Brother Gary Sunday Morning 4/13/14

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 4/13/14

Mat 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Jesus used the word, ‘ransom.’  We know a little bit about ransom through history and maybe other ways.  When we think of this scripture and of mankind, the question comes, “Why was a ransom needed?” 

After God created man in His own image, Adam and Eve fell into sin and as a result, they were driven or expelled from the Garden of Eden.  After they left the Garden, their first child was born and Moses recorded in Genesis 5 that he was born in Adam’s image.   

Mankind was created in the image of God and then lost that image.

Gen 5:1  This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

Gen 5:2  Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Gen 5:3  And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

There was a ransom needed because after Adam and Eve sinned, we were no longer born into this world into the image of God but into the image of Adam. 

What is a ransom?  A ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner until the price of release is paid. 

Jesus testified, “I came to give my life a ransom.”  John on the isle of Patmos received the revelation of Christ that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world.

Rom 7:8  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Paul’s testimony was that he was a prisoner of sin.  He was a religious individual, a Jew of the strictest sect, yet he was a prisoner of sin.

Rom 7:11  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

It is important that we realize that men and women that are in sin are in great need of a ransom and are in great need of knowing that Jesus Christ is the only ransom that will deliver them from sin.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

Men and women cannot save themselves.  The desire to break the habit of sin is a good desire.  They may be able to break some habits; they are as a captive to sin.  In order for them to break the sin bondage every sinner is in desperate need of a ransom.

Paul described this state:

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

The world doesn’t want you to acknowledge the need of a ransom because they don’t want to see themselves in the wretched condition that they are in.  Only through Godly sorrow can they recognize how wretched they are. 

We live in a world where everyone wants us to think that their life is really good and everything is good out there in the world.  Those are words and sometimes a mask that they put on. 

When men and women are in the condition of sin then everything is not good.  Paul described the condition, “Oh wretched man that I am.”

Paul was converted the same year Jesus was crucified and wrote this to Timothy 30 years later:

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

There is no other way but through Jesus Christ to be converted.  People question how they should know that bible is true and other things, but one thing I know is that I got to God through Jesus Christ and He changed my life.  When you know that then no one will take the reality that there is a God out there and also that there is only one God and there is only one way to get to God and that is through Jesus Christ who is the mediator.

This plan works.  It worked all through the Gospel Day and is still working. 

There is one mediator, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for a ransom for all.  To be testified in due time: this ransom takes place and works over and over again.  When you get saved, you have a real testimony of being ransomed from the prison of being a captive of Satan.

Many times when people don’t understand and you use the thought of being a captive of Satan they take the thought, “You really think that I am oh so terrible?”  Satan takes precious lives and because of the nature to sin, and because of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that appeals to the flesh and the nature to sin, they come in bondage. 

Men and women are trying to find something out there to fill the longing of the soul and become involved with sin not in the thought that they want to become a terrible sinner but because they want to have things in life.

The true benefits of life are a result of seeking the Kingdom of God first and all these things will be added unto you.  There are a lot of things that there is nothing wrong with as long as they are not sought after first.  It is not wrong to seek an education, it is wrong to think that it is the answer for all that is wrong today.  Only Jesus is the answer.

Zec 13:1  In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

The prophet was looking to the Gospel Day.  The prophecy is that there would be a fountain open, a way for man to be cleansed from sin and uncleanness.

We as a people have a lot of things to thank God for.  Among them is that this fountain that was opened, cleans our mind, our heart, our tongue. 

The thought that Paul left to all of us is to apply ourselves unto purity.  In a world that is so sleazy, loose, and full of corruption and all that which is of a nature of being loose.  It will plague your mind.  God doesn’t want our mind plagued with the looseness of the world. 

He wants the affects of this fountain to clean up our life and enable us to live pure and holy before God.

Joh 19:34  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Let me explain.  When the ransom is paid, the prisoner is no longer a captive.  This thrilled my heart:  the debt of our sin held us captives of Satan, when we repent and cry out for forgiveness, the blood of Jesus Christ pays the ransom for sin.  The devil never cancelled anyone sins, but used it as a lever to hold men and women captive.

There are a lot of people walking lose in the state of Montana that hate the sin they committed.  They are sorry for stealing, abusing children, or their wife.  The devil never cancels the sin and says, “You are free.”  They are held captives until they cry out with repentance and believe the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ paid that ransom. 

The Blood of Jesus Christ makes an atonement and pays the debt of that sin.  What a miracle! 

For every one of us that is saved, we need to value our freedom.  We have freedom to gather together without special permits or being visited by government authorities that are checking that we don’t say anything against the state. 

We are so blessed that the pilgrims came to America and did not establish the ‘state church’.  If the state church was an establishment of the government, then we would not be able to worship as we do.

We are able to be free because the ransom was paid by Jesus Christ.  It is heartbreaking when you see individual’s lives where they are not their own but are a captive of Satan.  Sin holds men and women captives. 

We see those poor people at McGowan’s trying to hide their smoking habit.  They don’t make enough money to smoke.  If you talk to them of the price of hamburger they would say it is high.  They are captives.  I see a friend of mind setting there, almost gasping for breath lost and without God. 

The same ransom was paid so that I’m not standing beside him; I would be right there if there were not a ransom paid. 

Zechariah was moved on by the Holy Spirit of God that in the Gospel Day there would be a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness.

When the ransom is paid, the prisoner is no longer a captive.  It is awesome.  No question, the captive is free.  The bondage is broken.  The sin has lost its grip.  Isn’t that marvelous?

When I think of Jesus that loved us enough that He Himself became the ransom!  There is someone that sings a song, “The gold of His precious blood.”  It is beyond the grasp of my mind that He could love me enough but He did.

