One Man Brought Sin, And One-Man Salvation.

“Wherefore, as by one-man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:12, 21

What so many people are clueless about is sin. The sin that condemns mankind is not our sins, it is the sins of Adam. God said “…as by one-man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…” The word “passed” means - to go through, pass through – which means it goes from Adam throughout the entire population of human’s. Some people want to believe that if they live good enough then they can get to heaven, but that is a false thought. Since you are a sinner before you were ever born, then your sins have nothing to do with whether or not you go to hell when you die. God said through the Psalmist, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalms 51:5 The word “shapen” means – formed – which means in conception you were a sinner, and when you were born you were already a sinner. Job asked this question and then answers it, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4 in other words if your parents were sinners then how could they ever bring forth a clean, sin free child? I know most people hate these two words, but when we are born we are totally depraved. There is nothing good in us, nor can they ever be. Our total being is condemned to eternal hell before we ever exit our mother’s womb. This condemnation reigns from Adam to us, we are born condemned for Adams sin. This is why God said, “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; (10) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Romans 3:9 – 11 People can fight total depravity all they want, but the truth is the truth. Job went on to write, “What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” Job 15:14 not because of their mother, because Jesus was clean, and He had an earthly mother in Mary. But it is through the father, sin comes through Adam which is the father. However, Mary was a sinner, she had an earthly father, but God is Jesus Father. People can argue all they want but God said “…There is none righteous, no, not one” that includes me, you, and every single human outside of Jesus Christ. Therefore, you can never be righteous in the flesh, nothing you can do can save your soul from the sin it is born with, you are condemned to eternal hell. However, there is a remedy, and His name is Jesus Christ. Just as we are all sinners through Adam we can all be made perfectly clean through Jesus Christ. There is no other way to be just before God except through Jesus Christ. Just as Adam brought sin on us because he had sinned, Jesus can bring us cleanness’s because He is pure and sin free. Just as sin is handed down through the blood of Adam, we can all be made clean by the blood of Jesus. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Colossians 1:14 People must realize this in order to be saved, salvation is only through Jesus Christ and none other. Not by works, baptism, not in any church membership, or religious faith or practice. God said, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22 If you are not purged by the blood of Jesus then you are in your sins and you are condemned to the lake of eternal fire. Listen very closely to this scripture, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:28 “without sin unto salvation” that is those whom Christ was offered, Jesus did not die and shed His blood for everyone, but for those whom trust Him as Saviour. “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. (10) For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” Romans 6:8 - 10 

I Love the Lord

“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications…Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” Psalms 116:1 – 2

I love the Lord because He first loved me. “We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 It sickens me when I hear preachers proclaiming that “God loves everyone, He loves you” this is a lie, God hated Esau, what about Pharaoh, and countless others. The lie that God loves everyone is just that, a lie. However, what a blessing it is that God does loves those that he does. God’s love is eternal, both never beginning and forever. If you are saved, then you are most blessed and most loved of God. His love for us is why we love Him, He gave us the love to love Him with. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” 1 John 3:1 The word “bestowed” means - to endower of the receiver with love – it is God’s gift to us, as is grace, mercy, and salvation, among so many other gifts from our gracious God. It is because of this love that I know my God hears my prayers, and that He will answer them. God has “inclined his ear unto me” or listened closely to what I am praying for. “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Psalms 40:1 Patiently waiting on the Lord’s answer is the most difficult of all, but we must remember, God answer by His own will and in His own time. But dear Saint of God, be assured that God hears your prayers and in time He will answer them, because He loves you.  “Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications…In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” Psalms 86:6 – 7 Sometimes our faith grows weak and weary but do not allow it too, trust the Lord! Remember child of God, He is inclining His ear toward you just so that He can show you that He does hear you. “I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon…Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry…Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.” Lamentations 3:55 – 57 This is why we should have no fear, and always remember “…If God be for us, who can be against us”? Romans 8:31 Nothing will ever happen to you that God has not allowed, remember Job, and be Job like in patience. Always remember that God loves you and that He is there for you, always and in everything. “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:6 Not even Satan with the powers he has can overpower God, therefore, fear only God. It is called faith, faith that God loves you, hears you, and will supply you with everything you have need of, and no one can take that away. “… If God be for us, who can be against us”? Romans 8:31 and “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:35 and “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38 – 39 What a Father we indeed have, and I am gifted the privilege to love Him, because He loves me.

