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GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR LIFE OF FAITH

February 28, 1999 AM

Sermon Outline

Mt 5:16 - 1 Pet 4:11

INTRO: At Lev 10:3 the Lord said, ... before all the people I will be glorified. I am absolutely convinced that the whole purpose for mankind is to glorify God. He insists, over and again, in numerous ways that He will be glorified. Even the texts for our study note clearly that it is to His glory our lives are to be lived. Thus, in our thoughts this morning, we will build on the theme, Glorify God In Your Life Of Faith.

I. TO BEGIN, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING PASSAGES

A. Col 1:10... walk worthy ... unto all pleasing

B. 2 Tim 2:4 ... that he may please him who hath chosen ...

C. Jno 8:29... those things that please him

D. Rom 8:8... cannot please God

E. 1 Thes 2:12... walk worthy of God

F. 1 Thes 4:1... and to please God ...

G. Eph 4:1... walk worthy of the vocation ...

H. 2 Cor 5:9... we may be accepted of him

I One common thing ... please God

1. 1 Jno 3:22

2. and God is pleased when it is our desire to please Him

3. as we do that which pleases Him, He is glorified!

II. HOW IS HE, THEN, GLORIFIED IN OUR LIVES?

A. We walk in newness of life

1. Rom 6:4 - 2 Cor 5:17

2. new motives; new dispositions; new attitudes

3. folks are bound to see that positive change and know the glory can only be Gods!

B. We walk by faith

1. 2 Cor 5:7 - Heb 11:6

2. this translates into unswerving trust in Gods will, His judgments, His providence

3. such trust glorifies Him in Whom we trust

C. We walk in His light

1. 1 Jno 1:5-7 - Eph 5:8,10

2. clearly, such a life is under His pervasive influence

3. He is glorified by our walking in agreement with Him ... agreement which must affect our lives

D. We walk in the Spirit

1. Rom 8:1-5

2. among some things we might note, priority is assuredly one ... we are concerned with spiritual things and our own spirits ... emphasis is upon heavenly things, not on the physical

3. He is glorified by the choices we make - which are in favor of Him and His influence in us

E. We walk in good works

1. Eph 2:10 - Titus 2:14

2. remember Mt 25:40 - good works in a Christians life are not events, but the manner of life

3. He is glorified by the good works of His people - 1 Pet 2:12

F. We walk in love

1. Eph 5:1,2

2. like father, like son ... when the son follows the good example of godly father, the father will receive praise for the Sons behavior

3. He is, therefore, glorified by our choice to love and be loving ... it is so like Him!

G. We walk after His commandments, truth

1. 2 Jno 6 and 3 Jno 4

2. a father is not honored by the deliberate disobedience of his children! (think of Phil 2:12)

3. God will be glorified by His childrens faithfulness to His commandments honored as truth!

CLOSE: We are His to glorify Him. That is a simple statement with profound ramifications for our lives.

Cecil A. Hutson

28 February 1999

God's Plan of Salvation

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 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 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 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)

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!

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)