Past Tense Blessings

good morning everyone welcome to Columbus Bible Church we just had our 10:00 a.m. hour we're now going to have our 11:00 a.m. session and so let me open us in a word of Prayer and we'll begin father God thank you for this time we thank you for the opportunity to meet with the Saints we pray Lord that your word would be preached clearly we pray Lord that it would be a source of comfort to people during the unusual times in which we live we pray all these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen good morning everyone so we are continuing to do the livestream for our Sunday morning meetings the stay at home order is in effect in Ohio as it is in other places around the country so we are meeting virtually we appreciate you joining us this morning and I'll just go ahead and jump into what I want to cover we're all familiar with coronavirus we're familiar with the stay at home orders and just the the disruption to normal life that's going on as this disruption continues people are coming to terms with it they're they're dealing with it they have questions they have uncertainties they have fears and so what I want to cover this morning is I want to cover something that I'll call past tense blessings and what this is is these are truths about us that are already true that that can't be changed that can't be forfeited and that should hopefully be helpful to us during this time so let me introduce the subject in this way even as a saved person even if you're saved do you have times in life where you're disappointed or confused or fearful even though you're a saved person do you ever encounter circumstances that you don't like that you wish would and I mean we could all make up spiritual sounding things and say we don't struggle with things like that but the reality is that we do and the reason we do is we live on a sin cursed earth since Genesis 3 since the fall the earth is cursed we have sin natures everyone around us on earth has sin natures if life seems like a mess on this earth it's largely going to be because this is a sin cursed earth populated by sinners it's just gonna have problems well on an earth like that where there are earthquakes and famine and misery and war and just endless problems it's going to be natural for people to struggle with things I would tell you that part of the way that things are set up is that as a lost man looks out at at Earth it should remind him it should lead him to the conclusion that there is no hope in this world the hope is outside this world the hope is the Lord Jesus Christ that's the lesson that the lost man needs to learn but let's talk about saved people for a minute so as a saved person are you ever discouraged are you ever troubled are you ever concerned and the answer is that we all are so what do you do what do you do in that moment of confusion of bewilderment about your circumstances I would describe it like this what happens if you're out in the wilderness and you're lost and you don't know which direction to go you don't know what to do the first thing you would do seems to me is you would find the North Star in other words you would find a fixed point of reference a point of absolute truth and then you would or into yourself you would determine what to do based upon that absolute point of reference that point of absolute truth and I would suggest to you that what save people need to do during times of confusion is they need to not make things complicated but they need to return to the simple absolute truth that they know for sure and that's what we're gonna look at this morning let me define a couple words for you the first is unchangeable the word unchangeable means not capable of change immutable not subject to variation what I would suggest to you is there's a lot of truths about your life as a saved person that are are unchangeable let me define another word inalienable so if we read the Declaration of Independence just as context we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness the Declaration of Independence holds the view that there are certain unalienable rights in other words there's rights that belong to man that cannot be alienated they cannot be transferred to someone else they can't be forfeited here's what the word inalienable means unalienable that cannot be legally or justly alienated or transferred to another in other words it belongs to you no one else can take it it is yours and it cannot be anything other than yours well what I want to focus on this morning is simply this the moment you believed the gospel there were some unchangeable some in alienable truths about you that happened at that moment that will never ever ever be changed so as you look at life as you look at earthly circumstance and things change things may change health-wise they may change financially they may change politically well all of those are just earthly circumstances and earthly circumstances are going to come to an end anyway but what I want us to focus on this morning is there are some spiritual truths about you as a saved person that will never ever ever change that's what we need to focus on get with me second Timothy chapter 1 we're gonna look at a bunch of verses this morning so get your fingers ready 2nd Timothy chapter 1 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 9 2nd Timothy 1 verse 9 who hath saved us now I'm gonna I refer to this message as past tense blessings because these are things that are already true of you let me draw a contrast if I could so before we come back to 2nd Timothy get with me Titus look with me at Titus chapter 2 verse 11 for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world notice verse 13 looking for that blessed hope what we should be doing today is we should be looking for that blessed hope looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ in other words what that verse is telling us is keep your eyes fixed on the Blessed hope there may be earthly problems in this life but if you're a saved person you will participate in that blessed hope it is a certainty and keep your attention focused