WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN
SERMON TITLE: THE BENEFITS OF BEING A CHILD OF GOD
“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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18
TEXT VERSE: Psalms 116:12 “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?”
A lot of Christians don’t realize exactly what we have when we have Jesus.
Romans 8:32 “He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also, freely give us all things?” Do you really know what benefits the Lord has for you?
We ought to thank God for everything he’s done for us. We ought to be on our knees daily. We have so much to thank him for. We can walk into the house of God and worship him in spirit and in truth. There’s a lot of countries that don’t have that freedom. They can’t sit down at night and read the Holy Bible. They don’t have the freedom to share with them Christ.
Number one: One of the benefits Christ has for us is the benefit of love. There’s no greater love than the Lord Jesus Christ. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” There’s not greater benefit than to know that Jesus loves us. The Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I’m glad that earthly circumstances cannot change the love of God. Paul said in Romans 8 that nothing shall separate us from the love of God.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done... Christ still loves you.
Number two: The benefit of Grace. That’s God giving us what we did not deserve. Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men.” Grace brought Salvation. A lot of people think you can get it by signing your name on some church roll. You can’t get Salvation without Grace. There’s no other name under heaven by where we must be saved. He’s the God of the Americans, the God of the Germans, the God of the Russians, the God of the Japanese and he’s able to save them to the uttermost. His grace is sufficient for all. Ephesians 2:8 “For by Grace are ye saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” It’s a gift. Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” There’s nothing nowhere that God’s grace will not be sufficient.
Number three: The benefit of mercy. That’s God not giving us what we do deserve. We deserve Hell. We’re wretched people. We fell out of his grace. But we’ve got the benefit of mercy. Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Not according to what we’ve done but according to his mercy, he saved us. He is a merciful God. I’m glad I know him. I got to thinking this week when my time would come. We all have to die. We can’t escape it. But we have a hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 9:16 “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth but of God that showeth Mercy.” Thank God he does show us mercy. All those times we step out of his will.,..thank God he’s a merciful God. Thank God we have that benefit where we can say, Lord look beyond my faults and failures and he’s merciful enough to forgive us.
Number four: We have the benefit of Spirit. There’s a lot of Christians I believe that don’t know what Spirit is. First John 4:13 “Hereby know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit.” You can’t get the Spirit of God unless he gives it to you. Ephesians 1:13 “After that you believed you were saved with the holy seal of promise.” Notice it says after you believed. A lot of people don’t recognize that. But we can’t get the Spirit until we believe. The Spirit of God is what convicts but you’re not going to get it untilyou believe it.
Number five: We have the benefit of forgiveness. Thank the Lord for that one. First John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If we confess our sins. A lot of people carry them around with them. Unless you confess your sins you cannot get rid of them. A lot of people just say, Lord forgive me of all my sins. I believe that will work but if you’re repenting on a day to day basis, you should know what sins you’ve committed. The Bible also says that because he forgave us, we’re supposed to forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ of their sins. First John 2:12 “I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you.” Who forgives us of our sins? Christ. Through his blood he forgives us of our sins. Have you ever done something to someone that you wish you hadn’t done and you had to go back and apologize to them? It’s hard to do. And sometimes somebody can do something to you and you’re in the right and their in the wrong but you’ll pretend like you’re in the wrong and you’ll go to them and say I’m sorry. The Bible says why not take the wrong. Why not suffer yourself to be defrauded? But the Bible says if you forgive not men of their trespasses neither will the father forgive you of yours. I also believe that once you’ve been forgiven or have forgiven, you ought to forget about it. Bringing up peoples past is not forgiving them. When Christ forgives us, he casts them into the forgetfulness sea. Don’t just tell somebody that you’re sorry. Mean that you’re sorry.
Number six: We have the benefit of riches. I thank God for the riches I have in Christ Jesus my Lord. This world can never satisfy your hungry soul. Their are people out there looking for something, searching for something. A lot of people don’t know what life is all about. Their living their lives and getting old and they don’t know Christ and they want something to grab hold to. When they don’t know Christ they turn to drugs, alcohol. prostitution. We have to share the word of God with them. We need to tell them that this world has nothing to offer but Christ has everything. His riches are beyond measure.
Paul said in Philippians 4:19 “My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in Glory.” His riches. Not our riches. Your wants will never out weigh Christ’s riches. It don’t matter what you need. Your need will never be so sufficient that God cannot fill it if you just trust in him. If we have Christ we are rich. Romans 10:12 “There’s no difference between the Jew or the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.” Just call upon the Lord and you’ll get what you need.
Number seven: We have the benefit of eternal life. Jesus said, I am the resurrection. He that liveth and believe in me shall never die. Where do I get eternal life? Through Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.” Sin means death. Christ means eternal life. John 10:27-28 “My sheep know my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life.” You cannot inherit eternal life. You can only get it when Christ gives it. People need to study out that word give. John 3:27 “A man can receive nothing except it be given to him from above.” You can’t have anything if Christ doesn’t give it to you. Nothing. No Hope, no peace, no Joy. The devil wants to strip you of all the blessings and benefits that God has given you and if we let him, he will.
LET US PRAY: Father, forgive me of my sins. Forgive me for being selfish, for being unforgiving.
I want the benefits of being a Child of yours. Let me get self out of the way and let me tell Satan to go away so that I can get where I need to be with you. so that I can receive all the benefits of you offer. That I might be a blessing to you and to others. In Jesus name. Amen
