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Among many other things, here are 12 things JESUS accomplished on the cross…

Psalm 22:1-21

SERMON – “WHAT DID JESUS ACCOMPLISH ON THE CROSS?”

1. HE demonstrated God’s passionate love for sinners!

Cf. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

2. HE demonstrated God’s passionate hatred of sin!

Cf. Romans 1:18  “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

Cf. Jude 14-15
¹⁴ “It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Cf. Mark 9:43-48
⁴³ “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.  ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’”

3. He suffered the righteous wrath that God had both “decreed” and “stored up” for the sins of his people!

Cf. Isaiah 53:4-6
⁴ “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.  ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

4. HE fulfilled dozens specific of prophecies!

– Genesis 3 “His heel wounded by the serpent – crushed serpent’s head”

– Isaiah 53 “Rejected by men”

– Psalm 22 “Forsaken by God”

– Psalm 22 “Thirsty”

– Psalm 22 “Garments divided”

– Psalm 41 “Betrayed by a close friend”

– Zechariah 11 “Sold for 30 pieces of silver”

– Mark 8 “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by men”

– John 1 “His own people did not receive HIM”

5. HE fulfilled all of the typological feasts and sacrifices of the Old Testament!

* The Seven Annual Feasts:

– Passover (Lamb of God; Salvation of HIS people; destruction of HIS enemies)

– Unleavened Bread (without sin; Body broken)

– First Fruits (Resurrection from the dead)

– Pentecost (Coming of the Holy Spirit)

– Trumpets (Rapture of the Church)

– Day of Atonement (Great High Priest) – Tabernacles (Millennial Kingdom)

* The Five Temple Sacrifices:

– Burnt Offering (God’s judgment on sin)

– Grain Offering (Bread of life)

– Peace Offering (Peace of God)

– Sin Offering (Forgiveness of our sins – what we do)

– Trespass/Guilt Offering (Forgiveness of our sinfulness – what we are)

6. HE died in order to satisfy the righteous demands of the Law!

Cf. Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.”

Cf. James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law   but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”

7. HE propitiated God for the offense of our sins against HIM!

Cf. 1^st John 2:1-2
¹ “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Cf. Isaiah 53:10-11
¹⁰ “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”

8. HE became sin for God’s people so that we would become the righteous of God in HIM!

2^nd Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

9. HE made it possible for God to both be just and still justify sinners!

Cf. Romans 3:23-26
²³ “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

10. HE saved a criminal who was in the final moments of his life!

Cf. Luke 23:39-43
³⁹ “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  

11. HE provided for the care of HIS Mother!

Cf. John 19:26-27
²⁶ “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

12. HE set the stage for the absolute undeniability of HIS physical and bodily resurrection from the dead!

Cf. John 19:33-34
³³ “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.”

Cf. Revelation 1:12-18
¹² “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵ his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.           ¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

UNDERSTANDING THE EPISTLE OF 1^st JOHN – SERMON #5 “JESUS”

INTRODUCTION:

1. John begins this Epistle by declaring to the reader that he, himself, has personally seen and come to know the LORD Jesus personally; therefore, this Epistle is a first-person personal testimony!

(1:1-3)

(1) “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—(2) the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—(3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 

2. John was called to become a disciple of Jesus while working as a fisherman with his brother James!

Matthew 4:18-22

(18) “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. (19) And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (20) Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (21) And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. (22) Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

3. He came to be one of the “inner circle” of Jesus’ disciples! (7x)

Matthew 17:1 “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.”

Mark 5:35-37

(35) “While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (36) But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” (37) And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.”

4. In his Gospel, John refers to himself as, “the disciple Jesus loved…”

5. At the LORD’s Supper, John was seated next to Jesus and leaned against HIM! John 13:23 “There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.” (NASB)

In First John, he mentions the Name of Jesus 11 times!

EXPOSITION:

Jesus Christ is the SON of the FATHER!

1^st John 1:3 “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

1^st John 4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

1^st John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have fellowship with HIM!

1st John 1:3 “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses HIS People from all sin!

1^st John 1:7 “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.”

Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”

Hebrews 9:11-12

(11) “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) (12) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 9:22 “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Jesus is the advocate for HIS People!

1^st John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

*advocate: “parakletos” * a counselor, intercessor, helper, one called alongside for defense.

Theo Note: This word appears only 5x in the Bible. Here, where it applies to Jesus, and in John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7 where it is applied to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the Christ!

