RYAN WILSON: Full Manuscript Sermons -Salvation Study
What Must I Do To Be Saved???
Think about the operation of the seat belt for a second. It is really a very simple thing. It takes about three seconds to work it. And it can help save your life as well. An in the pages of the Bible, so is God’s plan of salvation. God provided Jesus for us to be saved and as humans we have complicated it when God made it simple.
It is simple because God desires that all of us be saved from our sins. If it is God's desire that all men be saved, would He make salvation the easiest subject in the Bible? Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:3, 4 - "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." God wants everyone to be saved through Jesus.
There is a sign as you are driving into Tennessee from Mississippi that reads, “TENNESSEE CARES, BUCKLE UP, STATE LAW." The message is clear and very simple and it is “Click it or ticket.” Tennessee wants people to be safe and they want people to wear their seatbelts. It’s not an option, it is the law!
Compare salvation to the seat belt. God cares for us and wants us to buckle up to the blood that was shed by Jesus. He tells us that He is the way to be saved. It is not an option it is His law. The way to be saved is to come into contact with the blood of Jesus. The way to be safe while driving is to wear your seatbelt. Spiritually, buckle up to the blood of Christ if you desire to be saved.
What is the greatest question ever asked? Some people in the business world might say it is how to get rich. Some people might ask doctors how does one live long enough and stay in good health at all times. The sick might ask will there ever be a cure for cancer.
Political leaders might ask how can we have peace and keep from going to war. These are all important questions that are asked, but I would say that the most important question that anyone can ask would be, “What must I do to be saved?”
When Peter preached to the crowds on Pentecost they responded to him saying, “What must we do?” (Acts 2:37) When Christ appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, he asked, “What shall I do Lord?” (Acts 22:10) The Philippian jailer said to Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) This question has to do with our soul and our eternal destiny.
People want to be saved and people want to go to Heaven because of what Jesus did for them. Jesus offers us salvation from our sins. Christ died to make salvation possible. The Bible tells us that the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men (Titus 2:11).
Just because Jesus has appeared, it doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be saved. It is a sad truth, but Jesus preached about two roads that we can take in life. We can take the road less traveled which is the narrow way that leads to life. Or, we can take the broad way that leads to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus was basically saying that many will be lost and only a few will be saved.
God has given us the precious gift of salvation, but this gift is something we can reject or take hold of. The Bible tells us that we are to be obedient to the Lord. Hebrews 5:9 – “He (Jesus) because the source of eternal salvation to all that obey Him.” What are we to do when it comes to the salvation that God has offered us?
Some would say that we are saved by God’s grace and there isn’t anything we are to do. God has offered us salvation, but we are to be obedient to His terms. We can’t earn our salvation, but we can take hold of the salvation provided by the Lord.
Let’s say that a man knocks at the door of a house. A woman comes to the door and he says, “I am very hungry. Do you have any work I can do to earn a meal?” The woman says, “There are logs in the back yard that need chopping. If you cut the wood, you may have a meal.” The man chops the logs and then sits down to eat. As he eats the food, will he feel that he has earned the meal? Definitely, he will.
Let’s change up the story for a second: A man knocks at the door of a house. When the woman comes to the door, he says, “I am very hungry. Do you have any work I can do to earn a meal?” The woman says, “I’ve just put a big meal on the table, much more than I can eat. Come in, sit down, and eat all you want.” The man gladly accepted her invitation and enjoyed the food that she made. Did this man earn the meal? No, she was gracious and gave him a free meal.
The second story, the guy accepted the invitation to come in and eat the meal. He could have said no thank you and left. If he did that he would not have eaten the wonderful meal that was prepared. We can’t earn our salvation but we do accept God’s gift of salvation on His terms. We are to have faith in the Lord and obey His commands.
Soon before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave His disciples what is known as the Great Commission. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized will be saved (Mark 16:15-16). The gospel is the good news about Jesus. The good news is that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine, was buried and three days later arose from the dead.
If we want to be saved from our sins, we must first learn about Jesus and His way. The Bible tells us that God has provided a way for us to be saved. Salvation is found in Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 tells us that there is no other name on earth given to men by which we must be saved. Jesus said that He is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6).
The Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Just as Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and were separated from Him, today all of us have done wrong and have been separated because our sins. Unless our sins are forgiven by God, we will be lost when He comes to judge the world at the end of time.
We all desperately need salvation. We need to be saved because we all have a virus. The virus is not the HIV virus, but the SIN virus. We all have sin in our lives.
Sin is Biblically defined as transgressing God’s Law. It is anything that is opposite of His ways. Another definition of sin is missing the mark. We fail to live up to the way He would have us to live. He is perfect and we are not although we try hard to be perfect.
Sin is what separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Because God is holy, He has nothing to do with sin. Sin is a barrier between God and His people. Since there is a barrier between God and His people, how do we cross over the barrier and get to God? The answer is Jesus Christ.
Jesus came and died on the cross for you and for me. He shed His blood because you have sin in your life and it needs to be removed. John 3:16 tells us that God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.
In Romans 5:8, Paul tells us that while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us. He willingly laid down His life for you and for me. He was tortured for you and for me. He was mocked, He was scourged, He had a crown of thorns set on His head, and He was nailed to a cross. He did it all for you and for me. Since Jesus died for you and me, we need to ask the question, what must I do to be saved?
