Desiring God

Conversion

The Gate is narrow

Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

For God, praise is the sweet echo of His own excellence in the hearts of His people. For us, praise is the summit of satisfaction that comes from living in fellowship with God.57

Psalms 147:11 “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, In those that hope in his mercy.”

However, this is not for everyone

Matthew 25:32 “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:”

Matthew 25:2 “And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Why not just say “believe”?

Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

We are surrounded by unconverted people who think they do believe in Jesus.

My responsibility as a preacher of the gospel and a teacher in the church is not to preserve and repeat cherished biblical sentences, but to pierce the heart with Biblical truth. 59

Do you treasure Him - Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”

There are other straightforward Biblical commands besides “Do you believe in Jesus.”

Six crucial truths to summarize our need and God’s provision

How we have failed -

God created us for His glory - Isaiah 43:6-7 “I will say to the north, Give up; And to the south, Keep not back: Bring my sons from far, And my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

Therefore, it is the duty of every person to live for the glory of God - 1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

To glorify God does not mean to make Him more glorious but to acknowledge his glory, to value it above all things, and to make it known.

Yet, all of us have failed to glorify God as we ought - Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” -

How do we fall short of God’s glory? By exchanging God’s glory for something inferior - Romans 1:23 “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

The wickedness of sin is despising God - 2 Samuel 12:10 “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.”

Therefore, all of us are subject to eternal condemnation by God - Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9 “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;”

TNevertheless, in His great mercy, God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to save sinners by dying in their place on the cross and rising bodily from the dead - 1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Romans 4:25 “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God. 64

What is this wisdom? 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”

The benefits purchased by the death of Christ belong to those who repent and trust Him - Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

What is the condition of repentance and faith?

It is a gift of God -

Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

Acts 5:31 “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”

Faith is our act, but is possible becasue of God’s act.

God’s regenerative work

Deuteronomy 30:6 “And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Jeremiah 24:7 “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”

Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

We are called the way Jesus called Lazarus from death to life

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”

1 John 5:1 “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.”

“believeth” speaks of someone who continues believing.

This person who continues believing has been born again.