Worship call 0629 The Day of Salvation.

John 3:16 (NASB95) — 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

In the comfort of your own room, over a dinner, going about your life it is no problem to believe what you believe. To feel what you feel in terms of, “well I Just feel this or I feel that and because I feel it or because I make an academic acknowledgement that I accept some fact as true,” is not necessarily Pisteuo the word for believing trust and faith.

yes it is easy in a non threatening environment to say I believe in Jesus, therefore I am saved and I am going to heaven. we might even believe it for our loved ones.

But If you could stand at a vantage point and you are witnessing the agony of the rich man (Luke 16) crying out for a drop of water to be placed on his tongue and for Father Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers as you feel the heat of the inferno that you stand before, would you be so confident in a relationship which you casually assented to in life but gave not much more thought of Jesus or the Christian way of life.

and for those who are still relying on their works and on their good behavior, efforts, their own righteousnesses, religion, cult, how well do you believe that those things will keep you out of the fire.

Sometimes you will hear the question,

“what makes your way, believing in this Jesus, will get you into heaven and every one eases way is so wrong?”

“I simply reply,

“how much merit does your non belief will help you avoid hell!”

Believe (pisteuo) is the answer, but goes beyond the academics to the face to face reality, to knowing the person of Christ, which we have accredited with full confidence even when death is knocking at our door, that beyond the door is life in Christ and not a fiery pit.

Paul writes

Philippians 2:9–13 (NASB95) — 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

What is this working out?

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 2716 κατεργάζομαι

2716 κατεργάζομαι [katergazomai /kat·er·gad·zom·ahee/] v. From 2596 and 2038; TDNT 3:634; TDNTA 421; GK 2981; 24 occurrences; AV translates as “work” 15 times, “do” five times, “do deed” once, “to perform” once, “cause” once, and “work out” once. 1 to perform, accomplish, achieve. 2 to work out i.e. to do that from which something results. 2A of things: bring about, result in. 3 to fashion i.e. render one fit for a thing.

What is the product that results in my working out?

Faith

It is working out the math. It is the growing in grace and in the Knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is not depending upon how well I believe that frees me from the chains of Satan, but it is the one whom I am believing in. My confidence, My faith, my trust, in the person whom I have believed and am believing in.

2 Timothy 1:12 (NASB95) — 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

No, I cannot judge one from another who is and who isn’t going to heaven. I do not hold the book of life. I would have certainly noted that Jacob who was God’s man would certainly not have seen the light of heaven. And Lot, Abraham’s Nephew was no way saved. But yet Peter calls Lot righteous. But considering the stakes I worry about those who go about their way if in deed they are saved or if they will be the ones who will stand in the presence of the Lord pleading.

Matthew 7:21–23 (NASB95) — 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

I’m afraid that there will be those whom we will be surprised that are in heaven, but on a sadder note there will be those who are not there which only put on a good show in life but no pisteuo.

every time that I open the bible, with every prayer and meditation on God’s word I am working out my salvation with fear and trembling. that if I should approach that door and know that in the next moment that I am going through it, I will know that I will be standing before my Lord as my savior and not the Lord as my judge.

I have witnessed to those who stood before that door and there is a difference between the two.

I have witness those who were rejecting the Cross and were angry and afraid. I spoke to a hospice nurse who told some terrifying stories of the departure of some unbelievers.

then I have witnessed some who were actually giddy of stepping through that door. My step father for one who was in a festive mood even being paralyzed by the cancer knowing that he was about to meet his Lord.

John 3:16 (NASB95) — 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:36 (NASB95) — 36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 6:40 (NASB95) — 40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 11:25–26 (NASB95) — 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 3:17 (NASB95) — 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

The coming of the Lord comes twice.

Once as our Savior.

Once as the Judge.

Judging as several connotations which are teachable.

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 2919 κρίνω

2919 κρίνω [krino /kree·no/] v.

