“Bring forth fruits meet for repentance.” (Matt. 3:8)
John the Baptist is baptizing out in the wilderness many persons from Jerusalem, all Judea, and the surrounding regions in this passage. Those who have presented themselves to John for baptism came “confessing their sins” (Matt. 3:6). Confession should be an integral part of the baptism experience for the believer in Christ and in joining the church.
These messages were delivered by Pastor David on the Gospel of Grace Radio Broadcast from June to September 2016. He examines the presentation of the gospel in the word of God, addressing many aspects of the gospel: its purpose, its effect, its efficacy, and the believer’s commitment to evangelism and apologetics.
“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” (1 Peter 2:17)
Peter’s letter to the elect children of God (1 Pet. 1:2) is a letter of encouragement to faithfully persevere in the faith, even in the midst of persecution, tribulation, and suffering. The readers of this epistle were facing persecution from without, even from the government under which they were under authority. The Roman Emperor Nero had begun a severe persecution of Christians in 64 AD near the penning of this letter. Nevertheless, in 1 Peter 2:13-17 these believers are instructed to be obedient unto the governmental authorities, and verse 17 is a brief four sentence summary of the attitudes that God’s children must have towards all men, the church, the Lord God, and the ultimate governmental authority.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant…” (Philippians 2:5,7)
Jesus set the supreme example for humility and the attitude of a servant during His earthly ministry. He had all power in heaven and earth, but yet Jesus willfully and humbly served finite men. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) Let us consider the servant mindset of Jesus that is exhibited in His life.
Sometimes we fall into the trap that Paul warned against in his epistle to the church at Rome; we begin to “think of ourselves more highly that we ought to think” (Romans 12:3). His prescribed remedy for this prideful attitude was to “think soberly as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3b). We need to ensure that we think “soberly” – to be thoughtful in our actions and to always keep in remembrance who we truly are by nature.
These messages were delivered by Pastor David on the Gospel of Grace Radio Broadcast from February to June 2016. He goes verse-by-verse to expound on the truths that Jesus intended to teach Nicodemus in their encounter in John 3:1-21.
Is salvation a tag-team effort, where you do your part, and Jesus does His part? Is it an open-ended transaction that is incumbent on multiple people to perform an action individually to “seal the deal”? Scripture places a prominent emphasis on Jesus alone – and never with man’s help or even slight involvement – in the completion of salvation. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3). I trust that you will not be deceived by the ultimate trickster – Satan – to be corrupted from the simplicity of salvation that focuses on Jesus Christ alone.
The scriptures restrict man’s salvation and merit of entrance into heaven to Christ alone:
1) Jesus is THE WAY (John 14:6) – Jesus is THE [ONLY] DOOR OF THE SHEEP (John 10:7)
2) There is ONLY ONE MEDIATOR between God and man, and it’s Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5)
3) NEITHER IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER: for there is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN, WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED. (Acts 4:12)
So if salvation is truly “In Christ Alone”, we should never have to apologize that our doctrine – when applied consistently – covers all of God’s children in their specific circumstance: that God will save them all to heaven, despite their individual conditions here in this life. So what is the way of salvation that is presented in scripture?
Unity of the Church – Elder P.J. Walters
Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole – Elder Neil Honea
Whatsoever You Do, Do It Heartily – Elder Larry Wise
Voice of God – Elder Bobby Payne
Mount Zion, Joy of the Whole Earth – Elder Chris McCool
Redemption by the Blood Of Jesus – Elder James Hall
Continue in the Doctrine of Christ – Elder Darren Owens
Providence of God – Elder Buddy Abernathy
Scriptural lessons are typically learned most vividly from personal experience, and with God, His teaching school is always in session. I learned a very practical lesson on what being longsuffering means today.
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