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Genesis 1:6-8

⁶ “And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”

As the Lord allows, I will continue our study of Genesis Chapters 1 – 11 this coming Lord’s Day morning with a sermon from these three verses. While these verses seem to give us only minute detail about God’s creating work, they are indeed very important to understanding creation because they reveal truth in two areas that are often overlooked.

First, they clearly explain how humans and animals lived for nearly 1,000 years before the Flood!

Second, they answer the question about dinosaurs! People often ask how dinosaurs grew to be so large and why they disappeared. These verses lay the foundation for understanding the answers to both questions.

These three verses show us both how and why God created the earth of literally be a, “Greenhouse.” They also demonstrate – as does all of Creation – God’s love and His original plan for the blessing of this planet and for HIS people.

I also hope to show you the four key lessons we see in these verses by finding the answers to four simple questions:

1. What was God’s original plan for earth and will that plan ever come to fruition?

2. What went wrong?

3. What lies ahead in the future for the earth and its inhabitants?

4. What is God doing on this fallen and broken earth in the meantime?

I hope you will take time this week to read over, pray over, and think through these verses in light of these four questions as you prepare yourself to hear the Word of God again this Sunday.

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and family and friends by your side!

Genesis 1:1

¹ “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

 Of course He did! He had to! There is NO OTHER reasonable, logical, or scientifically rational possibility of how the things that now exist came to exist. None! Science, almost from its beginning, has been based upon, (and, in fact has demanded) a logical, rational, application of empirical evidence to the known laws of the universe.

Let me say that again… Science, almost from its beginning, has been based upon, (and, in fact has demanded) a logical, rational, application of empirical evidence to the known laws of the universe.

So now, (at least since the mindless acceptance of Darwinian evolutionary theory) logic, rationality, and the application of empirical evidence has been thrown out the window in order to escape the patently obvious scientific FACT that “Out of nothing, nothing comes!” The Latin for that, (I knew you would want to know) is “Ex Nihilo, Nihil Fit.” This was, in fact, first argued by the Greek philosopher Parmenides around 550BC.

Hear me! It does not take a Greek Philosopher to know that “out of nothing nothing comes.” The very word “nothing” is simply a contraction of the words, “no thing.” That is exactly what nothing is… “no thing.”

Technically, it is a grammatical error – as well as a scientific error – to say the words, “nothing is” since “is” is the third person singular present tense of the verb to be; which, nothing is not, because it is “no thing!”

Any elementary school kid educated in the Atwood-Hammond School District; the Arthur-Lovington School District; the Arcola School District; the Tuscola School district; the Arthur Christian School; or, Homeschooled by one of our godly families, knows enough science to know that “out of nothing nothing comes.”

Nothing multiplied by any possible amount of time still equals nothing! Here’s an experiment for you: put nothing in a jar, seal the lid, and let it set for a billion years or so and then look to see what is in the jar!

WAIT! WE CANNOT DO THAT! IF THERE WAS “NOTHING”… WE COULD NOT HAVE THE JAR; WE COULD NOT HAVE THE LID; WE COULD NOT HAVE THE YEARS OF TIME; AND, THERE WOULD NOT BE ANYONE TO LOOK IN THE JAR!

As Dr. R.C. Sproul loves to point out, “If there had ever been a time when “nothing” existed, then nothing would exist today because out of “nothing” nothing comes!”

Here I am again… stuck in a grammatical trap. It is both grammatically and scientifically incorrect to say that “nothing would exist” because nothing is “no thing” has no being; therefore, “no thing” cannot exist. It is scientifically impossible for nothing to exist. If “nothing” did exist then you could not mix it with “anything” because if “nothing” is what existed then “anything” could not exist to be mixed with “nothing” in order to evolve into “something!”

I am getting a headache. I imagine I am giving you one as well.

Beloved Ones, this is what not only passes for “science” today – it is the sacred altar upon which almost all secular academia stands!