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 2919 κρίνω

1 to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose

The Lord is a discriminator. Judging is the fact that one evaluates that which is acceptable and that which is not acceptable. Jesus stands at the gate of the new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells. and he will evaluate that is approve or disapprove of any seeking to enter into his refuge. Only those whom the Lord deems as righteous will enter

To Judge is to determine the innocence or guilt and to render judgement against. It is the Lord who sits upon the bench with gavel in hand.

To judge also means to rule over. Judging was the power of kings.

So when God sent his son it was not in the rulership or as a Judge who sits on the bench or a military conqueror as in the days of the Judges. the Father sends the son that he might pull out of a world that is universally lost those that would believe in Him.

the second time the Lord comes to this earth will be on a great white horse. A battle horse. that will be the day when grace and mercy will have been brought to a conclusion and the great and terrible day of the Lord will commence.

All of these from Military conquest to Judging from a bench and ruling over the world are all kingly functions. and so it is that God did not send his son into the world the first time to set up his throne but to save those who will believe.

point of Doctrine: The Cross has to come before the Crown.

Joseph the son of Jacob provides us with a great picture of the two comings of Christ.

The first time we meet Joseph He is the Father’s favorite Son who the father awards him with a distinctive coat as many come to be taught that it was a coat of many colors.

Then it is that Joseph becomes a suffering servant in Egypt and even under pagan masters Joseph demonstrates humility and perfect obedience.

Joseph is then exalted as the second most powerful man in the land who has the power of life and death who becomes the savior of many

this is the pattern by which the Lord came and how he will return.

I often think about those in the Story of Joseph how they felt at each stage of Joseph’s life

there was Potiphers wife who falsely accused Joseph of rape. How did she feel when Joseph would later be appointed second most powerful man in the land with a power to simply arrest her and put her life to an end.

Her husband whose anger put Joseph in prison disregarding the facts. Now Potipher has to answer to Joseph. He too has to bow to the authority of Joseph. Would this be the day of reckoning for him?

the cup bearer who forgot Joseph and failing to make mention of Joseph in prison, leaving him there to rot for another 2 years.

and of course Joseph’s brothers who threw him into the pit. The certainly were afraid that a hammer was going to drop after their father died.

This is the time to decide for Jesus. this is the time that we work out our salvation. this is the time that we believe trust and put our confidence in the savior. for we all will have to stand before him at the Judgement seat of Christ to be evaluated, that is our works are judged.

or

we will stand before him as the Judge of righteousness which we will have none except for our minus righteousness our own standards at the Great white throne.

John 3:18 (NASB95) — 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This world and those born into this world are universally lost.

that is, we have been judged already and sentence has been handed down. It was through unbelief that sin entered into this world.

where believing is accrediting or acknowledging it is unbelief is discrediting the source.

when Adam sinned, his sin of discrediting God was passed on to all man.

Romans 5:12 (NASB95) — 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

1 Corinthians 15:21–22 (NASB95) — 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Man was made in God’s image but those who were born into this world were born in Adam’s likeness

Genesis 5:3 (NASB95) — 3 When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

Ephesians 2:1–3 (NASB95) — 1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Christ came to pull us out.

Why doesn’t the Lord finally get fed up and come and deal with the ungodliness that we see in this world?

It is because the Lord is still plucking those out of the garbage and redeeming them for His own. The door of the Ark is still opened. there is still the exercise of grace and mercy.

for when that door is shut there is no one getting on that Ark and no one getting off. those on the ark are sealed in their salvation and those on the other side of that door face the great and terrible wrath of the Lord.

No we do not like the growing unrighteousness in this world.

It makes us sick.

and yes, we look so much for the Lord’s return to set up his Kingdom on earth.

and yes, we long for it to be today.

But folks, if the Lord came back this day, how many of our loved ones will be left on the other side of the door?

every miserable day is another day that our lost loved one might be saved.

this is the day of Salvation.