2019-06-30-LIVE OAKS
You have only four points. I'm going to try really hard to keep it that way between 4 and 6 but here's the thing the points that we have. I want to be memorable and I want them to be impactful in your lives. I want you to be able to take them home and he wants to be able to think about those because you know going to church and just being here is of the word and not doers makes no sense. And I want the word of God to come into you and allow it to set forth a foundation that you can go out and practice what you preach on Sunday out in the world because that's what it's all about churches where you are you're growing in God's word and then the world is where you going to be playing the game. So I hope today that the word of God will speak to you in that is very easy for you to understand. Let's get in the the the the word of God now as we started Ephesians chapter 1 starting a verse 7 through 9. In him, we have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, which he has made to abound toward us in all wisdom and Prudence having made known to us. The mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which on Earth in him In him also, we have obtained and inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will that he who was first trusted in Christ should be the praise of his glory in him. You also trusted after you heard the word of Truth The Gospel of yourselves a shin in whom you also have believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the Redemption of the purchase possession to the praise of his glory. Let's pray. Florida heavenly father as we now go before you. As we study your word your Holy Scripture the Lord made speak to our hearts. Lord allow the four points today to be very very impactful in people's lives here in our church and allow our people really gain strength and encouragement from the word of God today or we love you so much and your precious name. Amen.
In 1970. There was a singer and boy, this is a retro Sunday. Is it not I'm bringing it all back 1970 before I was born. There was a singer Called Stevie Wonder and he created a song in 1970 called Sign Sealed Delivered. I'm Yours. The crazy thing about that was last week. I was sitting in church under Pastor. Tommy is Method. And for whatever reason that song came into my head. I have no idea why but I thought about those words and I said that is what I'm going to preach on Sunday because it fits perfectly with what happens when someone accepts Jesus Christ in the steps that take place after that. And so we are going to take a look at those for being our main four points today and they're going to be very easy for you to remember cuz you know the song I'm sure you've heard that maybe you don't know all the words, but I'm sure everybody in this building has her and Signed Sealed Delivered. I'm Yours. And those words are very very important. Now, let's take a look at Ephesians chapter 1 13 through 14 again in him. You also trusted after you heard the word of Truth The Gospel of your salvation Paul here is speaking to a group of people in Rome Christians that have just put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ and folks today. I want to encourage you that if you have done that and we're going to explain it. So we get the gospel really really clear today. So anybody can understand it even the youngest child of Ena 5 or 6 is going to get it because the gospel is meant to be for children to even understand it is not complex. It is a relationship with Jesus Christ and today, you know, when a fusions we talked about trust and we are going to look at the difference between belief and Trust Billy Graham has a great illustration on the difference between belief and Trust because belief does not get you to heaven. Did you know that? belief in God and belief in Jesus does not get you to Heaven There scripture to back me up on this and I'm going to read it to you in just a second, but we finna delve itself Is Not What It Takes lyrics Plainview Billy Graham uses a bridge as an illustration if you see a raging River and I hope I have the picture up there. It was one of our slides but if you look at a bridge and there's a raging River going underneath that you know, when I was up in Duluth probably about eight years ago, we had this huge tarantula rainstorm and I get flooded the whole city. In fact, it's flooded so badly that the streets of our city were all torn up. I mean, it was so bad that literally hearts of concrete just washed away if you could even drive on the road as it was like a Minefield and this rain had come down so hard and we have these rivers that go into Lake Superior that we're just raging you would go down there and they were just almost hitting the top to the bottom of that bridge and the river was just raining down there and I just remember the wow, that's kind of a bridge to be over. And if you think about it, that's a great illustration about life life has a way of a really knocking you silly. There's storms that come up and then there's is rivers and that that that almost take you away and you're sitting on the sand in your trying to figure out where to go and how to do this and he don't know Jesus Christ as your savior today life can be extremely scary. And there's so many things that go wrong with so many confusing ways people have a lot of different. A lot of different ways that they believe they should handle life. If you're not come up with the best word. I'm there, but people have their own ideas on how to navigate through life. Maybe I should put it at that people want to go through life on