A SINGLE LIFE - WHAT JESUS PAID FOR
Taught at Christian Life Church early 1994.
I wanted to talk on Servanthood, I really wanted to, but I found that every time I tried to put together the message on it, it seemed like it was what I wanted to do, but I wouldn't be doing it when God wanted. It would have been doing a good thing but not at the right time. And that's part of being a servant, doing the right things, the right way and just as important, at the right time. So I'm going to teach servanthood by example.
We're going to read some scripture. I know I don't read the Bible enough but I love to read the best seller that nobody reads because I learn things few people know. If you want to meet God, meet him in his word and in time with him. I love to read the Bible publically because then I know people get to know what it says. I find I can build faith in people by reading the word so they can hear, Romans 10:17 says, "Consequently faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." So this morning we're going to take a walk through the scriptures. Those who know me from Wednesday nights will tell you that you had better be in shape, we're going to jog, not stroll.
I find myself like Paul in I Corinthians 2:1, "When I came to you Brethern, I did not come with eloquence (of speech) or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony of God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
I don't want to express my opinions, but the message of he who was dead and now lives, Jesus Christ. In spite of that you'll get some of my opinions, but I'll try to back as many of them with scripture as possible.
Let's turn to John 3. You might want to put a marker at that chapter because we'll go back to it.
(Read John 3:1-18)
Now someone is going to call this a salvation message. And someone is going to say, "why tell this, everyone here is probably saved." The Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 1:23 that the Jews seek miraculous signs, the Greeks look for wisdom but we preach Christ crucified. Let me assure you that there are many in the church who need to hear the salvation message, and possibly a hell fire and brimstone message now and then, not because they need it for themselves but because they need to remember where that relative or neighbor or friend at work is going unless someone runs out in front of him or her and waves a red flag and warns him about where he is heading. And let me ask you, if you don't do it, if I don't do it, who will?
Good Morning America and Ophra aren't going to warn them, and the guy who drinks with them isn't going to warn them and that one that is engaged in an illicit relationship with them sure isn't going to either. And the organized church is not much more likely to tell them. You may be the only one between that person and an eternity in hell. I'll assure you that your job isn't important! It's crucial.
We're going back to the passage in John to read a part of it again.
Let's start at verse 10...
"Are you Israel's teacher and you do not understand those things?"
Let's rephrase it in 1993...
Are you one of those people who know the word and have gone through the word movement and you speak in tongues and you're in the prophetic movement and you prophecy and you do not understand those things?
Back to the NIV, "I tell you the truth, we speak what we know."
Let's try that in 1993.
"You may not like what I'm going to tell you, but we tell people only what we have been fully persuaded."
Have we really been persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, the lamb slain from the foundation, the cornerstone, the balm of Giliad? Are we really convinced that he is the answer, or is he something we talk about on Sunday? Is he the center of our lives or is he a distant curiosity? Is he to us the savior, healer, the one who gives up perfect peace?
Jesus goes on, "but still you people do not accept our testimony."
Again, the 1993 translation,
"No matter what we tell you, you do not believe us, you treat what we tell you as unimportant."
Ah you say, we're off the hook, if they don't listen we're not compelled to tell them about Him? No, No, no. He commands us to go in Acts 1:7, and Mark 16, 15-18 and he gives us no out. In fact the scripture tells us that only when we tell people about their sin do we move the responsibility for their salvation from us to them. Try Ezekiel 33:8. If we don't tell them, their blood is on our hands, if we do tell them and they don't turn it is on them.
We have no choice, we must tell them.
But tell me, what do we know?
If you've been in the church for any length of time, YOU KNOW.. there might be a couple of exceptions, someone I don't know but I'm probably not teaching anything that should be new to any of you. It's all been taught from up here, I'm just packaging it differently, I'm hoping with the help of the holy spirit to get your attention and burn it into your heart, so that you go out and live like he is alive and go out and tell people about this Jesus.
I'll tell you what I know... What I know for sure... Follow me, see if you can find anything you didn't know before I started..
He came in to this world, born of a virgin.
He escaped the curse of the sin of Adam because he was conceived by the holy spirit and a virgin bore a child that was the savior.
He lived a sinless life.
He was able to keep the law fully, something no body did before him and that gave him the right to create a new breed of man, one which was free from the bonds of sin. Paul said I was crucified with Christ. I was with him there. He represented me on the cross.
He was tempted as are we and yet was without sin.
He didn't walk an easy road.. The road he walked was one of trial, fasting fourty days in the desert and being tempted of the devil. And the devil had some heavy duty temptation to try on him. He didn't offer him a new car or and house, he offered him the kingdoms of this world. He offered him the whole thing. And Jesus turned it down. He is our example. But we need to know him to be able to follow him. And we aren't going to be able to be like him if we don't know what he did...
He walked this world and performed miracles.
And we are told that greater things than these would we do because he goes to the father.. Isn't it time to get on with it?
He taught 12 men to carry on the message.
I recently did a study of the book of Acts, the only book that's still open, the one that tells of the acts of the church. I can only find that a couple of the ones he called actually appear. Beyond Peter, James, John and Phillip, we don't see much. What happened to the others? Maybe they didn't have as good a press agent. Or maybe they curled up in a convent somewhere and said, Jesus is coming back soon, let's wait for him. We did that too in the 50's and I'm seeing some evidence of it today. I'm going to tell you today exactly when he will come, want to know?
Let me digress a little, If you or I die today, he has come for us so we can't fool around. But exactly when is he coming?
