The Power Found In This Old Book (Pt 1) Series

THE POWER FOUND IN THIS OLD BOOK (pt 1)

Heb 10:23

I had a guy that wanted to help me down about 10 trees one day. He said he had axe had been stolen that week. So I told him I have 2 chainsaws and he could use one of them and they are faster than axes.

I cut my 5 trees and came back to him. He had only 4 trees down. He complained that something must be wrong with it because it was no faster than his axe. I took the saw from him to check it out. Other than the bar being slightly bent, it looked ok, so I cranked it up first pull and it roared to life. Shocked, he looked at me and said, “What’s that noise?”

** We have easy access to the Bible in America. This Old Book is everywhere. Some cheap, some expensive, and if you want a free one, The Gideon Ministry will give you one. There is power in this old Book, but if you are ever going to access its power, you must actually read it.

Heb 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

What kind of power?

1. SALVATION POWER IN THIS OLD BOOK.

Rom 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

The Bible teaches us the Gospel...how to be saved. IT TEACHES US

A. We are each sinners and worthy of death.

Rom 3:23 all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

No matter how good we think we are, we are all sinners.

Rom 6:23 the wages of sin is death.

Because we are sinners, we deserve death and hell.

B. Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.

Rom 5:6,8-9 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

* We were lost in our sins, helpless to save ourselves. We cannot!

* Jesus died on the cross. His blood paid the price for our sins.

* Those who receive Christ are saved from God’s wrath against sin.

C. How to be saved.

(1) Repentance. “To turn away”. Contrition- sorrow over your sins. It is abandoning your old life of sin and embracing the life Jesus desires.

Lk 13:5 Jesus said “unless you repent, you cannot be saved.”

Jesus came to save us from our sins, not so that we could live in them.

(2) Faith in Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Rom 10 speaks about this and the 2 are intertwined.

Rom 10:9-10 9 If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Faith- trusting in Christ and Christ alone for salvation.

Lordship- Yielding your control to Jesus Christ. He is Lord of your life

* Many want to be saved, but don’t want to leave their life of sin, you cannot. Repentance, faith, and Lordship are each required for salvation. Unless you repent, you cannot be saved. And to be saved, You must trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, but Jesus will not be your Savior unless He is also your Lord.

2. THE POWER OF GOD’S PROMISES IN THIS OLD BOOK.

2 Cor 1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

* Throughout the Bible are found many promises that God has made to us. These promises are wonderful to think about, but they are also very powerful for us when we claim them and apply them to our lives. And, God guarantees His answer to all of these promises is “YES”.

A. God loves you! (The most important. All rest hinges on this one)

Is 54:10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

God loves you with an everlasting love. He loves you no matter what. It is not based on how good you are, but upon how good He is. No matter what happens in this world, His love for you remains strong.