This is even true in “so-called” Christian Universities. In July of 2000, Baylor University in Waco, Texas, dismissed Dr. William Dembski for suggesting that “Intelligent Design” (which is not – by the way – a full-fledged endorsement of Creationism) be allowed to be mentioned in their science classes.

So, how do we explain how everything that exists came to exist?

Good question! The answer can be stated in two scientifically rational and unchangeable laws:

#1: In John 17:17, Jesus said of the Bible, “Your Word is Truth.”

#2: There are NO EXCEPTIONS to #1!

Therefore, since Jesus said the Bible is truth; and, since there are no exceptions to that; and, since Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” ergo: everything that exists came to exist because: in the beginning of Creation, the One True Living God of the Christian Bible created everything that exists!

Just to be clear, let me say that again…

Everything that exists came to exist because: in the beginning of Creation, the One True Living God of the Christian Bible created everything that exists!!

Let’s examine our text:

“In the beginning”

These three English words, “In the beginning” are a translation of a single Hebrew word, “Berasheth.” This speaks of the beginning of Creation. God had no beginning as HE has always existed. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, have existed for all eternity – and will exist for all eternity yet to be.

In his Gospel, The Apostle John tells us that Jesus Christ was; HIMSELF, the Creator of the Universe!

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

The Apostle Paul confirms this in his Epistle to the Colossians!

Colossians 1: 15-17 “He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

“God”

The Hebrew word here is “Elohim.” As you likely already know, this is a compound word with the primary root being “El” which is a Hebrew Name for God; and it has the addition a modifier (“im”) which designates it as a plural noun. It is no accident that when God revealed Himself to Moses as the Creator of Creation HE used the plural noun since HE is indeed a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

As we move along in these verses, we will see that all Three Persons of the Holy Trinity are actively involved in Creation!

“created”

Here we are confronted with a clear Hebrew word: “bara”. It means exactly what its English counterpart means, “to bring into existence.” This word is used 5 times in Genesis 1-5, and a total of 13 times in the Old Testament. Every time it is used, it speaks of God as being the “cause” or “source” of something that exists.

One of the most easily provable and universally accepted so-called “Laws of the Universe” (which – in reality – are nothing more than the outworking of God’s providential decrees) is the Law of Cause and Effect.

This simple law states that “For every cause there must be a corresponding effect; and, for every effect there must be a corresponding cause.”

“Cause and Effect” – we see it every day!

God is the Cause of Creation! HE is; HIMSELF, the Creator! Someone once sincerely asked me, “OK, so what caused God?” Answer? Nothing “caused” God. God is not an “effect” God is a “cause.” In fact, HE is the “First Cause” of everything else!

“Bara” does not mean the same thing as the Hebrew word “asah” which means “to make” something. The difference is that “bara” refers to creating something while “asah” refers to making something new out of something that already exists.

A good illustration would be:

God “created” clay that did not exist before HE created it.

A Potter can “make” pottery out of clay which does exist before he can make anything with it.

So we have it: “Berasheth Elohim bara” “In the beginning God created…”

“the heavens and the earth.”

The usual Hebrew word for “heavens” (and the one used here in Genesis 1:1) is “shamayim.” As we can tell from the “im” ending, it is plural and basically means “heights” or “that which is above.”

The Bible reveals the existence of “Three Heavens” the first being the atmosphere of the earth; (Genesis 1:6-8) the second being the rest of the universe beyond the atmosphere of the earth; (Genesis 1:14-16) and, the third being the Eternal Place where God dwells. (2^nd Corinthians 12:1-5)

On the first day of Creation, God created the atmosphere of the earth and the rest of the Universe.

Consider the glory of God that is seen in HIS Creation:

Psalm 19:1-6 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above1 proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

Consider that the very nature of God is seen in HIS Creation:

Romans 1:18-20 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

The Hebrew word for “earth” is “adamah” which refers to the soil and ground of the earth. It is the basic material from which the soils of the planet are formed.

In the beginning of Creation, the One True and Living God of the Christian Bible, by an act of His Own will, decreed into existence everything that exists other than HIMSELF!