We need to realize that we are lost. You should realize that you are a lost sinner who is without hope. And since you are lost, you want to be saved. Have you ever been lost before? Story is told of a boss at a big company needed to call one of his workers about a problem he was having with one of the computers at work.
He dialed the workers home phone number and the workers son answered the phone with a whispering, "Hello?" The boss asked, "Is your Daddy home?" "Yes", the boy said. "May I talk with him?” the man asked. The small boy whispered, "No." The boss wanted to talk to an adult, the boss asked, "Can I speak to your mommy?" Again the boy whispered, "No."
The boss knew that someone was there watching this boy and asked if he could leave a message with the person watching him. "Is there anyone there besides you?” the boss asked. The boy whispered "Yes" "A policeman."
The boss was now wondering why a police officer was at his employee's house, the boss asked, "May I speak with the police officer?" "No, he's busy talking to mommy and daddy and the fireman.” The boss was now concerned and then heard a loud noise on the other end of the phone. The boss asked what was that noise and the boy whispered "A hello-copper.”
The boss asked the boy "What is going on over there?" The boy said that the search team just arrived in a hello copper. The boss asked why they were there. The boy giggled and said, "They're looking for me!"
Those that are lost need to know that God is looking for you. He wants you to come back to Him. He has done everything in His power to get us back. He gave His only Son so we could be saved. Don’t distance yourself from God, come to Him this day!
First, we are to HEAR the word of God…
If we are going to learn and know anything about God, we must first hear from His word. We need to be active hearers. Some of us don’t listen as well as we should. Teachers may give kids an assignment and because they don’t always listen to what the teacher says, they can get behind or fail a test.
Men are often bad about not listening to their wives. My wife tells me all the time how I don’t listen to her, and I ask her what we were talking about! The word of God is too important not to hear and not to listen to. Jesus tells us he who has ears to hear, listen what He says. You can’t become a Christian if you haven’t heard the Word of God. Romans 10:17 – faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.
Romans 10:14 tells us, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not HEARD? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
We are to hear God’s Word. What is it that we are hearing? We are hearing that the truth can set us free from sin. The truth is Jesus can free us from our sin problem. Jesus tells us in John 8:32 – “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Jesus can remove the mistakes that we make in our lives. We don’t have to be bogged down with sin. Our Lord will wipe away the sins from our life.
Salvation begins with learning about Jesus and His way. We must be an attentive hearer or reader when it comes to God’s Word. We should want to hear the Word of God and let it sink into our hearts.
Let’s be people who listen and build our lives around God’s teachings. Let’s don’t be like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. Let’s be like the wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27). Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ!!! 1. Hear the Word of God…
Second, we must BELIEVE in Jesus…
When a lost soul hears the good news about Jesus; they can either believe the good news or reject it. It’s just like taking doctors orders on what to do to be physically fit and in shape. We can listen to the doctor or we can throw out his instructions. The same is true with the Word of God.
If we truly believe that He is the Son of God, we will believe what He teaches us to do. What should we believe? We are to believe that God sent His Son Jesus to this earth to die for our sins because we were lost in sin. We must believe that we have sin in our life. Sin is a poison that will kill us spiritually. Sin is what separates us from God. Because of that great separation; we must be united back to God. Jesus died so we could be reconciled back to God.
The Bible tells us to believe or have faith in God and His Son. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
We have faith in something because we have heard about it. We cannot have faith without hearing. An aspirin is taken to get rid of a headache. But why does a person take the aspirin? Because he has heard that it will get rid of the headache.
We believe in God and Christ by hearing about them. We hear about them from the Bible. We can hear about them from the Bible in two ways: (1) by reading the Bible ourselves and (2) by hearing someone tells about them from the Bible. It is not possible to have faith in God and Christ without hearing about them.
What is it that we are to believe? We believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. We believe that Jesus loves us. We know that Jesus loves us because the Bible tells us so (John 3:16). We also believe that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins (Matthew 27:45-50). We also believe that after Jesus died that He was buried in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60). We also believe that Jesus resurrected from the grave as He said He would (Matthew 28:1-10).
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, the Bible says - For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… So, we see that Jesus loves us.
We see that He was buried following His death. We see that He rose from the dead conquering death and our sins. He was who He claimed to be. He is the Son of God. The resurrection was proof that He was who He claimed to be.
We also believe that we have sin in our lives. The Bible tells us that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). You weren’t born a sinner; you were born into a world of sin. We all choose if we are going to sin or not. Take the story of Adam and Eve for example. They were given one rule and they broke it because they gave into temptation of the serpent.
Sin separates us and because of sin, we all deserve death. But God was merciful to us and Jesus set us free from death. Because of the consequences of sin, we should seek God’s Forgiveness. Christ has the power to forgive sins. Christ shed His blood to make forgiveness possible.