on that it is a great anchor to realize that whatever happens on the earth this earth doesn't change the fact that the Blessed hope is a certain hope it's a 100% sure hope and you will be delivered from all of the problems of this life now it is true that we should be focused on the Blessed hope get back to 2nd Timothy with me but what I want you to also realize is Scripture spends a lot of time telling us about what God has already done for us about some blessings that we enjoy this very moment 2nd Timothy 1 verse 9 who hath saved us you've already been saved if you believe the gospel you're not waiting for it in the future you're not biting your nails hoping that maybe you'll be saved if you're a good boy no that's not how it works you are already saved if you have believed the gospel look with me at 1st Corinthians chapter 1 1st Corinthians chapter 1 1st Corinthians chapter 1 look with me at verse 18 for the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God if you believe the gospel you are all ready saved I want to make one point on this verse before we move on when you look at some of the modern versions like for example the the New King James when you look at the NIV what they're gonna say in Romans 1:18 is it's gonna say unto us which are being saved in other words your salvation is a process that's still working out you're not fully saved yet but you're being saved you know what one of the things people say is they say that the modern versions they say the same thing as the King James they just got rid of the V's in the house friends you have to understand that's just simply not true the modern versions make thousands of changes and they make changes that doctrinally change the meaning of what scripture says what first Corinthians 1:18 says in the King James it says unto us which are saved it doesn't say which are being saved it doesn't say we'll be saved in the future if such and such it says that we are already saved look with me at Romans 11 verse 30 Romans 11 verse 30 you can know as a believer that you are already saved Romans 11 verse 34 as ye in times past have not believed God yet have now obtained mercy you've already obtained mercy you've obtained mercy by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ so please just notice that you have already been saved you have already been delivered from God's punishment get with me Colossians chapter 2 Colossians chapter 2 Colossians 2 verse 13 and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him notice this having forgiven you all trespasses how many of your sins have already been dealt with all of them all trespasses not only the sins you committed before you were saved but the sins you were committed since you got saved when you got saved did God already know everything you would ever do of course he did he knew every trespass you would ever commit and the moment you believed the gospel what God did is he forgave you all trespasses you already have forgiveness of everything you have ever done or ever will do some people will teach you have to confess your sins that in other words even as a saved person you sin on a daily basis and to avoid a strange Mangano ship with him being interrupted they will say you have to confess those sins and if you don't confess those sins your relationship with God has a problem that's not the way that it works you don't need to confess your sins on a daily or an ongoing basis because you've already been forgiven of all trespasses get first Corinthians 6 if you've already been forgiven of all trespasses that means your guilt has been done away with you may feel guilt in the flesh but that's your old man speaking that's not the new man because you've been forgiven of all trespasses 1st Corinthians 6 verse 11 and let's start in verse 9 know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God now some people are scared by those verses because they look at those verses and they say wait a minute I've done some of those things on that list notice what verse 11 says and such were some of you in that fascinating see here's the reality if you commit a crime today let's just say it's murder if you commit a crime you are a murderer and you don't cease to be a murderer in man's terms even if you don't commit any more in other words once you've done one that's what you are in man's terms but what is first Corinthians 6 verse 11 say about that and such were some of you it's something you were because it's something you no longer are in that amazing the sins that would bring you guilt and condemnation that's not that's no longer who you are and such were some of you but ye are washed hallelujah all those sins all that guilt all that condemnation you've been washed from it ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God washed means that the issue has been dealt with it's been done away with you were dirty but you are now clean because of what Christ has done for you get with me Romans five Romans chapter five Romans five verse one therefore being justified by faith we're not hoping to get justified by faith that verse doesn't say well you'll you'll be justified by faith at the catching up as long as you endure till then no it says you already are being justified means to be declared righteous to be justified see here's what we were before we got saved we were guilty we had a sin account and unfortunately what we did is every day we made it worse because we would sin more and the sins in our account grew and grew and grew and so what happened is every day we became more guilty we became more unrighteous but look what Romans 5 verse 1 says therefore being justified we've already been declared righteous in God's eyes what he has already done is he has taken the sacrifice that Christ made and he has taken that payment and put it to our account so my account of sin after sin after sin that that massive wicked Leger has been done away with because I've been justified but by what Christ did for me on the cross look with me at verse nine Romans five verse nine much more than being now justified blot by his blood so we are already justified