THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT<br> <br>

PROGRAM AIR DATE – 4-19-15<br> <br>

LESSON TITLE:  “OBTAINING A GOOD TESTIMONY.”

<br> <br>

WELCOME<br> <br>

      IN ECCLESIASTES 12:13, THE WISE MAN SOLOMON SAID, “LET US HEAR THE CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE MATTER: FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, FOR THIS IS MAN'S ALL.”  TODAY, IT IS MY HOPE AND PRAYER THAT WE HAVE ALL COME TOGETHER, BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD AS COMPLETE SERVANTS.  WHICH MEANS WE ARE ALL THOSE WHO FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. <br> <br>

      HOW GLORIOUS IT IS TO ASSEMBLE THIS MORNING, AND TO COME BEFORE SUCH A MIGHTY AND AWESOME GOD, TO WORSHIP AND PRAISE HIS NAME, AS HE HAS COMMANDED.  SO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND FOR DOING YOUR PART AS WE OFFER THESE SACRIFICES TO OUR GOD. <br> <br>

      AT THIS TIME, LET’S APPROACH OUR FATHER’S THRONE IN PRAYER: OUR GOD AND FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THIS DAY AND THE MANY GREAT BLESSINGS OF LIFE - THE PRIVILEGE THAT WE HAVE TO BE CALLED YOUR CHILDREN AND TO BE SERVANTS IN YOUR KINGDOM. THROUGH YOUR LOVE GRACE AND MERCY FATHER, WE ARE THANKFUL THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW YOUR WILL AND TO OBEY IT. AND FATHER, WHEN THIS LIFE IS OVER, GIVE US THAT GREAT REWARD WHICH HAS BEEN RESERVED FOR THE FAITHFUL - THAT PLACE PREPARED IN HEAVEN, THAT WE'LL LIVE ETERNALLY WITH YOU FOREVER. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.<br> <br>

      OUR FIRST SONG OF THE DAY CHALLENGES US TO CONSIDER WHETHER WE ARE READY TO STAND BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST.  ARE YOU PREPARED TO MEET YOUR GOD?  SO AT THIS TIME, LET ME ENCOURAGE US ALL TO JOIN TOGETHER IN THIS SONG.  THE NAME OF THE HYMN, “PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD!”<br> <br>



DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS<br> <br>

      HAVE YOU EVER MET ANYONE IN THIS LIFE WHO THINKS THEY ARE PERFECT OR MAYBE THEY JUST ACT LIKE THEY THINK THEY ARE!  NO DOUBT WE HAVE ALL MET A FEW.  THE REALITY IS, IN ALL OF THE ARROGANCE AND PRIDE OF THIS WORLD, WE CERTAINLY FIND MANY WHO THINK THEY ARE THE CREAM OF THE CROP!  NOW THE PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF THOUGHT IS THAT GOD SAYS THAT WE ALL HAVE SIN.  SO HOW COULD ANYONE OF THIS EARTH REALLY BE PERFECT?  <br> <br>

      HOWEVER, LET ME REMIND YOU THIS MORNING, OF ONE WHO TRULY IS PERFECT AND GOOD IN EVERY WAY - OUR GOD!  I LOVE THE WAY DAVID PUT IT IN PSALM 18:30, THERE WE READ, “AS FOR GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT; THE WORD OF THE LORD IS PROVEN; HE IS A SHIELD TO ALL WHO TRUST IN HIM.”  HERE WE FIND THAT GOD’S WAY IS PERFECT AND THROUGH HISTORY HE HAS PROVEN IT.  BUT WE ALSO FIND IN THIS VERSE THAT OUR GOD IS A SHIELD AND THERE TO HELP ALL THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM.  WOW, ISN’T THIS COMFORTING?  TO KNOW THAT OUR GOD IS PERFECT AND YET HE LOVES US ENOUGH TO CARE FOR, PROTECT AND GUIDE US IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE.  