Faith is belief based on testimony. We believe it because we have been told about it. Faith is necessary in order to be pleasing to God. Without faith we cannot be saved. We must have a faith that trusts and obeys Christ’s commands in order to be saved. 2. Believe in Jesus…
3. We must REPENT of our sins…
A little girl had great desire to join the church and the preacher asked if she had experienced a change of heart. She said "Yes." "Were you a sinner before?" "Yes." "Are you a sinner now?" Again she said, "Yes." "Well then, what's the difference?" She thought to herself and said, "Before I was a converted to Christ, I was a sinner running after sin; now, I am a sinner running away from sin."
God commands everyone to repent. In Acts 17:31, the Bible tells us, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent…” Matthew 21:28-29 says, “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, "Son, go, work today in my vineyard. "He answered and said, “I will not, but afterward he regretted it and went.” Repentance is a change in our life.
Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). We see that we are sinners in need of God’s salvation. Because we need God’s salvation, we should repent. What exactly is repentance? Some say it is being sorry for your sins. Some say it is a change of life. Repentance is being sorry that you have sinned and now your life will change.
2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us that godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. Repentance comes after godly sorrow and before you change your life. Repentance is a change of mind concerning sin. When a person comes to realize that sin breaks God’s heart, they see how awful sin is. When someone learns that sin is why Jesus was crucified, they will be disgusted by sin.
Repentance has been called the hardest part of conversion. It is the hardest part because it calls for a change in our lifestyle. The bottom line is if we want to be saved, we must change our lives with God’s help. Repentance is a change of mind. It is a decision to stop doing wrong and to begin doing right. When a person repents, he changes his life completely.
You decide that you no longer want to rebel against God. You want to obey the commands of God. One’s repentance will be seen in the good works that he does. One who has truly repented will try to please God in everything.
Story is told about a little girl that attended her first wedding. When the wedding ceremony was over, the little girl asked her mother, “Why did the lady change her mind?" Her mother asked, "What do you mean?" “Well, she went down the aisle with one man, and came back with another one."
Changing our mind is not always a bad thing. In fact, that’s what repentance is. Before we can change our lives, we must first of all have a change of mind about what we have done. 3. Repent of your sins…
4. CONFESS Jesus Christ as Lord…
A person must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God before he can become a Christian. CONFESS - To say the same thing, to acknowledge something as true. 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 (Romans 10:9, 10).
If a person will not confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then he cannot become a Christian. Listen to Acts 8:35-37 - Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? “Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God"
After the eunuch made the confession, Philip baptized him. Once we become Christians, we are to confess Jesus by the way we live our lives. Christ lived a perfect life. We are to follow His example. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps (1 Peter 2:21).
Someone once said, “People watch Christians. If a Christian does wrong, others know it. They might even speak evil of Christianity. But if we follow Christ, we will do that which is right. People will then see that Christianity is good.
If a Christian tells others about Christ, but does not live right, then he speaks in vain. People will not listen to a Christian who tells them what to do but doesn’t do it himself. A Christian must tell others about Christ and at the same time do what Christ tells him to do.”
We confess that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God not just before baptism but always. We confess that He died for us on Calvary. We confess that He arose from the grave. We confess that He now lives in Heaven at the right hand of God. We confess that He is Lord of our lives by the life that we live. Confession is a very important part of the conversion process. 4. Confess Jesus as Lord…
5. Be BAPTIZED for the remission of your sins…
Before Jesus ascended to be with the Father, He told His disciples the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). They were to preach how you were to believe and be baptized. When Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, Jesus told him that he must be born again on the water and the spirit (John 3:3-5).
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached how they must repent and be baptized to have their sins removed (Acts 2:38). Ananias told Paul to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).
Paul told the Romans that baptism re-enacts the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-4). Paul told the Galatians that when your baptized, you are putting on Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:27). Peter in 1 Peter 3:21 told the people that baptism now saves you.
Why did God choose baptism? He has always chosen things for us to do to show our faith. For example Abraham, God told him to leave home and go to a better land. God also told him to sacrifice his son Isaac to show if he really believed God. The angel stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, but he obeyed God.
There was a leper in the Bible named Naaman. Naaman was told to wash in the River Jordan seven times and he would be healed from his disease. When Naaman obeyed, He was healed. There was nothing magic about the water, but there was power in doing what God said to do.
Why are we baptized? One is baptized to have their sins forgiven. One is baptized to become a member of the Lord’s body. We are baptized because it is a command of God. We are baptized to receive salvation from sins. Baptism was instituted by Jesus Christ as a beautiful symbol of his death, burial, and resurrection.
Jesus suffered, bled and died for our sins on the cross. We put our sins to death when we surrender to Christ, repent of our sins, and are baptized (Romans 6:6). Jesus died and was buried in an open tomb. As Jesus was buried, we are buried beneath the water, an act symbolic of our sins being erased and remembered against us no more.
Jesus rose from the dead; when we are baptized, we are raised to walk in newness of life. Our lives are transformed, the old man is gone, and our new walk with the Lord begins. Does the act of baptism stop us from ever sinning again? No, but there is a new relationship with God, and we are headed in a new direction in life.
We then resolve to let Christ be the center of our new life, and we keep the old life buried. As long as we are loyal to our Savior, His blood will continue to cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:6-9).
