20100801.Sermon.Get Ready Series
William Akehurst, BA
HSWC
It’s more to it than just believing.
Key Verse: Titus 2:11-14, 2 Peter 3:14
Psalm 130:2-5
Psalm 24:3-5
2 Peter 3:8-11-15
1 Thessalonians 5:1-10
Revelation 21:6-8
Titus 2:11-14
11. Salvation has appeared to all men
12. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Teaching us that we should live:
a. Soberly, as not under the influence of this world
b. Righteously, by doing what is right
c. Godly, the way Christ lived
d. Denying, a choice, first mental, then physical.
We make the choice, to do or to do not
Choice to change our habits to what is pleasing to God
Doing right, be clear minded, be sober, not under the influence of this world
Be Holy for I the LORD your God, am Holy. Leviticus 19:2
13. Remembering, thinking looking forward to that blessed hope, Christ’s redemption and His return
14. Who gave himself in our place to redeem us from wrong, evil and sin. Purifying us to do good. Purifying, changing our heart and mind to do good things.
Psalm 130:2-5
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Who can Stand? When the LORD marks our sin, Who can stand?
But, there is forgiveness. There is HOPE!
In the words of David, he was waiting, hoping, in the promises of God’s word, of the savior, the Messiah.
We see hope fulfilled, with our ability to see the old and new testaments. The hope in the prophecies of old, looking for the Messiah, hoping for that day when he would come. Fulfilled in the new, as Christ fulfills those prophecies, that hope of days long ago.
And yet, are we without hope? No. We hope for the future, when Christ will come back again. We hope for the day we enter heaven, sins forgiven by the hope we have in the redemption of Christ.
Because of HOPE we can endure many things. We can endure suffering. We can wait for change. We wait and hope.
HOPE is, only an earthly word. It has no meaning in heaven as it is fulfilled in Christ’s presence.
In Hell, it does not exist; there is no hope for escape. There is no hope even for the worm, which is not consumed by the fires of Hell. There is no way out. If there were, then what would be the need for redemption. We could live our lives, pay our penalty, and then come out again? No, there is no hope in hell. At all. Ever.
We have hope, in Christ,
His death,
His resurrection,
His life
His coming back again
He is the way to the Father
To heaven
To forgiveness
But we have a choice of how we live
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Psalm 24:3-5 says
Who will go to heaven?
Those with clean hands (not workers of iniquity)
Those with a pure heart (purified by Him who gave Himself)
Who have NOT vanity or deceit
But will receive the blessing of righteousness, and salvation.
Peter tells us in these last times, we must be ready.
2 Peter 3:8-11-15
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
His promise remains, but, due to His patience, his longsuffering toward us, He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Christ is coming, and when He does, all the world as we know it, will change. Why should He tarry? Why should He wait. Because of His love toward all people. God so loved the world, all mankind, and He is not willing that any should perish, but His desire is that we all should repent and spend eternity with Him.
11 We need to understand, that we are to be holy, as God is Holy, through our conversation and actions.
12 Looking for the coming of the day of God
13 Looking for new heavens and a new earth
14 And while we look, we are to be diligent that we may be found OF him.
OF him, Of, being By and From him, a part of Him, a part of Christ, having Christ in us.
OF Him, in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 This is the account of the patience of the Lord for our salvation
1 Thessalonians 5:1-10
Tells us that we are children of light, not of darkness vs. 5.
Let us watch and be sober. vs 6 looking toward that hope, looking toward Christ’s return.
Let us be sober, again, not under the influence of this world. I think of Las Vegas, Sin City, a city of the night and under the cloak of darkness. We are not to be under this influence.
9For God appointed us to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Whether we are awake and alive here, or sleep and yet alive in heaven, we live together with him. On Earth as it is in Heaven.
Jesus gives life freely to anyone who takes Him in. receives Him.
Revelation 21:6-8
6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
BUT, are we really believers?
8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
There is no hope for those who do not believe, are offensive or abominable, have taken a life, or thrive on sexual temptations, deal in magic, have idols, and lie. They will have their part in the lake of Fire. Hell.
Makes you think about your doubts, your immoral thoughts.
Makes you think about what is important in your life, your idols. Money, Success, Television, Electronics, A House or Car.
Makes you think next time you tell a lie.
There is no hope for those who do not drink OF the fountain of life, for those as defined in vs.8. IF there is no change. IF they do not overcome through HIM that OVERCAME.
Who do not take Christ’s Salvation through the blood of His covenant into their hearts, mind, soul, spirit, life.
John 3:16 tells us that God loves the world so much that whosever believes in Jesus will have eternal life.
But what does it mean to believe?
Believe, it’s more than just the thought process in the mind.
It’s more than just a feeling
It’s more than just an understanding or knowledge.
Believing in Christ is more than just knowing that He died upon the cross for our sins,
its more than understanding that his blood was shed to fulfill the blood covenant of forgiveness.
Its more than knowledge of Jesus the Son of God dying on the cross for you and me.
Its more than knowledge of His resurrection and ascending to the right hand of God. Believing is more than knowing this truth. Believing is the act of understanding in the mind, AND obeying in the heart. When we truly believe in something, it becomes more than just an understanding, it becomes a hearts desire, and it affects our thoughts, our actions and our conscience. When we truly believe in Christ, our desire will change to a desire to be obedient to Him. To follow His example, to change the way we live and put our lives to conform and obey the one in whom we believe.
So many people who call themselves Christians, believe on Sunday for 1 hour, then live and act and obey the sins of the world for the rest of the week.
True believing REQUIRES obedience.
True believing then causes us to react in our obedience.
We see our sin, and by the Holy Spirit, we realize our need for forgiveness and change.
Forgiveness which comes through repentance,
Repentance, Heart felt confession that produces a change of heart and mind.
Repentance, Acknowledgment and Change
What is missing with most who say they believe, is there obedience to REPENTANCE.
And their obedience to LIVE as CHRIST Taught us. To LOVE GOD FIRST, then EVERYONE ELSE AS HE DOES.
GOD is patient with us
His patience is due to His desire that none should perish in the lake of fire.
His patience is due to His desire: that ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Mixed with John 3:16, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that while we were yet sinners, His Son, Christ Jesus died for us. That if you and I believe, repent and obey HIM, we should have life everlasting with GOD our Creator.
BELIEVE=REPENT=CHANGE=OBEY
At the Cross, the old rugged cross, Jesus died, he really died. Feeling pain, suffering, shame, for yours and my sins. He died.
God’s anger for sin, was applied to His Son for you, and for me.
He died for me.
Romans 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Romans 14:7-9
7For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
8For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
9For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Salvation comes through Christ.
BELIEVE: Jesus is Savior
Then believe what he commanded
Believe by doing what he said
Believe by living as he did
Believe by submitting to the King
Believe by the act of obedience
Believe by the changes of our habits
Believe by showing, trying, doing, what is godly: what God desires.
According to His word Romans 3:10, there is none righteous, no not one.
Except through the redemption, forgiveness and salvation of Christ alone.
This is what it means to be OF Him. 2 Peter 3:14
Believing is being OF Him.
