HOW WE COME TO GOD?
Redeemed ~ to regain possession of, by payment of a specified amount; to pay off; to rescue; to save from sin and its consequences; to buy back that which belonged to you.
The law of the redeemer
Leviticus 25:25
“If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.”
This law is illustrated in Ruth 4:4
“And I thought to advertise thee, saying Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.”
Parcels of land were given to families in Israel. These parcels of land were to be a perpetual inheritance, or were to stay in the family throughout generations to come. If someone got into a situation which required them to sell their inheritance, the “law of the redeemer” provided for its restoration. The inheritance could be reclaimed by its original owner, or by another party, provided the one who intermediated met three qualifications: near kinsman, able to pay the price of ransom, willing to pay the price.
Adam and Eve had enjoyed an unbroken daily fellowship with God in the beginning. But they listened to the voice of Lucifer, they sold out their “inheritance” and became servants of Satan.
Romans 6:16
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Jesus Christ came to this world, as a man, to restore the human family back to its rightful relationship with God. Jesus Christ fulfilled all the requirements of the “redeemer”.
He is our near kinsman ~
Hebrews 2:9-18
“But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Forasmuch 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;
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of people.
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”
He was able to pay the price ~
I Peter 1:18-19
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
He was willing to pay the price ~
Romans 5:6-8
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
We are saved by Grace.
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast”
We human beings cannot do enough good to merit deliverance or redemption. The divine grace of God is all that can deliver, redeem or save man.
Grace ~ goodwill; favor or honor; a favor rendered voluntarily.
By definition ~ “Divine love and protection bestowed freely on human beings.”
A common religious definition ~ “the unmerited favor of God.
Strong’s definition ~ “The divine influence upon a heart and the reflection that portrays forth from that life.”
We must accept the grace of God through faith and walk humbly before Him in obedience to His Word. This is our individual responsibility.
God Has Been Working In Your Life
What God has done for us was not done by accident. He has a plan for each and every one of us. God has been preparing you to be in a position to be open to Him. God was dealing with you long before you ever acknowledged Him. The following verses of scripture may help to explain what has happened in your life.
John 1:11-13
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God?”
John 6:44
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me to draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Acts 16:14-15
(What the Lord had done in Lydia’s heart?)
“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thy-a-ti-ra, which worshipped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
And when she was baptized and her household, she besought us, saying, if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there, and she constrained us.”
Consider some of the things that have happened in your personal life that began to draw you to God. (Make a list of them for yourself.) Conviction, being convicted; being convinced; strong belief; “Divine Discomfort”
Proverbs 14:12
“There is a way that seemeth right unto a
man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
We may think we are okay as we are, but it is very important to know what God thinks.
Isaiah 64:6
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Our righteousness is as filthy rags. When we come in contact with a Holy God, things begin to look different. Things that “seemed” right may not feel right in His presence. We don’t see our true spiritual condition until we come into the presence of the Lord.
Acts 2:37
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Conviction makes us aware of our need of Him. Conviction causes discomfort so that we will come to Him and want to be rid of our sins.
Repentance
The first step man makes toward God is repentance. God is anxious to pardon the ungodly, but a pardon can only be given to those who admit to being guilty.
Defined as remorse or contrition for past conduct or sin. “To do an about face.”
Repent – In the New Testament, the word translated as 'repentance' is the Greek word μετάνοια (metanoia), "after/behind one's mind", which is a compound word of the preposition 'meta' (after, with), and the verb 'noeo' (to perceive, to think, the result of perceiving or observing). In this compound word the preposition combines the two meanings of time and change, which may be denoted by 'after' and 'different'; so that the whole compound means: 'to think differently after'. Metanoia is therefore primarily to think different from the former thought; a change of mind accompanied by regret and change of conduct, "change of mind and heart."
Repent (Merriam Webster) ~ to turn from sin and resolve to reform one’s life. To feel sorry for (something done) regret: to change one’s mind.
The full and literal meaning of the word Repent in the New Testament. Is one feels remorse, self-reproach and deep sorrow for ones sins. To be broken and contrite in one’s spirit. A desire and want to change ones direction. Repentance is preached by Peter,
Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Peter preached repentance as the first step of salvation. Repentance ~ is actually dying out to one’s self.
Paul commanded repentance,
Acts 17:30
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:”
What does God ask of us?
Isaiah 55:7
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abuandantly pardon.”
Proverbs 28:13
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
I John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Repentance is not just for the unsaved. It is also for the saint. God knows our weaknesses and has provided a way to correct all these wrongs, through repentance.
Forgiveness of sins or Pardoned
Forgiveness does not put us on parole or on probation. We are completely pardoned, we are justified.
I Corinthians 6:11
“And such were some of you: but 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” and “sanctified” depicts the cleansing. “Justified” is a strong, legal term describing what God has done to our record of sin. Justified means to absolve or clear one of a charge.
Psalms 103:12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Isaiah 38:17
“Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.”
Jeremiah 31:34
“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Micah 7:19
“He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
If He who knows us better than we know ourselves would clear us of our sins, then we should accept His wise judgment and forgive ourselves. Do not let guilt from your past affect your walk with God. You have been set free and your record has been washed clean.