      BUT NOW BACK TO US, ARE WE TO BE PERFECT?  THE BIBLE SAYS, “THEREFORE YOU SHALL BE PERFECT, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT,”  MATTHEW 5:48.  IN THIS PASSAGE JESUS HIMSELF CLARIFIES THAT OUR GOAL MUST BE TO STRIVE FOR PERFECTION OR COMPLETENESS!  BUT AGAIN, CAN WE ACCOMPLISH IT?  THE REALITY IS, AS HUMANS WHO LOVE AND FOLLOW GOD, WE STILL MESS UP, MAKE MISTAKES AND SIN.  NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRY, WE WILL NEVER BE PERFECT AS GOD IS.  HOWEVER, WHAT GOD HAS ASKED OF US IS THAT WE STRIVE TOWARD THAT GOAL AND DO OUR BEST.   AND IF WE DO OUR BEST WE WILL BE SEEN AS PERFECT AND COMPLETE BEFORE HIM, THUS BY HIS GRACE AND MERCY WE WILL RECEIVE THE REWARD.   SO, ARE YOU STRIVING FOR PERFECTION?   ARE YOU TRYING TO BE MORE LIKE YOUR CREATOR?<br> <br>IN JUST A FEW MINUTES IT WILL BE TIME TO BEGIN OUR MAIN STUDY OF THE DAY. OUR TOPIC OF STUDY WILL AGAIN FOCUS ON OUR SERIES, “SO GREAT A CLOUD OF WITNESSES.”  OUR SPECIFIC LESSON OF THE MORNING IS ENTITLED, “OBTAINING A GOOD TESTIMONY.” SO PLEASE STAY WITH US FOR THIS STUDY FROM GOD’S WORD, AND I WILL LEAD US IN THESE THOUGHTS AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.  <br> <br>

      NOW LET’S JOIN TOGETHER IN OUR NEXT SONG OF THE MORNING.  THE NAME OF THIS HYMN, “PURER IN HEART.”<br> <br>





<br> <br>

LESSON<br> <br>

BY RAY SULLINS<br> <br>

      WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'VE CONTINUE WITH US THIS MORNING AS WE NOW RETURN TO THE WORD OF GOD. AND WE CONSIDER TOGETHER ONE MORE LESSON FROM OUR SERIES IN RELATIONSHIP TO THOSE GREAT HEROES OF FAITH, AS THEY ARE OFTEN CALLED THERE FROM HEBREWS CHAPTER 11. AND YOU MIGHT REMEMBER WITH ME THERE WITHIN THE TEXT THAT WE HAVE CONSIDERED QUITE A FEW INDIVIDUALS TOGETHER, INCLUDING THOSE WHO WERE ELDERS THAT RECEIVED A GOOD TESTIMONY FROM GOD. WE ALSO SEE MENTIONED THERE IN VERSE 4, ABEL, THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED. ENOCH IN VERSE 5 AND THE FACT THAT HE WALKED WITH GOD AND NEVER DIED. WE'VE LOOKED TOGETHER AT NOAH BEGINNING IN VERSE 7, AS WELL AS ABRAHAM IN VERSE 8 OF THAT TEXT. AND THEN WE'VE LOOKED AT THE SON OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, IN VERSE 20 THERE IN THE TEXT. NOT ONLY ISAAC, BUT THE SON OF ISAAC WHICH WAS JACOB - EVENTUALLY ISRAEL, WHO WAS THE FATHER OF THE 12 NATIONS OR THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL. AND THEN AS WELL WE HAVE LOOKED AT THERE FROM VERSE 2 THE VERY FAMILIAR CHARACTER OF JOSEPH - THE MAN WHO WENT TO EGYPT BEING SOLD AS A SLAVE. AND IN SLAVERY IN THAT CITY EVENTUALLY RISING TO BE SECOND IN COMMAND OF ALL OF EGYPT. AND THEN WE'VE ALSO LOOKED TOGETHER AT - IN  VERSE 23 BEGINNING - THE LIFE OF MOSES, AS WELL AS LAST WEEK A FEW LADIES WHO CERTAINLY PROVED THEMSELVES TO HAVE GREAT FAITH. ONE BEING SARAH EARLIER IN THE TEXT IN VERSE 11, BUT THEN WE ALSO SEE A WOMAN NAMED RAHAB IN VERSE 31 OF THE TEXT. <br> <br>