Baisley. Maybe what their parents said, maybe people want to go through life on maybe what their father priest had said in church, or maybe it was some other religion. And the world is filled with them and I want to explain something to you today about salvation is that Satan is the absolute Master of the LIE Satan has a thousand different ways that counterfeit the one way to get to heaven and he uses all of these ways in many times. He uses religion parallel so closely with Christianity that people are fooled. We have different sex that go out sex when I say that sects that go out and go out to the neighborhoods and they will knock on doors Jehovah Witnesses the Mormons and if you are not solid in your Bible, they can really confuse you they can really sound so convincing that even a Christian can be a little bit deceived. I know when I was younger as a Christian, I had people come to my door and I would talk with them. And actually they kind of Spun me around I'm on what they said and I got the point was kind of confused. And I realized that I did not I did not know the word of God will enough and it was an eye-opener for me but folks the reason I'm bringing that up is Satan takes everything God has instituted for instance the ability to go out two by two and witness on a knock on doors and tell people about Jesus Christ that was instituted by Jesus Christ. Did you know that? A Satan has taken that and he has counterfeited a lie and multiple eyes and done the same thing and done it far better than we have. It's sad Satan is the master of deception of taking a bunch of different ways and just twisting them just a little bit Satan never does things 180° different than Jesus. He doesn't just close enough but to be off Hope there's a thousand wrong ways. Only tell you something. They all lead to the same mastering that Satan himself. There is only one right way to get to heaven. We are going to be under attack in our church were going to be under attack and our nation's for preaching this way. We are going to look like we are bigots. We're going to look like we're closed minded. We are going to look like we are totally separating ourselves from everybody else but Forecastle if you have somebody that's drowning in the water and you have the truth. We're going to preach it here. Because without Jesus Christ, there is no other way to get to heaven. Did you know that? Without Jesus Christ blood shed on calvary's Cross. There is no way to pay for yours in my sin and needs to be preached from the pulpit Across America. We need to get back to the word of God. We need to preach it as videos.
The bridge analogy by Billy Graham is this if you can believe in that bridge, you can say I believe that that bridge is safe to go across what the difference between belief and trust is trust is the man who goes with steps on it just means that you put all your weight. on the bridge it's easy to say that I can crawl climb on top of a big skyscraper on on a wooden beam, but it's another thing to do it. Christianity is not an easy believism thing like you might think it is Christianity is putting your whole weight. And trust in Jesus Christ. There's a very big difference between belief and Trust.
If we look at James chapter 218 James was really really a contradictory when people read James I get freaked out because everything is about Grace and then you get to James and important. Listen what he says here you believe that there is one God you do. Well, even the demons believe and tremble. He goes on to say in Matthew. 7:21. Jesus says this not everyone who saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day Lord have we not prophesied in my name and I name the cast of devils and I named and many wonderful works and then I will profess under them. I never knew you depart from me. I never knew you depart from me. Ye that work iniquity. I remember as a kid when I read those scriptures kind of freaked me out. And I'll be very honest this week as I read through Romans, but I did my daily walk with the church. I grew again today this week. I learned a little deeper of what this is all about. Let me give you a feeling of what it is. Let me give you an essence or what he's talking about here. There are people in our world that are trying to go to heaven. But they don't want Jesus. They may say I believe in God, I believe in Jesus. And they may be doing some of the generic will of God. For instance. I go to church. I follow the ten commandments. Like he says here I even prophesize in his name I go and do these works. I help people I go out and there's churches All Over America or people are going out and building houses for people at Habitat for Humanity. Things are happening all over the place folks. Don't be deceived on this though. Following a generic will of God Is Not An Intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Say that again following the generic ways of God Is Not An Intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. An intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is the difference of the bridge you believe there's a bridge what are you going to get on there and walking? Jesus Christ is not asking you to believe in him. He's asking you to step out on him. There's only one way to heaven. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father. But by Me Jesus Christ is your Bridge Jesus is the bridge to Heaven. Jesus is the only way
And he is asking you children. or unsaved you need to go through me. I'm the only way. You put all your weight on me. You can't do it here in a foot here in this world. You got to trust me.