Have you been baptized for the remission of your sins? Have your sins been put to death? Have you forsaken a life of sin? Have you been raised from the waters of baptism to walk a new life? Have you experienced the joy of salvation? There can be no salvation without being baptized. 5. Be Baptized into Christ…
6. Be FAITHFUL always…
I won’t hit on this point long, but God loved us and gave His only Son to die for our sins. When we give our lives over to God, we confess Jesus as Lord by the lives that we live. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He is the one we seek to live for and please with our lives.
I wear a wedding ring on my hand confessing that I am married to my wife always. When I become a Christian, I am confessing to the world that I belong to Jesus and He is the Lord of my life. God calls each and every one of us to be faithful to Him. Revelation 2:10 – Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life. Fight the good fight of faith and lay hold of eternal life (2 Timothy 4:7-8). 6. Be faithful to God…
So what now what? Will you become a child of God this day? Will you die to the sins in your life? Will you die to your wants and desires and give your life over to Jesus?
When Pontius Pilate offered to release Jesus or Barabbas, the crowds cried out to release Barabbas. Pilate then asked, "What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ?" They said, "Crucify Him!" Just as Pilate faced a challenge of what to do with Jesus, his question is proper for us as well. What will we do with Jesus?
We have a choice to make and that choice is to come to Him and be saved or not. We can reject His Lordship. We can turn our backs on the Savior. Or, we can deny that we know Him. Or we can take a stand for Jesus and obey Him. Will you follow Jesus this day?
Jesus called James and John the sons of Zebedee to follow Him and they left the boat and followed. And as far as we know their father stayed in the boat. Will you listen to the voice of the Savior and follow Him or stay in the boat or in sin? That is your choice. The Lord’s invitation has been extended to us all.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). All things are ready!!!
God loves you; I love you and let’s go to Heaven together!
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“The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked”
Psalm 1
There was a story of a farmer who once planted two fruit trees on opposite sides of his property. One he planted near an old landfill; the other he planted near a cool mountain stream which ran down beside his fields.
As the two trees grew, both produced and began to bear fruit. One day the farmer decided to gather the fruit from the tree closest to his house which was near the landfill.
As he brought the fruit inside his house, he noticed that it was a little deformed and the fruit was not very good, but the fruit still looked good enough to eat.
Later that evening, while sitting on his porch the farmer took one of the pieces of fruit for a snack. Biting into the fruit, he found it to be extremely bitter, and completely inedible.
Casting the fruit aside he looked across the field to the other tree over by the mountain stream. After walking across the field, the farmer took a piece of the fruit from the other tree and bit into it.
He found the fruit to be sweet and delicious and he gathered several more pieces of fruit and took them to his house.
The fruit was greatly affected by the nourishment of the root. Just as the tree grew by the landfill to be bitter, and the tree by the stream produced sweet fruit, so the Christian has a choice.
He can either put down his roots into the soil of the landfill of fleshly pursuits, or into the cool refreshing stream of Jesus Christ.
We must understand that the root bears the fruit. The fruit of the Christian is the outward evidence of the inward motivation. Let’s look together at Psalm 1:
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
The first Psalm can be described as "The Truly Happy Man" as it describes the blessedness, or happiness, of the righteous man in contrast to the wicked.
The righteous man is described first from a negative point of view, in what he will not do. The truly happy man is described as not allowing himself to be in the presence or under the influence of the wicked.
Instead, he finds delight in meditating or reflecting day and night on the law of the Lord. His blessedness is pictured as a healthy, fruitful tree, nourished by rivers of water.
Whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked, are not so blessed. They are like chaff driven by the wind. In the judgment, they shall not be able to stand.
Nor shall they be blessed to be in the congregation of the righteous. The psalm ends with a difference between the two ways.
The way of the righteous will be blessed by the Lord. The way of the ungodly shall perish, like a trail leading into a swamp that eventually disappears.
God gives us a choice between two and only two paths in life. One path is connected with the world and ends in death; the other is related to God and His teaching and ends in true happiness.
We need to take time to consider which path we are on and to build a relationship with God where we "delight" in his instructions. We need to make a careful choice to stay on God's path by reflecting on God's instructions and learn to "delight" in God.
The main purpose of Psalm 1 is to tell us about the good life. The second part of the Psalm talks about the wicked life. Jeremiah 17:5-8 gives a similar comparison between the godly and ungodly.
5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
We see that this passage is very similar to Psalm 1. Basically this Psalm deals with two roads and we must make a choice. We can choose the path of blessedness or the road to destruction. It reminds me of the Poem “The Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Taking the Lord’s way will make all the difference. Let’s take a look at the righteous and the wicked man.
1. THE GODLY MAN (1:1-3)
The Godly person is described in negative and positive ways. He is described by what he does not do, by what he does, and the results of his actions.
This Psalm begins by saying how “blessed” is the man. “Blessed” means to be happy. It can also mean to be in a state of complete and full prosperity. The righteous life is a rewarding and fulfilling one. It is the way of true happiness.
* The Godly man is blessed because he is in the Lord and he does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. The Godly man does not listen to any advice given to him on how to live his life.
* The Godly man does not stand in the path of sinners. These are the people who habitually violate the will of God. These are people who are marked by disobedience.
* The Godly man does not sit in the seat of the scoffers. The Godly man will not be found in the circle of the critics who mock at holy things and good living.
