Pastor Herk continues with another main and essential truth of Christianity is that salvation is by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:1-9 explains that“you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
There is nothing that anyone can do in the way of good works to merit God’s salvation from our sins. Jesus did all the work when He went to the Cross. Jesus is the only way to forgiveness, justification, sanctification, and glorification unto eternal life in Heaven. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. We all deserve Hell, not Heaven and we certainly cannot purchase or earn your way on our own. Not everyone is going to Heaven. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 22:14 confirms, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Heaven is for the saved and Hell is for the lost. Do not deny the truths, live by them.
Still another main and essential truth is that the Lord Jesus ordained the institution of the local church to carry the Gospel of salvation through the finished work of Christ to the ends of the earth. Christians are called, commanded and equipped to take the Gospel outside the four walls of the church to a lost and dying world. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. As disciples of Jesus Christ, a church walking united and in harmony,,,, we are to make disciples for Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:8-12 “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing. For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”
How do Christians walk in unity? The Apostle Peter used six words in 1 Peter 3:8-12 that will make a big difference in the church towards unity. The first word is “harmony”. The idea of living in “one mind” is harmony, unity, kinship, and togetherness in one accord, growing and maturing into the image of Jesus. In Romans 15:5the Apostle Paul prayed, “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 4:12-13 says, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” God expects His people to in tune with each other and be continually more Christ-like. Being a Christian is not merely what we are or what we do, but who we essentially are with a transformed heart and regenerated spirit centered on whose we are. There is teamwork in the church body with Christ as the head.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's sermon message on Christian living and being in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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