On the First Day of Creation HE created time, space, material, and light. And, HE created everything that exists in six literal days.

Amen.

Mark 10:6-8 “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

First things first!

There are literally dozens of reasons why I and millions of other bible-believers are convinced that God created everything that exists exactly as described in The First Chapter of Genesis; but, the single most important reason that I believe this is that Jesus Christ believed it!

As I get ready to dive into The First Eleven Chapters of Genesis over the next several months, we are going to be dealing with lots of issues that have become very controversial in our Nation; indeed, in the World. I do not think that it will surprise you to learn that my worldview is simply a biblical one.

Rule #1: The Word of God is true!

Rule #2: There are no exceptions to Rule #1!

As our time allows, I am going to point out for you how clearly the Bible reveals that Jesus Christ believed that Genesis, and in fact, all of the Old Testament is absolutely true. I don’t know how far along we will get in this first sermon, but I have seven specific things prepared about which to speak to you on Sunday.

First, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, believed that Genesis was inspired of God; and therefore, completely true!

Second, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, believed that Adam and Eve were real people whom God had created!

Third, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, believed that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were real people!

Fourth, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, believed that Sodom and Gomorrah were real places inhabited by real people whom God had destroyed!

Fifth, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, claimed that Moses, (the human author of Genesis) wrote about HIM!

Sixth, The New Testament has 60 quotes or allusions from Genesis 1-11, and 103 from The Book of Genesis!

Seventh, Since the Lord Jesus Christ believed that Genesis is inspired of God; and, He believed that Adam and Eve were real people that God created; and, He believed that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were real people; and, He believed that Sodom and Gomorrah were real places that God destroyed; and, He believed that Moses actually wrote about Him; THEN, FOR US – OR ANYONE ELSE – TO CLAIM THAT JESUS CHRIST IS EITHER MISTAKEN OR LYING ABOUT THESE FIVE THINGS; AND, TO BELIEVE THIS GODLESS, IGNORANT, ANTI-SCIENTIFIC DOCTRINE OF MATERIALISTIC HUMANISM AND DARWINISTIC EVOLUTION IS NOTHING LESS THAN BLASPHEMY!

These things may take one, or two weeks to work through; but, I believe this basic Christian concept is so vitally important that I hope to take the necessary time to work through them.

REMEMBER: As the LORD allows, this Sunday at 6pm, I will begin a “Survey of The Book of Hebrews.” It certainly will not be done at the same depth of study as I will do in Genesis 1 – 11; but, I will get deep enough that I believe you will learn lots and remain very interested in this amazing New Testament Book!

I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand; a smile on your face; and, your family and friends by your side!

Lanny

It is often said, and I think rightly so, that the “Achilles Heel” of Christianity is the existence and pervasiveness of suffering seen in the world. Suffering and the existence of evil are pressing issues that seem to defy both reason and explanation. Both have been used hundreds of times by unbelievers to deny the possibility of a God existing Who is both perfectly good and all powerful.

Of course, we who know and love the One True and Living God of the Christian Bible, know that HE is indeed both perfectly good and all powerful. But, we still need to, “given an answer to everyone who asks…” of how and why we can and do believe this seeming paradox to be true.

The problem is not that we do not have an answer; the problem is two-fold: first, the answer is not simple; and, second, many Christians do not think through theological issues much and do not know the answer that is clearly given in Scripture.

Well, you have been warned! The answer is neither simple nor short; and, neither will the sermon be this coming Lord’s Day.

The formula for reasoning logically is as follows: fact + fact + fact + fact = logical conclusions. Scholars use their own language here… “ergo, ergo, ergo, sum.” This means: therefore + therefore + therefore = answer (or summary). This is the way I will proceed.

My outline will be: Fact #1 + Fact #2 + Fact #3 + Fact #4 + Fact #5 = God has both “sufficient reasons” and “righteous purposes” for allowing suffering to exist!