The scoffers pay no attention to what is proper and right. The righteous man does not heed the counsel, enter the path, or sit in the seat. He refuses the words of the wicked, the lifestyle of the sinner, and he never reaches the state of the scoffers.
The person who desires to live a righteous life will avoid this path, people and the pursuit of evil. The old way of life has been put to death and the Godly man remains unshaken in God’s ways.
The Psalm now turns to what the righteous man does. The Psalmist says that the righteous man delights in the law of the Lord.
* The Godly man delights or finds pleasure in the teachings of the Lord. Instead of considering evil, the righteous man is fascinated with the teachings of God. Why should we find pleasure in the teachings of God?
The Word of God lives as a lamp to our feet. As a light to our path. As the guide to heaven. As a guide for our youth. As a comfort to the aged. As food to the hungry. As drink to the thirsty. As rest to the weary. As light for the ignorant. As salvation for the sinner. To know it is to love it. To love it is to accept it. To accept it is eternal life.
The Christian life is not one merely of giving up this or that, but it is entering into a new and happy life in the Word of God. The prodigal son had to give up some things to come back to his father.
But what were they? The swine troughs and his rags! He gave up the pig pen of sin! In exchange he obtained the best robe and the joys of a happy home. The godly man gives up the mess of sin, for the delight of God's law!
The Godly man meditates or reflects on the Word of God, and from that meditation receives spiritual strength. The Godly one gives their life to God Word daily.
We are to keep God’s Word in our minds continually and honor the Holy Words. We are anchored in the Word of the Lord because we are walking in the path of the righteous.
* The Godly man is like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water. The one who surrenders daily to God’s will is like a tree that is firmly planted and one that is growing by streams of water.
This tree yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither in whatever he does he prospers. The Godly man is like a tree, alive and energetic.
The Godly man is truly blessed because they walk with the Lord and not after the ways of the wicked. Why would anyone not want to live the Godly life?
The first part of the chapter describes the blessedness of the godly man. His negative character lies in his refusal to walk in the direction of the ungodly; staying away from the path of sinners, and not sitting in the seat of the scoffers. His positive character lies in his delight in the Lord.
2. THE WICKED MAN (1:4-5)
The last part of the Psalm shows us what the Godly man is not like. We have a description of the ungodly.
"4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
* First, the ungodly are described as having the opposite behavior as the godly. After the description of the godly in verses 1-3, the writer says: "The ungodly are not so," that is, they are living in another manner or way. The ungodly are living lives opposite of God’s design.
A drunken man was driving down a one way street against the traffic. A policeman spotted him and pulled him over. Hey the officer asked, where do you think you are going? I don’t know the drunken man answered but it looks like everybody’s coming back.
Those who are ungodly are like this drunken man. They get caught up and are so wrapped up in the ways of the world and they wind up going the wrong way down a one way street. If we are living ungodly and worldly lives then we are heading down the wrong path.
They are "like the chaff." The term "chaff" is used throughout the Scriptures as a sign of what is weak and worthless. At the threshing floor where the chaff was beaten from the wheat, the wheat and chaff would be tossed into the air, and evening breezes would separate them from each other, allowing the heavier wheat to fall to the floor and the chaff to be blown away.
In ancient times chaff was considered to have no value, and when corn was separated, it was thrown up in the air until the wind had blown all the chaff away.
The ungodly are pictured by this language as weak, of no value; something to be thrown out, which the wind drives away. What a way to live! Think of the reality of living a life that is worthless, of no value, something that is good for nothing, but to be thrown out. The good person is like a tree; the wicked, without root and fruit are like worthless chaff that is dead, good for nothing, empty, and weightless.
* Therefore, because of this worthless life, "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." While the wicked may be proud, arrogant and high-minded in this day, in the last day the wicked will not be able to hold up their heads. They will have no security, and will have no place with the righteous. There will be a great separation.
Matthew 25:31-46: 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?'
45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The Lord knows the way of the righteous. The Lord loves and the Lord cares for His people. He blesses them and He knows us and looks after His own.
But the way of the wicked will perish. Death and ruin will evidentially come to any who take this road of life.
The wicked live life without God and they are heading down the way that leads to destruction. This is the life that they choose to live and because of their choices they must suffer the consequences of their own choices.
Remember that we own our own choices in life! In the world there are good and bad - righteous and unrighteous. Their character and behavior are entirely different. This is a beautiful Psalm and the bottom line is, people either live for God or eventually will forever wish they had lived for Him.
Application
Psalm 1 is about the obedient person. This person contemplates on God’s Word and lives by His teachings. The Godly man has great relationship with God because he has submitted to the Lord. The challenge of Psalm1 is that we must decide about the way we will live. Are we going to live wisely or foolishly? Are we going to live for God or self? We must choose we can’t serve God and man (Luke 16:13). A man cannot walk along two roads at the same time.
A man cannot get in his car and drive off in two directions. When a ship sinks, there are survivors and there are those who are lost. The world is made up of only two groups: the righteous and the wicked. Which one are you?
Every person must choose which group they will be in. We either live under God’s care or we will eventually fall from life and pass into judgment and like all the wicked be eternally lost.
