AN INVITATION TO COME

 AN INVITATION TO COME

In Luke 9:23 Jesus says:

“If anyone would come to me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

That is the blessed invitation of Jesus Christ to all lost sinners.

And it is always the same.

There must be a desire to follow Him. Only God can give you that desire.

You have to ask Him for it. You have to want it.

There must be a denial of self. You must say no to all your selfish desires and say yes to the will of God in Christ Jesus. You have to ask for it. You have to want it.

There must be a determination to follow Him. Onl;y God can give you that determination. 

You have to ask Him for it.

You have to want it.

Jesus must be supreme.

He must have priority.

He must have preeminence in your life.

He must be Lord!

Desire. Denial. Determination. Ask for it. Want it. God will give it!

“For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

“There is a Fountain”  feat. Vestal Goodman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PasK3ZFAOPE

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

 INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

Every individual has a moral responsibility to account for the way they choose to live their lives. We were created as morally responsible creatures. Every person who ends up in Hell will be there because he/she chose to go there. 

You willed to go there. 

You desired to go there. 

It was your decision to spend eternity in Hell without Christ, God or hope.

Your Hell will be on no one but you.

As a human being, you have a body and soul and spirit.

You turned down the invitations of Christ.

You ignored His pleas and warnings.

You said, “no, this Christ will not reign over me.”

You procrastinated until a more convenient time.

You have knocked down the doors of truth. 

You have climbed over the fences of grace and mercy.

You circumvented every single opportunity that God gave you.

You have driven by churches (God’s depository of truth) many times and kept on rolling.

You put Him off time and time again.

But one day, you are going to die.

You will face God in the judgment.

And unless you know Jesus Christ you will be lost forever.

Only a fool would make such a choice!

Remember, your Hell will be squarely on you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyfR7URb8TY 

CORRUPTION OF OUR WILLS

 CORRUPTED NATURE OF OUR WILLS

Why do people refuse to come to Christ?

Answer # 1: they are unable to come on their own.

Answer # 2: their minds have been darkened by sin

Answer # 3: their affections have been corrupted as well

Answer #4: the corrupt nature of their wills

Read John 5:40; 1:11-13 and 15:16

Many believe that they can come to Christ anytime they want because of their free wills. Your will is free but you cannot come to Christ any time you want to come. Salvation is a God thing. You must be drawn 

by the Father and the Spirit to Christ. 

Read John 6:44 and 65.

The question is never “CAN you be saved?” You can.

The question is always “WILL you be saved?” But you refuse.

You had rather do other things than read and study the Bible.

You had rather do other things than pray and serve God.

You had rather do other things than worship God with His people.

You willfully choose, consistently, the other things. Why? 

Are you willing to bow the knee and submit to the Lordship of Jesus christ?

Are you willing to humble yourself before God and repent of your sins?

Are you willing to give Him priority in your life?

Only Jesus can make you willing and joyfully willing at that!

And only Jesus can make a dead man walk out of a tomb. 

“I’d Rather Have Jesus”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd9Dt-K2lP0

CORRUPTION OF THE AFFECTIONS

 CORRUPTION OF THE AFFECTIONS

Why do people refuse to come to Christ?

Answer # 1: they are unable to come on their own.

Answer # 2 : their minds have been darkened by sin

Answer # 3: the corruption of their affections.

Read John 5:40; 6:44 and 6:65

People love and desire many things before and above Christ and spiritual truth. Many people love things and pleasure above God. Above Biblical truth. Man doesn’t need a monument to his depravity. Read the newspaper. Watch the media.. Better yet, just drive through a subdivision on Sunday morning during church hours and look at all the cars in the driveways. Look at those mowing the lawn. Gardening. Sleeping in. Chilling. Just taking it easy on a Sunday morning.

Many are hard working people who simply care not for the things of God.

Truth is choked out by the cares of this world.

Church is not attended because of so called better options.

Self is elevated above the Lord. Why?