While we cannot know all of God’s sufficient reasons and righteous purposes for allowing suffering to exist, HE has chosen to reveal several of them in the Holy Scriptures. The application part of my sermon will consist of eight “Sufficient Reasons and Righteous Purposes” why God allows suffering to exist!

Let me encourage you to do some Scripture reading and thinking! I will give you the verses and you see if you can identify the reasons and purposes that come from those verses…

#1 Ephesians 5:6

#2 Jeremiah 7:12

#3 2^nd Chronicles 6:26-27

#4 John 9:1-3

#5 Philippians 3:7-10

#6 Isaiah 53:10-11

#7 Luke 23:39-43

#8 Acts 7:54-60

I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!

Lanny

Revelation 7:9-12

⁹ “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

As the Lord allows, this coming Lord’s Day morning I will speak on the 5^th of the “5 Solas” of the doctrines of salvation. As we have previously seen, Salvation is From Scripture Alone; By Grace Alone; Through Faith Alone; In Christ Alone; and, this Sunday I will preach that it is… To the Glory of God Alone!

As we consider the salvation we have in Jesus Christ, we see more and more of how simple, and yet multi-faceted it actually is. In our Text this week, we can see three key things about this salvation:

First, God’s gift of salvation to sinners glorifies God by revealing the inclusiveness of it! To the glory of God, heaven will be home to multitudes of saved people from every Nation, people, tribe, and tongue! There is only one requirement to be a candidate for salvation – you must be a sinner!

Second, God’s gift of salvation to sinners glorifies God by revealing the exclusiveness of it! Of course, I realize that this sounds like an immediate contradiction to my first point, but it is not. Let me explain! Salvation is HIS! It is exclusively HIS! It is HIS to give or not to give; it is HIS salvation and HE alone can provide salvation to lost sinners.

Finally, God’s gift of salvation to sinners tells us much about HIM! There are at least six specific things about the Person and Character of God that are demonstrated in the above verses:

– God’s gift of salvation to sinners demonstrates the blessings of God!

– God’s gift of salvation to sinners demonstrates the glory of God!

– God’s gift of salvation to sinners demonstrates wisdom of God!

– God’s gift of salvation to sinners demonstrates the benevolence of God!

– God’s gift of salvation to sinners demonstrates the honor of God!

– God’s gift of salvation to sinners demonstrates the power of God!

It is indeed a humbling thing to know that even our salvation is not about us! Our salvation is really God’s salvation freely given to us in Jesus. It is HIS and it is to HIS glory!

I hope that you will take the time to read through these verses and comments, pray over them, and ask God to speak to you through the sermon this Sunday as you prepare your spirit to hear the preaching of God’s Word.

As my good friend Tom Rains often says, “I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!”

Acts 4:5-12

⁵ “On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. ¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Over the past six months, we have been studying a “Survey of Bible Doctrines.” As the Lord allows, this coming Lord’s Day morning I will bring the 27^th message in the series on the subject, “Salvation is in Christ Alone.”

I hope that you will read over, think over, and pray through these verses and thoughts as you prepare your mind and spirit to hear the Word of God!

I am absolutely convinced that this is the most controversial thing that Christians believe! We do not believe that Jesus is merely “a” way of salvation; or, even that He is merely “the best” way of salvation. We believe that Jesus is the “ONLY” Way of salvation and that apart from HIM, there is no salvation!

This age-old statement of the Christian faith is the penultimate of the “Five Solas” of the Reformation. We have already studied “Sola Scriptura – Salvation is from the Scripture Alone; Sola Gratia – Salvation is by Grace Alone; and, Sola Fide – Salvation is by Faith Alone.”

We believe these – we really believe these! We have, in fact, enshrined them on our “Wall of Faith” in the foyer of our Church!

It is impossible for me to see how anyone can claim to believe the Bible and not believe these five statements. Consider these verses:

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

John 8:23-24 “[Jesus] said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

In the eight verses of our text, I want us to consider three key facts:

First, in verses 5 through 10, we see that Jesus is the source of the Church’s life-changing power!