1^st John 2:22 “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”

Everyone everywhere is commanded to believe in Jesus Christ and not believing in HIM is the sin that sends people to hell!

1^st John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”

John 8:24 “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

Jesus Christ has come to earth in a human body!

1^st John 4:2-3

(2) “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, (3) and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”

Those who believe in Jesus Christ overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil!

1^st John 5:5 “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Jesus Christ is the true GOD and the ONE and ONLY source of eternal life!

1^st John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

First John 2:1-6

(1) “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

(3) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

These are the Words of the LORD!

Thanks be to GOD for HIS Word!

INTRODUCTION:

The word “abide” appears 36 times in the Bible and 25 of those 36 times it appears in The epistle of First John!

The word “abide” is from the Greek verb meno “meno” which means “to stay” or “to remain.” It is a “present tense” “indicative” “active voice” verb!

“Present tense” In Greek and in English, this indicates a continuing action!

“indicative” In Greek and in English, this indicates a simple statement that reflects reality.

“Active voice” In Greek and in English, indicates that the subject of the statement is doing the action. (Cf. 2:6 “The one who says…”)

Literally – “The one who says he abides in Christ ought to continually walk just as Christ walked.”

EXPOSITION:

FIRST, Abiding in Christ refers to how we behave in this life!

1^st John 2:6 “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

1^st John 2:10 “Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.”

1^st John 3:6 ‘No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”

1^st John 3:9 “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”

1^st John 3:24a “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.”

1 John 4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

Theological Note: “confesses” is in the active voice, which means to continually confess. It is not “whoever confessed” but “whoever confesses…”

1^st John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

SECOND, abiding in Christ is the key source of our assurance of our salvation!

1^st John 2:17 “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

NOTE: This is the epitaph on D. L. Moody’s tombstone!

1^st John 2:24 “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.”

1^st John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.”

THIRD, we can abide in GOD because HIS Word abides in us!

1^st John 2:14 “I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

FOURTH, the HOLY SPIRIT abides in those who abide in Christ!

1^st John 2:27 “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie–just as it has taught you, abide in him.”

1^st John 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

FIFTH, loving GOD’s people is a clear indication that we are abiding in GOD and HE is abiding in us!

1^st John 3:14a “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

1^st John 3:17 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

1^st John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

SIXTH, First John also includes a warning… a person who does not abide in Christ is abiding in death!

1^st John 3:14 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

“UNDERSTANDING THE EPISTLE OF FIRST JOHN                                

Sermon 2: ‘THAT WE MAY KNOW!’”

INTRODUCTION:

Last November and December, I asked if anyone in the Church had suggestions as to what I should preach about beginning the New Year. I was given several suggestions and so far, I have preached on the Names of GOD, the Names of Jesus, the Names of the Holy Spirit. Angels, Did GOD Die, and today we come to the second of several sermons taken from The Epistle of First John.

Last week, I began this series by giving my personal testimony since the LORD used This Book to bring me to saving faith in Jesus!

As you know, my practice over the past twenty years or so has been to simply preach through the text of the Bible Book by Book, Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, and sometimes Word by Word.

As I began my study of First John, I was quite taken with the fact that John uses so many repetitive words through this Epistle!

First John IS NOT a collection of proverbial sayings like The Book of Proverbs, but like The Book of Proverbs, The Epistle First John is focused on several key words that are repeated over and over and over again for emphasis.

For example, “know” appears 25 times, “abide” appears 25 times, “love” appears 16 times, “sin” appears 16 times, “Jesus” appears 11 times, “Father” appears 11 times, “Brother” appears 13 times, “Practice” appears 7 times, “eternal life” appears 6 times, and “fellowship” appears 3 times!

I am not yet sure if I will take a whole sermon for each of these ten key words, but I will certainly do so for most of them… and maybe for all ten of them.

For today, let’s look at the word “know” which John uses 25 times and which certainly is one of the key foci of this Epistle!

“know” as used in First John, is from the Greek “eido” which means, “be aware” “behold” or to “perceive”. It basically means to understand to the point of certainty!

EXPOSITION:

FIRST, we can know that the reality of knowing Jesus is demonstrated in the practice of obeying Jesus!

1^st John 2:3-5

(3) “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him…”

1^st John 2:29 “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”

1^st John 3:6 “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”

1^st John 3:24 “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

1^st John 3:5 “You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.”

1^st John 4:2 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God”

1^st John 5:2 “2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.”