Their affections yearn for other things. For selfish pleasure and creature comforts and ease. Very few have or feel a need for Christian fellowship or Bible study and worship. Prayer is universally neglected. 

Christ is little beloved and respected. Why? Our fallen sinful nature has been corrupted by sin. We love the ways of the world more than the ways of God. 

Really simple, isn’t it?

Gaither Vocal Band - Hear My Song, Lord 

A MIND DARKENED BY SIN

 A MIND DARKENED BY SIN

We have asked the question: why do people refuse to come to Christ?

Answer # 1 is: they are unable to come on their own.

Answer # 2 is: their minds have been darkened by sin. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, it impacted his total being, including his mind. An unbeliever has a mind but it doesn’t have good thoughts about God. His mind does not have the ability to think correct thoughts about God. His mind cannot adequately and Biblically understand God and spiritual truth!

Scripture, please? Glad you asked. Here are a few:

John 3:18-19

John 8:12

I Corinthians 2:10-14

Ephesians 4:17-24

Ephesians 5:8

There we see the full impact of sin. Sin closed the window of the soul. Darkness is all over the place. People love darkness rather than light. Their “light” is the darkness. They are born spiritually blind to the truth of God.

Romans 12:1-2 says “...be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Colossians 3:2 says “… set your mind on things above …”

Philippians 2:5 “let this mind be in you as it was in Christ Jesus”

Utterly and absolutely impossible without the new birth! That is why the new birth is necessary.

“Amazing Grace-My Chains Are Gone”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YFGzY_8li8

UNABLE TO COME ON YOUR OWN

 UNABLE TO COME ON YOUR OWN

We are discussing the subject of why people do not come to Christ.

Reason #1 - they are unable to come to Christ on their own. 

Please take a minute and read John 6:44 and 65 where Jesus says that “no man can come to Him unless the Father who sent Him, draws him.” Now, please read, John 16:15 where Jesus says clearly that “you did not choose me but I chose you…”

In John 3:3 Jesus said that you cannot even see the kingdom of God unless you are born again.

Unsaved man is corrupt and depraved and wicked. He does not possess the resources of his own to come to Christ. He has no desire and no strength to come. An unbeliever has eyes, hands, ears and feet like that of a saved man but he uses them in different ways.

He has no love for Christ.

He possesses no will to attend church.

Has utterly no desire to know and obey truth.

Why? Because of what sin has done. 

Sin renders you incapable of coming to Christ on your own.

What would you bring that would be acceptable to Christ?

What could you bring that was acceptable?

We have nothing to bring but our sins.

Praise His name --- that is all He wants us to bring.

“Not What My Hands Have Done”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCyYe1CyZs4

WHY PEOPLE DON'T COME TO CHRIST

 WHY PEOPLE DON’T COME TO CHRIST

We all know people, some in our own family and some of us have friends, neighbors or work associates, who give no evidence of a changed life. Oh, they may have been baptized or joined a church. But that was a long, long time ago and today they are not the least bit interested in coming to Christ!

All of which suggests the question: Why do people refuse to come to Christ?

The Bible is filled with pleas and invitations and warnings of a Risen Christ.

Repeatedly, with loving, nail scarred, outstretched hands, the Lord exhorts all people to come to Him. These pleas and invitations are found all over the Bible. Here are just a few:

Matthew 11:28-30

Luke 19:10, 12-14, 27

John 5:37-40

Revelation 3:20-21

Isaiah 55:1, 6-7 

But they don’t come. They ignore and neglect these pleas. Why? Why? 5 reasons:

Unable to come on their own

Understanding is darkened by sin

Complete corruption of the affections

Corrupt nature of the will

Refuse the invitations --- why?

Next few days, we are gonna explore each one. See you tomorrow.

“There is a Fountain”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PasK3ZFAOPE

A VICTORIOUS HEART

 A VICTORIOUS HEART

We are challenged by II Corinthians 13:5 to “examine ourselves, as to whether or not we are in the faith.” We are to self test. Take the examination yourself and then grade it. How did you do? 