by his blood yet Colossians chapter 1 Colossians chapter 1 Colossians chapter 1 verse 13 who hath delivered us so we've already been delivered from what who hath delivered us from the power of darkness so we were in the power of darkness that's what we were subject to then notice what it says and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son people will sometimes say that there's no perfect translation so every translation of the Word of God has some defect and I always chuckle at that because if you say that there's no perfect translation does that mean that God Himself can't make one I mean seems God can do a perfect translation an example of that is Colossians 1:13 notice this who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son we used to be in the kingdom of darkness but when God saved us when we had faith on the Lord Jesus Christ in other words would we believe the gospel that Christ died for our sins was buried and rose again the third day God took us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear son we have already changed kingdoms because that occurred the moment that we believed the gospel look with me at Kalaa chapter 1 verse 14 in whom we have redemption doesn't say we're looking for it doesn't say we're waiting and hoping to get it we already have redemption we have been redeemed out of the slavery that we were in as lost people we were under the Dominion we were under the slavery of sin and those sin debts that we had incurred there was no way for us to deal with those the the debt just kept getting larger and larger and larger and there was not a thing we could do about it except the Lord Jesus Christ could do something about it and so when we believed the gospel we obtained Redemption and we were note we are now no longer under that burden look with me at Galatians chapter 2 Galatians chapter 2 now we're turning to all these verses do you see how they're all past tense these are things that are already true of you because God has already done this for you yes it is true that there are blessings that we will more fully enjoy in heavenly places and it will be great to be away from the physical presence of sin so what is future is glorious no question about that but what I want us to notice is we already have a lot we already have a tremendous amount because of what God's already done for us let me pause here for a moment and say this one of the things that scripture commands again and again and again is thankfulness it commands Thanksgiving look with me if you would I told you to go to Galatians but get first Thessalonians 5 I want you to see something first the Salone ins 5 verse 16 rejoice evermore that command is a command to rejoice or more not rejoice if the economy is good not rejoice if the government isn't bothering you not rejoice if your health and physical circumstances are good but rejoice evermore and the simple reason for that is this let's take the worst case scenario so take the following worst case with me let's say that what happens is we all go bankrupt and then let's say that what happens next is we all have strokes and then we all develop multiple different cancers that spread to different parts of our body and then what happens is the government locks us up and so we're all in prison for our faith we can't get health care we have these terminal diseases we don't have any money and even worse college football season is canceled right so every bad thing happens so what after the first 10,000 years of eternity are we gonna think back and say yeah man that was terrible they canceled college football I mean we're not gonna care and if we're not gonna care then why should we care now because it just doesn't matter these earthly things are just speed bumps let me ask you this question do you remember that time in the third grade where you got a splinter and then today every day you get up in the morning you say well man that was terrible I had that splinter and it was just awful and you know wow I just said wow so bad so bad so bad or do you just say yeah it's dist in history who cares right well as we go through the troubles of life today we can rejoice evermore because we realize whatever seems to be a big problem right now is going to pass and I'll just tell you that what we're going through as a country right now is going to pass it will and even if it doesn't it's okay too because we know what awaits us in the future verse 17 pray without ceasing now notice verse 18 in everything give thanks no I'm gonna change that burst I'm gonna give thanks of about the things that I like I'll give thanks for chocolate-chip cookies but I'm not given thanks for earthly problems why would I do that well what is the verse say in everything in every circumstance give thanks you know that there's good that happens even in bad circumstances Paul had a thorn in the flesh but there was good that came of it there is going to be good things that happen even in the midst of the bad circumstances in which we find ourselves now notice what the rest of verse 18 says in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you God's will for us is for us to give thanks in everything our flesh may not like it we may wish it was different but the will of God is for us to give thanks in the middle of that and when you give thanks in the middle of things it's hard to engage in your own little pity party we all have things that we could be upset about or whine about or moan about but aren't those trivial really I mean we're only partway through the list of past tense blessings that God has for us and we see that he's given us immeasurably good things that we will have forever so go back with me to Galatians 2 if you would Galatians chapter 2 Galatians 2 verse 20 I am crucified with Christ you already have been praise the Lord that means that we don't have to be under the Dominion of our old sin nature we may choose to be because we choose to walk in the flesh but we don't have to be that's our choice because we have already been crucified with Christ Luke amia Galatians 5:24 and