The truth of this psalm is that the believer in God should lead a righteous life, choosing purposely and boldly the ways of God.
The main question is why should we seek to have the good life? What is there about this way of living that should attract us?
There are three reasons why we should strive to be Godly. Because of the happiness such a life brings. Because of the great life we can enjoy.
We want this life because of the blessings that we receive in Christ. We have forgiveness of sins, fellowship with God, eternal life, etc. Why would anyone not want this great life?
Satan wants to bring us down folks. He wants to bring us down with sin, and that is what sin does to us it brings us down. Sin is a long and hard journey. The way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15). The journey of sin is to look, to listen, to learn and to love sin!
We may look at sin and say what harm is there in looking? What harm was it for David when he looked at Bathsheba? Soon looking turns to listening. Listening leads to learning sin’s ways.
Before we know it, we become experts in evil. Little by little, we grow to love sin. Slowly, with a power like steel cable, sin wraps its cords around our hearts! Satan wants to destroy us church! Let’s not let him do that and let’s live for God. Satan wants to bring us to Hell with him folks. But we must be strong and choose to be a godly person and die to sin.
An old saying is that the “Righteous person is Bible bred, Bible led, and Bible fed.” We are to be in the Word, we are guided by the Word in living for Christ.
We can’t know God except through His Word. He does not guide us through supernatural intervention but by scriptural instruction.
As we feed on the Word, let’s take to heart what we read. We are made to grow in Christ. The Christian life is one of growth in the Word. 2 Peter 3:18 – But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Someone once said, “Without milk a baby dies and without the Word of God, a Christian deteriorates.” Bottom line, one who does not live in the Word simply does not and cannot know the life of God.
We want the righteous life. How is the righteous man like a tree? He is very stable because he has been planted near the streams of water. The storms of life can’t uproot him or shake him from his life in God. Also, in the Lord we have nourishment.
We have all the resources that we need available to us through the Word. In Christ, we have all the spiritual blessings in Him. We need to follow Christ and walk wisely not foolishly. In Christ, we have success. We bear fruit, our leaves do not wither, and we will prosper. Glory, hallelujah I shall not be moved!
Let’s think about the wicked. They are like chaff. They are lifeless and of no value if they do not change. They are burned or blown away by the winds of circumstances and judgment.
One of the certainties of life is that the wicked are going to be lost if they do not change. Those who live lives not for God live on Doomed Street in the City of Destruction.
This Psalm says the righteous man will prosper. Well, that does not mean that we will always live in positive settings. Job, Daniel, Paul, Peter and John are witnesses to that fact. Jesus enjoyed a relationship with God but hung on the cross in shame.
It does not mean we will always succeed. Noah failed in winning the world with his message. Jeremiah did not succeed in saving Jerusalem. Paul did not preach without being persecuted.
Romans 8:28 tells us “All things work together for good.” Some versions say, “God causes all things to work together for good.” God has always and will always make all things work together for the good of those who love Him.
Finally, this phrase means that the righteous will prosper in all that they do. If we are trusting in God and remain in Him, God will see that we do well, regardless of their situations and difficulties.
Daniel grew with God even through he was thrown in a lions den. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego prospered even though they were thrown into the fire. God promises that the righteous will make it and He will keep that promise regardless of what the world determines to say or do about it!
There was a story of a man that was channel surfing, and a program caught his attention. A man and a woman were trapped underwater in a wrecked mini-submarine with an inadequate amount of air for both of them to safely swim back to the main submarine.
However, they had a plan. The girl would allow herself to drown, and the man, who was the stronger and faster swimmer, would swim back to the submarine, dragging her along. When he reached the safety of the submarine, he would attempt to save her.
Well, the plan worked. It was however, a rather gruesome solution to their problem - she had to die in order to live. I couldn't help but think that this same paradox exists in the life of every Christian.
Every child of God has made a similar decision - a decision to die to self and sin so that we might live eternally with Christ. That's not an easy decision to make. Selflessness is a mature quality.
Exchanging worldly pleasures to live for the Lord is a mature decision. But that is the right decision that you will not eternally regret. Friends, we too must make a choice. We must choose to die if you want to live. We can either be like the Godly man or the wicked man in Psalm 1. What will your choice?
The story is told of an ordinary housefly and how that housefly had, day after day, carefully avoided a dangerous spider web in the corner of the dining room. Each day, the spider would entice the fly to rest on his web, telling it, "I mean you no harm.
I just want a friend, someone to talk to. Please land on my web and rest your weary wings." "Oh no," said the little fly. "I don't trust you. I know what you are and I know what you do to little flies like me."
So off the fly flew. As the fly flew into the kitchen, he saw dozens of flies having the time of their life.
They appeared as though they were dancing and having such a good time, so he decided to join them. Just before landing, another fly said, "Be careful! Don't land there.
Don't you know that's fly paper and it's very dangerous? "Oh no," said the little fly. That can't be dangerous. Just look at how many flies are there and what a good time they're all having, dancing around so."
The fruit was greatly affected by the nourishment of the root. Just as the tree grew by the landfill to be bitter, and the tree by the stream produced sweet fruit, so the Christian has a choice.
He can either put down his roots into the soil of the landfill of fleshly pursuits, or into the cool refreshing stream of Jesus Christ.