1^st John 5:18 “18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

SECOND, As we see the fulfillment of biblical prophecies, we can know that GOD will fulfill the promises of the return of Jesus Christ!

1^st John 2:18 “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour.”

1^st John 3:2 “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

THIRD, Because believers have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we can know the spiritual truth revealed in the Bible!

1^st John 2:20 “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.”

1^st John 2:21 “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”

Cf. 1^st Corinthians 2:12-16

(12) “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

(13) And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

(14) The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (15) The spiritual person judges all things but is himself to be judged by no one. (16) “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

FOURTH, Because GOD loves us, we can know that HE has birthed us into HIS Family, adopted us into HIS Family, and someday HE will marry us into HIS Family!

1^st John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

We are BORN into GOD’s Family!

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

John 3:7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

1^st Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

We are ADOPTED into GOD’s Family!

Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Galatians 4:4-5 

(4) “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Ephesians 1:5 ““In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…”

One day we will be MARRIED into GOD’s Family! 2^nd Cor. 11:1-2

(1) “I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! (2) For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ…”

Revelation 19:7 “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready…”

FIFTH, We can know that we know Jesus and thereby have assurance of our salvation!

1^st John 3:19-20

(19) “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him, (20) for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

1st John 3:14 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

1^st John 5:12-13

(12) “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

FEBRUARY 18^th, 2024

FIRST JOHN:  SERMON ONE – INTRODUCTION  

“THE GREATEST THING A MAN CAN HAVE!”

1^ST John 5:12-13

(12) “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

A few months ago, I had the idea to ask you what I should preach about beginning the first of this New Year. I received four specific responses: The Names of GOD, (which I did in three sermons) Angels, Can GOD Die?, and would I do a survey of First John?

By the grace of GOD, I have completed the first three of these subjects. This morning, I will begin a six-sermon series as a brief overview of First John.

In both The Gospel of John and The Epistle of First John, John tells exactly why he is writing…

John wrote The Gospel of John so we can be saved!

John 20:30-31

(30) “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; (31) but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

John wrote The Epistle of First John so that we can know that we are saved!

1st John 5:12-13 (12) “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

BY-THE-WAY, as I have shared with you before, 1st John 5:12-13 is the passage GOD used to bring me to saving faith in Jesus on November 6th, 1982.

As my introduction to The Epistle of 1st John, I want to magnify the purpose of the epistle by sharing my testimony that GOD worked in my life through this Epistle and through these two verses!

I want to submit to you that after over seventy-three years of life, having lived in nine states,(KY, LA, TX, OK, FL, TN, GA, AR, and IL) and three different Countries; (US, Viet Nam, and Guam) having been married to the same woman for over forty-three years; having raised three children; having worked as a gas station attendant, a milk man, an Airman, a Staff Sergeant, an automobile and mobile home salesman, a aircraft refueling technician, a flight operations manager, an engine rebuilder and shop manager, a personnel manager, a College student,

a Seminary student, A PhD STUDENT, a Pastor, a Chaplain, and a Director of Missions, and now as a Pastor again; after all of that, I can tell you that the greatest thing that a human being can have is the absolute assurance that your sins are forgiven and that you are going to go to heaven when you die!

From my birth until the summer of 1976, I had almost no religious influence in my life. I only remember being in Church for the funerals of my two grandmothers, and my mother: the wedding of my sister Donna, one day of VBS, and my 8th Grade graduation.

I was recently given a photo of me and my sisters and three of my cousins dressed up for an Easter Service, but I have no memory of that except the photo.

Not once until I was twenty-six years old did I hear anyone explain anything about Christ and His church.

Looking back on my life, I want to tell you briefly about seven very commonly tried things that could not and did not give me the assurance that my sins were forgiven and that I would go to heaven when I die.

First, religion could not and did not give me any reason for assurance that I really knew God, that my sins were forgiven, and that I would go to heaven when I died.

By being baptized in Oklahoma City into a Southern Baptist Church, and joining the Harvest Baptist Church of Tamuning, Guam, I had gotten into Church, but I had not gotten into Christ!

Second, being baptized could not and did not give me any reason for assurance that I really knew God, that my sins were forgiven, and that I would go to heaven when I died.

When I got back from Viet Nam, I was stationed at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City. There I met and began dating a girl whose dad required me to go to their church if I wanted to date her. (I have to be very careful here – the girl in question is not the girl I married).