BEING BORN AGAIN
John 3:1-8
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Nicodemus came to Jesus wanting to know how to be saved. He did not understand being born again. He questioned, “How do I enter my mother’s womb the second time? First of all let’s get a clear understanding: there has to be a natural birth and then a spiritual birth (New Birth).
This New Birth is an experience that comes as we are born again of the water (Baptism in water in Jesus Name) and the Spirit (when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost).
New Birth is more than a public profession of our faith; it is more than an outward appeal unto God; it is a complete change of one’s life (attitude and mind set).
Dictionary definition of life ~ coming into life; beginning; a bringing forth,
II Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”
If this has now happened to you! A new life! A wonderful, drastic change!
This change is not the end, but it is the beginning, New Life. People are noticing this change in you. They will not understand it. In fact some of your close friends and family members will not like this change that has taken place in your life. Some of them will not even want to hang with you. You have changed and it makes them feel uncomfortable in their sin, it even exposes sins they are in.
Now that you have had this New Birth experience you will see everything so differently.
Romans 6:16-18
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness?
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you.
Being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
You were born in sin; therefore you were a servant of Satan and under his dominion. Once you were born again, your New Life began and you actually are a part of the army of the Lord. You are engaged in spiritual warfare with Satan daily therefore you must continually be prepared for any trick he plays on you.
Ephesians 6:10-12
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of hi might.
Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”
You have now changed sides; Satan is angry and wants you back. You now have two choices in this battle for your soul. Yes there can be only one of two outcomes:
· Go back to where you once were and live in sin and it will lead to a second death called hell.
· Continue on in this New Life of obedience and righteousness and one day rise to meet the Lord in the air and go with Him to heaven.
Saint of God, do not be taken by surprise when Satan or his devils attack you. Just know that God is faithful and He will help you with His power.
New Life
You have been born into a new life. You are now a child of God, a new creature. All past sins and mistakes have been forgiven and forgotten. You have a new start. There is a vast difference in calling yourself a Christian and having a relationship with Jesus Christ as your Savior.
When you as a human beings received the Holy Ghost, His Spirit now tabernacles in you? You are now a vessel filled with His Holy Spirit. You actually house His Spirit and His powerful anointing. You must never lose the awe and wonder of your salvation. Remember, “Many are called but few are chosen.”
Now that you are filled with His Holy Spirit,
Colossians 2:6
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.”
You are not alone, God is with you. You can now walk in his ways.
Colossians 2:7
“Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
You must become rooted and grounded in His ways, built on Christ Jesus the rock of our salvation. You must become so established in your faith, knowing what you really believe, that is the purpose of this message…to establish your faith and to give you something to follow. Because of this you can abound in Christ…growing daily and being thankful for His love and truth.
Colossians 2:8
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
You no longer have to follow philosophy, vain deceit, tradition or ideas of vain men. You no longer have to follow the rudiments of this world. You no longer have to follow the basic principles of this present world.
Colossians 2:9
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
You have the right to follow Christ Jesus, who is the fullness of God in flesh or in body. All of God dwells in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus is fully and completely God all by Himself.
Colossians 2:10
“And ye are complete in him which is the head of all principalities and powers.”
You are now made complete or whole because you are now in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is the head of everything no power above His. Everything exists because of Him.
Colossians 2:11
“In whom ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”
The Jews from the beginning were God’s chosen people. Their covenant with God was a physical circumcision. Our being baptized in the name of Jesus is a spiritual circumcision.
Colossians 2:12
“Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
We as gentiles, were not born chosen (Jew) we were born sinners. But we have now been chosen by Him and adopted. Our circumcision is not of the flesh but of the heart by the Spirit of God. When we were baptized in water in the name of Jesus, we were actually buried into His death at Calvary. (Baptism is our burial). When we came up out of that water grave of baptism through faith we were rising to walk in newness of life and power with Him. We went down a sinner, came up with our sins remitted or washed away by His precious blood. We are now heirs of Jesus Christ.
Now that you have risen with Christ
Colossians 3:1
“If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”
You have now been baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost discipleship is a requirement. You must lay aside the things of this present world and seek those things which are above. Actually you must seek to do the will of Jesus Christ, who is now sitting with all His rights as God (Power, splendor and might) He is not the second person in a manmade trinity. He is God all by Himself.
Colossians 3:2
“Set your affection on things above, not on things of this earth.”
Things that are eternal should now of the utmost importance to you. You must change your thinking reset your goals and your priorities. You can fail God even while doing good things, if the good things take the place of God in your life.
Colossians 3:3
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
You have relinquished control of your life to Jesus Christ. To Him your old life is dead and forgotten. You are a new creature in Christ Jesus.
The world has it all backwards. Sin is enjoyable and fun they say and even we who have been born again will agree, but we know it is only for a short season, because we know the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. We know that all sinners will have their place in the lake of fire. It is up to you now to live the new life that He has given you.
Conclusion ~ Words of advice and wisdom
Be patient with yourself through your spiritual growing pains. Be patient with others as they are growing and maturing also.
In the natural a baby will follow the progression of crawling, standing and walking as they mature. It is really no different in the spiritual you must crawl for a while then as you begin to mature. You must learn to be balanced before you can ever really mature enough to walk like Him.
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