrity. You carry the words of eternal life to dying sinners and you represent the King of virtue. As a witness of Christ therefore, we are to be a witness of Christ’s character to others as well as a witness of His message.

1 Peter 3:15 – 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; NASB

Matthew 5:16 – 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. NASB

3)      Old, Old Story – The Gospel never changes according to the shifting winds of culture or modernity or fads of any kind. It is a message about the historical facts of Jesus Christ and what He HAS accomplished through His life, death and resurrection. Redemption has been accomplished by Christ. It is therefore the fulfillment of the exact requirements of God to meet the demands of His own justice, and Christ performed that perfectly. It ever remains therefore, the unchanging power of God for all who receive it with authentic, persevering faith.

Romans 1:16-17 – 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” NASB

4)      Personal Savior and Lord – Jesus is a personal Savior and Lord for every individual who believes. This means that each person must come to Him personally and be saved by Him for their own personal sins. Each person must submit to Jesus as Lord, in repentance from sin and personal trust in Him alone as their righteousness before God to be saved. 

John 3:36 – 6 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” NASB

5)      A Right Response, Faith and Repentance – It is of utmost importance that we stress upon people their responsibility to repent of their sins and make a conscious choice to trust in Christ as their righteousness before God. Their must be a public conscious response to Christ of which baptism is the crowning event of ones public confession and identification with Christ as both Savior from death and Lord of our life.

6)      A Message about God – Many people in our era and culture have no fundamental understanding about God, or at best, a flawed view of God which is defined by much error. To make this matter worse, many in our “postmodern, pluralistic” culture, people have re-defined God to fit there own criteria of what they want God to be like, rather than who He really is according to reality. Therefore it is important to give people, to some degree, a fundamental and corrected view of God in order to lay a foundation for the Gospel message.

Acts 17:24-25, 30-31 – 24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things; 30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” NASB

It is important then to stress that people are estranged from God personally and need to be

reconciled to Him personally.

7)      Nothing More Important – The Gospel is good news of great joy, but it is also a serious matter of utmost importance. Undoubtedly we will meet with much resistance if we are faithful to the true Gospel. But we should not let this discourage us. We will need much courage to proclaim the Gospel regularly and accurately. We must ask the question to ourselves, Which matters more – our reputation or their salvation? It is a serious matter of utmost importance and a supreme act of love for neighbor to tell people the Gospel.

 Luke 13:5 – 5 “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” NASB

8)      Keep Learning – A brand new Christian can tell someone the Gospel, but a seasoned and experienced Christian can do it with much more accuracy and clarity. More than this, many will meet us with a variety of questions which need sincere and truthful answers. These answers can give much aid to people who are coming the Christ. Therefore it is important for us to be able to meet these questions with Scripture and explanations from the Bible that address people’s most troubling doubts, fears and objections. This usually accompanies people in the early days of embracing the Gospel message.

Colossians 4:4-6 – 5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person. NASB

9)      God is Sovereign – It is our responsibility to be a witness of the Christ and His Gospel, but it is not our responsibility to somehow change people’s hearts. That is God’s work. Their salvation remains in God’s effectual call, not our ability to wrangle them with fine sounding words or skillful apologetic arguments. These may help, but in the final analysis it is the effectual calling of God that brings people to conversion.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 – And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

NASB

Let us therefore be kind, straightforward and gentle in our witness to others. We can be both

bold and patient as we depend on God to change their hearts.

 
 
 

This teaching is a part of a 18 month series called “The Savior, The Cross, and The Gospel” ….