My friend my neighbor friend Josh Emerson. I told you about here. He's a really really good picture. A few months back. He was sought after by a bunch of baseball teams across the country some Division 1 baseball programs got a great opportunity at Wake Forest and some other schools some big schools were looking at him and Liberty came to him. And offered him a scholarship and he had all these choices.
In one day Josh made the decision to sign with Liberty. Now he heard all the different pictures from all the different sources and he looked at all his options and in the end he believed all of them were good opportunities, but there was one that he trusted. Josh made a decision to go to Liberty because he believed that that school was a good school, but he trusted in them that he that they would take care of him the best. That they would be the school that he would grow not only as a baseball player, but spiritually and that's the decision he made I'm super proud of him. What do you sign that day in front of Calvary high school and he signed with Liberty? And passed up somebody's other really big schools and I'm super proud of that kid.
And today my very first point is this when it comes to signing you don't necessarily have to sign a paper that you're a Christian, but the idea is good because it's on your heart. You have to sign over your heart to Jesus Christ. When I have for your first point on your outline, that's in your bulletin is this we must all make an individual choice of what Master to sign up with. Jesus takes all these thousands of different ways that Satan tries to fool us. He says all those Thousand Ways. I'm going to give you exactly what they are there men's way to heaven. They are worth based. They are you trying to appease God by doing good things and that's exactly what Satan tries to do. He tries to take the law that God has given any says, you know what let's make it so close that people will try to work their way to heaven and that is a lie. You can be the best person on this Earth and you will fall short of God's Kingdom.
Book of Isaiah says this that all our good works to God are like filthy rags.
The standard of Heaven is perfection. Did you know that? God is perfect. He has never sinned you never will be and he cannot live in sin. So by you trying to get by and go to heaven on your own good works to God, you look like a filthy Rag and you won't allow it.
Go back to Ephesians 4 113 here. It says this and whom you trusted after you heard the truth the gospel of your salvation. And whom also you believe you were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Did you know Salvation is a one-time event. It's not an ongoing thing. I'm trying to clear some things up because some of you even though you've been a Christian for a long time may be worried a little bit. Sometimes you think you know what I'm not really living close to the Lord. I'm not really in my Bible as much I'm kind of worried. Maybe maybe I got to do something to get myself back with God. So I'm saved where I might have done a really really really bad soon. And I don't know if he's going to accept me. Here's what I want to clear things up. And I think it's going to really help is that when you accepted Jesus Christ, there's a miraculous event that took place in what it's called being born. Again, Jesus Christ. John chapter 3 when he spoke to Nicodemus Nicodemus and what must I do to be saved and Jesus and Nicodemus, you must be born again people in this world have this thing like hello. You're a born again Christian and when it has kind of a bad connotation like it's something that's almost like a cult. That's everything if you're not going around saying I'm a born-again Christian then you're messing up cuz that's what you are. You are just a sinner that has been born again by the grace of God. What does it mean what does all that mean that you're born again? While I means that that means that at a different time you were not righteous. I means when you were born the first time you were born with a sinful nature and you need to be born again because you need to have God's spirit living inside of you so you can have the righteousness of God.
