Going to conclude our study today but next Sunday we’ll have one more lesson and I’ll be sharing that with you on next Sunday at 9:00 a.m. next Sunday will be our final 900 a Bible study class for 2023 and then we’ll reconvene of course in February or March we’ll see how
Things are going of 2024 God willing let’s begin with a word of prayer father we thank you for this day and for your blessing blessings we thank you Heavenly Father for all that you’ve done and are yet doing in our lives we ask that you
Would bless us guide us direct us as we study your word that we see hear and understand what the spirit is saying to the church in this day and hour keep us now in Jesus name we pray amen last week we left off on page five what must we do to receive salvation
And I was just taking a quick look to make sure that uh everything was covered so point four on your outline what must we do to receive salvation through Jesus Christ we understand that Christ has already completed all the work necessary for us to be saved and for us to be saved we
First repent which we discussed it’s that complete change of mind turning away from the things that we know displease God Acts 3 and 19 repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord 2 Corinthians the 7th chapter
9th and 10th verse Paul talked about The Godly sorrow which caused repentance or brings about repentance that leads to Salvation and leaves no regret but worldly sorrow as he stated as he writes brings death and then second Timothy 2 chapter 19th through the 2st verse nevertheless God’s solid foundation
Stands firm sealed with this inscription and what he does the writer separates the different kinds of uh instruments in a house he uses that as an analogy and how each of those instruments are used for different things some wood some gold some silver and those who cleanse themselves verse
21 from the latter or from sin will be instruments for special purposes made holy and useful to the master and prepared to do any good work if we want to be truly used of God our responsibility is to be cleansed and to live holy that is something that is
Really not uh really talked about or advocated or really pushed in a lot of circles but Holiness without which no one shall see the Lord Holiness is necessary and we are to live holy and righteous lives not according to what our flesh and our our our our natural
Carnal desires would lead us to because keep in mind the Bible says in Romans 8 that the natural mind is enmity against God the carnal mind those who think naturally those who obey those natural carnal ideas those desires that are sinful that is a natural uh that is
Those are in natural opposition to everything that God is about so to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace so that is why he advocates for this and and realize Holiness means okay some in and and a lot of Christians say well you
Know I never go into bars I don’t drink I don’t smoke I don’t use drugs but do you gossip do you think wickedly of other people do you hate folk are you jealous of folk how is our inward thinking because a lot of us we look
Like angels you ever met folk in the church they look like Angels but they the biggest devil there amen number two believe in the gospel of Christ acts 16:31 they said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved you and your household it
Is really so simple to be saved it is really quite easy believe that Jesus is the Christ and that God has raised him from the dead and you shall be saved that is the the recipe for salvation all the other things that people throw at us that is not of God
That is not biblical that is not scriptural but once we believe that changes our mindset that changes our goals our purpose that changes Our Lives think of it like this those of you who belong to uh sororities or fraternities or or or groups you know like that uh or
Even when you get hir in a company those companies those groups those sororities those fraternities you start thinking along the lines of what everybody else in the Frat thinks you start trying to fit in with what everybody else in that frat is doing or that sority is doing if
You are hired in a company you want to become a part of the company culture and I can speak to that because of many schools that I’ve been blessed to teach at uh over these almost 40 years there’s a culture there and when you are able to fit into that culture comfortably and
You can share and collaborate with your fellow teachers and you know the students know that the faculty is on on board everybody’s together things flow a lot smoother well it’s the same thing when we accept Christ we don’t just go home and live the way we were living
Before we accept Christ when we accept Christ we take on the mindset of Christ let this mind be in you which also was in Jesus Christ and keep in mind no one can say that Jesus is Lord unless they have been filled with the holy spirit so
The Holy Spirit prompts us to accept Christ and then he fills us now how much control the Holy Spirit has in our lives in our talk in our conduct that’s up to us and the problem that happens with many many Christians especially in this day and age
Is we have all this other noise social media influencers what people are doing what people are saying what’s popular what’s not popular all of this stuff going on this side noise which causes us to think well the holy spirit’s leading me this way but you know maybe and and we start looking around
That’s the problem we have to be yielded to the Holy Spirit and let the Holy Spirit lead us and he will help us to become a part of the Kingdom culture of Jesus Christ a lot of people will say that being a Christian is hard being a Christian is not hard because
Christ helps us his Spirit helps us he leads us he strengthens us how many of you can say that you know at one point in our lives we cared about what folks said or thought about us we don’t care now am I right it does not matter and