 

See the Outline here….. http://www.abqhcf.com/lessons/08-09/handouts/abc/Brochure-08-09.pdf

 

This teaching can be heard on audio here:  

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/08-09/abc/05-10-2009_SundaySchool.mp3

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 9-9-09 The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ – The Gospel and Evangelism

579 Comments
 

The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ

The Gospel and Evangelism

 

Acts 1:8

but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and even to the remotest part of the earth. NASB

 

God is Sovereign in Salvation

This brings us to the question then, how does evangelism work? Is it really our job to “save people?” Is the Gospel a tool in our hands that we use to save people and cause them to come to faith? Is it really our job to convince people somehow of their need to be saved and of Christ’s provision for them to do so? Well, the very clear answer to these questions is NO of course not and YES of course! As paradoxical as this may seem let us not be confused by this but rather clearly understand the doctrine of salvation as the Bible teaches it. In short, God is the One who saves people through the life and death of Christ by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, but He uses the Church as a means of telling the message of Christ so that His elect people can be saved from every tribe and language, people and nation. Therefore, God is sovereign in who will be saved, but we are the means of bringing them to faith, by our obedience in sharing the Gospel with them which is “the power of God unto salvation for all those who believe,” regardless of race, class, or gender.

Romans 1:16 – 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. NASB

In fact, right in the middle of Paul’s definitive teaching about the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in salvation (Romans 8-11), he clearly tells us of our great responsibility to be the means that God uses by preaching the Gospel.

Romans 10:12-15 – 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; 13 for “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” NASB

In fact, it is because God has elected people from every tribe and language that we are guaranteed some level of success in evangelism. Consider these words from John Stott from his commentary on Ephesians pg 48 in regard to this matter….. “Let no one say . . . that the doctrine of election by the sovereign will and mercy of God, mysterious as it is, makes either evangelism or faith unnecessary. The opposite is the case. It is only because of God’s gracious will to save that evangelism has any hope of success and faith becomes possible. The preaching of the gospel is the very means that God has appointed by which he delivers from blindness and bondage those whom he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world, sets them free to believe in Jesus, and so causes his will to be done.” Therefore it is important for us to grasp the concept that it is God working in the hearts of those He is calling to salvation who will eventually respond to our preaching and be saved. We cannot convince anyone to be saved apart from God’s work in regeneration. This is because the natural man does not receive and CANNOT understand the things of God apart from regeneration. Only the Christian has received the Spirit of God and with Him the supernatural ability to “know the things freely given to us by God.”

1 Corinthians 2:12-15 – 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. NASB

This is why it is often so difficult for us to persuade and convince people of their need to be saved. It is also what we pray for when we ask God to save people. We are asking for God to regenerate them and give them the gift of faith by the power of the Spirit so that they can believe and be saved. This what Jesus meant when He said to Nicodemus, “unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3– 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  NASB

Furthermore, this is why we receive so much resistance when telling people the Gospel. To people who God is not calling to faith, they have no ability in their natural selves to receive or understand the things of God and the Scripture says that “the word of the cross is foolishness to them.” Therefore God must enable them by regeneration in order to have this supernatural ability. This is how God works out salvation in people’s lives by the effectual calling of the Spirit. For more on this topic see the following….

·         Natural Inability – http://www.heavenslight.org/salvation/Natural_Inability.pdf

·         Regeneration – http://www.heavenslight.org/salvation/Regeneration_2007.pdf

·         Effectual Calling – http://www.heavenslight.org/salvation/Effectual_Calling.pdf

Consider how clearly this matter is stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 where Paul gives us some definitive statements about God’s Sovereignty in Salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 – 18 For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, 29 that no man should boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” NASB