Genesis 6 13 through 14. We're going to take a look at my next point which is being called being sealed by the Holy Spirit. The first time we take a look at the righteous being sealed is found in Genesis chapter 6 and that is in Noah's time. God said to Noah the end of All Flesh has come before me for the Earth is filled with violence through them in the hold. I will destroy them with the Earth make yourself an ark item go for what makes room in it in the ark and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Folks at that time the world was completely wrapped around sin. That's all they thought about as as time goes on send had proliferated to the point that everybody was doing everything contrary to what God wanted and he looked down on it and I want to share with you something that's really important because some of us have this view on God that that we see him as a total loving God and that's where we want to put him on a shelf that God is all love and nothing else. That's dangerous because God is all love. But God is also just and God has two parts to him. He's a just and in a loving God and His Justice we have seen through history has caused people in many many people to pay severely for send. I want to open your ears up for a second. Let me hear it say that again. God is a just God. But let's let's look at see what's 2nd Peter 2 through 4 through 5 says for God did not spare the Angels. Is that who send but qasim down to Hell and deliver them into chains of Darkness to reserve for judgment and did not spare the ancient world but save know I won out of 8 people a preacher of righteousness bringing in the blood on the world of the ungodly and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the ashes condemn them to destruction making them an example to go to those who after wood would live ungodly. I got a warning for you today. This needs to happen more in the pulpits of America. It's coming God's judgment is coming on this Earth. It's coming on our judgment on our country. You cannot disobey God's laws and expect to not have God judge. God will judge
every part of scripture from the history of scripture reveals that he is a just God and he punishes ungodliness. That's a horrible thought horrible facts for people but also if you understand that God is a righteous got any must judge and have Justice then it makes everything. I'm about to stay very very clear and very thankful that it's not our own doing that saves us.
Because God is a just God, but we're not going to stay there because God is all God of love and he doesn't want anyone to perish. You know when God destroyed the world in Noah's time. What are huge rainbow? Rainbow with significant it broke his heart.
That's what I'm never doing that again. I'm never going to fly people out again, no matter how sick no matter how evil and how bad they were lead cheers and the rainbow is a sign of his promise that he's not going to do that again.
Ephesians 4:30 says this I'm sorry to point number two. Is this those who have been placed their trust in Jesus Christ have been sealed by the holy spirit for eternity. Reasons for 36 this do not grieve the holy spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption just like in Noah's day. God said, I'm going to put Pitch on side of that are coming to put it on the outside and the inside and that pitch was the ceiling of that are because of that pitch when the waters came in the storms came in all hell broke loose the storms of life came on Noah. God preserve him and his family. In the same way that ceiling is taking place in you when you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. You have an event that takes place when he puts in the Holy Spirit have called you have been sealed in the holy spirit. It's a protective covering like a pitch on the inside and outside of you. That Satan can't have you that's great news.
ceiling in the Bible takes place many times in the in the end times that talks about in the tribulation will Emery do Revelation 7. So gives you a feeling of what the ceiling would like. Then I saw another Angel ascending from the East having the Seal of the Living God and he cried with a loud voice the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the Earth and sea saying do not harm the Earth the sea or the trees. So we have sealed the Servants of our God and their foreheads.
There was an important part that had to take place before they the Judgment came and that was that the Holy Spirit need to seal all the people that God was going to save at that time. That's a very different time that we were talking about now, and I'm not going to get into that. They're talking about a hundred and forty four thousand Jews that are saved during the tribulation and a bunch of Jen's house that no one can count, but they are sealed by God at that time with the Holy Spirit protected. Oops, I didn't I didn't put all these on the board for the sake of time, but I want to encourage you on something because when I was a kid the word or two words that that really at where magic to me were security. I'm a big believer in internal security and I'll tell you why eternal security first of all to Young Folks. What that means is that when you accept Jesus Christ as your savior that one time you are sealed and you are secure. You don't have to worry anymore by the kid. I spent a lot of time worrying. I remember I watch these movies like left behind and and the other ones, but there was some movies that were out there distant Thunder. I can't remember but it was all about the Rapture taking place in there people that were left behind and I was so scared. I was so scared that I would be one of those people that when Jesus Christ came back that he wouldn't take me.
And these verses that my brother spoke to me as his he was a pastor when I was a kid. They really helped me and I hope they help you John chapter 6 39 says this and this is the Father's will which has sent me out of all which he had given me I should lose nothing. We should raise it up again at the last day of John 10:28. Does this and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:29 says, it's My Father which gave them to me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand and find me 1st Peter 1:5, which we have a slide for who are kept by the power of God through faith under salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Cancel because the application. You don't understand Haitian. Thank goodness. You don't do one thing for it. Except this you make a choice on who you're going to serve your way down. You going to say I'm living my life. I believe my whole life this way, but I see Jesus Christ and I need to be safe for my sins. The path. I'm on naturally is going to lead me to death in hell and I need my weight on him all my faith. All my trust is going to be in Jesus to save me and Jesus save me from my sins and when you do that he puts in that Holy Spirit. One-time done done. I need to know.
