Are You Worthy of Salvation

Are You Worthy of Salvation

Are we worthy of salvation? There is a sense in which we are and a sense in which we are not. One is not worthy in the sense that he cannot earn his salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). In that sense, one will never be worthy. However, we are worthy in that God paid the price for our salvation. That price was the blood of His Son, and it was high, but God certainly thought that it was worth it, and in that sense, we are worthy (1 Peter 1:18-19). In this sense, when we do what God commands, even under difficult circumstances, he says that we are worthy (Revelation 3:4). And if God says a person is worthy, then he is worthy, even though, that worthiness did not originate from him but from God.Worthy of Salvation

Forgiveness of sins is similar. Romans 4:8 says, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” If the Lord says, my sins are forgiven, then they are forgiven, even though ultimately, that forgiveness does not originate from me, but God (i.e. I don’t forgive myself). The result is as if I never had any sins to begin with. That doesn’t mean I never sinned, but from the Lord’s perspective, He chooses to see it that way (Colossians 1:22).

I could say that because I have sinned, I am not worthy (Luke 15:21), but the good Father who loves his children says, “Don’t say such things. You are my son. I love you, and I say you are worthy (2 Thessalonians 1:11), not because of what YOU have done, but because of who I AM and what I have done for you.” As far as the Father is concerned, we are worthy, and that’s the final word.

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The Invisible God

The Invisible God

One of God’s attributes is that He is invisible. Paul wrote, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17). John wrote, “No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12). He is the “invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

This attribute of invisibility is not trivial. God is invisible on purpose! Hebrews 11:3 states, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” God desired to be invisible from the beginning of the creation. He placed a “veil” between earth and heaven. This was illustrated in the tabernacle by a veil between the holy and most holy place (Exodus 26:33, Hebrews 9:3). Hebrews 6:19 says God’s presence is behind a veil. Why this obscurity?

God wants us to have faith in Him. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). God has established a contrast between our five senses and Himself. In other words, between Him and me. The five senses are limited to the present. They cannot confirm the past; they cannot predict the future. But He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 1:8, Isaiah 44:6). Will I trust my limited self over the unlimited God? That’s the question Abraham wrestled with when he offered Isaac. We wrestle with it daily. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Visible self, or invisible God. Who will we believe?

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Praying During the Sermon

Praying During the Sermon

In a recent evangelistic sermon, I heard David Sproule speak to those assembled and told them that he had been praying specifically for them. As I listened, I thought of the great impact it would have if every Christian did this. At that point of the sermon, I began to pray the same prayer.

Have we not all sung, “While we pray and while we plead; while you see your soul’s deep need; will you not my brother come?” However, is this true? How often do we sing these words, telling the lost who are in the assembly that we are praying and pleading with them to respond? Is it possible that we may never have been praying that the lost might respond and told them that is precisely what we were doing?

That decision made it so much easier to follow what was being said. I began to listen to the message from the viewpoint of the lost and in my prayers I became part of their lives.

When the church began, they were forbidden to preach or teach anyone about Jesus. It had to be exciting as they had seen the church grow into thousands of members. Consider what they did. They came together to pray for those who were teaching others, that they might boldly present God’s message (Acts 4:32). Can you imagine how this impacted those who prayed, whenever they next listened to the gospel being preached to the lost?

Almost every preacher has had to deal with those who listen to the sermon to find some misspoken word. Every week, when they exit, they usually tell the preacher how he could have improved the lesson. When individuals do this week after week you wonder how much they are truly worshiping during the preaching of the sermon. Constructive criticism is so helpful, but constant critiques of every sermon is so discouraging.

On the other hand, those comments and private emails are one of the greatest joys. Words like: “Thank you for this lesson, it really helped me”; “Thank you for the way you used the Bible, I am a better person because I heard it”; “I want you to know that I was praying for you today”; “Thank you. My friend was not here to hear this message, but I am sending a copy of it.”

Be honest. Be sincere. Be that person like Barnabas who helped Paul so much, but he did not have to be in the forefront to encourage.

So let me suggest you just do what I did.  Pray for the preacher and the lost during a sermon. It changed me. So, when he preaches a lesson directed to Christians, do not pray for others, pray for yourself!

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Babbling or Building?

Babbling or Building?

The creator of the world became flesh and lived as a man upon the earth.  During his time as a man, He lived in a manner which was obedient to God in both word and deed.  The significance of His life reached its pinnacle in His sacrifice for the sins of mankind as He willingly allowed himself to be crucified, taking on the punishment of the sins of all mankind from Adam forward.  He had been building, not babbling. His sacrifice demonstrated that God is just, merciful, and righteous.  Jesus, resurrected from death, following three days and nights in the grave, appeared to many and before His apostles He affirmed the promise of the Father, that the Holy Spirit would come, teach them, and bring to their remembrance all things Jesus had taught them.  In this final action, Jesus initiated the building of His Church to all mankind.  The gathering of mankind in Christ is the first such action by God since He separated them at Babel.  Four things existed during that early period of time following the flood that are essential for men to be recognized as the Church of God today: Cohesion, Communication, Commitment, Creator.