We have stated that there will be assurances of the heart. 

Your heart will be marked by:

• Purity

• Humility

• Tenderness

• Obedience and finally, a Victorious heart. 

I love the verse in I John 5:4 which says:

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the VICTORY that overcomes the world, even our faith.”

Jesus said in John 16:33 “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, take heart, I have overcome the world.”

What great verses to challenge our hearts.

Yes, life can be stressful.

Yes, the Christian life is hard.

Yes, the road of Christianity is difficult.

But --- because Christ is in us --- and we are in Him --- we have access to strength and power and encouragement and perseverance. We can meet head on … all the trials and temptations of life and be victorious! That is part of what being a Christian is all about!

“Victory in Jesus”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEmkUrsloaU

AN OBEDIENT HEART

 AN OBEDIENT HEART

We have discussed some of the assurances of the heart.

Things that a Christian possesses upon receiving salvation.

A Pure heart.

A Humble heart.

A Tender heart. 

And today, an Obedient heart.

Here is the ultimate challenge. I want to encourage you to read the words of Jesus in:

John 14:15, 23-24 > Jesus said "if you love me, you will keep my commandments."

I John 2:3-4 and 5:2-3 > as clear as can be. A true child of God will have the desire to try to live in obedience to the commandments of Christ. And they will not be burdensome. Those commandments will be a priority in his or her life.

Luke 6:46 should be a flashing neon sign in every Worship Center in America:

“Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?”

Now that is a very good question, isn’t it?

Jesus Christ acknowledges none to be His disciples except those who honor Him as Lord!

So I ask you: is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life?

Does your life and heart provide evidence that you are truly saved?

What does obedience to Christ mean to you?

“Jesus be the Lord of All”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDJdPR3t3sE

A TENDER HEART

 A TENDER HEART

Another assurance of salvation comes from the reality of a tender heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 says:

“And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit will I put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

A heart that is moldable and pliable and usable..

The hearts of unbelievers are hard as stone. 

Filled with pride and selfishness and sin. 

Their hearts are unmoved by the sufferings of Christ.

Their ears refuse to hear the pleas and warnings of a Risen Christ.

Their eyes have no desire to see the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Why?

Because of the hardness of their hearts.

A real Christian is moved by the love of Christ.

They are motivated by the grace and mercy of the Lord.

They are touched when they see people living in open rebellion against the Lord.

They are challenged to help those in need.

They care. They love. They pray. They give. They help.

That is what saving grace does to the heart of a true believer!

“Search Me O God” by Carmen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_m_0V8KTKo

 

A HUMBLE HEART

 A HUMBLE HEART

One of the assurances of salvation that a Christian should have is this. God will give you the grace of humility. You realize that you cannot save yourself. You understand that there is nothing you can do to gain righteousness with God. Additionally, your own awareness of your own impotence, insufficiency, emptiness and vileness hits you straight in the face. You see the holiness of God in Christ and it makes you humble.

You become conscious of your sinfulness and present unworthiness. 

Conscious of your own weaknesses and wickedness. 

Conscious of your carnality and corruptions. 

Saving faith brings us to Christ as empty handed beggars. 

Grace empties us of self conceit.

It empties us of our own self confidence.

It causes us to rejoice in the sinlessness of Christ.

Every person who has genuinely been born again will have a humble heart.

You cry out with the publican in Luke 18:9-14 and say, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner.”

Jesus said in Matthew 5:3 “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Thank you, Lord!

“Humble Yourself”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knk-DlTLckg

ON HIS TERMS ONLY

 ON HIS TERMS ONLY

Those who come to saving faith in Christ do not come to Christ on their own terms. You do not get to create the salvation criteria. He does, because He alone is God. There are many who sincerely believe that they can come to Christ anytime they want and in whatever way they want. And that just isn’t so. It isn’t Biblical truth.