      AMONGST ALL OF THESE - HOW SIGNIFICANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT EACH ONE IS IDENTIFIED AS BEING KNOWN BY GOD AS HAVING FAITH, BECAUSE THEY WERE WILLING TO DO WHAT GOD SAID. AND EVERY CASE WE SEE THE IDEA OF: BY FAITH ABEL, OR BY FAITH ENOCH, OR BY FAITH SO ON AND SO FORTH. AND IN EACH EXAMPLE WHAT WE FIND IS THAT THERE IS SOME SORT OF ACTION VERB THAT CONTINUES THE SENTENCE. THEY ARE THE SUBJECT WHO BY FAITH DID SOMETHING AND WHAT THEY DID WAS TO ACT UPON WHAT GOD REQUIRED. AND SO CERTAINLY WE SEE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FAITH EMPHASIZED THROUGHOUT THIS TEXT. WE SEE THE SIGNIFICANCE IN VERSE 6 OF THE FACT THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD WITHOUT A TRUE FAITH IN HIM.<br> <br> 

      AND THAT'S WHY THE OVERALL TEXT THAT WE HAVE CONSIDERED TOGETHER EMPHASIZES WHAT CHAPTER 12 DEALS WITH IN VERSE 1 - THAT THEREFORE IS A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES. AS WE LOOK BACK AT ALL OF THESE HEROES OF FAITH, WHAT A GREAT CLOUD - WHAT A GREAT ASSEMBLY - WHAT A GREAT MULTITUDE OF WITNESSES, PROVING TO US WHAT TRUTH FAITH IS - DISTINGUISHING YOU AND I HAVE AS WHO LOVE GOD ENOUGH TO DO HIS WILL FROM THOSE WHO MIGHT SAY THAT THEY AT LEAST KNOW GOD OR BELIEVE IN GOD AND YET THEY DO NOT OBEY GOD AT ALL AND THEY DON'T DO THE THINGS THAT GOD ASKS. DO YOU SEE IT? THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES?  THE OPPORTUNITY GIVEN BY THOSE INDIVIDUALS? <br> <br>

      BUT THEN THIS MORNING I WANT YOU TO NOTICE WITH ME THAT IT WAS NOT ONLY THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MENTIONED BUT EVEN AT TIMES PEOPLE'S MENTIONED. IN HEBREWS 11 AND VERSE 29 ISRAEL IS REFERRED TO. AND THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE, BY FAITH, PASSED THROUGH THE RED SEA. CAN YOU IMAGINE? CAN YOU IMAGINE THE WALLS OF WATER ON EITHER SIDE AND HAVING THE FAITH TO STEP ON THE DRY LAND AND WONDERING - ARE THESE WALLS GOING TO HOLD? ARE THEY GOING TO CRASH IN AND KILL US ALL? YOU SEE, BY FAITH THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND THEN LATER UNDER JOSHUA'S LEADERSHIP, IN VERSE 30 OF THE SAME TEXT, WE ALSO SEE THAT ISRAEL WAS WILLING TO DO - UNDER THE COMMAND OF JOSHUA - WHAT GOD SAID WHEN THEY MARCHED AROUND THE CITY OF JERICHO FOR SEVEN DAYS. AND YOU AND I KNOW THE STORY - BY FAITH, BECAUSE THEY DID WHAT GOD SAID, WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE WALLS? THE WALLS FELL DOWN. <br> <br> 