Cohesion is the characteristic of being united. In the era of Genesis 11, the people of the world were united in their mind, speech, and actions.  Unity is a beneficial characteristic in relationships and endeavors to accomplish most tasks.  Who wants disfunction and division within a family?  No one!  The result is pain, suffering, and alienation.  Not just temporarily, but potentially permanently.  Who wants a coworker who sabotages the work of his crew?  Objectives are not achieved, tempers flare, injuries, or death are possible.  Who wants a Church whose members fight, struggle to hold power, or whose interests are all about self rather than the whole body?  Unity is the absence of these troubles.  It is the working together with one another in a way that maximizes success.  This was the mindset of those people in the Land of Shinar who embarked upon building a tower unto the heavens – that which we call the “Tower of Babel”.

A man dying of thirst wants a glass of water.  A “good Samaritan” wants to be able to help.  The two of them have to be able to communicate to be able to express and understand the need of the dying man to obtain water.  The men of the early world were able to unite because they were able to communicate.  They all spoke the same language.  They journeyed together and dwelt in the same place.  They communicated and agreed upon the goal of building a tower to the heavens so they could have a memorial/marker for themselves.  The purpose of this was so they would never be scattered upon the earth.  Communication is critical in so many aspects of our lives.  Within the Church, it ranks near the top.  The gospel is spread by the foolishness of preaching.  Faith is built by hearing the Word.  Forgiveness/reconciliation is sought and given through communication.  Adherence to truth is eased when communication is understood and emphasized as a necessity.

Of course, people can be of the same mind and be able to communicate their concerns, desires, wishes, goals, etc.  However, if they are not committed to work to completion what they wish to accomplish or avoid then they will fail.  They will not be building, but merely babbling.  Building a tower to the heavens is an enormous task.  If everyone thinks it is a great idea, but no one is willing to work, then the plan will fail.  This was what happened with the Temple wall in Jerusalem when Nehemiah went to rebuild it.  For years, the people thought it was a good idea to have a wall… but it wasn’t built.  When Nehemiah got the people engaged and they had a mind to work, they built the wall in 52 days.  In 70 AD, when the Romans of one mind and commitment built a siege wall around Jerusalem, they did so in 3 days.  In regard to the Church, congregations are shrinking and disappearing across America because though everyone has communicated, they want to see the Church grow, few are committed engaging in the behavior to make it so.  Their words were just babbling.

Cohesion, communication, commitment, these three attributes make it hard for any plan or effort to fail.  However, those at Babel know why they failed.  Their plans were broken and the people were scattered because they did not revere the Creator and seek to obey His command to be fruitful and multiply throughout the world.  Their desire was to be in one place.  They were working against God’s Will.  Gamaliel spoke of this same type of behavior in Acts 5 before the Sanhedrin when they sought to stop the apostles sharing the gospel.  The bottom line, if it is of God, they could not overthrow it and even worse they would be found trying to fight against God.  In the realm of the behavior and attitudes of the Church, they may choose to worship in various manners, teach popular doctrines, and appeal to the masses, but if they are not following the pattern established by God, they are mere babbling and will be judged as lacking by God’s very Word.

The Church Christ established is cohesive, communicative, committed, and reverent to the Creator’s Will.  They properly acknowledge the failures of mankind from Adam, to Babel, to Israel, to those playing church today.  The yoke Christ put upon the Church is easy and His burden is light. All the teaching we have ever needed is before us in the written Mind of God.  Let us in a united mind and effort proclaim the Gospel of Salvation to a dying world so that we might Honor our mighty God.

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Saved by Grace of Saved by Works?

Saved by Grace of Saved by Works?

Many people believe that religion is just about morality. In that vein, they will make statements like, “All religions are the same; one is no better than the other. They all teach the same morality, so what difference does it make which one I believe?” First, they do not all teach the same morality, but even if they did, they still would not be the same because of the differences in doctrine. Is there one God, or many? Is God a person, or impersonal? Can we have a relationship with Him, or is He unrelatable? Did Jesus die on the cross or does it not matter as long as we are moral? Are we saved by grace, or by works? These are doctrinal questions, yet they are impactful.saved by grace

Are we saved by grace or by works? The answer to this question separates Christianity from all other world religions. Christianity alone teaches salvation by grace. All other world religions teach salvation by merit/works. Under the works-based scheme of salvation, all it takes is 51% good deeds. 49% of a person’s life may be evil, and he still be saved because all that matters is the number of good works verses the number of bad works. Islam, mainline Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and every other world religion teaches this. Christianity alone says contrary (Ephesians 2:8).

What happens when you get to 75% evil and 25% good? Do you work to balance out? Do you give up? You can’t start over. There are no second chances. Or what if you end life at 51% evil and 49% good? You were so close, but eh, too bad because you crossed the line one too many times. Oh, but someone says, “I’m at 10% evil and 90% good.” Is there a temptation to sin a little more because you have the “credit” so to speak? Such a system does not encourage morality, but immorality. Doctrine makes a difference!

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