It's not going to be when Rev Moon says, or when I say, it's going to be exactly like the day of his birth, Gal 4:4 When the fullness of time had come. His crucifixion, John 13:1 His hour had come. His ascention and the day of pentecost, and for that matter every event God has orchestrated down through the years. It's going to happen when the time is right. Jesus is going to come back when the time is right. Now someone is going to say, do you think it's soon? I don't know when. God didn't commission me to speculate. But I do know this, it's one year sooner now than it was last year. The time is getting shorter. But I'll also tell you this, if we're to avoid the mistakes of the past we'll have to act as if he isn't coming for ten generations, and plan for them to be brought into the kingdom. And if he comes in our lifetime, so be it. We need to carry that mesage as if we each are the only ones carrying it and the salvation of the next generation depends on us and us alone. We need to guard the gospel from slander, from loss, from alteration and most important from being hidden. That's not a contradiction, protect it from being hidden. If it's hidden it's of no effect, only when it's preached does it have power.
He was betrayed by one of the twelve.
How sad to see him look across the table and see Judas, and know that he would betray him. How many of us could look across a table and see a man who has been our friend for three years, know he's planning to betray us and still treat him as a friend. This is love, this is forgiveness.
He was arrested, tried and convicted.
They took him away, he was tried in a kangaroo court, the judge wanted to free him but lacked the moral courage to do it and then he was beaten and taken away.
He was made sin who knew no sin that we might be called the righteousness of God. He was crucified and burried.
The sin of us all was placed on his back. And God turned his back on Jesus. He was placed in a grave and they sealed the stone least his body be stolen.
And the third day he rose. I remember the words of the songwriter, Yes I'll rise again, aint no power on earth can tie me down... There was no such power on earth or in the pits of hell that could keep him in the grave. And there is no power in heaven or hell or here on earth that can hold us down when he comes back to take us with him.
After spending 50 days with his disciples he ascended to heaven...
And they too stood gazing up into the heavens -- looking where he had gone rather than getting ready to follow him.
And that isn't the end...
He sent the holy spirit, the one like him to walk beside up and keep us and enable us to do his will. And he expects us to do it.
Now let's go back to John 3.
We speak what we know... I don't think I told any of you anything new, but I have told you again. But the word says,
Therefore encourage one another by these words. I Thes 16:18 He's coming soon. And how do we encourage one another? By these words.. It does not matter if we sleep or if we are taken, we will be with him." We have a responsibility to each other, I have it to you, you have it to me, we encourage each other. When was the last time you told one of your brothers or sisters in the Lord that God loves them? That he cares? That they're important? We speak what we know.
I'm really a stickler on no PLP's. That's parking lot prophecies. And if I catch you, Brother Barry is going to find out just after I tell you to stop, that's how strong I feel about it. If there's going to be an abuse in the prophetic movement it is going to be prophecy for gain. And gain is not always money, it can be power or control or personal prestiege.
So don't go off saying thus says the lord. Be honest.. If it's what you feel, tell someone. But the phrase God loves you is scriptural. Maranatha is scriptural, the lord cometh. You can tell someone that anytime. Lift them, tell them what they are worth to God. We speak what we know.
Let's look at the responsibility we have.
There are two powers in this world that are striving for man, God and the devil. And it's a free market, a price is set, it denotes the value of a man's life. On one side the forces of evil --- they have set a price of money, power, self and pleasure.
On the other side is the God. And he too has set a price. We see it in the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16. This man was blessed, his ground brought forth much.
Read Luke 12:16-21. The forces of evil had set a price and the man had accepted it as payment in full. And they're a respecter of persons, for Jesus they offered the kingdoms of the world, for the rich man they offered leisure. They offered the lowest bid that could buy the person. How many of you have been to an auction? What do you give as an opening bid? As little as possible. And you only increase the antie if someone else bids higher or if the bid isn't accepted.
Let me tell you -- that's why some of you are fighting the battles you're fighting today, the devil is raising the bid, he's bidding to see if you'll step back and follow. He adds things that'll meet hidden desires and if you're not careful, he'll decieve you and sift you. Let me tell you this as encouragement, if he's still bidding, he doesn't have you. Just put your hand in God's and keep saying no.
He offered Judas Power, he betrayed Jesus, he offered Peter safety at Jesus trial and Peter denied him, He offered Anninias and Sapharia wealth. And they took him up on it. Only Peter repented. Think what he's offered you, and how shabby it really is.
But let's go back to John 3.. And verse 16.
The devil is running an auction, but God doesn't work that way. Have any of you bought something with sealed bids? That was God's way. How do you decide what to price to write on a sealed bid. That's where you only get one chance to bid on the item? You set it as high as you can. If it's important, you offer everything.
God decided on the price, he set it high, he set the bid so high that it would seem that nobody would be able to resist. It was a bid, he could have bought many for a lower price but he paid the same for all. He didn't look at the individual appearance, he wanted the whole lot, so he offered the same bid for each of them. Actually it would be better to say, each of us.
And the bid he offered was the best he could offer, it was a sacrifice and everyone knew it was such. For he offered his only Son as His only bid for each of us. The value God set for each of us as his son, Jesus. And no matter how many or few will accept the bid, the value set is the same. If only one person had accepted, the price of a man's life would have been Jesus.
God's price for you is Jesus. His price for that one who you can step out in front of and wave the red flag and tell them to turn around is Jesus. And if you don't the price would have been paid but there would be no return on His investment. But that doesn't even consider what happens to those who go to hell.
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