they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts so your flesh has already been crucified let me tell you the the honest plain truth and it's really simple but it's just hard you know the reason you sinned you want to that's that's it the reason you sinned is you want to because your flesh has already been crucified with Christ and every time you sin it's because on the inside you made a choice to do it you don't have to now yes we have a sin nature and yes it is at war with us but the fact the matter is we can choose and we need to choose better because we have been crucified with Christ and the flesh though the lust of the flesh have been crucified look at me at Colossians chapter 2 Colossians chapter 2 verse 11 Colossians chapter 2 verse 11 in whom also ye are circumcised past tense with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ again with me Ephesians chapter 2 Ephesians chapter 2 Ephesians 2 verse 1 and you have he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins here's what happened the moment you believe the gospel you were quickened prior to being quickened you were dead what verse 1 specifically says is who were dead in trespasses and sins let me put it this way one of the things that happens during life a lot of times is we look out and we envy our fellow man just don't be honest with you and we look at people that have more or that have different circumstances and we envy them you know what the truth is about what's happening on earth today you're surrounded by the walking dead there's people that you look at that you think well they've got it all look at what they have in their earthly life you know what the vast majority of the earth is and I'll say this in listen I hate zombies I can't stand zombies I don't like zombie movies I wish they were abolished they're disgusting they're nasty they're ridiculous this I am NOT pros ahhmm be in any way shape or form so do not take this as an endorsement of zombies because it is not I don't watch The Walking Dead I'm not gonna watch it it's disgusting I'm not sure what else I can say to make the point okay that being said the earth is full of zombies because what the earth is full of is it's full of people that have physically alive bodies where there is heartbeat there is respiration there is circulation of blood the body is operating as a living physical organism but they are spiritually dead in fact what happens if some of the people that have the most vitality of physical life are still spiritually dead what that verse tells you is what was but the situation we were all in at one point is we were a functioning human being where our body operated more or less and we were spiritually dead but what's happened when we believe the gospel is is we have been quickened we now have life which we didn't have before now notice something about that do you have to wait to the catching up to get eternal life or have you already been quickened well notice what the verse says and you hath he quickened you have already been made spiritually alive you weren't spiritually alive before that you were just one of the zombies you had this physical body you're wandering around the earth operating according to the course of the world but you were spiritually dead well praise God we're already spiritually alive look with me at Romans chapter 6 Romans chapter 6 Romans 6 verse 2 god forbid how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein so notice that what powerful thing happened when you believe the gospel you were spiritually dead but then you were quickened you were made spiritually alive you used to be under the Dominion of sin but what happened when you believed the gospel Journal dead to sin praise the Lord we don't have to obey the flesh in its lusts thereof Luke's me at Romans 6 verse 6 knowing this that our old man is crucified with him our old man has already been crucified which means we don't have to obey Him get with me Galatians 3 Galatians chapter 3 Galatians 3 verse 27 for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ when Galatians 3 talks about baptism it is not water baptism it specifically says in that verse that we have been baptized into Christ you can be baptized into different substances get with me Matthew chapter 3 as you study the Bible you're going to learn the following truth there's a lot of things men say about the Bible that is just not true and one of the things you're going to face as you study to show yourself approved is right now in your noggin in your understanding you have lots and lots of things that you've heard people say and you've heard people the people that have said these have been people that knew more than you did at the time probably they're people that you trusted they're people that are nice people there are people that are well-meaning and so there's all sorts of things in your mind that you've heard people say that seem to be true that seemed to make sense but as you studied the Word of God what you realize is the things that men say are full of nonsense the things that men say are full of untruths if it were possible it's not possible but let's say there was a button and if you touch this button what it will do is it will erase everything you've ever heard should you touch that button or should you not well consider this our minds are full of so many lies that we have been told and believed because we didn't realize they were lies and we're gonna spend the rest of our life coming to the knowledge of the truth and under standing it better because we're just full of nonsense now when I talked about commenting on the truth I want to be clear you get saved by the gospel you believe the gospel you're eternally saved in that instant but then what we're told to do is we're told to study and our thinking needs to refine it needs to grow and there's a bunch of stuff in our our brain that's just not true I'll give you an example I was taught once that every time you read the word baptism in the Bible it means water baptism and there's people that teach that but you need to understand that's not true look with me at Matthew chapter 3 verse 11 