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The Gift that Keeps on Giving! Part V | |
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We have established that there will be a separation of good and evil. We have also established that once that separation takes place, evil will experience the wrath of God. We have also looked at some lists of characteristics deserving punishment. Maybe you are saying to yourself, "I'm not a bad person. God has to let me into heaven." Are you sure? Let's see what the Bible has to say. (Hover you mouse curser over the scripture references to read the verses.) Instructions for the Last Days: 1. Who deserves the wrath of God? Everyone! for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death
2. Not everyone is a bad person…what makes them a sinner? Sin is disobedience to God's Word. Example: Adam and Eve And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life
3. I don't live in the Garden of Eden…what does God command of me? In Old Testament times, the people who served God lived by the Law. Just like in our judicial system, if you break the law and get caught (God, our judge, sees and knows everything by the way), you have to pay the consequence for your actions. The law of the Old Testament is very extensive. In the Bible, it covers four books - 10% of the Old Testament. It instructed the people how to live in every area of their lives including religion, diet, hygiene, politics, legal systems, moral issues, military and society. No matter how extensive, this is what God expected of them (and us). He wants us to be like Him. Leviticus 11:45; Leviticus 19:2; He also makes it clear that if we are guilty of just one thing, we are guilty of the whole law. Mt 5:19-20; An important thing to notice here is that God wants to be involved in every area of our lives not just the spiritual. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
"Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.'"
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4. I don't know the law. How do I know if I have broken it? Most of us at least know the Ten Commandments. It is a small part of the law. Look at the list and see how you have done. I can tell you that I have broken not just one or two but all ten of these commandments. You shall have no other gods before me.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
...and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.
If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.
You shall not murder.
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court. But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire.
You shall not commit adultery.
You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
You shall not steal.
My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
5. Who is good enough to do all that? No one! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;"
Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded."
6. So I am a sinner, separated from God, on my way to hell…What do I do now? Good News! God desires to be reunited with everyone, so He provided a way for that to happen! We established that the price for our sin is death. Romans 6:23 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death."
But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
The death he died, he died to sin once for all;
7. If Jesus died for us, than I have nothing to worry about…right? Not exactly. He did die for everyone, but not everyone will be saved. Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
8. How do I receive this gift? You have already taken the first step! Read on! Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" - and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen.
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Like Adam, they have broken the covenant-they were unfaithful to me there.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past (New Living Translation)
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
9. That's it? It's too easy. Don't I have to do something good or something? No…not to be saved. John 6:29 That's the whole point. We are not good enough and no matter how hard we try, we will never be good enough to earn or deserve salvation ourselves. Ephesians 2:8-9 Grace is a gift. If someone has a birthday, they don't go and buy their own gifts. They invite guests who bring the gifts. We invite Jesus to our house (heart), and He brings the gift. That's why Jesus died for us. It isn't about what we have done; it's all about what He did. 2 Corinthians 5:21 When God looks at us now, He no longer sees the person that we were. He sees the righteousness of Jesus. Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent."
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
10. Now that I'm saved…it's back to life as usual? No. Being saved is actually entering into a relationship with God. After a wedding, do the bride and groom go back to life as usual? No. They begin a new life together. They spend time together, and get to know each other intimately. They learn about each other, so they can know how to please each other as well as live in harmony together. It is the same with God. We get to know Him by spending time with Him in prayer and reading His word. Psalm 119:15-16 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
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We were made to be in relationship with God. Unfortunately, we messed that up. Fortunately, God loves us so much that He made a way to restore our relationship with Him. He stands with open arms ready to forgive and forget. Once the relationship is restored, He wants to bless us in every way. We must first make the choice. He will not force a relationship with us. What will your choice be? If you are not sure how to take the first step, I have included a prayer. You can say this prayer, or you can use your own words. Just tell God what is in your heart. Let Him know that you want Him to be a part of your life. Thank him for making a way for you to come to Him for forgiveness. He is listening and very ready to hear from you. Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven for me. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins, and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation, and I accept your free gift of eternal life.If you just said this prayer, please contact us (423-887-5901) and let us know. If you don't want to call, e-mail us or at least tell someone. You have just received the greatest gift you could ever receive. It doesn't end there though. He not only came to give us life, but he came so we could have peace and joy in this life. It is very important that you jump right into the word to learn more about the great things Jesus has for you. You are welcome to visit our church if you live in the area. If not find somewhere to attend regularly. You will need the support of other believers. Just make sure that you get into the word. There are so many things available to you as a believer, but unless you learn about them in God's word, you may never experience them in your life. I prayed the prayer and Jesus has forgiven my sin. Now what should I be doing? This might be good for some people, but I am doing fine on my own. One last thing to think about... | |
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