      THEN WITHIN ABOUT THE NEXT 8 TO 10 VERSES THERE ARE COUNTLESS OTHER REFERENCES TO GREAT MEN OR INDIVIDUALS / GREAT PEOPLE OF GOD / THE RIGHTEOUS OF GOD, WHO TIME AND TIME AGAIN WERE WILLING TO EITHER DO THE WILL OF GOD OR PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO STAND FOR GOD. TO DO WHAT? TO PROVE THEIR FAITH - AND THEN PERHAPS TO ME ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VERSES WITHIN THE WHOLE TEXT IS WHAT IS FOUND THERE IN VERSE 39, RIGHT AT THE END OF CHAPTER 11 AS IT IS INTRODUCING US TO THE THOUGHTS OF THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES IN CHAPTER 12:1. BUT IN CHAPTER 11:39 - WHERE IT SAYS, “AND ALL THESE.” ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS. ALL OF THESE PEOPLES. ALL OF THESE WHO LOVE GOD. “ALL OF THESE, HAVING OBTAINED A GOOD TESTIMONY THROUGH FAITH, DID NOT RECEIVE THE PROMISE,” AT LEAST IN THEIR LIFETIME. VERSE 40 GOES ON TO SAY “GOD HAVING PROVIDED SOMETHING BETTER FOR US, THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE MADE PERFECT APART FROM US.” WHAT IS THIS TALKING ABOUT? WELL, WE KNOW THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, EVEN BACK ALL THE WAY IN GENESIS CHAPTER 3:15, THE PROMISE OF THE SEED OF WOMAN IS GIVEN. JESUS CHRIST - THE COMING OF THE LORD - THE SHEDDING OF HIS BLOOD THAT WOULD DO WHAT? THAT WOULD WIPE AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVED UNDER ALL GENERATIONS. AND SO HE SAYS THESE FOLKS WERE WILLING TO FOLLOW GOD, KNOWING THAT THE PROMISE - THE MESSIAH - THE HOPE OF THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF THE MESSIAH WAS IN THE FUTURE. THAT THE LAMB THAT WOULD BE PUT BEFORE THE SLAUGHTER WAS IN THE FUTURE YET THEY STILL BY FAITH DID WHAT GOD SAID....ACTED UPON HIS REQUIREMENTS. <br> <br>

      NOW WE LOOK BACK AT WHAT JESUS DID AND WE SEE IN A COMPLETION - REALLY ALL THOSE GREAT WONDERFUL THINGS THAT HE HAD DONE UNDER THE OLD LAW OR IN THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS - THE LIFE THAT HE LIVED - OR EVEN IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH. WE LOOK BACKWARDS AND WE SEE THAT THESE THINGS WERE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE SACRIFICE MADE WHICH WAS WITNESSED AND CONFIRMED, NOT ONLY IN A BIBLICAL SENSE, BUT BY ALSO THE WORLD. BUT THESE PEOPLE - THEY BY FAITH - OBTAINED A GOOD TESTIMONY, KNOWING OF THAT WHICH WAS PROMISED THAT THEY BELIEVED WOULD HAPPEN. AND THEREFORE, THEY WITH US, VERSE 40 SAYS, ARE MADE PERFECT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST THROUGH THE BLOOD THAT HE SHED. <br> <br>