We must understand that the root bears the fruit. The fruit of the Christian is the outward evidence of the inward motivation. Let’s look together at Psalm 1:
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
The first Psalm can be described as "The Truly Happy
We need to take time to consider which path we are on and to build a relationship with God where we "delight" in his instructions. We need to make a careful choice to stay on God's path by reflecting on God's instructions and learn to "delight" in God.
The main purpose of Psalm 1 is to tell us about the good life. The second part of the Psalm talks about the wicked life. Jeremiah 17:5-8 gives a similar comparison between the godly and ungodly.
5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
We see that this passage is very similar to Psalm 1. Basically this Psalm deals with two roads and we must make a choice. We can choose the path of blessedness or
1. THE GODLY MAN (1:1-3)
The Godly person is described in negative and positive ways. He is described by what he does not do, by what he does, and the results of his actions.
This Psalm begins by saying how “blessed” is the man. “Blessed” means to be happy. It can also mean to be in a state of complete and full prosperity. The righteous life is a rewarding and fulfilling one. It is the way of true happiness.
* The Godly man is blessed because he is in the Lord and he does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. The Godly man does not listen to any advice given to him on how to live his life.
* The Godly man does not stand in the path of sinners. These are the people who habitually violate the will of God. These are people who are marked by disobedience.
* The Godly man does not sit in the seat of the scoffers. The Godly man will not be found in the circle of the critics who mock at holy things and good living.
The scoffers pay no attention to what is proper and right. The righteous man does not heed the counsel, enter the
The Christian life is not one merely of giving up this or that, but it is entering into a new and happy life in the Word of God. The prodigal son had to give up some things to come back to his father.
But what were they? The swine troughs and his rags! He gave up the pig pen of sin! In exchange he obtained the best robe and the joys of a happy home. The godly man gives up the mess of sin, for the delight of God's law!
The Godly man meditates or reflects on the Word of God, and from that meditation receives spiritual strength. The Godly one gives their life to God Word daily.
We are to keep God’s Word in our minds continually and honor the Holy Words. We are anchored in the Word of the Lord because we are walking in the path of the righteous.
* The Godly man is like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water. The one who surrenders daily to God’s will is like a tree that is firmly planted and one that is growing by streams of water.
This tree yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither in whatever he does he prospers. The Godly man is like a tree, alive and energetic.
A drunken man was driving down a one way street against the traffic. A policeman spotted him and pulled him over. Hey the officer asked, where do you think you are going? I don’t know the drunken man answered but it looks like everybody’s coming back.
Those who are ungodly are like this drunken man. They get caught up and are so wrapped up in the ways of the world and they wind up going the wrong way down a one way street. If we are living ungodly and worldly lives then we are heading down the wrong path.
They are "like the chaff." The term "chaff" is used throughout the Scriptures as a sign of what is weak and worthless. At the threshing floor where the chaff was beaten from the wheat, the wheat and chaff would be tossed into the air, and evening breezes would separate them from each other, allowing the heavier wheat to fall to the floor and the chaff to be blown away.
In ancient times chaff was considered to have no value, and when corn was separated, it was thrown up in the air until the wind had blown all the chaff away.
The ungodly are pictured by this language as weak, of no value; something to be thrown out, which the wind drives away. What a way to live! Think of the reality of living a life that is worthless, of no value, something that is good for nothing, but to be thrown out. The good person is like sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?'
45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
man (Luke 16:13). A man cannot walk along two roads at the same time.
A man cannot get in his car and drive off in two directions. When a ship sinks, there are survivors and there are those who are lost. The world is made up of only two groups: the righteous and the wicked. Which one are you?
Every person must choose which group they will be in. We either live under God’s care or we will eventually fall from life and pass into judgment and like all the wicked be eternally lost.
The truth of this psalm is that the believer in God should lead a righteous life, choosing purposely and boldly the ways of God.
The main question is why should we seek to have the good life? What is there about this way of living that should attract us?
There are three reasons why we should strive to be Godly. Because of the happiness such a life brings. Because of the great life we can enjoy.
We want this life because of the blessings that we receive in Christ. We have forgiveness of sins, fellowship with
As we feed on the Word, let’s take to heart what we read. We are made to grow in Christ. The Christian life is one of growth in the Word. 2 Peter 3:18 – But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Someone once said, “Without milk a baby dies and without the Word of God, a Christian deteriorates.” Bottom line, one who does not live in the Word simply does not and cannot know the life of God.
We want the righteous life. How is the righteous man like a tree? He is very stable because he has been planted near the streams of water. The storms of life can’t uproot him or shake him from his life in God. Also, in the Lord we have nourishment.
We have all the resources that we need available to us through the Word. In Christ, we have all the spiritual blessings in Him. We need to follow Christ and walk wisely not foolishly. In Christ, we have success. We bear fruit, our leaves do not wither, and we will prosper. Glory, hallelujah I shall not be moved!
Let’s think about the wicked. They are like chaff. They are lifeless and of no value if they do not change. They are burned or blown away by the winds of circumstances and judgment.
that the righteous will make it and He will keep that promise regardless of what the world determines to say or do about it!