Second, in verse 11, Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the church is built!

Finally, in verse 12, Jesus is the single, solitary, source of salvation!

The applications to these truths are clear: no one is saved by the teachings of Islam; Judaism; the Buddha; Sikhism; Taoism; Confucianism; Unitarian Universalism; or, secular humanism!

No religion; no religious system; or, any other person or plan can bring one to real salvation. The God of the Christian Bible is the One True and Living God – and only He can save. The “Way” He has chosen to save sinners is from the Scripture Alone; by Grace Alone; through Faith Alone; in Christ Alone; and, His salvation is to the Glory of God Alone!

I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!

Romans 4:1-8

¹ “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. ⁵ And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸ blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

The New Testament word translated “faith” is pistis and it is used (in various forms) three times in this passage:

(4:3) The word translated, “believed” is episteusen (a past tense verb).

(4:5a) The word translated, “trusts” is pisteuonti (a present active verb).

(4:5b) The word translated, “faith” is pistis (the root word; which is a noun).

One of the clearest passages in Scripture to contrast the uses of this word is found in John 2:23-25

²³ “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed (episteusan) in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus on his part did not entrust (episteuen) himself to them, because he knew all people ²⁵ and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.”

So it is very easy to see that what the Bible means when it says we must “believe” in Jesus Christ is that we must “entrust” – or as the King James has it – “commit” ourselves to Him. It is much deeper than the typical and casual use of the word “believe” today.

For example, we “believe” it will rain; meaning we think it will but we are not sure. Or, we “believe” that our favorite sports team is the best of all, when in fact – they may not be.

The Bible does not allow for any such ambiguity! If we claim to “believe” in Jesus Christ we must be convinced about Who He is and What He has done to the point of “committing” our self, our soul, and our eternal future to Him!

Another area of common confusion is the relationship of “faith” and “works.” Let me be clear here – this is vitally important – human works have no part in our salvation. They cannot save us or even assist God in saving us… but, real saving faith in Jesus Christ will ALWAYS produce good works in the life of the person who possesses that faith!

It is a problem of “cause and effect.” Good works are NEVER the cause of anyone’s salvation; but, they are ALWAYS the effect of one’s being saved!

James 2:18 is very helpful here: “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Let me add one additional warning… we are not saved by faith in and of itself! That would be to have “faith in faith.” We are saved by faith in the object of our faith – Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God!

This is really important! It is this doctrine (rightly understood) that separates authentic Bible-believing Christians from all of those who possess a phony faith.

As the Lord allows, when we look at the text this coming Lord’s Day I will build the sermon around a two-point framework: i.e., the Illustrations of Salvation by Faith Alone; and, the Implications of Salvation by Faith Alone!

God, speaking through the Apostle Paul, gives us two illustrations of being saved by faith alone: Abraham and David. The life experiences of these two men could hardly be more different; yet, the Bible reveals that they – like everyone else – were saved by faith and by faith alone!

There are, of course, lots and lots of implications of salvation being by faith alone. I have never heard or read were anyone summarized these better than did the man who discipled me in theology, (by the miracle of video tape) Dr. John H. Gerstner.

Dr. Gerstner lists seven specific implications for those who accept Jesus Christ on the basis of “sola fide” or faith alone:

1. The justified one does “not work.”

2. The justified one “trusts.”

3. The justified one trusts not in himself but in another: “God.”

4. The justified one confesses himself to be “wicked.”

5. The justified one does not have faith in his faith.

6. The justified one sees his faith only as “credited” to him.

7. The justified one sees his faith credited as “righteousness.”

Beloved Ones, as the Lord allows, I will teach through each of these points this coming Lord’s Day morning. I hope you will read over these scriptures and my notes, pray through them, and think through them as you prepare your spirit to hear the Word of God!

I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!

Ephesians 2:1-10

¹ “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ²  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Salvation!

WOW!

