EPHESIANS 1:3-12 by Cooper Abrams |
2. If a pastor fails to systematically address doctrine the church begins to lose these truths.
I recently received e-mail from a Mormon who made the statement that ex-Baptists made the best Mormons.
6. Salvation is more than a "fire escape from hell." Salvation is life and is a way of life. It is a life changing event, that changes and redirects the persons live. If it does not do this then it is false, and it is good evidence that it got to the head and mind, but not to the heart.
I. FIRST, LETS ADDRESS THE HEAD OF MIND WITH A TRUTH. THIS TRUTH IS SALVATION IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LIFE!
2. In other words, this passages teaches that salvation is the beginning, and we need to be taught to go further.
It is easy enough to say the "Bible is the answer or Christ is the answer," it another thing to put those phrases to working in helping overcome these difficulties.
3. This Scripture says this truth----The Bible is the answer to direct us to Christ.
What is its purpose?
b. The Bible was given to us by God to reproof us, or set us, and matters straight. It is never fun or enjoyable to honestly address the issues in one's life.
But it is always necessary first to admit the sin exists in order to overcome it. The enjoyment follows when the destructive sin is removed from our lives.
I think some preachers enjoy preaching against sin because it may make them feel some power over others. Yet, God's man preaches the truth of God and of His wonderful salvation. He preach because of the love that God had for him and he wishes to share this Good News to with others.
Salvation can be miserable to a worldly Christian submitting to sin in their lives. The Word of God is given to bring us to conviction over sin.
c. God's word is to correct us or redirect us from error.
d. Then it is to instruction us in how to live.
Life is like a mine-field, a Christian finds himself in. The Bible is a map which shows where all the dangerous mines are, and tell us where they are not.
Its like my computer. Every time I use it I learn something more it can do. When I read the manual I learn of things I had no idea that it could do. It would take years of trial and error to learn what can be discovered in only a few minutes of study.
b. If he does not become a new creature then he did not savingly trust Christ.
c. The believer is a new creature because he has a new nature that he did not have before. He receives the indwelling of the Spirit of God.
b. Verse 9 Says Christians are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.
c. Verse 10 To be a child of God, you must have the spirit of God indwelling you. A Christian is full of the Holy Ghost or indwelled with the Holy Spirit, and there are no other kind!
d. Verse 10 says the Body is dead to sin, If the Spirit is present, and it always is in a saved person, the believer will never be comfortable living in sin. When the Christian sins the Holy Spirit uses the person's conscience to warn or alert him to the fact what he is doing is wrong. This is called "conviction". In other words the saved person is uncomfortable while in sin. He can't be completely satisfied. He may for a season, but then the conviction brought by the Holy Spirit will make that person a miserable soul indeed.
This is why Christ died. He died that we might overcome sin. He put sin to death and paid the debt we can't pay.
2. The lost man can only sin for he has no nature to cause him do anything else.
3. Verse 12, says, We are freed from sin, therefore do not let sin reign in you mortal body.
b. Verse 14 You are not under the domination of sin. But you are freed.
Paul says, God forbid, anyone saved person have such a tolerant attitude toward the evil and the hideous thing that sin is. Any sin.
Note V28 - 29....Christians are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ!
In other words God's plan is that Christian be different from the World which sins with no restraints.
This was God's plan before the world, that Christians are to live like Christ who lived as a man!
2. But, God is faithful, who will not suffer (or allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
2. James explains that God does not tempt us,and tells us where the desire to sin comes from.
3. James 1:14 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (desire) and enticed."
When Verse 15, the lust is allowed to go unchecked or you don't fight it, it will continue and lead to sin, and sin brings death.
2. True repentance can only come when first, we sincerely desire to overcome the problem. It could be a simple sin such as neglect, or as serious as adultery.
First you must want to overcome it. If you are saved, you'll want too to some degree. That is the New Nature at work in God's children.
2. No excuses, He simply lays down his pride and stops fighting himself and God and turns away from sin.
3. We then just pled for mercy and the power of God to work in our lives.
As time pasted, this seemingly simple thing, innocent as it was, was the start of his martial problems, and also his leaving the ministry.
When he was told, about the problem, he simply dismissed it and would not accept it. Thank God that the preacher came to his senses and confessed his sin and it saves his marriage and ministry.
2. When we have a mind to fight, then victory becomes possible.
If we have no will to fight there is no possible victory. But if we obey God and we fight, we may lose some battles in the process of overcoming the sin, but the victory in the war is promised and assured.
2. He said the way to do that is to:
First admit it is there, then put on the battle gear and go to war!
Second He says you can not lose, he you will fight, for you are indwell by the Holy Spirit, and He gives you the desire and power.