Matthew chapter 3 verse 11 I indeed baptize you with water under repentance well that baptism is obviously water because it says it is but keep reading but he that cometh after me is mightier than I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire in that single verse there are three different baptisms one of those is a baptism with water but do words mean anything let me ask you this who invented language God invented language does God have the ability to say what he means and to mean what he says the answer must be yes if the Bible doesn't mean what it says and say what it means then what's the point why would we spend any time studying it reading it trying to understand it if it doesn't mean what it says second Peter once has no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation in other words don't give me your personal interpretation of what the verse means the verse means what the verse says so in Matthew 3 verse 11 it says I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but then it says but he that cometh after me is mightier than I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Ghost and with fire see you can be baptized not only with water but you can be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire now just so we're clear look at verse 12 whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his full floor and gather his wheat into the garner but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire what people do in Matthew 3:11 as they say this you get baptized with water and then you get baptized with the Holy Ghost later because Matthew 3:1 is right here you get baptized with the Holy Ghost in x2 and that's the baptism of fire because you have the power of the fire of God in your life look that's just crazy talk okay that's just crazy crazy crazy talk how do I know that look at verse 12 is the fire in verse 12 the sort of baptism you would like to have verse 12 whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner so the wheats gathered into the garner but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire now are you gonna tell me the chaff being burned up with unquenchable fire is a good thing and that's what the Holy Ghost does it's nothing of the sort what would Matthew 3:11 is saying is John baptized with water and Jesus Christ was then gonna baptize people with the Holy Ghost or with the fire of hell that's what Matthew 3:11 and 12 is saying now I tell you all that because in Galatians 3 when it says we were baptized into Christ do not tell me that is water if you're baptized into Christ you're baptized with Christ that's not water get with me Romans chapter 6 Romans chapter 6 verse 3 know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ that's the same thing as Galatians 3 notice what it says were baptized into his death the baptism there is past tense what happened is this the moment during the dispensation of grace that you believe the gospel you were baptized into Christ at that moment and when you were baptized into Christ Romans 6 tells you specifically what you were baptized into look at verse 3 know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death when we were spiritually baptized we were baptized into his death now notice verse 4 therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life now this is an encouragement to me maybe it will be to you but you know one way I know that there is a resurrection after this life you know one way I know that I will be resurrected and receive a new body is simply this the moment I believe the gospel I was spiritually baptized into Jesus Christ death death cannot hold Jesus Christ Jesus Christ didn't remain in the grave for very long at all he resurrected because it was not possible that death should hold him well if it's not possible that death should hold the Lord Jesus Christ and if you were baptized into his death guess who has no control over you death because you've been baptized into Jesus Christ's death that's a great encouragement to me I hope it is to you look with me at Hebrews chapter 2 Hebrews chapter 2 hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 I realize this is in the book of Hebrews but it is applicable to us as well notice for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil now I realize that's in Hebrews I realized that Hebrews is written to folks in the future I realize it's not written to the body of Christ that's all true that's all true but did Jesus Christ destroy him that had the power of death he did he destroyed him so what power does death have over you none do you need to fear death you don't need to fear death do you need to fear sickness you'll need a fear sickness because what's the worst-case scenario of sickness well the worst form of sickness is death and you don't have to fear death so should you really get too worried about sickness sickness is just a miniature tiny version of death and so if you don't have to worry about death maybe you shouldn't worry about sickness either get with me first Corinthians chapter 6 first Corinthians chapter 6 first Corinthians chapter 6 notice verse 11 and such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified we looked at this verse earlier but we didn't talk about sanctified when it says you're sanctified that means you're set apart you're set apart for God's purpose you know at the end of Paul's life he writes to Timothy and he says to tell me that Timothy has known his purpose one of the realities of life on earth is that the vast vast majority of mankind have no purpose for the love of money is the root of all evil and so what happens we most of mankind that's first Timothy 6:10 most of mankind is engaged in the pursuit of stuff we need to acquire more stuff whoever dies with the most toys wins I need a new car I need a nicer car I need a bigger house I need more toys you realize that is the vain pursuit of nothingness because you can't take it with you think about this you know what happens when you get your house in perfect condition when you get it repainted when you get it nicely cleaned when everything looks