      AND IF YOU'RE NOT SURE ABOUT THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DROP DOWN NOW TO CHAPTER 12 WITH ME AND RIGHT AFTER VERSE ONE HE TALKS ABOUT PUTTING AWAY THAT SIN AND THINGS THAT MIGHT KEEP US FROM GOD - THAT WE MIGHT RUN THE RACE THAT GOD HAS LAID BEFORE US. AND BY THE WAY, DOESN'T THAT IDEA OF RUNNING A RACE REQUIRE NOT ONLY PREPARATION BUT ACTION? YOU SEE AGAIN THERE THE PROOF OF FAITH IN ACTION? NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS IN VERSE 2 OF THAT TEXT, “LOOKING UNTO JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF...”GUESS WHAT, “OUR FAITH.” JESUS IS NOT ONLY THE AUTHOR - THE ONE THAT BROUGHT ABOUT WHAT EVERYONE WAS LOOKING TO OR WHAT EVERYONE WAS LOOKING BACK AT. BUT JESUS BROUGHT TO A COMPLETION, A FINISH, THE GIFT THAT WAS MADE AVAILABLE. HE ACCOMPLISHED THE TASK THAT GOD HAD PROMISED THROUGH THE SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS AND HIS RESURRECTION ON THE THIRD DAY. THAT WE, AS THEY, MIGHT BE RECIPIENTS BY FAITH THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OF THAT WHICH GOD PROMISED - WHETHER UNDER THE MOSAICAL AGE OR WHETHER UNDER THE CHRISTIAN AGE. AREN'T WE A BLESSED PEOPLE! AREN'T WE A BLESSED PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT JESUS IS THE AUTHOR! HE IS THE ONE WHO LAID DOWN THE BLUEPRINTS OF FAITH. WHO ESTABLISHED FOR US IN HIS WORD WHAT WE MUST DO, HOW WE SHOULD LIVE, HOW WE OUGHT TO SPEAK, AND ULTIMATELY WHAT IS REQUIRED TO BE SEEN AS FAITHFUL IN HIS SIGHT. AND WHY WOULDN'T WE AS HIS CHILDREN WANT TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE THINGS? <br> <br>

      AND SO NOW THE NEXT THING THAT WE MIGHT ASK IN THE REMAINDER OF OUR LESSON THIS MORNING IS - WHAT IS IT THAT IS REQUIRED TO BEGIN THAT WALK OF FAITH? YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE PRIMARILY TALKING ABOUT THOSE AGAIN BEFORE CHRIST. BEFORE HE LIVED AS WELL AS BEFORE THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION. AND SO THEREFORE THEY WERE UNDER, AS WE WELL KNOW, THE OLD LAW. THEY FOLLOWED THE PROMISES OF GOD AND THE LAWS OF GOD BASED ON THE OLD LAW. BUT YOU AND I ARE THOSE, WHO BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, NOW LOOK BACK AT WHAT IS TAKING PLACE. AND SO WE HAVE TO ASK THE QUESTION - HOW DO I BEGIN THAT WALK OF FAITH? THERE HAS TO BE A BEGINNING POINT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT MAN OFTEN CHOOSES WHAT, SIN. AND MOST OF THE WORLD, THE BIBLE SAYS, LIES UNDER THE SWAY OF THE WICKED ONE OR SATAN. AND SO THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT MOTIVATES US, OBVIOUSLY GOD OR JESUS CHRIST AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD OR JESUS CHRIST IS THROUGH HIS WORD, BUT THERE HAS TO BE A MOMENT WHEN THAT CHANGE BEGINS TO TAKE PLACE. <br> <br>

      LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE - THERE IN ACTS 2, WHAT WAS IT ON THAT DAY THAT CUT THEM TO THE HEART OR PRICKED THEIR HEARTS? DO YOU REMEMBER PETER AND THE OTHERS AS THEY PREACHED THE GOSPEL THERE BY AND THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT DAY? WHAT DID THEY JUST TELL THE MULTITUDES? THIS JESUS, GOD HAS MADE THIS JESUS BOTH LORD AND MASTER, AND YOU JUST KILLED HIM! BOY, THEY WERE CUT TO THE HEART BECAUSE THEY REALIZED THIS WAS THE PROMISED MESSIAH, THIS WAS THE VERY ONE THAT, BY FAITH, EVERYBODY HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THAT THEY MIGHT BE FOUND JUSTIFIED THROUGH HIM. AND WHAT DID THE JEWS JUST DO? THEY KILLED HIM AND PUT HIM ON THE CROSS. WELL, NOW WHEN WE RETURN TO THIS TEXT, DO YOU NOTICE WHAT IT IS THAT IS CLARIFIED THERE? JESUS CHRIST - THAT AUTHOR, THAT FINISHER OF OUR FAITH, IS THAT VERY ONE THEN WHO WILL MOTIVATE OUR HEARTS TO DO WHAT? BY FAITH, WHICH IS REQUIRED TO PLEASE HIM, HEBREWS 11:6, THAT WE BEGIN THAT WALK. THAT WALK OF FAITH. THAT SYSTEM OF FAITH THAT HAS BEEN LAID DOWN FOR ALL WHO WILL BELIEVE AND OBEY. <br> <br>