There was a story of a man that was channel surfing, and a program caught his attention. A man and a woman were trapped underwater in a wrecked mini-submarine with an inadequate amount of air for both of them to safely swim back to the main submarine.
However, they had a plan. The girl would allow herself to drown, and the man, who was the stronger and faster swimmer, would swim back to the submarine, dragging her along. When he reached the safety of the submarine, he would attempt to save her.
Well, the plan worked. It was however, a rather gruesome solution to their problem - she had to die in order to live. I couldn't help but think that this same paradox exists in the life of every Christian.
Every child of God has made a similar decision - a decision to die to self and sin so that we might live eternally with Christ. That's not an easy decision to make. Selflessness is a mature quality.
Exchanging worldly pleasures to live for the Lord is a mature decision. But that is the right decision that you will And the poor little fly followed the multitude of other flies, and lost his life.
What shall it profit a fly if he should should escape the spider web and get stuck in the glue? What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul (Matthew 16:26)? Godly living is the way to go!
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
God loves you; I love you and let’s live Godly lives and not wicked lives and let’s go to Heaven together!
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Christianity Is Great
John 3:16 Jesus tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is great that God loves us so much that He doesn’t want anyone to be lost and sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Without the love of God, we would be lost forever and it is great to know that we are loved. It is great to be a Christian, amen! Back in the day we used to sing an old song called “Isn’t It Grand To Be A Christian.” The song would say how it’s grand to be a Christian on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and all day Sunday. Christianity is great and I am glad that I am in Christ. As the gospel hymn says, “I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in. God bathed my heart in love and He wrote
my name above.”
In life, we can experience great things and have some fun times. We have fun with our family, friends, etc. The birth of a child is a very exciting thing. Getting a new job is also something that is exciting. When you take for example a roller coaster ride; that is something that is thrilling, exhilarating and fun! Scary but fun! Many like to sit around and watch a good movie from time to time. Many love to take a good nap on a Sunday afternoon. I love when Movie Gallery calls us and tells us that we have a free movie rental. If you get the chance to watch a professional or college football or basketball game, that is a great thing to experience. Now that Ole Miss got a Nutt for a coach, I am looking forward to maybe seeing the Rebels win just one game. Playing a game of golf with your friends on a beautiful sunny day is a great thing I love to do. Sometimes in life a good meal is great and hits the spot. I love going to my in-laws to eat one reason is because my mother in law sure can cook. Every time for breakfast, we have eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. At supper, we usually have corn, peas, roast, macaroni and cheese, okra, mash potatoes, etc. She usually has a few goodies for desert as well. We do experience great things in life and have some good times.
There are some great things in life. But nothing and I mean absolutely nothing in life measures up to Christianity. Christianity is the best life because it is the abundant life that Jesus talks about in John 10. It is the most rewarding life possible. I would like for us to look at a few reasons why Christianity is so great.
Christianity is great because…
1. Christianity is great because of our Great God…
A. He is the Creator. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2). God is the creator of all things. Many deny that God exists and many believe this world just came about by chance. God’s fingerprints are everywhere. Sir Isaac Newton was a very famous mathematician and scientist who strongly believed in God. The story is told that he had an atheistic friend who did not believe in God. Sir Isaac came up with a plan to try to convince his friend that God did exist and had created the universe. One day, he went to a carpentry shop and asked the owner to make a model of our solar system. This model was to be to resemble as closely as possible the actual solar system.
After several weeks, Isaac picked up the model, paid for it and placed it in the center of a table in his house. Some time later, his atheistic friend came over for a visit. When the friend arrived at Dr. Newton’s house, the model of the solar system caught his eye, and he asked Sir Isaac if he could inspect the model more closely. Of course that was fine with Isaac. The atheist was in awe of the fine craftsmanship. After some time, the man asked Isaac who had crafted this wonderful model of the solar system. Sit Isaac replied that no one had made the model; it just appeared on his table by accident. The friend said that there was no way that this could appear just out of thin air. Sir Isaac told him, if he could not convince his friend that this replica of the solar system had just happened by accident, how could the friend believe that the real solar system with all its complexity and design could have appeared just by time and chance? Design always demands a designer! Paul’s words describing God ring just as true today as they did almost 2,000 years ago: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20). God is the creator of the heavens and the earth.
B. Jesus is Lord.
There was a television commercial that came on advertising a Vacation Resort. The resort was very attractive and it was sunny and warm with sandy beaches. Here at this resort, you would be pampered and they would provide everything you needed. At the end they said, "Like heaven, without the long term commitment."
Isn't that like a lot of us? We want to experience heaven and all of the wonderful things there, but we seem to come up short on the long term commitment. A preacher on the radio once said that many of us have "faced" God but not "embraced" God. Many of us have "accepted" Jesus but never "surrendered" to Him. Many of us have "admitted" that we were sinners but never "repented" of our sins.
Let’s remember after all that "Jesus is Lord." He is to be awed and revered. He is Lord of Heaven and Lord of earth. Let’s recognize and submit to His Lordship. “9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
2. Christianity is great because of God’s Great love …
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” There are several other passages in the New Testament that tell us about the extent of that price. Acts 20:28 - Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
1 Peter 1:18-19 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed d