THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT

Program Air Date – 2-21-10

LESSON TITLE: “GOD’S EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES: WE SHOULD NOT PERISH”

WELCOME

How wonderful it is to know God and to have the health, strength, and will-power to give this time to Him on this Lord’s Day morning. Thank you for putting God first today and choosing to commit this time of offering to His service.

Today, we will again be uplifted through our commitment to serving God as commanded, as we approach His almighty throne. How enjoyable it will be to worship our God through prayer, song and the study of His matchless Word. Won’t you do your part this morning to see that our worship together is acceptable so that our glorious creator may be glorified?

Now, as we begin our offering to God, will you bow with me in prayer!

(PRAYER)

Well, it’s time to join in our songs of praise. The first song of the morning is entitled, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.”

(SONG # 1)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

I love the words Peter proclaimed in Acts 10:34-35. There we read, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.’” Here we learn that God loves all men equally. Furthermore, anyone who will obey God and do His works will be accepted by Him. Peter made the same type of statement in His own book, 2 Peter 3:9. This text says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God does love all men and wants everyone to come to repentance, no matter who they are, where they are from or where they live - again, God is no respector of persons.

Believe it or not, although scripture is so clear on this point, some still try to claim that God’s Word is only for certain peoples, races or cultures. So just how far does God go with this idea? How about those of different color or of different cultures? Paul helps us with this idea in Galatians 3:26, this verse says, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Verse 28 and 29 of the same opening go on to say, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Not doubt this is why our Lord gave the great commission to the disciples as well as us in Matthew 28, as well as Mark 16. These two passages proclaim to all followers of God that we must, “go in to all the world,” “to every nation,” “to all peoples.” And why? To “preach the gospel,” to everyone who will hear. Furthermore, those who respond and obey are God’s Children, His son’s, and heirs according to God’s promises.

Do you as a Christian obey God’s law of love and care for all men? Are you a person today, who needs to respond to a God who loves you no matter what - as long as you are willing to repent, obey and follow Him. “Today is the day of salvation!”

As far as our topic of the day, this morning we will continue our series entitled, “God’s Exceedingly Great And Precious Promises.” Our specific lesson of the day will deal with this promise, “We Should Not Perish.” So stay with us and after our next song together, we will be lead in the main thoughts of the day. As far as our speaker, we are happy to again have brother Jerry Sullins with us. We thank him for joining us to lead this study from God’s Word. Well, now it’s time to join together in our second song of the morning. The name of this hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour.”

(SONG # 2)

LESSON

By Jerry Sullins

We want to welcome you to “The Living Word” Broadcast. We’re so happy that you have turned on your television set and you’re viewing this program and we hope and pray that something that is said today may bring you to a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that precious promise that has been made available to us through our Father who is in Heaven.

For the past few weeks we’ve been considering “The Precious Promises of God.” Today we’re going to discuss one that I believe would be very good for us all to consider and that is because of God’s great promises, we have hope that we shall never perish. Now perish means in the spiritual realm that “we are not any longer living as a person who has a very good well-being. In other words, we are going to suffer eternal loss in a spiritual sense. And so my friends, today as we discuss this subject let’s consider how important it is to us to make sure that we do not fall into that category of one who will perish.

One of my most favorite verses and verses that all of us know and I believe by heart, many of us, in fact most of us who claim to be Christians, is that verse found in John 3:16. But for our consideration this morning, I would like for us to read John 3 verses 14-17. And here in the scripture it says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Now two different times in this series of scriptures it talks about perishing. Perishing is something that will happen to every individual who actually lives on the face of the earth. It would happen spiritually to all of us if it would not have been for the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Well what is it that causes us to perish? I have had that question asked of me before especially as it relates to sin because the answer I always give is that it is sin. Sin causes us to perish. Sin is described in the New Testament in the book of 1 John chapter 5,it says that, “Sin is a transgression of God’s Law.” But some people would say, “Well what does that mean? Does God have a law that we must follow or are there some things that we can do and some things that we cannot do and not find favor with God?” Well certainly that is true because we know that sin is described to us especially in many places in the New Testament.

I call your attention to Galatians 5:19-21 where there it says, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: adultery, fornication, homosexuality…” It goes on and lists many things there.

In the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 5 also a listing of sins is given there which includes “Sodomites,” although our federal government has legalized it many, many years ago in many places.

Also we see in other places in the scripture types of sins that are given like in Revelation chapter 2 verse 8. There we see a listing of sins that are also given.

And so what is sin? Sin is when we transgress God’s Law or do something that God has asked us not to do.

And what does sin do for us or to us? The prophet Isaiah said a long time ago in Isaiah 59 verses 1-2 that, “It’s not that God’s hand is shortened that it cannot save.” Well He can certainly! “And it is not that His ear is heavy that He cannot hear.” Well what is the problem then? Your sins, your iniquities have separated you and your God. A division is caused because of your transgression of His Will. Just like Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden because of their sin in the very first book of the Bible.

So well did Paul say it in Romans 3 verse 23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” In other words, all have transgressed and fallen short of the glory of God.

Also in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So there is the precious promise! Although we all sin, we all have the opportunity to be saved from those sins and not perish because of what Jesus has done for us.

I want us to read a verse, or three verses that are found in 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 7-9. Now look what the apostle Peter said. He said, “But the heavens and the earth are now preserved by the same word are reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day.” But here is His promise in verse 9. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Now He is not willing that what? He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Now we can see clearly that an example is given to us in Numbers chapter 21 where the children of Israel being depressed after the Edomites would not allow them to pass through their country and evidently some were hungry and some were thirsty and they were complaining to Moses about being led out into the wilderness to die, without water and without food. God got so angry, that is the Father in Heaven got so angry that He decided that He was going to destroy the Israelites. Well Moses pleaded their case. And God said, “Okay. Make a brazen serpent and tell them if they will look at that serpent and look upon that serpent because serpents were biting them and killing them, then if you’ll lift that serpent up and whoever looks upon that serpent will be saved from death.” And as it stated here in this series of verses in John 3, remember verse 14. It says, “We must lift Jesus Christ up,” or as it said about Jesus in another passage in the New Testament, “And if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.” In fact, that’s said also here in the book of John.