Truthfully, I would have joined the Moose Lodge to get to date her, so the next Sunday night I went to the dressing room at the Wilmot Place Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City; I changed into a gown they gave me, I was baptized by someone, and I put my uniform back on and went home. No one at the church ever talked to me about the gospel and I have never been to that church again. But I had been baptized, and I was now a Baptist!

Third, joining a church could not and did not give me any reason for assurance that I really knew God, that my sins were forgiven, and that I would go to heaven when I died. After Lin and I were married, I was transferred first to Florida and then to Guam. Lin could not accompany me on Guam, so I took up residence in the Enlisted Men’s Barracks.

After being there for some time, I began to attend Sunday evening services at the Base Chapel because I had met and grown to like the Baptist Chaplain who led a Bible Study at that time. A civilian who worked at the Chapel started attacking a new preacher who had come to the Island to start a new church. He said that the preacher was from Kentucky, and he was an “old-fashioned fundamentalist” (whatever that was). Well, I visited the Harvest Baptist Church, and I really came to love and admire Pastor Bruce Wring and his family.

I came one day under great conviction to the altar. A well-meaning fine Christian Deacon asked me why I had come, and I told him, the best I knew how, that I was sick of my sins. He asked if I had ever been baptized and I told him about my experience at Wilmot Place. He announced to the church that I had re-dedicated my life and was coming “By Statement” (whatever that meant) from a church in Oklahoma. This began a 6-year-long process in my life of re-dedicating and re-re-dedicating my life and trying to get victory over sin and peace with God in my heart and soul.

Let me park here for a moment and tell you that one of the worst things that can happen to an unsaved person is to get into the membership of a church! Once you are in, you are in! Those of us inside churches almost never deal with our members about the possibility that they are not truly saved!

Fourth, “turning over a new leaf” could not and did not give me any reason for assurance that I really knew God, that my sins were forgiven, and that I would go to heaven when I died! Beloved Ones, I am not kidding – I have turned over more “new leaf’s” than Smoky Bear. Many times, I was under conviction about my sins, and I would seek to get more involved, or quit this or start doing that; and none of it – none of it – gave me any peace of mind that I was any different than I was before.

Fifth, Christian education could not and did not give me any reason for assurance that I really knew God, that my sins were forgiven, and that I would go to heaven when I died! After eight years in the Air Force, I knew that if I was ever going to do the things in life I wanted to do, I was going to have to get a college education.

So, I applied and was accepted at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. While there I took a full load of classes and went to Summer School every year. By the grace of God and with lots of help from Lin, I was able to complete a Diploma in Theology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Education before my VA benefits ran out after four years.

I was thirty-one years old; I had two University degrees; I was ready to take on the world; and… I was as lost as a man can be!  I have often been asked how I could attend such a good conservative Christian University and still not get saved.

Sadly, it is very much like church – everyone assumes you are a Christian, and since I did not know that I was not saved there was no way really for others to know that I was not saved.

The truth is, I was doing my best to live the way I was being taught to live, and I was living about as good a life as anyone else I knew there.

Sixth, serving the Lord could not and did not give me any reason for assurance that I really did know God, my sins were forgiven, and I would go to heaven when I died! While I was on Guam I was helping with the van and bus ministry. When I went to Tennessee Temple, they required students to take part in some Christian activity. For a year I worked in a small Baptist Church in Ringgold, Georgia where Pat Pajak served as our Worship and Youth Leader.

Seventh, sincerity could not and did not give me any reason for assurance that I really knew God, that my sins were forgiven, and that I would go to heaven when I died! I was a lost Baptist, a lost church member, a lost Christian University student, even a lost church worker, but I was not a hypocrite!

I was not playing church; I was not trying to be something I knew that I was not; I was not trying to fool anyone. I was sincere, but I was sincerely wrong, and I was sincerely and completely lost!

After leaving Temple and moving back to Oklahoma, I was offered a job at the Little Rock Air Center by a man I had worked for at the airport in Chattanooga. It meant a promotion and a pay increase, so I took the job. By that time, all my religion was gone. I had completely given up on trying to come to peace with God and to have victory over my sins. I was out of church, I was out of patience with God, and there was no possibility of anyone mistaking me for a Christian.

It was 10:30 Saturday night, November 6th, 1982; – I was in the midst of an emotional tirade against God – and in the midst of my anger and hate, as I read these two verses from 1st John, God opened my understanding and for the first time in my life I knew for sure that I was not saved, and I knew for sure exactly what I had to do to be saved!

