Lost And Found

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"

- Touching story of: I once was lost, but now I'm found

- Alcoholism: You remain an alcoholic now matter how many sober phases you've had

- People giving witness to Jesus

- Shedding tears: Born again

- New creature

- Various approaches possible: I am a better person now, the others are sinner, a combination of both

- I am a better person now: I eat healthy, I exercise more, I don't smoke or drink, I don't have sex for pleasure but procreation alone

- The others are sinners: Terry Jones hates gays and Muslims, Blacks used to be Three-fifths humans, now it's hispanic

- Where do you go from there?

- Hibernation

- You're personally saved

- You signed your heavenly insurance policy

- It's done

- Until you feel lost again and start all over with another touching story

Multiple baptism

- Millions of Baptist, Evangelicals and Mormons

- Once they baptize you, you're saved and remain on the record as saved

- The very intention of Baptists in the 1600s was about being able to re-baptize people

- Who was baptized multiple times?

- Once you start that career of being saved you stick to it and get saved through baptism like 3-5 times on the average

- So you could be a Baptist, Evangelical, Mormon all at the same time - hence the millions

- You better divide their numbers by 3-5

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"

- It's done

- That does not mean sin is no more but it does mean it's not held against us

- Once and for all

One Baptism

- Who was never baptized?

- Nothing but acknowledging the fact that your are saved

- Once and for all

- One Lord, one Baptism

Paul's story of being lost

- I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.

Paul's story of being found

- Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

Once

- One Lord

- One salvation

Paul, the foremost sinner

- Give Jesus the chance to save him even more

- Trying to be a better person results in becoming judgemental

- Don't go there, but be who you are

- If it's sin, that's fine

- Pecca fortiter, sin boldly!

- Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not saints