So we lift up Christ! We look to Him and what does He tell us? As we look at Christ, what does that tell us? That tells us of one great principle which is so well spoken of in John 3 verse 16. “For God so loved…” He so loved whom? “The world…” That is all people in the world. “That He gave His only Begotten Son that we would not perish…” That is if we believe and obey, we will not perish. “But have everlasting life.” We are saved by the Word of God for sure. The Bible teaches that. We are told in many places in the scripture that through our obedience to the Word of God, we will receive immortality. That immortality is a wonderful word. That means that something is going to last forever and ever. That is what is meant by everlasting life. Also in the scripture, it is referred to as eternal life. That’s something that we will receive from God if we are properly obedient to Him and having that great faith, that obedient faith.

The apostle Paul was writing the book of Romans and he said in Romans 1 verse 5, “That obedience to the faith should be taught among all nations.” That was his responsibility; at least he felt that was his responsibility because he said he was indebted to Christ to do that there in chapter 1. And then in the closing chapter of that book, he also made a great and wonderful statement that, “Through obedience the faith should be taught to everyone.”

So my friends, when we talk about belief, “All the devils believed and trembled,” as James said. That is you will find that in the book of James. It is not just a statement thing that: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. “Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess in that last day,” but that doesn’t mean they are going to be saved. They will finally see who Jesus is and they will confess that He is the Lord.

How can we confess that He is the Lord and be proper in our obedience to Him unless we understand the conditions upon our salvation? As Moses was in the wilderness and lifted up the serpent, that brazen serpent, what was the condition upon which they would be saved? They had to look upon that serpent. They had to obey what Moses had to say.

Well are we willing and ready to do what Jesus has said for us to be saved? We’re talking about obedience. That’s what James spoke of when he spoke in several different places in the book of James about “faith without works is (inaudible).” James said that you have to show someone your faith. We’re not talking about grace here. We’re talking about faith. This brings about a decision within one’s life to say, “Yes, you are my Lord. Now what would You have me to do to be saved?” That’s what we’re speaking of. If we don’t want to perish, we better listen to what Jesus had to say.

Well what did He have to say? Mark 16 verses 15 and 16 He told His disciples to, “Go into all the world and teach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” It’s not he that believeth shall be saved and then he can be baptized if he wants to. That is not what Jesus said! “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” That’s what our Lord said.

What else did He say? Now here’s an important verse that relates to our text this morning. Luke 13 verse 3 where he said, “I tell you Nay except you repent you shall all likewise perish…” You will perish from what? “Your sins.”

So doesn’t every Christian, ones who believe in Christ believe that we must repent of our sins in order to have eternal life? We certainly must. When does repentance come? Well Peter told us in the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 verse 38 where he said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

So repenting is turning away from sin and changing your heart which is involved in repentance and your will and the desire to serve God and to do His Will is found before one or must take place before one becomes a Christian.

Well are there other things that one must do, conditions upon one’s salvation so that they will not perish? Yes, one must confess. Jesus said, “If you confess Me before men, I will confess you before My Father who is in Heaven. If you deny Me before men, I will deny you before My Father who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

So is there anything else someone must do in order to be saved? What was that obedience of faith that was taught to all the nations? In the book of Romans chapter 6 verses 3-4, “We are buried with Him by baptism into His death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father we also should be raised to walk in newness of life.”

And Peter said this in 1 Peter 3:21. “The antitype of baptism does also now save us.” No it’s not a (inaudible). It’s a condition on which one’s salvation depends. We must be baptized and have our sins removed. That’s what happens in the watery grave of baptism. We must make that total commitment to be faithful unto Him until we leave this old world. Jesus said, “Be thou faithful unto death.” That is a commitment that we must make if we truly do not want to perish from our sins.

Now many people do not understand that yes, as they say in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 around verses 51-58 that, “This corruptible (that is this body) must put on incorruption. This mortal (that is this body) must put on immortality.” Then Paul went on to say that this will happen when we pass from this life if we be faithful to Him and he said there in those verses that, “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Yes, it is so true. God is not slack concerning His promise, that He is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance.

My friend, I plead with you today to do God’s Will. Understand that by doing God’s Will, you will have hope of eternal life as you continue to do His Will in this life. It’s your decision. No one can force you to make that decision. We live in a free country. Certainly no one can do anything other than just plead with you for your own soul’s salvation to do what is necessary to obey the gospel so that you will have eternal life.

I don’t want to perish. I don’t want to lose my soul. I want to live eternally with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ someday. Don’t you?

(SONG # 3 - “I Know Whom I Have Believed!”)

CLOSING COMMENTS

What a blessing it has been to join together in the things of God this morning. Thank you for doing your part in making all these things to be according to His Will. As always, we invite you back every Lord’s Day morning at 7:30, as we commit ourselves to this offering for God!

But for now, let me ask if you have any questions or comments about today’s lesson? Maybe, you would like a free transcript or a cassette tape of this program? Possibly, we could assist you with free Bible materials or correspondence courses? No matter what your need is, please contact us at the following address:

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How wonderful it is to know that we will not perish with God on our side. However, we must understand our part to receive such a blessed promise. Do you believe in God and have you obeyed His Will in all matters?

(Program closing)