Sermon #4 Part 1 Part 1: Faith in God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and the Bible This is sermon number 4 in a series of sermons about WHAT THIS CHRISTIAN CHURCH BELIEVES. Sermon number one and two werebased on the fact that we must first decide to believe Jesus Christ and to trust Him. The third sermon was about the fact that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and that our belief system was of extreme importance. This 4th sermon has as its premisethat all of us trust in something or someone. We may trust in the words of others. We may even trust in ourselves. We will learn in this message that the underlying foundation of the church is FAITH. I will never ever have a better definition of faith than the one that is given in Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Faith means that we are certain of the things we hope for, and we are convinced of the things we cannot see with our eyes. If we can see it, or touch it, or smell it, or hear it, it is not faith. Faith is hope that is absolutelycertain that what it believes is true and what it expects will happen. For example, none of us has ever seen heaven. John, the Apostle, looked into heaven but we have never been there. That does not make any difference. We believe in heaven just as though we have already been there. Faith is the hope that looks forward with utter certainty. It is hope founded on conviction. One time a man was brought before a judge and this man, even though he had been found guilty of a crime, believed that if you are true to God that God will be true to you. The judge asked him, “if he really thought that God was going to take the likes of a man like himself to Glory.” The man answered and said that he did not think this, but rather that he knew it. This is hope and this is faith that God would grant a sinner a place in glory. Faith is more than “I hope so” or “I think so”. Faith is hope that has turned to certainty. Certainty is always one step above and beyond hope. When you possess faith, it may well cost you popularity and fame and even promotions, but the Bible is so clear that it is better to suffer as a Christian than to gain the whole world. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were cast into a fiery furnace and should have been completely burned up. These men had faith and hope,and they walked out of that fiery furnace alive. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for. The prize is that a person cannot lose by being faithful to God. A Christian, with his faith, stakes everything on God. This is the substance of his faith or the being sure of what we hope for. Our senses tell us to grasp everything while we can. Our spirittells us there is something greaterand better ahead. Faith with patience can lead a soul to heaven. Faith tells us that the future is certain because it belongs to God. It is enough for the Christian that God has commanded and that God has promised. One does not need to have this in a written contract on paper because Jesus wrote it withHis own blood. Our faith tells us that God createdthe world and everything and everyone. Faith is not interested in speculations and theories. This is God’s world. That is what Faith says. Not only is faith being sure of what we hope for, it is certain of what we do not see. Most people think that evidence can be placed on a slide and placed under the microscope. But, if one could put God on a slide and look at Him thru the microscope, He would be a very, very small God. This is what can be said about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was on this planet and was seen, heard, and touched. The Holy Spirit has not even been described in the Bible. What the Holy Spirit has done has been seen but no one has seen Him face to face. That does notmean that the Holy Spirit does notexist. We cannot see the wind but we sure can see the path of the wind. What the Holy Spirit has done and continues to do in the lives of people is the evidence of His existence. The Holy Spirit in me and in Sam and in Ada and in Bob Graham is the reason this Church exist, today. Yes, THIS CHRISTIAN CHURCHbelieves in FAITH. A matter of fact the entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews is a testimony of faith and what it has done. Yes, with faith there is action. 1 - Heb. 11:4 Abel [ Hebrews 11:4 (NIV) 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. ] 2 - Heb. 11:7- Noah [ Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. ] 3 - Heb. 11:8-10 Abraham [ Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV) 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed, and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ] 4 - Heb. 11:23-29 Moses [ Hebrews 11:23-29 (NIV) 23 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed (walked) through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. ] Faith is being sure of what we hope for, it is certain of what we do not see. Great men of God have always moved forward on the basis of Faith. What does it mean to possess FAITH? It means that THISCHRISTIAN CHURCH is walking with God. There can be no such thing as Religion without God. Religion began when men became aware of God. Religion ceases to be when men live lives in which God is notpermitted to exist. WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD. We must walk with God. It is appropriate this day that the invitation should be- TRUST AND OBEY… for there is no other way…

By: Glenn Cunningham 

Sermon #6 Part 1

 REPENTANCE

 This is sermon number 6 in our series about WHAT DOES THIS CHRISTIAN CHURCH BELIEVE.  We have learned so far that we must first know Jesus Christ.  

The last sermon was the fact that THIS CHRISTIAN CHURCH believes with all of its heart in the Doctrine of Faith but not Faith only. Before that, we learned that Jesus Christ is divine and is part of the trinity with His virgin birth.  Now, we are ready for sermon number 6.  What does THIS CHRISTIAN CHURCH believe about the doctrine of REPENTANCE?

