SAVED BY HIS LIFE

ROMANS 5:1-10

2COR 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Have been Saved - past - Justification - Rel. to Calvary.
Are being Saved - present - Sanctification - Rel to Companionship.
Will be Saved - future - Glorification - Rel to Coming.

Anchient mythology, there is a story of a man who was continually persued by an enemy - The enemy was allergic to the aroma & scent of a certain herb - The man in the story carried some of the herb in his possession all the time and everywhere he went and was safe from the enemy.

Mosquito repellent keeps these pesky little creatures at a distance. A person vaccinated with measle germ does not catch measles. A person can take a pill to relax, get high, or to control mood. When Jesus comes into our life He vaccinates us against World, flesh,& devil. Christ in us gives us certain characteristics. He builds a fence around us and the devil cannot get to us.

1. HIS MEEKNESS WILL KEEP OUR APPEARANCE CORRECT. (1Pet 3:3-5)" Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: "

2. HIS LOVE WILL CONTROL OUR HABIT PATTERNS. (John 14:21) "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (Luke 7:47) "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."

3. HIS POWER WILL KEEP US FROM FALLING INTO SIN. (Jude 1:24) "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."

4. HIS SPIRIT WILL ENABLE US TO WITNESS WITH EFFECT. (Acts 4:33) "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all."

5. HIS HOLINESS WILL ASSURE US OF ANSWERED PRAYER. (John 15:5-7) "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather th em, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

6. HIS ZEAL WILL PRESS US TO ABOUND IN THE WORK. (1Cor 15:58) "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

7. HIS COMING WILL DELIVER US FROM DISCOURAGEMENT. (James 5:7-8) "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

Missplaced Love

Six Areas Where Love Is Misplaced

1. LOVE OF SELF. 2Tim 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2. LOVE OF MONEY. 1Tim 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

3. LOVE OF PRAISE. Joh 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

4. LOVE OF WORLD. 1Joh 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

5. LOVE OF PLEASURE. 2Tim 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

6. LOVE OF DARKNESS. Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

In The Gravedigger File, Os Guinness lists four steps for introducing liberal ideas into the church.

1. Assumption: Some aspect of modern thought (such as evolution) or behavior is assumed to be superior to traditional Christian beliefs.

2. Abandonment: That which is considered old-fashioned or inconsistent with modern thought is abandoned.

3. Adaptation: Truth is redefined and traditional beliefs are altered to accommodate the new teaching.

4. Assimilation: As the new teaching takes root, it develops into full-blown compromise or worldliness and Christianity surrenders to some aspect of the culture of its day.

I have seen this downward progression in so many churches. It serves as a warning to me.

Religious Experiences

Types of Religious Experiences Common in Our Day


1. WORD - SPIRIT = LEGALISM “Moses Said”

2. SPIRIT - WORD = FANATISM “ Whoope “

3. WORD + SPIRIT = CONVICTION “Agrippa “

4. WORD + SPIRIT - FAITH = “ Hard Heart “

5. WORD + FAITH - SPIRIT = “ Dead Orthodoxy “

6. SPIRIT + FAITH - WORD = Cults

7. WORD + SPIRIT + FAITH = God Working in us

Getting It Right in 2010

2 Kings 18 & 2 Chronicles 29-32

Traditional New Years’ greetings: what are they? What do they tell us about people’s expectations for the coming year? What can we do to realize these expectations? From the life of King Hezekiah, we discover a three-stage process that can help us “get it right” in the New Year

Stage One: Starting Right

1. A popular New Year’s tradition—with a catch!
2. Hezekiah’s resolution was to do right (2 Kings 18:3)
3. A fact of life: most people are unable to keep their resolutions; why do you think this is so? (Hint: see Romans 7:15-25)
4. Hezekiah’s resolve to do right is all the more amazing in light of some of the obstacles he faced including: His age/youthfulness (but remember 1 Tim 4:12), His power and position, His family background (see 2 Kings 17:1-2)
5. What are some of the obstacles we might face that would hinder our resolve? What can we do about them?
6. Hezekiah did not only resolve to do right: “He trusted in (or relied on) the Lord God of Israel . . .” (2 Kings 18:7)

Stage Two: Stepping Right

1. Resolving to start the New Year right is only just that: a good start.
2. Hezekiah’s right start was followed by his taking some right steps including:
3. The “push/pull” principle
a. Stepping away/stepping towards (here)
b. Cast off/put on (Romans 13:12-14)
c. Flee/follow (2 Timothy 2:22)
d. Lay aside/be doers (James 1:21-22)
e. Resist/draw near (James 4:8)

Stage Three: Staying Right

1. Starting and stepping right are only half the battle; the real challenge comes with staying right long term.
2. Hezekiah’s epitaph: “he did what was right in the sight of the Lord” (18:3) and “[before or] after him was none like him” (18:5; 2 Chron. 32:32-33).
3. How is it possible that Hezekiah could “stay right” his entire life? Our texts give us some indication as to how he accomplished this:
a. He held fast (or clung to) the Lord (2 Kings 18:6a)
b. He was committed to knowing and obeying God’s commands (2 Kings 18:6b)
c. He knew that the Lord was with him (2 Kings 18:7)
d. He knew that doing right was ultimately the path to blessing (2 Kings 18:7)
e. He was committed to worship ( see 2 Chron. 29:3,29-30)