“Saved!” What a wondrous and happy thought! As I have been thinking about the second in this series of five sermons on “The Doctrine of Salvation” I am overwhelmed by the very thought of the word… and the idea… let alone the reality of actually, really, certainly being saved.

This is not a difficult concept for me. I have been saved; and, I have been saved at multiple times and in multiple ways.

Huh? Of course, I have only been saved “spiritually” once. But I have had my life saved several times. I have had two serious motorcycle accidents; (I seem to be a slow-learner) I have survived some fairly close calls in Viet Nam; and I have, by the grace of God, survived stage four cancer.

Yesterday, July 29^th, 2013, was the 13^th anniversary of my cancer surgery. As you can imagine, I have spent a lot of time over the past few days thanking God for His intervention and for leading me to Drs. Wall, Sobol, and Elliott whom He used to bring about this “salvation.” Of course I realize that these men and their staffs did not “save” my earthly life, they merely extended it. Nonetheless, I am thankful for these thirteen years and my present good health.

By the grace of God, on November 6^th, 1982, I experienced the new birth. I won’t go into all of my testimony, since almost everyone reading this knows it well, but, I am most thankful of all for that reality in my life!

As I have prepared for my sermon this coming Lord’s Day, I have been again and again moved by the fact of God’s grace. Grace means, “unmerited favor” and you can be sure of this… my salvation was completely unmerited. As was yours.

But, I want to go beyond just this and make it clear that salvation is not only by grace; it is by GRACE ALONE!

Many people are confused by this concept. Many acknowledge that grace is required for salvation, but the reject the idea that God saves sinners by grace apart from any and all works or efforts of the sinner.

I am planning to take time in the introduction to the sermon to explain as clearly as I can that there are only two logical possibilities as to how God will deal with sinners. They will either receive justice from Him, or they will receive non-justice.

Careful here!

There are three categories of non-justice: injustice, mercy, and grace. We can eliminate injustice from the discussion as the Bible clearly says of God, “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!” (Romans 9:14 ESV)

There is no injustice in God. Period. That leaves the two other forms of non-justice, i.e., mercy and grace.

Unsaved sinners will receive perfect justice from God and saved sinners will receive both mercy and grace. Let me explain the distinction between the two:

“Mercy” is when a sinner does not receive what we do deserve for our sins! “Grace” is when a sinner does receive what we do not deserve. Our merciful and gracious God has promised both mercy and grace to all who repent of our sins and believe in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

“Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

Near the end of his earthly life, John Newton (author of Amazing Grace) famously said, “Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” One does not get more theologically profound than that!

Our focal passage clearly provides three great truths about our salvation:

(2:1-5) Sinners are spiritually dead and because we are spiritually dead there is nothing we can do to save ourselves or even assist God in His work of saving us!

(2:6-7) The reason God saves sinners by grace alone is that in the ages to come He will demonstrate the immeasurable riches of His grace! Bad news for the narcissists… even our salvation is not about us; our salvation is about God!

(2:8-10) Sinners who are saved are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone!

Salvation! WOW! “Saved!” What a wondrous and happy thought! As I have been thinking about the second in this series of five sermons on “The Doctrine of Salvation” I am overwhelmed by the very thought of the word… and the idea… let alone the reality of actually, really, certainly being saved.

But, I repeat myself. “WOW!”

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

As the Lord allows, this coming Lord’s Day morning, July 28^th, I will continue my series on Bible Doctrines with the first of five messages on the Doctrines of Salvation!

These five messages will conclude this series. Next, I am planning a series of sermons from the first eleven Chapters of Genesis. I hope you will begin now to read over (and over and over) these Chapters and take note of issues and questions about which you would like to study. You input is always appreciated and will be most welcome.

For this week, I want to focus on “the basic of the basics” about the doctrines of salvation… i.e., that salvation is only found in the Word of God.

Christians have always believed that the Bible is the one and only sufficient guide to God’s plan of salvation. All one needs to know to be saved is contained in the pages of scripture, and what one needs to know to be saved is found nowhere else but in the scripture!