      NOW I WANT YOU TO GO WITH ME TO A VERY OBVIOUS TEXT IN ROMANS CHAPTER 10 WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT, NOT ONLY THE THINGS REQUIRED UNDER SALVATION IN THIS TEXT, BUT IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT HOW WE BEGIN THAT WALK OF FAITH. YOU MIGHT RECALL WITH ME THERE IN VERSE 17 - THE BIBLE SAYS, “SO THEN FAITH COMES BY HEARING.” SO WHAT'S REQUIRED TO HAVE FAITH IN ORDER TO BEGIN A PROCESS OF BELIEF OR ACTING ON BELIEF, WHICH IS FAITH, WE HAVE TO HEAR. AND WHAT DO WE HAVE TO HEAR? THE VERSE GOES ON TO GIVE US THE ANSWER, “AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD.” IF IT WERE NOT FOR THIS BOOK, HOW WOULD YOU KNOW GOD? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THE FATHER - THE SON/ HOW YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SACRIFICE - THE RESURRECTION/ HOW WOULD YOU REALLY KNOW THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY? (JAMES 1:25) EXCEPT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN, BY AND THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, THAT PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY. AND SO HERE HE CLEARLY TELLS US THAT WE DEVELOP FAITH BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD - THE BIBLE. AND SO WE STUDY AND WE HEAR AND WE LEARN FROM IT AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE ABLE TO DO WHAT? DEVELOP A BELIEF. <br> <br>

      BUT YET, AS WE HAVE LEARNED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THAT BELIEF HAS TO BECOME WHAT? ACTIVE IN THE BELIEVER - WE HAVE TO ACT UPON IT. AND SO WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED INITIALLY TO BEGIN TO ACT ON THE FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST? WELL, WE HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD DO WE NOT? JOHN 3:16. HE CAME TO SAVE THE WORLD, SENT BY THE FATHER, THAT ALL WHO BELIEVE IN HIM MIGHT HAVE LIFE. AND EXCEPT WE BELIEVE THAT HE IS THE ONE, THAT HE IS THE CHRIST, WE WILL WHAT? DIE IN OUR SINS, THAT'S WHAT JESUS SAID. SO WE HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT HE IS THE CHRIST.<br> <br> 

      BUT AS YOU BEGIN THAT PROCESS OF BELIEF, THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO DO IN ORDER THAT YOU BY FAITH MIGHT ACT IN A WAY THAT GOD HAS REQUIRED. SO WHEN I BEGIN TO BELIEVE IN THAT WORD OF GOD, WHAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE WORD OF GOD TELLS ME I MUST DO? ROMANS 10:9 & 10. IT SAYS, “IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THE LORD JESUS AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED! FOR WITH THE HEART ONE BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION.” WHAT CONFESSION? THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD. THE VERY CONFESSION THAT THE EUNUCH MADE IN ACTS CHAPTER 8:37 WHEN PHILIP CHALLENGED HIM TO MAKE THE CONFESSION. AND THE EUNUCH SAID, “I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD.” YOU SEE, WE MUST CONFESS OUR BELIEF. THAT TAKES ACTION. IT MUST BE SEEN. IT MUST BE HEARD BY OTHERS THAT WE ARE BELIEVERS AND THAT WE ARE NOT ASHAMED OF OUR SAVIOR. <br> <br>