If God will permit it, we can do many things.

“And this will we do, if God permit.” Hebrews 6:3 

Sometimes people forget how much God and His power means to us. Sometimes people think more highly of themselves then they ought too. God wrote through the Apostle Paul, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 We sometimes forget what brought us to this place in life, how we got here, sometimes we simply forget God and His grace and mercy. We start to think and sometimes wrongly believe that we have the capability to do things on our own, forgetting God. What is it that makes most Christians to forget the grace that works in our life, it is the ugly nature that is still in us. We must understand every day of our life that we can do nothing without God giving us the power to do so and bringing it all about. Therefore, we find ourselves in circumstances that we cannot solve, or find a way of accomplishing, because we forget God, His will, and power. We must wake-up everyday depending on God and His power of accomplishment. We must all have more faith in God, we must trust in the power of God and not ourselves. Man puts a lot of burdens on themselves that they cannot solve on their own, failing to trust our Sovereign God to give it to us. The Preacher wrote “It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.” Proverbs 25:27 This verse confuses a lot of people, but the Hebrew word for “honey” means – gummy or sticky – it could mean to be stuck on yourself, because if you believe in your own glory, there is none. As Christians we cannot think fleshly, lost people cannot count on God, but we as Christians can and ought to in everything not allowing for self-glory. Jesus said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 This verse gives us two thoughts, (1) We must believe, without doubt that God can do as He promises. And (2) We must accept that we cannot do anything without God. If God will permit, and according measure of grace given to me, I can accomplish all things in my life. We must understand that prayer is not an absolute cure but rather our asking God for grace and mercy. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: (15) And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14 - 15 If God gives us enough faith we could move mountains, heal, and do all kinds of miracles but today God does not give those kinds of power. However, the facts are that that we cannot live, move or have our being in life without Gods grace and His permission. When we say “if the Lord wills” we say well because it is true. We cannot accomplish things on our own, we must look to our gracious God in everything, and accept what measure of grace given to us. In the meantime, believing (no matter what) that we can accomplish all things through Christ Jesus our Lord.  “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (10) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:9 – 10 not everything we ask but everything God will permit us. God is able to give us everything we ask; do we believe it? This scripture is given for our faith-building, for our understanding that God can give whatever He permits with His measure of grace. God is not obligated to any person, or else it would not be by grace. Let us understand, we cannot do what God does not permit. Christians are made by God’s power, churches are built by God’s grace and power, and we are what we are by Gods grace. If we all understand this, we will continue to look to God in faith. We don’t have to change to modern time doctrines, method’s, or trickery to accomplish things in the Lord’s churches. A church must be what Christ started, what Paul preached about, and how God deals with her, or else she will lose her church status. People cannot change God for the better, God is perfect and cannot change. Modernize God and He is no longer the true God to you, modernize God’s word and it is no longer God’s word, modernize salvation and it no longer works, modernize the church and Jesus Christ will remove the candlestick. We are what we are by God’s grace, as He permits.  

Life Is In God’s Hands.

"Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble...Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;" Job 14:1, 5