 About 2,000 years ago, Pilate mingled the blood of some Galileans with the Jewish sacrifices.   What had happened according to some historians is that Jerusalem needed a new water supply.  Pilate decidedto build what was needed which was an aqueduct (CANAL).  So, he took monies from the Jerusalem temple to finance it.  Some Galileans caused a near riot and when the brawl was over some of them had been killed.  It was their blood that was mingled with the sacrifices.

 Then, there were 18 workers on the aqueducts (as tradition has it) and they were receiving some of the money taken from the temple for their salary.  A temple in Siloam fell and these eighteen were killed.

 Jesus addresses these 2 tragic events in Luke 13:1-5.  The thinking was that these people in these 2 events died because they were such great sinners or because they were such great debtors.  But Jesus set them straight.  He said in verse 5 ‘that this is not good thinking.’  Now,we suppose the 18 died because they just happened to be by the tower when it fell, and the Galileans were killed by over-zealous soldiers.  

Jesus got to the heart of His teaching.  

Luke 13:1-5 (NIV) 1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless yourepent, you too will all perish. 4 Orthose eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, youtoo will all perish."

 The doctrine of repentance must be an important doctrine of the New Testament. The word repent is used 46 times in the New Testament and the word repentance is used 24 times.  This equals 70 times.

 What does it mean to repent?  What is repentance?

Repentance is a change of heart… a change of mind…. A change of purpose…. A change in the direction one’s life is going….  Without the word CHANGE, there can be no repentance. It means to actually -hate what you have done to people, and for Satan, and what you have done to God.  Repentance is two things:  1 - a turning from your sins and 2 - a turning to God.  

It takes both parts of this formula forrepentance to be godly repentance.

 Some feel that you must be sorry to repent.  The problem there with the definition that repentance is sorrow,only is that some are sorry! oh yes, they are sorry they got caught.   

Someone told his congregation that he was sorry for what he had done in spending time with someone who was not his wife.  How sorry was he?   

He got caught again with literature that people just do not need to read.  One can be sorry without ever repenting of his sins.  Just to be sorry does not get the job accomplished!  Some are only sorry that they got caught.  This is not repentance.

 Yes, we are sorry that we have sinned. We are sorry that we have been listening to the Devil instead of God. We are sorry we have coveted and stolen and all that. BUT what about repenting?   Repentance is a change of mind… a change of heart…  and a change of direction.

 If someone asked you for directions and you told them they were heading in the wrong direction, you would know immediately if they were taking the advice you had given to them.  When they turned their car around headed North instead of South, you are thinking now they are on the right track.  But, if they continue going South, no matter how much they thanked you for your advice, they did not take it.

 The Baptism of John was an interesting baptism.  John would take those who came to him to do God’s will and they were all Jews.  He would immerse them in a baptism called the baptism of Repentance.  Mark 1:4 (NIV) And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus had not come on the scene yet and John’s ministry included this baptism of repentance. Before John would baptize them, they had to repent of their former way of living.  They had to repent of their sins.  How important it is to know that before Jesus gave the gospel to the world that God had already placed into the minds of men that repentance was part of turning to Him.

 Before we leave this point, we want to turn to Acts chapter 19 to learn why we do not use John’s baptism of repentance in the church anymore.  

Acts 19:1-5 (NIV) 1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. 4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

AND THEY RECEIVED THE HolySpirit.

John the Baptist never said that youwould have the Holy Spirit to come and live inside you.  When John’s disciples were told about the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them, even though they had been baptized already in John’s baptism, they were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of their sins and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.  John’s baptism did not promise anyone the Holy Spirit.

But Acts 2:38 (NIV) Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…

So, let us remember:

Repentance is a change of heart… a change of mind…. A change of purpose…. A change in the direction one’s life is going….  Without the word CHANGE, there can be no repentance.

It means to actually - hate what you have done to people, and for Satan, and what you have done to God.  

Repentance is two things:  

1 - a turning from your sins and

2 - a turning to God.  

It takes both parts of this formula forrepentance to be godly repentance.

  The invitation is for you to have faith in God, Jesus, the Holy Spiritand the Holy Bible, and to repent of your sins to God, and to confess Christ before men, and to be baptized for the remission of your sins in the name of Jesus.

 By: Glenn Cunningham