Wayne's World...9Dec07

The Love of the Father, the obedience of the son, the guarantee of the spirit.

This topic gives me great and undying joy to bring. God wants us to live in the glorious freedom of the saints, and to have joy. This message produces great joy in me. It will produce great joy in anyone who hers it. It's the gospel, and guess what, the gospel is good news. So get ready to get happy!

If you could please turn to
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life".

We see here that the plan of salvation, was authored in great love by the Father. It was Gods plan, and always was his plan, to redeem a people who would be his very own. Man sinned and was separated from God. The Father engineered a way for us to be reconciled to God. The plan was to give his Son as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. It's a plan conceived by the master planner, out of a fatherly love.

You know what the primary picture of God is in the bible?..it's father. Jesus taught us to pray…our Father. Many of his parables teach us to see him as a loving father, and encourage us to approach him with confidence and intimacy.

Rory Dyer said if you could summarize the bible in a word, it would be…"father".

So the Father gave his Son, Jesus. All we need to do to enter this salvation plan is…believe. That's all, just believe. It's by faith that we are saved, and by faith that we are justified.

Romans 5:1 "Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God, through our lord Jesus Christ."

Before we were saved, we were not at peace with God. We were under the insult and tyranny of the law. We were separated from God, weak and defenseless against his accusations and the accusations of the enemy. Jesus died and silenced forever those voices. We looked at that last week, we are righteous forever, having been made perfect forever.

Our part, to believe.

So we have a loving Father, and an obedient Son, and everlasting life to those who believe.

Please turn to
John 6:38-40 "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me.39 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should loose none of all he has given me, but raise them up on the last day.40 For my fathers will is that everyone who looks to the son and believes in him, shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

What an amazing scripture. It shows firstly a loving Father, our Father in heaven. How this Father clearly has a will. His will is the fulfillment of his engineered plan. What was his plan? Clearly it is for everyone who believes, to receive eternal life. His plan was for Jesus to so something, to create everlasting life for those who believe. Now we also know that Jesus responded to the father in perfect obedience. So it's safe to say that Jesus will not loose one that the Father gives Him. Who does the Father give him? Verse 44 "no-one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them."

Has the Father drawn you? Have you become a son? Do you believe in Jesus?

You know believing in Jesus is an interesting topic. You see most of us will be happy with the fact that Jesus died for us. But we struggle to believe that once were in Gods salvation, Jesus job continues. He has to "not loose you". If he looses you, he becomes disobedient to the Father. Jesus would then cease to be God. He has to and wants to sustain us, forever. This is what it means to have eternal life. This is what it means when Jesus says I'll raise him up on the last day…shall have eternal life…will raise him up on the last day.

John 3:16…eternal life. John6:40 eternal life. This appears many other times.

Why do we find this so hard to believe? Well much of the Christianity that is preached today, and has been preached over the years, says yes Jesus saves you, but then you have to follow rules and regulations, and if you do that well, you'll be saved. The bible teaches other wise. It says were saved by faith, then Jesus sustain us! It's not us it's Him. Phil 1:6 says "being confidant of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion". We usually say "he who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion", please lets quote the whole verse…being confidant that he who.

The NIV Study bible interprets this passage as follows. "

Paul is confidant not only in what God has done "for" them, but also what God has done "for" them v11.(filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ). It is God who invites salvation, who continues in it, and who will one day bring it to consummation.

Thank you Jesus. Father you called us, Jesus you sustain us, spirit you produce righteousness through us.

It's amazing, it's not us, its Him!

Just incase you need a little more persuasion lets look at
John 10:27-29 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no-one can snatch them out of my hand.29 My Father who has given them to me, is greater than all, no-one can snatch them out of my Fathers hand.

What an amazing promise. The Father has given us to Jesus. We will hear his voice and follow him. No one can snatch us out of Jesus hand. Now get this awesome revelation…are you ready. Were also in the Father's hand. How can that be? We can't be in two hands at once. Were in Jesus had, and then the father covers, Jesus hand with is, closing us in. We are sealed in God. Like a precious pearl in a clam.

What a glorious state. The purpose of this text is to provide undying certainty in the promise of Jesus. I will give you eternal life. Nothing, no-one can take it away. Aahh you say, but we might take ourselves out of Gods hand. Now tell me what does no one mean? No-one means no-one right? This includes you. No one.

In any case we're in Him and He holds all things together according to
Colossians 1 16 for by him all things were created: things on heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, weather thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created for him and by him.17 he is before all things, AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER.

Further more
Jude 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy 25 to the only God our Saviour be glory and majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more! Amen

He can keep us from falling. Wow what a God we serve.

He loves us.

He engineered a redeeming plan for us.

He called us.

He saved us.

And he sustains us.

Forever.

If this does not release Joy then I don't know what will. We are saved forever!

Look at
John 10:28 again
I shall give them eternal life, they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of my hand.

In the Greek its ( ou me). According to Wayne Grudum in his book "systematic theology"…he says

"It is especially emphatic. Might be translated, more explicitly "and they shall certainly not perish forever".

So we have a loving Father… who loves us unconditionally, and made a plan for our eternal reconciliation.

We have an obedient Son, obedient to save and keep us.

What about the Holy Spirit? What does he do in all this?

Ephesians 1:11-14 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

In him we were chosen, having been predestined, the Father knew you and called you and made a way back through The obedient Jesus.

Two outstanding things about this passage, there are many but just to pull out 2.

1. This salvation of our souls, its all for the glory of God. Gods intention is that through this great plan, his nature would be revealed, and he would be glorified.

2. The holy Spirit is then sent from the Father, and put in us. This is to show us from the inside, that what God has said is true! We don't have to have and intellectual understanding of God, we can know him experientially.

I like this a lot; the word in verse 14 guaranteeing: in Greek is (arrabon)

"Legal and commercial term, means "first installment" "deposit" "down payment pledge", and represents "a payment that obligates the contracting party to make further down payments.

So God is saying he has filled us, and will continue to fill us, He is obligated to fill us. How can we say that? Well God swore that in the new covenant, He will pour out his holy spirit on his sons and daughters…all flesh!! And he promised to never leave or forsake us. And he has promised to change us from Glory to Glory, and he has promised that we will do miracles in his name. All of these things need an intimacy with God, and a close relationship with the Holy Spirit.

He puts his Spirit in our hearts so that we know that we know that we know, we are His, we are saved. We have eternal life.

The bible is much better that we thought!

We are going to worship now, and then we will ask the Holy Spirit for a deposit!!