That’s one of the toughest things you know and and and not just friends but family and and and some of us we had to get to the point look I don’t care what none of y’all say I’m going to serve the Lord I’m going to do what is
Right God told Jeremiah at one point he said I don’t want you to be afraid of the people and and look I’ve made your forehead like he either told Jeremiah or Ezekiel I’ve made your forehead Like Flint I’ve made you hardheaded where whatever they say it bounces right off
That’s where we have to get in this world where we’re not influenced by if I would have could have should and what other folks think or say Amen so if we believe going back to our original thought if we believe it’s we’re saved and those that in our are in
Our household they are saved also but look at this just for a moment you will be saved and your household that’s acts 1631 now here’s the important thing to realize you have great influence in your household it may not feel like it and sometime they act crazy sometime they do
What they want to do to to defy you amen and and don’t don’t raise no hands I don’t want to know nothing don’t want nobody else to know nothing how many of you have ever went to church came back and some of the folk in your
House it because it was a Sunday because you were at church because they are who they are they did the exact opposite of what was right so you’ll see it when you got home trying to make it tough on you but you keep living your life keep living that example because
Believe it or not in time God’s going to work them over and bring them over to because your lifestyle and as Peter that wrote about that that the unbelieving spouse is saved by the believing spouse you keep putting that salt not being salty but that salt that seasoning being
That light keep letting your light shine and it will make the right influence so even if it’s in their last breath and some of us saying Lord why don’t you save them before that last breath because I’m tired now no even before that last breath they will accept Christ
Because that’s the the most important thing and that is your ministry believe it or not what we do in our households when we have unsaved un unsaved folk in our household that’s part of our ministry to live that life where they will see that Light of Christ and be
Drawn to it even if they act like they don’t want to be amen number three fully and decisively accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior Romans 109 and 10 I’ve talked about that already so I won’t repeat it but those of you that are viewing us via the live stream it simply
Is if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus the scripture I just quoted and believe in your heart that God is Raising from the dead you will be saved why because with the heart we believe to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to Salvation number
Five outline five I’m on page six we have the Assurance of Salvation one of the things when we were when I was first Saved back in the 70s I wondered because you heard all of this talk from folk in church and it wasn’t just in other
Churches too we would go to uh some coic Churches and house would be full and they talk at us like what nobody in the house say you can be saved you don’t have to go to hell and I’m sitting there like wait a minute I I I thought thought I was saved
I didn’t think I was going to hell but when you’re young or immature you don’t know any better and then even in this church you had Negroes running around saying well you can’t do this you can’t do that if you’re doing this if and it was the trivialist stupidest stuff
Telling women if they didn’t wear panty Hool they were going to hell if you wore earrings in the choir stand remember choir members those of you that choir memb y’all remember that y’all had to dress and look like plain ja chains ridiculous because that was bondage but
Then if you wanted to do that oh you going to hell you disobedient if you don’t tithe you’re going to hell no you know if you don’t do this if you wear a pants all of that stuff and I’ve talked about that in the past realize that once we accept
Christ as Believers we should encourage other believers in their growth in Christ instead of making them doubt their salvation because believe it or not that kind of stuff lingers I have folk that are almost 80 that are still unsure about their status with the Lord because that was the climate they
Grew up in if you were a child and you were subjected to that kind of stuff if you were a young adult and you were subjected to that kind of stuff if you were an adult and you kept being subjected to where people people were always doubting you and always making
You feel like you don’t you ain’t got it and then remember of course people would say if you didn’t speak in tongue you aren’t saved if if you didn’t fall out you weren’t saved and then of course those that knew about the MERS bench and there’s nothing
Wrong with the MERS bench amen lot of our folk came through the morning’s M but a lot of our folk didn’t if you didn’t t for the Holy Ghost go you aren’t saved all of that stuff we don’t we don’t have that right are you listening to me the Bible tells us
Though and listen to this carefully first John actually I have this out of order I’m going to read the first one we know that we’re saved because the Holy Spirit tells us from within that we are right with God Romans 8 and16 Romans 8:16 the spirit himself Bears witness
With our spirit that we are children of God Amen and you’ll notice that in the 20 well soon be 22 years that I’ve been your pastor I’ve made it a point those who don’t know Christ they know it those of you who are saved and
Do know Christ it should push you in in the preaching and teaching that I’ve tried to do it should bring you even closer to him and if there’s any dead cats on the line which there can be we got over 600 seats in here and you get you get 600