You have often heard the expression, “I saw the light”. I know that everyone does not have a deeply emotional experience when they are saved, but at that very instant it seemed to me that all the lights of heaven came on and I knew as clearly as I knew my name that I was not saved and I knew exactly what a person has to know and do to really know God, to have their sins forgiven, and know for sure that they are going to heaven when they die!

There are only four of them:

First, You have to Realize that you are a sinner in need of a Savior!

Romans 3:10 and 23 says, “There is none righteous, no not one. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, You have to Repent of your sins!

Luke 13:3 and 13:5 says, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Real repentance is more than just changing your mind. Biblical repentance that brings salvation is a change of mind that produces a change of life as you turn away from sin and turn to the Savior!

Third, You have to Recognize that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh and your only hope of salvation!

John 14:6 says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and no man comes to the Father except through Me.” Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Finally, you have to Receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord!

John 1:12-13 says, “But as many as received him, to them He gave the right to become Children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Romans 10:9-10 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” And Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household.”

The following morning, Sunday November 7th, 1982, I followed Jesus Christ in believer’s baptism at the Heritage Baptist Temple in Little Rock. From that day to this, I have been clinging to Jesus Christ as my only hope of salvation. I have staked my eternal soul on the truth of these verses of scripture.

I know this: I believe these four things and I have done these four things, and I have never been the same. As weak and imperfect as I am, I can see that over these forty-one years I am in the process of becoming a new creation; and I can tell you that I love God and the things of God more than I love my own life!

John wrote The Epistle of First John “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” and it was this Epistle and these verses that GOD used to bring me to saving faith in Jesus!

INTRODUCTION:

When I asked if anyone had questions about which I could preach after New Year’s Day, I received several really good questions… “What Do the Names of God mean in the Bible?” “What are angels?” “Did God Die?” and “Can we have a study of The Epistle of 1^st John?”

So far this year, I have endeavored to answer the first four questions. Today I hope to help you understand the answer to the question, “Did God Die?” Like the others, this is a brilliant theological question that deserves a clear and biblical answer!

Before one can understand the answer to this seemingly simple question, we must understand the two Natures of Jesus Christ!”

Theological Note: The existence of two Natures in the one Person of Jesus Christ is called, “The Hypostatic Union” and it is why we can say that “Jesus Christ is truly GOD and truly Man!” and, “Jesus is just as much GOD as if HE were not man at all; and Jesus is just as much man as if HE were GOD at all!”

EXPOSITION:

First, Jesus is the eternal Logos, God the Son Who became the Son of God and the Son of Man. HE had, HE has, and HE will always have a “divine Nature!”

John 1:1-2, 14

(1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God.”  (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 8:56-58

(56) “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” (57) So, the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” (58) Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

John 17:4-5

(4) “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. (5) And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

Because HE has a divine Nature, HE has always existed!

(John 1:1-2) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

Because HE has a divine Nature, HE could perform miracles at will!

(John 20:30-31) “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Because HE has a divine Nature, HE could know the thoughts of people!

(Mark 2:6-9)

“Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?”

Because HE has a divine Nature, HE decreed and therefore knows the future!

(Matthew 16:21) “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Because HE has a divine Nature, HE could rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven!

(Luke 24:1-7) “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

(Acts 1:9-11) “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Second, when HE took upon HIMSELF human flesh in the womb of Mary, HE took upon HIMSELF a Human Nature!

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Luke 1:30-35

(30) “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.     (32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, (33) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (34) And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (35) And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy– the Son of God.”

GOD explains this most clearly in Philippians 2:5-11

(5) “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

(7) but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (9) Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, (10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

ERGO, when Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, HE received BOTH a human body and a Human Nature!

Because HE had a Human Body and Nature, HE could exist as a fetus in the womb of the Mary and be born as any other human child is born!

(Luke 2:6-7) “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Because HE had a Human Body and Nature, He could grow in wisdom and in stature!

(Luke 2:51-52) “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

Because HE had a Human Body and Nature, HE could limit HIS temporal knowledge!

(Mark 5:25-31) “Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, Who touched Me?’ “

(Mark 13:31-32) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Because HE had a Human Body and Nature, HE could be seen, be heard, be touched, be tired and hungry, and sweat drops of blood!

(Luke 24:39-40) “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.”

Because HE had a Human Body and Nature, HE could die on the cross to pay for the sins of HIS people!

(Isaiah 53:4-6) “Surely, He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

AMEN!