People Are Always Wanting Something For Nothing!

John 6:1 – 2 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. (2.) And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

As we look into out text scriptures lets notice these words “…a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” Why did they follow Jesus? Because He could give them healing, they were diseased and wanted Jesus to heal them. These people did not want to hear a sermon, they did not want to believe that Jesus was the Christ The Son of The Living God, they simply wanted Jesus to give them something (healing) for free. We here in Texarkana have people that interrupt our services a lot because they want our church to give them money, they do not come to church, they do not want to even visit and hear the sermon first, they simply want us to stop what we are doing and take up a collection for them, but it simply does not work that way. People are always wanting something for nothing, it also reminds me of the upcoming election next Tuesday, politicians always promise to give everyone something simply for their vote. The government has nothing to give away except the taxpayer’s money, the politician is not going to give away their money, oh no it is our money he or she is promising to give away. But people are always standing with their hands out expecting the government to take from us taxpayers and to give it to them for nothing. I have even heard people ask politician’s “what are you going to give us” and then expect something for nothing. Now please understand I am not against helping others and truly we do our part to help those that are in need, but some people do not need help they simply expect others to give them what they want without doing anything to earn the help. In today’s economic disaster that both the Republicans and Democrats have brought to us has caused millions of good hard working people to be in need, people that normally ask for nothing and other wise help others in need themselves. We are talking about people who just do not want to do anything except to have other give them something for nothing. These people here were the same way, but when Jesus actually preached to them about how God saves sinner then they all (seven thousand) left leaving only Jesus and the other eleven with Him alone. See what they wanted was some healing, they did not intend to hear Jesus preach but that is what they got and all that they got. The Lord said “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1 Timothy 5:8 We must understand everyone is not worthy of help and just because Jesus was God in the flesh does not mean He owed everyone the help they wanted and just because we are a church does not mean we owe help to everyone who ask. If you want our church to help then come to church and hear the sermons or ask the church that you go too. Watch for those infidel’s and help those worthy of helping because there are a lot of folks in need and worthy of help. God always helps those who disserve help but don’t expect God to help those who are lazy and refuses to help themselves first. Don’t ignore God and expect Him to be there when you are in most need. God is gracious to them that are Christians and while salvation is not of works, let us not forget Gods blessings in life are more plenteous when we walk daily with the Lord and are lesser when we are failing to serve the Lord. God is not a politician and He is not going to make you a promise for your vote but He will bless you more and more if you walk with Him, and that walk starts by attending church.

Pleasing God!

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

Do we please God in our lives? Do we go out of our way sometimes and even go against our own wants and wishes to please God? I wonder how many Pastors seek to truly please God and how many churches truly seek to please God. Most churches and Pastors seek to please man rather than God. If one is concerned in building an empire within the church then he seeks to please man because God said in 1 Corinthians 12:18 “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” If God hath set the member in the church as it hath pleased Him, then why does man seek to build the church into an empire? Oh he may say “God has done it” but that is just being modest because he truly expects the credit. I see many today only seeking to please God when it is convenient to do so, when it does not set them back on money or when they have nothing to do when church is in service. Many today do not seek to please God but rather to please themselves or someone else.

Pleasing God is doing Gods will, and Gods will almost always include putting others before yourself. Selfishness is not pleasing to God, God is not selfish nor should we be. God sent His beloved Son into this world to die a death of humiliation so that we could have eternal life. He had no other reason to do this other than His love and kindness. However it seems that most have their selfish hearts set on what they want rather than helping others first. The greatest example is when we dive a car, have you noticed how selfish people are when we drive? Doing Gods will is learning His word and living what we have learned but there are a lot of people who fail to pay attention in church and fail to follow their Pastor in the study of Gods word. There are also people who fail to keep their children behaved in the services and allow them to interrupt the others trying to hear the sermon. There are those who dress inappropriate to be in a church who also distract from the services. If we seek to please the Lord, let’s all study and learn together and cast away the distractions. Pleasing God is to love one another and help one another. Do you have church members in need? In these bad economic times I am sure we all know someone in need, maybe you need to help them with a few dollars to make the budget, or with a few groceries, have you asked? God supplies our ever need, and it may be He wants us to help your fellow church member. God uses many sources to help us and sometime He uses us to be the helper of others. Being a good church member goes beyond your tithe to the church, and it includes also helping your fellow church member. Before you give to outside organizations that are not church supported how about your church, fellow church membership, or even your Pastor, is there anything they need? Romans 15:1 - 3 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (2.) Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. (3.) For even Christ pleased not himself…” As Christians and church members Jesus Christ should be our greatest example, and when churches and church members fail to help their own and others around them then we have failed to follow Christ as our example.