Some folk together there’s some dead cats in there well you know what let me get them dead cats off my line so I can get closer to Christ because there are things in Christians lives it won’t send you to help but it’ll keep you from getting to that level
In God that he wants you to be at are you listening to me and it’s not to condemn but it’s to cause us to examine ourselves and believe it or not if a preacher is any good and I tell my preachers all of them that too if it
Don’t hit you first Don’t Preach it amen because I’ve preached some messages it it put me it was like going through the y’all remember them old washing machines my mom had one when I was a kid my grandmother’s both of them had them they were sitting on the back
Porch and you had this big tub and them clothes were wash and then instead of the spin cycle they would take them clothes and feed them through the ringer and those clothes would go through the ring and sometime they’d have to take them and feed them through again y’all remember that I’ve had
Messages and and and and and and even recently it put me through the ringer first and I was like yes Lord you got me amen and that way I knew it was for the people of God the Holy Spirit himself will confirm to you that you are right
With God that we are the children of God that’s Romans 8:16 and then we know that we’re saved by the word of God first John the 5th chapter and the 13th verse These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God that you
May know that you go back to that that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the son of God Amen he has given us these things that we’ll know how to have and that we do
Have eternal life God doesn’t operate in mystery when we were coming along back in in the day a lot of things we were told well you you’re not supposed to understand you just trust you just believe don’t worry about it a lot of things are you know are hidden but the
More I have studied the word of God the more I have come to know God wants us to know everything that we need to know now as far as certain life events those things we won’t always understand but as far as the will of God he has given us everything we need to
Understand his will so we know that we’re saved we have as as and I don’t know why I keep thinking of it but uh Blessed Assurance we have that Blessed assurance Jesus is mine oh what a foretaste of Glory Divine and heir of Salvation purchased of God born of his
Spirit and washed in his blood the scope of Salvation the past salvation through Jesus Christ cancels the consequences and penalties that were due to us because of sin Romans 8 And1 there is there now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not
Walk after the flesh or according to the flesh but according to the spirit do not be condemned there are people that will call you up they’ll bump into you they’ll talk to you and they will condemn you because they think something different we had a young man here who’s
Both a principal and a minister of the Gospel who was teaching yesterday about uh uh uh the Christmas season and the way he put it out there this was a mixed group this was what was going on during our first uh meeting yesterday just before sister Perry’s uh homegoing
Celebration and before he could could leave and I was walking into his car and God had me there for a reason because this older guy comes out follows him and said wait a minute wait a minute how dare you you know you could be sued for
What you just said and the guy turns around and I I was about to jump in I didn’t have to say anything because preacher had it he said what do you mean this is a church and what I said in a church and here’s the pastor right here
Uh-uh everything’s good well what about us atheists who don’t believe in God and I’m like really you in the church telling a minister that he shouldn’t have been talking about Jesus Christ this is the day and age we’re living in and he would have Blended in with the
Crowd if he came today you wouldn’t know him from Adam until he opened his mouth understand that is where we are today and the enemy is busy always and constantly trying to bring about foolishness and so the minister said well first he he addressed the first
Question and then when the guy came at him with something else the preacher said he kind of remind me myself he said now you’re lying I’m gonna walk away and I said I’m gonna walk with you preacher come on let’s go and and I had one of my deacons make
Sure he got to his car we are in that day and age where people will condemn you even for believing in Christ that’s the age that we’re living in and if they think something different if they think something over here over there they will condemn you because they
Disagree do not First Baptist people of God do not allow anyone to try to put you under condemnation if you are walking after Jesus Christ if you are Guided by the Holy Spirit and you are living your best life in the Lord nothing anybody else can say amen amen the scope of Salvation
In the present salvation ends the power of sin over our lives because of the presence of the Holy Spirit who shares his divine nature and deliverance with us we are given power to combat our flesh and our carnal Natures I want you to turn with me to
Romans for time sake I can’t read the whole thing but I’m going to read as much as I can amen yeah baby right on help help me help me teach this thing man bless his heart praise God I love to hear children in church that mean that church is
Live amen when I get I and I won’t ever do that but if I ever got to that point I couldn’t preach while the child was singing or crying or anything else I need to let it go amen and go for any preacher let the children come Romans 6
Verse5 for if we have been United with him I’m reading from the NIV for time sake and for the translation if we have been United with him in a death like like his we will also certainly be United with him in a resurrection like his verse six for we