      BUT REPENTANCE IS ALSO REQUIRED. FOR WE KNOW THAT, ONCE AGAIN BACK IN ACTS CHAPTER 2 WHERE WE REFERENCED THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH JUST A MOMENT AGO, AFTER THEY WERE CUT OR PRICKED TO THE HEART - GUESS WHAT PETER TOLD THEM? HE SAID REPENT, VERSE 38, AND BE BAPTIZED. YOU SEE THERE THE IDEA OF A REPENTANCE, AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT PAUL TELLS US IN ROMANS CHAPTER 6 - THAT WE ARE IN SIN AND WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE OLD SINFUL MAN AND FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT WE MIGHT PUT THAT MAN AWAY. THAT WE MIGHT BECOME A NEW CREATURE AND LIVE FOR CHRIST. YOU SEE, WE'VE GOT TO DIE TO SIN. CERTAINLY SIN IS DARKNESS AND GOD IS LIGHT - AND GUESS HOW MUCH DARKNESS THERE IS IN LIGHT? ZERO! SO GOD REQUIRES THAT WE PUT AWAY THE DARKNESS, THAT WE PUT AWAY THE SIN, THAT WE NO LONGER CONTINUE IN SIN. AND SO WE MUST REPENT OF SIN AND CONFESS BOTH ACTIONS THAT ARE TAKEN BASED ON WHAT? OUR BELIEF, THEREFORE DEMONSTRATING FAITH. <br> <br>

      BUT THEN WE NOTICE ALSO BAPTISTISM. WE MENTIONED THE SAME VERSE - VERSE 38 THERE A MOMENT AGO - WHERE IT SAID REPENT AND LET EVERYONE OF YOU BE BAPTIZED, THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE WHAT? REMISSION OF SINS. DO YOU REMEMBER THERE ALSO, PAUL IN ACTS 22:16, WAS TOLD BY ANANIAS - ARISE AND BE BAPTIZED AND WASH AWAY YOUR SINS. AND I GET MY REFERENCE THERE - ROMANS CHAPTER 6 - THAT SPEAKS ABOUT BAPTISM AS A DEATH TO SIN. AS CHRIST WAS BURIED, WE ARE BURIED. AND WE LEAVE THE OLD MAN IN THE WATERY GRAVE AND AS CHRIST ROSE ON THE THIRD DAY, WE RISE ON THE THIRD DAY. GUESS WHY? THAT WE, THROUGH THE RESURRECTION, MIGHT BE A NEW CREATION - HAVING DIED TO THE OLD MAN, FREE FROM SIN LEFT IN THE GRAVE, WALKING AS A NEW CREATION OF GOD IN A NEWNESS OF LIFE. ISN'T THAT A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT? THAT THROUGH OUR ACTIONS BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT WE BEGIN TO DEMONSTRATE OUR FAITH, THAT WE ARE WILLING TO CONFESS THAT WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD, THAT WE ARE WILLING TO REPENT OF OUR SINS, AND THAT WE ARE WILLING TO BE IMMERSED IN WATER THAT WE MIGHT ACCOMPLISH ALL OF THOSE THINGS, EVEN THAT THEY DID IN ACTS 2:47, SO THAT THEY WERE TOLD THOSE THAT WERE BEING SAVED WERE ADDED TO THE CHURCH - THE LORD'S CHURCH. ARE YOU IN HIS CHURCH? HAVE YOU DONE WHAT IS REQUIRED BY HIM TO TRULY BE SAVED?<br> <br>



CLOSING COMMENTS<br> <br>

      LET ME THANK YOU AGAIN FOR CHOOSING TO BE WITH US TODAY.  I HOPE OUR TIME TOGETHER HAS BEEN AN ENCOURAGEMENT AND BLESSING TO US ALL.  WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US EVERY FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, AT 7:30, AS WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO THIS TIME OF WORSHIP BEFORE GOD!  <br> <br>

      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:  <br> <br>

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      HAVE YOU DONE WHAT IS NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A GOOD TESTIMONY FROM GOD? FURTHERMORE, ARE YOU REMAINING FAITHFUL TO YOUR CALL AS ONE WHO TRULY LOVES GOD?  CONFIRM TODAY YOUR COMMITMENT TO CHRIST IN ALL THINGS AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE FAITHFUL IN HIS SIGHT!<br> <br>