When the ransom is paid, the prisoner is no longer a captive.  The debt of our sin held us captives of Satan, but when we repent and cry out for forgiveness, the blood of Jesus Christ pays the debt of our sin. 

The devil doesn’t say, “I’ll let you go.”  But when the blood is applied by the ransom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the prisoner is freed.  Being ransomed is being redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Being redeemed back to our creator no longer alienated from God.

We can remember back to our life of sin and being alienated from God.  I look back down that road and think of the opportunities that were mine to be lost forever without a consideration of the choice I was making, it almost takes my breath away.

Don’t think that a choice to do less than what you know God requires is ever incidental.  Sometimes men and women’s hearts are hardened because they do less than what they know God would require.  Instead of humbly taking care of that matter, they harden their heart a little bit. 

Every decision that will be harmful to myself or harmful spiritually to someone else is not incidental.

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

The blood makes an atonement, forgiveness moves the sin not only from the record but moves it in the thought of being as far as the east is from the west and buried in the depths of the sea of God’s forgetfulness according to the riches of His grace.

Jesus, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man.  He on the cross gave Himself a ransom for mankind.  He was the one, the only one, whose side was pierced and water and blood came out that makes that fountain for sin and uncleanness.

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

We are so blessed to know about Jesus, not as a social individual that loved everyone and because of him everyone will go to heaven.  That is not how it is.  We are blessed to know that because of His grace and His love, a ransom was paid. 

When you and I realize as Paul realized, “I am a wretched man in sin.”  When we realize that the darkness and bondage of sin, the vault of sin, the vault of flesh, and the vault of religion cannot be broken by ourselves, then we can recognize His ransom was paid for us. 

You and I know individuals that are deeply secured by the vault of religion but it does nothing for the soul.  The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ brings forgiveness and then we can abound by them in wisdom and prudence.

2Ti 2:24  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

2Ti 2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

May God help every one of us that is a servant to know that we need to be ready to teach.  It is not presumptuous to have a lesson prepared.  It is being obedient to God.  I deeply appreciate everyone in this audience that reaches out to souls.  They may not come to hear me preach but they may listen to you teach. 

Patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves:  Let’s be honest with ourselves this morning.  When people are not saved, they are opposing themselves.  They are holding themselves away from the ransom.  They are holding themselves away from conviction.  They are allowing their mind to keep them occupied with whatever their mind chooses to think upon to fill their hours and days. 

If God peradventure would give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. 

God is always challenging us that are saved.  We are glad that every one that is saved is saved.  There would not be any that, if not this morning than in this upcoming week, would not be faced with challenges.  You may be setting here and say, “I already have a challenge.” 

Don’t oppose yourself and say, “This thing is really hindering me”, but look at it and say, “By the help and grace of God I’m going to have the victory.”  There will never be a day when there is not something there to hinder us. 

In the days of worshipping in the oldest house church in Paradise, there were a couple young ladies that got saved, friends of Sister Beryl and Joann.  They were both kind of relatives.  Audrey told my parents, “You know, it is hard to be saved in high school.  I’m going to backslide and just as soon as I get out of high school, I’m going to get right and live for God.” 

The years have passed and she has been out of high school at least 40 years.  You and I could not bear to watch Audrey’s life story. 

It may have been a challenge in high school; it is a challenge for Isaac and Cole that are in kindergarten.  The thought is, “We were never promised that life would be easy.  We were never promised that there would not be challenges.  The promise is that He will be there.”

We are here this morning and I am preaching to myself and to everyone here, “Don’t oppose yourself in any way.”  You may say, “My mind is always going back to an injustice in childhood, why did this happen, my mind is still fighting the church split whenever.” 

Spend no time there, it is over.  The reality is that those things plague the mind.  The injustices of life plague individual’s minds.  As a result, they in turn oppose themselves.

If God peradventure would give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.

Brother Davis asked if I remembered the man, John Swartz.  He or his brother had heart surgery and came to the realization, “I need to get it right with God.  It is not important if I am in a mega church with a team and a worship leader.  What matters is if I am right with God.”

Brother Swartz would say, “The snare that got me was whatever.”  Everyone that is here could get up and say, “I remember when a snare tried to take my soul.”  I remember years ago when a snare was laid in my pathway, I couldn’t help but think, “If I had gone with the snare, where would I be?”

A snare is not something that appears as it is, a snare isn’t something that is echoing out words, “If you get into this you may never get out.  Try it and if you don’t like it, it will have no affect on you.”  No a snare is a trap that is so well hidden and disguised that you don’t know what it is.  There is something placed in the snare that looks attractive.  They are for all ages.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil that are taken captive of him at his will.”

If you have been ransomed by the blood of Christ, don’t let the enemy get you in a snare.  Learn the lesson here.  The snare allows the individual to be taken and then you become the captive at his will.

Jesus chose to be the ransom for our sin.  The gold of His precious blood bought us back from the life of a prisoner of sin. 

What does God require of me?  Repentance.  You may have in your mind, “What does it mean to repent?”  The meaning is, “I recognize that there is sin in my life.” 

You may say, “I’ve never stolen, or lied, I’ve never done some things.”  We are not asking what you have done.  You don’t need to tell us.  Sin is that choice you made to do something that you shouldn’t do. 

God requires repentance.  That is only difficult if you make it difficult.  Repentance takes full responsibility for your sin and you say, “God I’m so sorry will you please forgive me.” 

After we repent, we must accept the ransom that he paid for our sin.  We must accept His forgiveness.  We have the freedom to walk in the light of the Gospel.

I am not my own; I am bought with a price and my desire is to glorify God in my body and my spirit which are not my own.  

I am bought with a price.