As Christians we should surrender ourselves to the ordained will of God. If a soul fails to recognize the Sovereignty of God over everything, then they will never understand God, life, death, or anything else. People, especially Christians who have been saved by Gods grace and the blood of His Beloved Son Jesus Christ must surrender to the fact that God has ordained and controls everything. It is easy to get caught-up in life and the world, but it is short and full of trouble, God said it was. We often wonder why life is as it is, and sometimes ask can we do anything to change it? The short answer is no, we cannot change life’s happenings no more than we can change God’s ordained mind in prayer. Every life born on this earth has their bounds set by God and you cannot pass that ordained time. This is a biblical fact, it matters not who believes, accepts it, or understands it, the Sovereign God Whom created creation also totally controls it. I know this brings a whole world of questions by most but believe me it is an absolute fact. I cannot answer why God allows abortion to happen, or why He has set the bounds of young children so young. We do not need all the answers, we just need to understand the sovereignty of God the best that God will allow us too. God said it was His right to love Jacob and hate Esau, God did not need a reason because He went on to say, “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Romans 9:16 God explains in detail that He chooses whom He will without any assistance. No one can even be saved without God’s power, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44 People have a desire to believe that God wants everyone, that God needs people, that God cannot do it by Himself, but those are all lies of the devil. God does not need anyone, nor does God owe anyone anything. God asked this question, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” Romans 9:21 Is God just in creating Jacob to be loved by Him and Esau to be hated by Him? God ask another question, “Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” Romans 9:24 Does God have to call all mankind to salvation, or does He choose whom to call? If God called all mankind to salvation, then wouldn’t all mankind be saved? See, it is this question that separates the believers of the Sovereign God of creation from those that believe in the weak unable god that so many worships today. What did Job mean when he said, “…thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;” He means that God has ordained the life span of every soul that is ever been conceived, even those aborted. This does not justify abortion, it is murder, but so was the death of Jesus because they killed Him unjustly. They did not kill Jesus because of any crime, they did not know that God ordained Him to carry our sins to the cross, they killed Him because they wanted Him dead, murder on their part, blood on their hands. Even though God had ordained His death. “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:” Acts 2:23 This tells us why Jesus died, it does not excuse the wicked act of murder, just like abortionist will be guilty of murder. However, we as Christians must understand that we control nothing, and that God controls it all. Everything is covered by the ordained will of God, birth, death, salvation, troubles, abortion, national and world elections, setting-up power and taking them down. As Christians we must understand God’s Sovereign Will before we waste our time fighting what God has ordained to be. So as Job wrote, “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”  Job 14:14 I do not know what God has ordained for me, or what tomorrow will bring, but I will patiently wait to see what God has ordained for me. God said that life was short and full of troubles, why should Christians expect different? “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15 Though God has ordained everything for me, I will still pray and give Him my supplications. And ever how God answers my prayers are His will, and in that “…yet will I trust in him…” even if He slay me. You cannot understand God if you do not understand His Sovereign Will.  

Liberty!

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1 

I would like this morning to thank God for our freedom. Freedom is a beautiful and glorious thing to have. No one that has ever had a taste of freedom should ever want to be in bondage ever again. As Americans we have experienced a freedom that others in the world has never known. We sure ought to thank God for our liberty because everything good starts with God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 Our forefathers came to this new land in search of liberty and to escape bondage. However, for that freedom people had to die and so many did die. Their fight was for freedom. Every war we have ever fought has been for freedom, because freedom must be fought for and blood must be shed. Contrary to what some say, freedom is worth the fight and worth the bloodshed. Therefore, on behalf of our church we would like to thank God for all the brave men and women who have died in our great nation for freedom at home and around the world. We thank the families of those who have lost loved ones in wars, we cannot experience your loss nor your pain, but we can and do say thank you. We thank God for the braveness of those who has served and those who were wounded for the fight for our freedom. Wednesday we will celebrate our Nations Independent Day, let us not forget those who fought, those who were wounded, and those who died to deliver and sustain our glorious freedom.

Now I want to talk about another freedom, not one celebrated by the American people only but by the world. Even for those who might be in worldly bondage today, can have the freedom that God gives, and that freedom is only found in one man, Jesus Christ. This freedom is the freedom of sin and death. The Apostle Paul wrote “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…” Jesus Christ by His own death, His own blood being shed, brought to all who believe on Him, freedom from sin, the power of sin, and serving sin. We through this freedom have no slavery to sin, it has no power over us. Lost people will serve sin all their life never understanding what freedom truly is. But we through the grace of God, who have this freedom, no longer have to serve sin. All we have to do is to resist the temptations of sin and choose to serve God. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 This scripture has nothing to do with choosing salvation, but rather waking-up every day, thanking God and choosing to serve Him instead of Satan and sin. The worst thing a saved person can do is to serve sin over God. Moses gave us this warning,  See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil…In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it…But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;” Deuteronomy 30:15 – 17 Paul said in our text scripture “…be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” So, let us all remember and enjoy the freedom we have in this world, but let us also remember and enjoy the freedom we have as Christians. Let us all work to serve the Lord, His commandments, which is His word. Do not fall back into bondage and allow Satan to lead you away from your service to the very God and Saviour who gave you freedom.