The ceiling of the Holy Spirit protects you for eternity you're done. It's like when it comes in to you, he sealed you he protects you God has done the work you haven't done anything and because he's done the work. He's strong enough to hold a strong enough to give you eternal life and he's strong enough to hold it and no one no man. No it Satan. Nothing is going to take you from the hand of the almighty. God Amen.
When we choose to sign over our hearts to Jesus we have an immediate birth.
Here's the coolest part of the point number three is amped on the liver. delivered let me get you something here. Let me bring you back to something that you don't know because you were born with it. You and I are born sinners. It's natural for us to think the way we do because we're evil. People don't like to think of themselves as evil. But let's let's get it straight. We can't keep the law today. I bet you some of you when you were going on that road and it was 30. You were going 40. You just can't keep it. I don't care what the LIE is we like to go right to the edge of that law and if we can we go little bit past it right? How many of you follow the speed limit all the time?
Why?
If they do it for reason 30 miles an hour means that we should go 30 miles an hour. What do we do?
I'm just not going to pick me up for that. If I go 38, I'm 40.
We even know the limits that the fine will be if I go over 60 bucks.
We have a natural Affinity a magnet inside of us to send. Babies R. Us notorious you get them to be at like 6 months 8 months and you can find out right away. They have a free will and it's not righteous. Keeps you up at night. They sit there. I remember my little girl Jill. She sat there with her finger right on the stove, and she wanted to touch it and she just looked at me. I figure they're going to say anything. Apple can you do because we all have a magnet a sinful nature that wants to go against God's voice.
Give me some scripture to back that up chapter 5 and Romans. Therefore just as Adam sin entered in the world and death through sin. best death spread to all men because all had sinned
since you and I were given through our seed through the birth of Adam's children and through their children and children and children and children inside of their DNA is a sin nature. Be cool to see under the microscope. You don't need to see the new microscope to the just comes out. And that has passed down. And Paul recognized after he was Jesus and he accepted Jesus as his savior. He recognized the sin nature himself and let me read these things. This is really confusing words for we know that the law is spiritual but I am carnal sold under sin. What I am doing, I do not understand for what I will to do that. I do not practice. But what I hate that I do. If then I do what I will not to do I agree with the law that it is good. But now it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells in me Brian know that in me that in my flesh. Nothing good dwells for to will is present with me but how to perform. What is good. I do not find For the good that I will to do I do not do but the evil I will not do that I practice now if I do what I will not do it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells in me.
Wow, what are you saying? They're basically saying I got these warring factions inside of me that it's causing me to do the things I want to do in the things. I know I should do it for whatever reason I can't how many of you right now. If you're honest with yourself read the Bible every day this week. How many of you were on your knees in prayer every week? Those are two of the most important discipline a child of God can have how many of you did it? I didn't. Because the things that we know we should do we're not doing but the things we shouldn't do we do. We have a natural magnetic Affinity to do evil.
And here's the most important thing to understand which will really really help you in your Christian walk and something I just kind of figured out not too long ago was this When you accept Jesus Christ, you do not get rid of your sinful nature. You're going to carry it with you to the Grave. I'm sitting in. When you accept Jesus Christ as your savior and he puts in the Holy Spirit, you do not get rid of your sinful nature. The magnetic attraction is still there. And that is something that really really disturbs Christians when they accept Jesus Christ and they still feed themselves falling back into sin folks. Let me encourage you today. It's normal. It's normal.
