JNO 1:25-30
INTRO: I want to present a very simple sermon study this morning ... but I hope that its simplicity will not take away from its purpose. Let me begin by asking you a question. What are some of the places your friends might meet you? Could they meet you at school? at Minute Maid Park? at a particular restaurant? at a particular store (Foleys? Home Depot? Sams?)? at the airport? at a bar or club? at Sam Houston Race park? Where your friends might meet you may well tell a good bit about you ... your interests, your diversions, your values. With this little bit of preparation here is another question. Where might we meet the Lord?
I WE CAN MEET HIM AT THE CREATION
A. Jno 1:1-3 - The same was in the beginning with God
1. so, when we read Genesis 1, we must see Jesus Christ there!
2. and what does this tell us about Him?
3. that He was/is of equal attributes with the Father - Col 1:19
B. And we need to remember that creation declares the glory of God
1. Ps 19:1 - this same glory is necessarily attributed to Jesus Christ
2. Col 1:16,17 - ...by him all things consist - hold together (NASV)
3. in a sense, then, the creation is still under the superintendency of Jesus Christ, and we daily meet Him there
II WE CAN MEET HIM IN PROPHECY
A. Acts 3:22-24 - Yea, and all the prophets ... foretold of these days
1. one cannot spend much time in the O.T. without noting these prophecies
2. from Gen 3:14,15 to Mal 4:2 - Jesus Christ is everywhere in prophets
3. Acts 8:32-35 - quotation from Isa 53 is launching pad to preach Jesus
B. What can this mean?
1. that the person of whom Jno 1:14 spoke is the Savior of prophecy!
2. could it all have just been happenstance? perhaps a person could have manipulated one or two events to match prophecy ... not over 300 of them
3. meeting Him in prophecy is one of the great declarations - the Messiah!
III WE CAN MEET HIM IN THE GOSPELS
A. Mk 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God
1. Matthew - Luke set out His life, teachings, works
2. John sets out in profound ways the Deity of Jesus
3. no one can truly have met Jesus who has not known Him in the gospels
B. It is in the gospels that we see...
1. His miraculous birth - Lk 1:31-35
2. His mission statement - Lk 19:10
3. His atoning death - Mt 20:28
4. His incredible resurrection - Mt 28:5-7
IV WE CAN MEET HIM IN BAPTISM
A. Col 2:12,13 - Buried with him in baptism ... risen with him...
1. the traditional view of baptism does not note this significance
2. baptism as an optional or unnecessary thing is todays viewpoint
3. this one fact, alone, is enough to insist the rethinking of the worlds view of this ordinance ... if we meet Him in baptism, how can it be optional?
B. Rom 6:3 - ...baptized into his death
1. it is in baptism that we meet His atoning sacrifice, His death
2. it is in baptism that His sacrifice becomes ours in its benefits
3. have you met Jesus in baptism?
V YOU CAN MEET JESUS IN HIS CHURCH
A. Col 1:18 & 1 Cor 12:27 - And he is the head of the body, the church...
1. I need to remind that the church in this text is not a denomination
2. it is the church described in great detail in the New Testament
3. it is Christs church - Mt 16:18
B. How does one meet Him there?
1. 1 Cor 12:13 - we are baptized into Him, into His body
2. only in the church can we glorify God - Eph 3:21
3. multitudes of people have not met Jesus here ... and do not glorify God
VI YOU WILL MEET JESUS IN THE JUDGMENT
A. 2 Cor 5:9-11 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ
1. it will be tragic for you if you have not met Jesus before this
2. 2 Thes 1:7-9 - if you wait to meet him in the judgment, it will be the most unpleasant meeting you will ever have!
B. Careless soul, why will you linger...
1. you cannot avoid this meeting with Jesus - why meet Him unprepared?
2. dont let carelessness, procrastination, stubbornness consign your soul to eternal condemnation
CLOSE: Jesus invites you to meet Him ... Mt 11:28-30. You will never have a better invitation than this one.
Cecil A. Hutson
25 April 2004
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)