Thank you for the opportunity to preach a couple of Sundays ago. There are many important things that are on my heart to encourage you in doing, and to warn you to avoid. After all, "the end of all things is near." Here are just a few of the hundred thoughts in my head and in my heart for God's people:
The Holy Spirit, through the Apostles, has revealed many otherwise hidden truths to us in the New Testament Scriptures, including:
The Fatherhood of God, and His deep love for us. In fact, He loves us so much that He has decided to adopt us to be His Sons and His Daughters. But to do this a great price had to be paid to adopt us - to redeem us. He had to send His Only Begotten Son, the eternally beloved Christ, to suffer on a cross, and bleed, and die for our redemption and adoption. The Father's love is deep beyond description. "For God so loved the world that He sent His One and Only Son, so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life!" (John 3)
The Son, the Logos, is eternally and fully God who willingly - out of His great love for us - willingly took on human flesh to be the sacrifice for our sins. He is the source of our redemption and salvation. "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. . . by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10) "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from your empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ..." (1 Peter 1) "He Himself bore our sin in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds we have been healed." (1 Peter 2)
The Holy Spirit of God, proceeding from the Father and the Son, co-eternal and fully God is the giver of life, and new life, and spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit leads and guides both the individual believer, and the Church - the Bride of Christ made of all believers everywhere, and of all time.
One God, in three Persons. Unity and Trinity. Eternal God.
And there is a Devil, the Dragon, the Accuser of the Saints. He hates us while God loves us. He seeks to conquer the world and enslave people while God wants to redeem people and set them free from their bondage to sin. And so, we are in the middle of a great war - fought since the dawn of time, and fought throughout the cosmos.
Join the Fight!
As redeemed and liberated people, adopted by the Father Himself as His Sons and Daughters, we are called to join the fight. It is not our role to defeat Satan. Christ has done that on the cross. There are some things that only God can do, and there are other things that He has decided that we are to do for His Kingdom in this great war.
We are to tell people of the Gospel of Salvation, the Good news that they can be set free! And as they are saved and liberated, redeemed and saved, then we are to disciple them so that they can tell others the good news. "Go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone! Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved..." (Mark 16) "All authority has been given to me in Heaven and on Earth. Therefore go and make disciples from all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28)
We are not to be "passive" in this war. We ARE involved, whether we like it or not. Our "religious faith" is not something "personal" or "private." It is not to be kept secret from others. Those are clear symptoms of being afraid of others, being afraid of being made fun of, or being rejected. Why should we our fears dictate whether or not someone else gets to hear the life-giving gospel of Christ?
Who is God bringing to you so that they can hear the good news that has brought you salvation? Speak to them.
Who is God directing you to pray for, so that they might be enlightened by the Holy Spirit and set free from their spiritual blindness? Pray for them.
We can do these when we see clearly who God is - our Heavenly Father who loves us ever deeply, our Savior, and our Lord, and our King. And we can do these things when we see who we are in light of who God is - His redeemed children, His ever beloved Bride, the Sons and Daughters of the Most High King.
May we daily celebrate who God is, and who He has saved us to be (and even who we are becoming!). And may we share that joy with others, so that they may believe and be saved, and adopted as well. "Go into all the world..." including Tehachapi.
Pastor Doug
Who God Is. Who We Are.