Jesus said in John 6:44, 65 that “no man can come to Him except those whom the Father draws to Him.” Meaning precisely that you cannot go to Christ on your own terms. You are a fallen sinner in bondage to sin. You are dead in your trespasses and sins. You cannot even see the kingdom of God.

You cannot repent evangelically.

You cannot believe in Christ savingly.

You cannot come to Christ effectually --- in your own strength and power!

It is impossible. 

That is why you need grace.

Grace to live. Galatians 2:20

Grace to see. John 3:3-7

Grace to repent. Acts 5:31

Grace to understand. John 3:3-7; Ephesians 5:7-9

Grace to commit. John 6:44, 65

Grace to obey! John 14:15, 23-24

“For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

“He Came to Me”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MsgOvfccu0

ASSURANCES FROM THE HEART

 ASSURANCES FROM THE HEART

The Bible has a lot to say about the  heart of man.

Our hearts are wicked and deceitful above all things. Jeremiah 17:9

Jesus said that all wickedness first emanates from the heart. Mark 2:20-21

Proverbs 23:7 says That “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

This is why we need new hearts and is why --- at salvation --- God gives us new hearts.

That new heart which you are given at salvation will provide you with the blessed assurance of salvation.

Proverbs 4:23 says that we are to “keep our hearts with all diligence.”

Our heart is command central, the ruling center of our lives.

It is a PURE heart! Matthew 5:8 says “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

This heart is fixed upon a pure object > Jesus.

It drinks from a pure fountain.

It delights in a pure Law.

It looks forward to eternity with a pure Savior.

It values the living of a pure life.

It values things that are holy.

It purifies the understanding.

It purifies the will from self consumption.

It cleanses the heart from the love of all evil.

What kind of heart do you have?

“Take My Life and Let it Be”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRUPJmjo2eE

BLESSED ASSURANCE

 BLESSED ASSURANCE

Fanny J Crosby (1820-1915) was a prolific Christian song writer. Blinded from birth she had the extraordinary gift of writing songs. In fact, she has written over 8,000 different songs in her lifetime. One day she was visiting with a lady by the name of Mrs, Phoebe Knapp, who was the wife of the founder of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in New York.

Fanny Crosby was visiting one day with Mrs Knapp and Mrs Knapp sat down at the piano and played a tune. She then turned to Fanny Crosby and asked “What does that say to you?” She immediately began to write the words to that great old hymn:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine

O what a foretaste of glory divine, 

Heir of salvation, purchase of God

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood

This is my story

This is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story 

This is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Fanny Crosby, though blind, had this blessed assurance and knew that it came from the heart!

Do you have the blessed assurance of your salvation?

Must be based upon the merits of Christ alone!

“Blessed Assurance” The Singing Contractors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthmF2FxAY4

EVEN DEMONS BELIEVE

 EVEN DEMONS BELIEVE

James 2:19 serves to us as a reminder that even the demons believe and tremble at the very thought of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their knowledge of spiritual truth far surpasses ours and they are deeply involved in “religious” activities. They are:

Terrified of God’s judgments > Matthew 8:29

Possess an overwhelming sense of guilt > Luke 8:31

Deeply involved in many religious activities > I Corinthians 10:20-21

Likewise, people can be easily deceived, simply because they have:

Have knowledge of spiritual truth > Romans 1:21

Believe the truth > John 2:22-23

Fear God’s judgment > Revelation 6:15-17

Experience guilt > Felix in Acts 24:25

Have a desire to be right > Matthew 19:16, 22

Outwardly religious > Matthew 5:20

Affirm the superiority of Jesus Christ > Matthew 21:9 and 27:22-25

And THAT is why the Bible is always, always encouraging us to “examine yourself” to see whether you are in the faith and whether or not your faith is real. II Corinthians 13:5

It is so easy to be deceived.

Only God can save you.

Only God can make you a true Christians.

Only God can give you assurance!

“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDELcuYX3g