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The well-known preacher, Jonathan Edwards, once wrote the following New Year’s resolution: “I will live for God. If no one else does, I still will.” He was making a commitment to consecrate himself to God regardless of the decisions or opinions of others. The word consecrate means to set apart, and the Bible says our lives must be set apart for God’s use. Are we willing to consecrate ourselves to live for God, even if no one else does?
If someone bought you a new car, paid for it in full, and gave you the title, would you go to the dealership every month to make payments on it? Of course not! And yet that is exactly what we often do as Christians. Our sin debt has been paid in full and our record has been wiped completely clean, but we continue to live as though we’re guilty in God’s eyes. Once you understand the truth about God’s forgiveness, you will see your standing before Him in a whole new light, and you will be free to live your life for Him without being crippled by the guilt of your past!
Imagine yourself being chained in a dark, gloomy dungeon, kept as a slave by a cruel master, with no hope at all of ever being set free. That is exactly the condition we were all in before Christ! We were slaves of Satan and bound by the chains of sin, with absolutely no way to buy our own freedom. But God loved us so much that He paid the price for our ransom by sacrificing His Son on the cross. Christ paid for us with His own precious blood, and because of this, we have been redeemed!
If someone offered you a glass of water from the purest spring on earth, but told you they had mixed it with poison, would you drink it? Of course not! And yet thousands of people in churches every week drink in sermons tainted with false doctrine. Today’s message exposes two extremely dangerous trends sweeping through pulpits across America, and reminds us of the vital importance of keeping the gospel message pure.
As we trace the spread of the gospel through the book of acts, we learn that as it was preached it would cause two results; salvation for some who heard the message and persecution to those who brought the message. How is it that the Gospel can be considered “good news” if the people who share it are always getting beat up? So when Paul says that he’s not ashamed of the gospel, does he have in mind just the extrinsic fact of it, or the intrinsic effects of it on his own life?
We could search the universe high and low for the ultimate display of God’s power, exploring from the wonders of earth all the way to the largest galaxies. But all those things would fall short of showing the fullness of God’s power. If we want to see the greatest demonstration of the power of God, we will find it in the message of the Gospel, when a sinful man is forgiven, transformed and made completely righteous before a holy God. There is no greater power to be seen!
Bad news — we’re bombarded with it every day. Even a quick glance at the headlines reminds us that we live in a world plagued with violence, war, crime and greed. Is there any truly good news that could right all this wrong, and if so, where do we find it? Lasting good news will never come from better government, peace treaties or any other efforts of man. There is only one source of good news, and it has already been made available to us. Have you discovered this good news?
Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ”. Is Paul speaking in code, or is he speaking clear truth? The questions that revolve around this are at the heart of the gospel. What took place on the cross, and what effect does it have on the life I am living today?
Salvation is an inner working of the Holy Spirit; transforming our hearts and lives from the inside out. Inside working it’s way out is this new man, empowered with the Holy Spirit. This new man effects our living today, and assures us where we will be when the Lord returns.
When something monumental occurs in our life, it has the power to change us forever. Depending on the circumstance, we may want to erase that event from our memory, or intentionally remember how greatly we have been impacted by it. How important is Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to us? How often do we really focus on what He has done for us? (The last few minutes of this message were lost, but the heart of the message is still intact for you to listen to.)
Knowing the importance of giving thanks is one thing, but actually doing it can be challenging. We don’t naturally give thanks when circumstances in life seem wrong; when our car breaks down on the freeway or we get in an accident, or we lose our job, or anything else that we would determine as less than desirable for ourselves. But it is in the context of life’s circumstances that we glorify God; the way we respond and react in life reveals great truth about who we are. We can prepare ourselves for life so that we respond and react in a way that glorifies God; thanksgiving.
In Luke 17 Jesus heals ten lepers but only one returns to gives thanks. Though Jesus did not command them to return and give thanks, he was surprised that only one did; and that he was a foreigner. What can we learn about being thankful from this? Was this man simply being respectful, or was there more? Why should we be thankful, and what does that mean?