Consider what is meant by the phrase in verse 18 …. “the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Paul is here making a distinction between two kinds of people, those who are “perishing” and those who are “being saved.” But consider how he describes the distinction between them. The person who is perishing thinks “the word of the cross (that is, the Gospel) is foolishness,” and to the one who is “being saved” it is the “power of God.” He continues to draw this out in the following verses stating that “the world through its wisdom did not come to know God.” This is to say that it is not a matter of intellectual assent to some common facts about knowing God, for if it were, the world could come to know God simply be reasoning about the facts. He points out that the message indeed does seem like “foolishness” to the world and it is through this “foolish message” that God is “well pleased to save those who believe.” Then in verse 24, he makes the key distinction between those who “perish” and those who are “being saved.” He describes those who are “being saved” as “the called” and explains that to them “Christ is both the power and the wisdom of God.” He then goes on to describe that the “calling” of the “brethren” is not because they were “wise, mighty, noble, or strong” but instead that “God has chosen” the “foolish, weak, base and despised” things of the world in order to “nullify” the wisdom of men so that “no man should boast before God.” In summary, God has chosen those whom He saves and does affect that salvation in their life by a “calling” to salvation that causes them to see Christ as wisdom and power, granting them an ability that worldly people who are “wise, mighty, noble and strong” do not have. His point is that God saves the “foolish, weak, base and despised” in order to show that it is “by His doing” that people are “in Christ Jesus.” This is his summary point of this passage in verse 30, “but by His doing you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God.” By God’s sovereign grace has He called those who are being saved, and He has done this in such a way as to nullify the world’s wisdom with the foolish word of the cross in order to close the mouth of boasting men, so that no one can boast about salvation but rather only give praise to God for what He has done to save. Therefore he reasons, “let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” verse 30. People do not come to Christ by wise intellectual assent but rather by God’s divine calling to salvation which opens eyes to see Christ as His wisdom and power to save. In fact, in the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians chapter 2 Paul is explaining this point, making it clear that the only way we come to know and accept the depths and things of God, namely Christ and Him crucified, is by the power of the indwelling Spirit who gives us a supernatural ability to understand and know the things freely given to us by God. This truth about God’s sovereignty in salvation is a common theme in the entire Bible and a key to understanding how evangelism and the Gospel work in order to save those who God is calling to salvation. We cannot discern who they are, we only know as they respond with supernatural power and understanding of Christ as Savior. Therefore it is this understanding that we seek to give them by the message of the “word of the cross,” that is, the Gospel. And to this understanding we all pray. Consider what it is that you pray for when you pray for someone to be saved? And if it be by the power of intellectual assent that people are saved, why do you beseech God for this? For if it be true that it is just a matter of intellectual assent verses divine enablement, then it is simply a matter of your persuasive words in order to bring them to faith by the “wisdom of the world.” Of this fact Paul speaks explaining that he did not use “superiority of speech or of wisdom,” that his “preaching and his message were not with persuasive words of wisdom” but rather he simply presented “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 – And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

NASB

This is because people come to believe by the power of divine enablement (effectual calling) not by being persuaded to some intellectual assent unto the glory of the cross by superior speech. But even as we consider this, we all know the folly of it, because it is only by divine enablement that anyone comes to know God and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ with saving faith, because saving faith is the gift of God and no one can employ it until it be given to them by God. Of this fact of divine enablement (regeneration & effectual calling) the Bible speaks clearly.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; NASB

Matthew 13:11 – 11 And He answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. NASB

John 6:44 – 44 “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. NASB

John 6:65 – 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.” NASB

Acts 16:14 – 14 And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.  NASB

Romans 8:28-30 – 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. NASB

1 Peter 1:3 – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, NASB

James 1:18 – 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures. NASB

Therefore as we consider the Gospel and evangelism it is important to understand that it is God that saves those whom He has called by the power of His Spirit at work within them. And it is our privilege to participate in this supernatural work by simply presenting Christ Jesus and Him crucified to people and helping them by explaining the simple facts of the Gospel to them. It is God then, that “causes them to be born again” by “the exercise of His will” as He “opens their heart to respond” to the things that we tell them. We then can rest even in the face of resistance and opposition to the Gospel because we are simply the means of bringing the message and they do not come by our superior speech or fancy words of worldly wisdom but rather by power of God’s Spirit in regeneration. This confidence then in God’s purpose and will should help us to be both bold and patient with those to whom we witness of God’s saving work in Christ. It is our responsibility to be a witness, but it is not our responsibility to save anyone because that is God’s work. Therefore let us simply present Christ and Him crucified and leave the results to God.

 

 

This teaching is a part of a 18 month series called “The Savior, The Cross, and The Gospel” ….

 

See the Outline here….. http://www.abqhcf.com/lessons/08-09/handouts/abc/Brochure-08-09.pdf

 

This teaching can be heard on audio here:  

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/08-09/abc/05-03-2009_SundaySchool.mp3

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life