Surely… surely… surely, this is the most vitally important of all Bible Doctrines. Whether or not one is saved is the most important issue in life and how to know the answer to that question is the most important thing one can settle.

And, as the Lord allows, I intend to settle it for you over these coming five weeks.

God’s living and holy Word is infallible and always accomplishes that for which God sends it out. This is true because God chose to decree it to be so. His Word may not always accomplish what you or I want it to do at a particular moment, but it never fails to do what He has decreed that it will do.

The Bible is truth. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Therefore, it is the truth about salvation. If one is to be saved, they must be saved the way the Bible says one must be saved. Or, they will not be saved.

Salvation is a gift of God and cannot be produced, (or even helped along) by human works. We cannot earn God’s favor, His mercy, His grace, or salvation.

He has decreed to save His people and the way He has chosen to do that is by exposure to His Word. When God decreed anything, He decreed it and the means by which it will come to pass. This is also true of salvation.

And the means by which He has chosen to save sinners is that they come to hear the plan of salvation given in Scripture.

In our focal passage, please carefully and prayerfully think through three specific ideas: God’s Plan, Promise, and Process of saving sinners.

Pray that the Lord will use this sermon to bring unsaved people to saving faith and to give life-long assurance of salvation to those of us who already know Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

1 John 1:6-10 ⁶ “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Upon further reflection, I have decided to extend my series of doctrinal sermons on “Sin” to deal with a major issue for every Christ-follower: “How can I deal with the real and present problem of my own sins?” Therefore, as the Lord allows, this coming Lord’s Day morning I will address this very subject. What can the truly regenerated person do about the abiding presence of sin in our body and the many times that we give in to temptation?

No truly converted person wants to sin, yet we all do. Therein is our dilemma.

Someone (long ago) said, “No believer in this world will ever be sinless, but we can all sin less!” I don’t know who said that, but she or he was one wise person! As I have thought this through this week, I have written down five specific things that bear upon this situation:

1. A truly regenerated person does not have to sin, but we do still sin!

2. Christians sin when we do not do what we are commanded to do!

3. Christians sin when we do what we are commanded to not do!

4. Christians sin because while our sin nature is gone, our sinful flesh remains!

5. The fact that Christians still sin is one of the primary reasons that lost people reject Jesus!

Many non-believers find this unimaginable. They think that someone who knows Jesus should be perfect and when they discover that we most certainly are not perfect, they determine that we are all “hypocrites” and they have been right all along in their thinking that there is nothing real to all of this “religious” stuff.

I am even going to take a few moments for my favorite Latin phrase, “simul justus et peccator.” Don’t panic… I will explain this simple phrase and how vitally important it is!

*That is at least one of my two favorite Latin phrases; the other being, “Ecclesia reformata, et semper reformanda” but that is a whole different sermon… ;>)

For now, let me get back to the issues at hand: overcoming our sins!

As I look to the Scriptures, (and this sermon will have about as many different passages of Scripture as I have ever used in one sermon) I find several very clear and helpful truths about our problem.

First, we must “Realize the Reality” of the fact that true believers do actually (and continually) sin!

Second, we must “Remember the Results” that come from the sins in our life!

Third, we must “Recognize the Risk” at which we place ourselves if we refuse to confess and forsake our sins!

Fourth, we must “Reflect on the Response” that the Lord commands of us if we are to indeed win the battle with our sins!

Fifth and finally, we must “Resolve to Respond” in the right and Biblical way to the reality of our sins!

At first, the concept of a “sinning Christian” sounds like a contradiction in terms – and it ought to be so – but, the reality is that this phrase is actually redundant. To be a Christian is to be a sinner both before and after salvation.

Is that true? “Simul justus et peccator!”

I hope you will read over our focal passage in 1^st John. I hope you will think through and pray through those verses and these thoughts as you prepare your mind and spirit to both hear and respond to God’s Word this week!

As my dear friend Tom Rains so often says, “I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!”