Know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin that’s the body we get at Birth might be done away with that’s that old carnal nature that we should should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has
Died has been set free from sin this is another passage where I I remind you we are not Sinners currently Sinners saved by grace because to say that means that we are still sinning but this passage just said in verse six our old self was crucified with him that the body ruled
By sin might be done away with that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin now if we died with Christ verse 8 we believe that we also will also live with him for we know that
Since Christ was raised ra from the dead he cannot die again death no longer has Mastery over him the death he died he died to sin once for all but the life he lives he lives to God in the same way count yourselves dead to sin did you all
See that church count ourselves dead to sin we are not Sinners we are not actively seeking sin or pleased by a lifestyle of sin and those those of us that slip up even when we slip up sometimes accidentally or even on purpose it don’t feel right there’s
Something about it and God let me get back to God quick as I can because something about this I’m too far from home this is not this is not right this is not right why because that’s the holy spirit in us we are dead to sin but
Alive to God in Jesus Christ therefore I guess I am going to read the whole thing therefore do not let sin rain don’t let sin have its way don’t let it rule in your mortal body that you obey its evil desires do not offer any part of
Yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness that includes our minds but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from Death to life and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness remember what Paul wrote about being in the great house and different different
You know wood uh utensils or silver or gold and if we cleanse ourselves and live holy we’ll be instruments fit for the Master’s use that’s what we’re to do verse 14 for sin shall no longer be your master because you’re not under the law but under grace amen and our deliverance
Requires the study and obedience to God’s word second Timothy 2:5 constant prayer pray without ceasing pray without ceasing we’re to never stop praying we’re to never have a day where we don’t talk to the Lord amen and living a life yielded to God Romans 121 and2 if there first be a
Willing what let me go to that let me go to that because I’m about to quote the wrong one I’m thinking about another scripture because I was going to share that with you too but r Romans 12 I urge you brothers and sisters I’m reading again from the NIV in view of God’s
Mercy offer your bodies as a Living Sacrifice holy and pleasing to God this is your true and pro proper worship do not conform to the pattern of the world stop there just for a moment so we have once we believe in Christ just like when we join sororities
Fraternities and and and we’re hired into certain jobs and job situations we offer ourselves yeah I can come in early oh yeah I’ll stay after work late I I’ll go out with you all you know when we go to have a retreat and all the rest
Of those things that are part of the work culture that’s part of the work culture you get paid you do that amen but when we are saved we are also to take on that mindset whatever I need to do to be a part of the Kingdom culture
Of Jesus Christ whatever I need to do to be pleasing to Christ am amen so we have the responsibility to offer ourselves to cleanse ourselves everything that Romans 6 was telling us and now in Romans 12 offer your bodies as a Living Sacrifice holy and pleasing to God this is your
True and proper worship do not conform to the pattern of this world I talked about that earlier but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good pleasing and perfect will knowing what God wants and doing everything in my
Power to please him and to do what he has commanded and then in first John the first chapter first John first chapter and the eth and nth verses if if we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins however
So there’s a difference there are those who hide their sins they claim to be without but we’re messing ourselves up but if we confess our sins to him he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness amen amen amen those
Those are the ways we confess and forsake our known sins we live our lives yielded to God constant prayer and study and Obey God’s word future salvation brings us new bodies that cannot sin age or die I’m not going to read this one but 1 Thessalonians the 4th chapter I uh
Would not have you to be ignorant Brethren that you sorrow not even as others who have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so will God bring with him those who sleep in him and then he goes on to talk about how the dead in Christ will
Rise first and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up in a moment in the twinkling of an eye it’s to tell us that we get those new glorified bodies the bodies similar or the same as what Christ had when he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection amen
The results of Salvation number one we have peace with God Romans the 5th chapter verses 1 and two therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in Hope of
The glory of God let me stop there just for a moment because this just ran across my mind this is where it’s so important to understand it’s about having a relationship with Christ not religion religion will cause you as I shared with you back in the day when we would go to
Certain kic churches and certain Apostolic churches because Pastor mcel fellowship with everybody but we would go into those different venues and they would act as if all of us was going to have and I’m like we were here last year you still saying the same thing but