Could It Be Possible That Salvation Could Involve Works?

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9.) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (10.) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Last week we looked at Baptism and asked could baptism be part of salvation, and we proved that it could not be at all. Titus 3:5 tells us without doubt “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…” and here in Ephesians 2 the Lord tells is that works are not a part of salvation. So the question must be asked “how is it that the Baptists are right and the vast majority of the others are so wrong?” Well there are several thought that could be discussed on this subject but we simply do not have enough space in this article to cover them all, except to conclude that even as intelligent as they are, God simply has not revealed it to them. I have concluded for many years that the vast majority that call themselves “Christians” do not know Jesus Christ and therefore while they have a zeal for God, it is not according to the knowledge from God. I have no idea how men conclude that works are a part of salvation when the scriptures conclude so many time that they are not. Paul spent almost the entire book of Romans battling this very subject and concluded multiple times that works of any sort are not a part of salvation. “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” Romans 4:2 – “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,” Romans 4:6 How many more time has God got to conclude that works is not a part of salvation? It was not for Abraham neither was it David, nor is it for us. Just as there are no scriptures concluding one being damned for not being baptized, neither is there any showing damnation for not working. Now back to the religionist that believe and teach salvation by works, We must understand that most or the vast majority of the religionist denomination are reformers from Catholicism and still adhere to a lot of their teachings such as baptism and works being a part of salvation, however they are just as wrong as Catholicism is. Paul concluded in Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” If works is part of salvation then Christ died in vain. Paul has also concluded in Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” How could God promise NO condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus and then condemn us for a lack of works? The truth is Jesus Christ’s blood is enough to save us from all our sins. Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Beloved the truth is, no sort of works is a part of salvation but rather the results of salvation as told to us in the book of James, James 2:17, 18 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (18.) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” If a man says he has faith and has no works then his faith is not real, however those that have true faith in Jesus Christ will have some sort of works showing his faith. However this does not conclude that just because a man has works then he must have faith, many people have works but no faith in their hearts toward Jesus Christ as the redeemer of mankind. Romans 10:2 “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Paul had a great zeal for God and to please God when he persecuted the church that Jesus started in Jerusalem as Saul but later found out that zeal was not according to God. Philippians 3:6 - 7 “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (7.) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Beloved there are no sort of works involved in salvation otherwise Christ died in vain!

Baptismal Salvation; Could It Be Possible?

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Is it possible that salvation could be involved in salvation? Could it be possible that for 2000 plus years the Baptist could have been wrong about salvation? This is an easy question to answer, absolutely not! There are to gross errors with the thinking that this verse justifies Baptism Regeneration (1.) repentance is not salvation because faith in Christ Jesus is and (2.) baptismal waters do not wash away sins because the blood of Christ Jesus does. I understand what the verse says, but this is not a single verse scripture, but it is in a whole chapter, therefore it must be taken in context with the other verses. Verse 41 adds “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” That is those that gladly received His gospel message were saved and then baptized and then added to the church with the 120 members in Acts chapter one. Salvation is all about Jesus Christ it is not about baptism, works, church membership, or etc. because if it were then it would contradict Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” and Acts 16:30 - 31 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31.) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” neither one of these verse gives anything outside of Jesus Christ for salvation. Now let’s look at the forgiveness of sins, can water really wash away a sinners sins? Not according to the scriptures, Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” So if the forgiveness of sins is through the blood of Jesus is a baptistery full of city tap water as powerful as the blood spilt on the cross? I know they have other verse and I particularly like 1 Peter 3:20 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” Are you really going to tell me that Noah and the other seven souls on that ark were saved by baptism, when baptism only started with John? The truth is the water saved them by raising the Ark above the rushing waters below, not by baptism. Then there is the most logical one that they have of all, Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” There are two separate items here; (1.) faith in Christ Jesus and (2.) baptism, but the question that must be answered is, are both required for salvation? The answer is in the verse, “…but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Where does it say that if I am not baptized then I will be damned? The simple answer is, no where! If baptism were included in salvation then wouldn’t God have listed it as damnation for not having it? I can show tons of scriptures were it is damnation for not having faith in Christ but none showing anything else. John 3:18 “He that believeth on 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.” Now let’s look at one more scripture; 1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” Why was Paul not to baptize but rather to only preach the gospel? Because the gospel is the principal employment in salvation, baptism is the first ordinance after faith has come, because without faith and the cleansing of the blood of Christ Jesus for your sins nothing else matters. In other words baptism is not essential for salvation. I know this is an age old argument, but however old it is, two sides still exist to this argument because without those teaching baptism regeneration actually being saved, they will never repent and be truly baptized by one of the Lord’s churches.