immaculate what's gonna happen the very next day dust starts to creep in you give it long enough they'll be bold if you give it time it'll just fall apart what happens if you just leave your house and you just let it sit for three years and you don't do anything well what will happen is weeds and nature will overtake it and consume it in other words what happens with things on this earth whatever physical possessions you have you know what's happening to them right now decay rust corruption and so acquire all the physical stuff you want it's wasting in the moment how empty what an empty pointless purpose to acquire more and more and more stuff but once you get saved once you realize Christ died for your sins was buried rose again the third day and you then get saved you now have a purpose and it's really really quite simple look with me at first Timothy chapter 2 modern life is busy and complicated we have email which means we can be contacted 24/7 we have phones which means we can be texted endlessly and there's no end of information and content and expectations upon us and it they just grow more and more and more but what I would tell you is the will of God for your life is actually simple first Timothy chapter 2 verses 3 & 4 for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth God's first will for your life is that you be saved if you get that wrong you'll spend eternity in hell so you have to be saved what do you do next after you get saved you come under the knowledge of the truth you understand your purpose you understand where you live on the chart you understand who your apostle is you understand what you should be doing with your life the reason we need to study the Word of God is we need to know what God would have us to do and what I would tell you is it's really quite simple the first thing you do is you get saved the second thing you do is you study the Word of God to understand the purpose of life and then what you do is you tell others about those two things you tell people how to be saved you tell them the mystery and that's it the other things in life are just immaterial that they just don't matter let's fast forward 5000 years if we could so just think with me for a minute fast-forward 5,000 years into the future well in the future we'll be in the new heaven and the new earth at that time we'll be in the new heaven it'll be the time of the new heaven and the new earth it'll be what Ephesians 1:10 calls the dispensation of the fullness of times at that point the only thing that's gonna matter is did people end up in the new heaven and the new earth or did they not where they saved or where they lost that's the only thing that's gonna matter it's not gonna matter what house you lived in it's not gonna matter what car you drove it's the only thing that's gonna matter is whether or not people are there so doesn't that give you clarity about this life what we need to do is we need to preach the gospel we need to tell loss people how to be saved we need to tell them what is the Fellowship of the mystery so they can be established in the truth what a glorious thing to have purpose Henry David Thoreau famous American writer said most men lead lives of quiet desperation it's quiet desperation because if they were to be open about the desperation they feel they would be such a downer no one would want to be around him they would be known as a grumpy sad person and people would avoid them so what they do is they lead lives of quiet desperation concealed desperation desperation kept on the inside that you don't let anyone see because others seem to be okay they seem to be happy so I should be happy too I shouldn't reveal I shouldn't let people see into me and notice that I am desperate depressed woeful but if we're honest if we're honest about things if you're lost shouldn't you be depressed shouldn't you despair because what's the purpose what's the meaning of this life if we're lost there isn't one well that's why we need to be busy about the gospel it's the only thing that can save people from the logical hopelessness that they should feel apart from the gospel get with me Romans five Romans five see Romans five was going to tell us what people need watch this Romans chapter five verse 1 therefore being justified by faith notice this we have peace with God as a lost person you didn't have peace with God if you notice with lost people if their lives seem to be in the emotional turmoil if they seem to be unstable they seem to have emotional instability well it's expected that they would because they don't have peace with God what would you expect them to have look with me at Romans 5 verse 10 for if when we were enemies see as a lost person you were an enemy of God we were reconciled to God by the death of his son think with me for a moment have you ever had a relationship that's estranged where it something happened and the relationship broke down well when there's reconciliation that's a joy the greatest of those joys would be the following you were separated from God by your scent by your wickedness when you believe the gospel you have already been reconciled you now have a right relationship with God then that relationship will never go bad it can't go bad because you've been reconciled by the death of his son there's no sin you can commit that is greater than the payment that Christ made for you because of that you have been reconciled and you can't lose your reconciliation look at Ephesians 1 6 ephesians chapter 1 verse 6 seasons 1 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved have you ever had people that just tolerate you in other words they don't like you but they'll put up with you because they have to or they're willing to but they they don't really like you they don't really accept you when that happens you know it you know that they're putting up with you but that you're not really accepted by them and it's an uncomfortable feeling because you know that there's this surface Toleration but they don't really accept you well can I tell you that what God did for you on the basis of the death of his son is