That’s the way they did but if you and that’s religion and that’s being religious because you had to satisfy their religious ideas but when you have a relationship with God where you have you’re in prayer you study his word listening to what he has to say how many
Of you know God talks to us and if we listen he will speak amen and he doesn’t study either does he amen so we have that peace with God because we have that right relationship number two acceptance by God because of Christ Ephesians the first chapter third starting at the
Third verse blessed be God the Father God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and Without Blame before
Him in love having predestined us to adoption as Sons and Daughters by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise and glory of his grace by which he has made us accepted in the Beloved in him we have Redemption
Through his blood this is the key verse in Christ we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of his grace and the rest of these because of my time I want you to read on your own joy as the children of God r Romans 5 and10 Galatians
326 through verse uh chapter 4: 7 we are living for God 2 Corinthians 5:14 and 15 Galatians 2 and 20 1 Peter 42 and5 and then service to God when you are saved we serve God those scriptures are listed worship prayer and praise John 4th chapter 23rd and 24th verse and our
Eternal home in heaven is with God that’s the most important that’s the most important church in John 14 Jesus said let not your hearts be troubled you believe in God believe also in me in my father’s house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go
To prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also now that’s something to shout about right there that we’ll be where God is
See right now we’re separated from him because absent from the body present with the Lord present in the body absent from the Lord but we will be with him he said I’ll come again and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be
Also I don’t care where he is long as I’m with him amen that’s shouting ground right there that’s shouting ground right there and then Revelations and I’m going to end with this Revelations 22 veres 1-5 because this is what it’s about to be saved this is our end goal and many
Times and I want you as a church to think about this some people think some people like to play Checkers Checkers is kind of a short-term game because you know you you you you you see the squares you see you know your opponent’s pieces and okay I I make
That jump I make that jump I’m good but those of us that play chess that’s a longterm strategy and what I’ve learned to do is to play chess I’m playing for the long game we’re looking for results that will even outlive us positive are you listening to me not
Just what feels good today but what is best for God’s people 10 20 30 50 100 years from now that’s what we that’s what it’s all about and salvation God was playing chess if if you could put it like that he had a chess mindset because here it is Revelations 22 1-5
Then the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life I’m reading from the NIV as clear as Crystal flowing from the Throne of God and of the lamb every time you see the lamb it’s talking about Jesus Christ down the middle of the great Street of the city that’s the New
Jerusalem on each side of the river stood the Tree of Life remember Adam and Eve couldn’t take part in the tree of life they bit into it and God said no I’m sorry that was the tree of the good of of of knowledge of Good and Evil and
God did not want them to get to the tree of life so he put them out of the garden but the tree of life is going to be there bearing 12 crops of fruit yielding his fruit every month and the leaves of the tree are for the healings of the
Nations no longer will there be any curse the Throne of God and the lamb will be in the city and his servants as us will serve him they will see his face and his name will be on our foreheads there’ll be no more night well Reverend
I might get sleepy no cuz you going to have a glorified body and we will not get sleepy we will not get tired all that medication I got to take at night I won’t have to take it no more amen doctors will be out of business beauticians will be out of
Business because you going to look good naturally Barbers will be out of business The Weave makers will be out of business cuz everything will be yours are you listening to me pharmacist will be closed all of that there’ll be no more night they will not need the
Lamp or a light or the light of the sun cloudy days like this we need the Sun but get this second half of verse five for the Lord will give them light the glory of God will light up everything we have more than enough light and His glory is brighter than the
Sun and we will rain forever and ever that reminds me of that verse in Amazing Grace when we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun we’ve no less days to sing his praise than when we first begun Hallelujah that’s what salvation is all about that’s the long game and I’m going
To tell you and you all already have done it and I’m telling those of you watching play the long game don’t worry about the stuff that’s quick and easy let God have his way amen amen father we thank you for this time in your word we
Thank you for this study we thank you Father for opening our eyes ears and our understanding lead and guide us now father as only you can and help us father to live pleasing to your will thank you Lord for your people and for their faithfulness and for their love
For you and their love for your word guide and direct us now in the name of Jesus we pray we give you all praise and glory and all God’s people said amen and amen God bless You
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