Your sinner you will always be a sinner. however
There's a difference. Between you and the unsaved man or woman. Because when you have the holy spirit inside of you. Game on the war is on. Help. You are no longer.
burdened prison man or woman You are no longer a slave to your signature. It's like Jesus Christ came in here A View from where you're at and some of you have stories that need to be shared you have stories of alcoholism. You have stories that you have lived depraved. Are you have stories? Where you done wrong? Are you maybe even hurt somebody you might have even killed somebody I don't know Sin is Sin if you have disobeyed God, I'll have you have a story and God has come to you and he has his power. He has rescued you. He has grabbed you out of that. He's pulling you out of your sinful spot where you were at and he has sealed me with his holy spirit is like taking you out of jail and saying son you are free. 3 you know you have freedom in Jesus Christ. You have freedom. Now you have been released the chains of your burdens have been broken. If you right now are struggling with addiction in your life. Jesus. Christ wants to remove the shackles of your life. He wants to set you free. Because with Jesus you are free indeed and he has given you the power over sin and death. He has proven it. He has proven it by his life. He was the only man to live a Victorious Christian Life that did not send while he lived on this Earth and not only that he took on the sins of us all and pay for them on calvary's cross and then rose again and Conquer death. You are free free Jesus Christ.
I love Romans 8:21 to 12:22. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh. but according to the spirit
condemnation, you're not condemned in God's eyes. You're not like the people in Noah's time where God said, I have to destroy it all he's saying when I see bear I see my son Jesus. He's perfect. He's righteous. He's sealed.
So what do we do with that now? We have a war.
my spirit God
we do that.
hopes You got to put away your whole hose. the Pixies away from your TV sets Start exercising. You are not going to be a Spirit-filled man or woman if your Bible is collecting dust on a Shelf. Listen to this and Galatians Stand Fast therefore in the Liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with the Yoke of bondage. He's basically saying Christian I set you free. Don't go back there. Don't go back to what you were don't go back to putting on the chains and just settling for alcoholism predictions for whatever you're free. Don't go back to it. And then he says this I say then walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Do you realize that your spirit inside of you? The holy spirit is like a muscle? if you exercise that thing it's going to become so strong and you the exercise and heavy lifting is taking the Bible and reading it. When you go into the gym and you first grab that first wait, or you get on the treadmill and you start working out you don't feel so good. It's amazing what happens after 5 minutes, but doesn't it kind of loosen up start working out a little bit start feeling a little bit better and I'll send you know, you put together an hour of lifting heavy weights.
I got one very practical thing to tell you right now. Just pick up your Bible. Just do it. Pick it up open up the pages and put your eyes on a couple words in just let it start. And go through line by line. And a heavy lifting that seems so heavy at bible seems so heavy will become lighter. And as you read the word of God, he will speak in your heart to speak in your soil and he'll give you nourishment that you need to defeat Satan and the evil stuff that's inside of you. and then
Romans 12:2 do not be conformed to this world but be transformed I'm sorry. Let me start again 12:1, I beseech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your body as a Living Sacrifice. Holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God. My last point is this our greatest to life commitment words we can say to our Savior.
I'm Yours. all my weight on you Jesus what that means is I can't drive my car by myself.
Can't live like I used to.
How's my God owns me? You have a higher calling for me some things far more important and special for me and I need to trust that rather than a lie on my own intellect. Today you in this building today? I don't know where you're at.
There's some generalities go that I do know that are true. And one of them is with us that there are people in here that are not Christians are not born again Christians have never ever put their full weight in Jesus Christ. They only have the band come up. You guys can make your way back up here. We're going to have a time. Will you have an opportunity to pray to the Lord and ask Jesus Christ to save you from your sins? Maybe the first time that you realize that a generic following God's ways is not going to make you a Christian. It's not going to get you to heaven. It may be that you are seeing that God is speaking to you that you need an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. You need him to save you from your sins and there's others here that need to come up to the altar today. The song that we are going to finish with this called come to the altar. There's a time and every man and woman's life that they need to get right before the Lord. I need you today. I'm going to get down on my knees and pray. I want to join me. I don't do any favors for me to something you in the Lord. There is an opportunity for you right now. Realize that maybe you're not you're not living a real life. Maybe you're going back to your sinful ways and maybe you need help with some of those things. I'm going up to the Altar and confessing with for the lawyer soon as the first day out.