he accepted you he doesn't have any mental reservation he doesn't have any doubt in the back of his mind do I really want to have a relationship with Dave no he wants to I am fully accepted why that verse says in the beloved God has no reservations about Jesus Christ he has no hesitations he has no doubts he fully accepts his son and when you believe the gospel you become in his son so God accepts you just as he accepts his son that relationship couldn't be better it couldn't be closer it couldn't be more real see let me tell you something your real friends accept you as who you are you don't have to put on a front you don't have to be something that you're not to be accepted by you're from your real friends here's what your relationship is with God in Christ he knows all the truth about you you can't Bluff him you can't sneak something by him but he accepts you anyway in other words you have the assurance of God knows the full truth about you and he has already accepted you in the beloved Ephesians 1:14 Ephesians 1:14 let's read verse 13 and 14 together in whom he also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also after that ye believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise so you heard you believed you were sealed now notice verse 14 which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory the earnest there is the down payment the Holy Spirit was given to us as an earnest as a guarantee of what God is ultimately going to accomplish with us God doesn't make down payments that he doesn't intend to fulfill here's the way human life works sometimes you'll make a big purchase maybe it's a car maybe it's a house you'll put down a down payment and then something comes up and you can't complete the deal and you may have to forfeit the down payment that happens because human life is uncertain we have limited knowledge we don't know the future if we had known in the future we wouldn't have put down the down payment but we don't so we put it down and then we realize huh things are different than what I thought and now I may have to forfeit it well God the Father has perfect knowledge God doesn't do anything where he doesn't know the end from the beginning when he gave you the earnest of the Spirit God is not gonna back out of that transaction he's not gonna forfeit the Holy Spirit he's not gonna say well yeah I wanted to save Dave Reed but then you know I changed my mind because I realized he was a knucklehead and I'm not gonna say them well as God gonna back out of the deal he's not gonna back out of the deal cuz he knew what I was from the very beginning nothing surprised him he's not going to back out of the deal and forfeit the Holy Spirit now notice what this verse then says the redemption of the purchased possession you have been bought with a price because you've been bought with a price you are a purchased possession you now to him there is no part of Jesus Christ that ends up in the lake of fire for eternity it can't happen that's just total madness you are a purchased possession you've been bought with a price so you can be certain that you will be in heaven for all eternity look with me at Romans 8 verse 32 there are a couple things I haven't gotten to for the sake of time so I'll just read these to you you've been sealed you've been predestinated and by the way you've been predestinated to the adoption to the catching up you haven't been predestinated as to what you're going to eat for lunch you haven't been predestined is when you're gonna die you've been predestinated to the adoption that's Romans 8 in ephesians 1 get with me ephesians 1 let's look at this I'm short on times I have to pick get Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9 Ephesians 1:9 having made known unto us the mystery of his will see what God has done as he's made known unto us the mystery in other words he's he's taken us into his confidence he's told us what he's doing he's not keeping secrets from us now he's revealing them to us get with me Romans 8 verse 32 Romans 8 verse 32 he that spared not his own son and God the Father loved the son he that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things is there any good thing you're gonna lack if God gave his son for you which he did is he then gonna withhold a blessing because he's stingy he's already given you his son that means you can reasonably expect you can understand you can know that God will freely give you all things we've already been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ of me Colossians to Colossians to Colossians chapter 2 verse 10 and ye are complete in him is there anything you lack no you've been made complete so I'm gonna stop there for today there are some we didn't cover but I hope what you get a sense of is this God saved you by His grace he's gonna resolve every problem in your life at the at the catching up but he's already done for you a multitude of things these are past tense blessings because God's already done them you are saved you are sealed you are purchased you are accepted you are loved all of those things you're forgiven there's there's blessing after blessing after blessing that's already true in your life so my encouragement to you is this as you look out at earthly circumstances and things are crazy cuz they are and they maybe it's okay because what you are in Christ is greater than anything on this earth father God we thank you for this time we thank you for the powerful gospel you've given us we thank you that salvation is a free gift we pray that anyone hearing this that's not saved would be say that they would trust Christ as their Savior and that they would have eternal life we thank you Lord for all you've done for us help us to focus our mind on the blessings you've given us that we might be the joyful contented peaceful people that you want us to be it's in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray amen

Channel: Columbus Bible Church

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Id: jWA76oDWpsk

Length: 59min 51sec (3591 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 08 2020