THE THREE R'S OF REDEMPTION (Division III C)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto god, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). 

  I. RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION – Acts 26:18a

A. The Payment for Sin – Rom. 6:23a

B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23

 II. RENOUNCE SIN AND SATAN – Acts 26:18b

A. Renounce the Practice of Sin – Acts 26:18a

B. Renounce the Promoter of Sin – Acts 26:18b

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR - Acts 26:18c

A. Receive the Pardon from Sin – Acts 26:18ca

B. Receive a Place with the Saints – Acts 26:18cb

C. Receive the Promise from the Savior – Acts 26:18cc

Introduction:  Acts 26:18 is one of the main verses I have used in evangelistic meetings as well as in discipleship classes.  This verse was given to Paul when he was commissioned to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  It involved three distinct concepts that a person must know to come to the Lord Jesus Christ: I. Recognize the situation; II. Renounce Sin and Satan; and III. Receive the Savior. Today I will talk about III. C. Receive the Promise from the Savior.

III. C. Receive the Promise of the Savior - Acts 26:18cc

“And inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me” (26:18cc)

In our previous study in Acts 26:18, we have been dealing with the process of salvation.  In this study, we will consider the promise of salvation. This Scripture is clear and concise.  Jesus told Paul that salvation is “by faith that is in Me.” This is a promise of the Savior.

In the final analysis, we are saved by faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to His promise.  The Apostle Paul wrote, ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Eph 2:8-10).

I didn’t hear about the gift of the grace of God—THE GOSPEL—until I was 18 years old.  I was thrilled and terrified to learn that God the Father had sent His Son to suffer, die, be buried, rise again, and the third day to ascend to heaven according to the Old Testament Scriptures which prophesied of Him. 

As a new Christian I understood the reaction of the Jews when they heard the Apostle Peter’s words in Acts 2:36-38: “³⁶Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. ³⁷Now 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? ³⁸Then 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.”

I remember that the night I was saved the preacher quoted Romans 10:8-10: “⁸But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; ⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The preacher was a good orator, and he didn’t read, but quoted the Scripture without opening the Bible.  I thought I heard God speaking to me.  I believed the Bible.  I believed in the promise of the Savior. 

The next day I memorized Romans 10:9-10. These were the first verses I ever memorized, and I thanked God for the promise of the Savior.  

Jesus Christ is the Savior. There is no other independent Savior.  Following are some misconceptions about salvation. 

·       Faith in God does not save—The Son is the only Savior.

·       The grace of  God does not save—The Son is the only Savior.

·       The blood of Jesus does not save—The Son is the only Savior

·       Inviting Jesus into your heart does not save—The Son is the only Savior.

Griffith Thomas said that faith is embracing the Lord Jesus with empty arms.  When I heard this statement I thought about the first movie I went to at the age of 14. One of my brothers and some ranch hands working for my dad let me go with them because I finished all my work early.  In the movie a couple were dancing. The lady extended her hand behind the man’s back, and another man kissed it.  I wasn’t even a Christian, but I was disgusted. I thought I didn’t want to see any more movies after that. 

My father-in-law, who was a missionary in Central America, told me an interesting story about a barber in Nicaragua.  As I remember the story, this barber bought a Bible.  But he couldn’t read! The shoe shine boy in his barber shop could read, so the barber paid the boy to read the Bible to him.  He was dissatisfied to have to depend on someone else to read to him, so he paid the boy to teach himto read. The barber spent time studying until he learned to read.  When he could read the Bible he had bought, he accepted the Lord’s gift of salvation. He later became a pastor and started a church.  A person who heard this story asked me if this barber who went to so much trouble to receive the Gospel was saved by works.  Of course he wasn’t! 

The verb believe and the noun faith are the words most often used in communicating the salvation that is in the Son of God. However, God often uses other terms in the Bible to describe the way of salvation. For example, we read that we must Repent, Receive, Be Born Again, Obey.  Furthermore, the Bible says we are saved by God’s Grace, and by His Mercy.    Note the following Scriptures:

·       REPENT   

John the Baptist says, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Mt 3:8). 

Peter says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).

Jesus’ first message to the unsaved was, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Lk 13:3).

Paul says, “¹⁰For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹¹For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Cor 7:10–11).

·       RECEIVE

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18).

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).

^“6As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him ⁷Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Col 2:6-7).

·       BE BORN AGAIN

“⁵Jesus says, “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. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (Jn 3:5-7).

Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3).

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever”  (1 Pet 1:23).  

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3).  

Paul says, “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Cor 4:15).  

James says, “Of his [Jesus’] own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (Ja 1:18).  

·       OBEY

“And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him” (Acts 5:32).  

¹⁶Know 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? ¹⁷But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you” (Rom 6:16-17).   

“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb 5:9).  

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes 1:8).  

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Pet 4:17).

“And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him (Acts 5:32)

“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Rom 10:16). 

·       GRACE

“⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10).

·       MERCY

Jesus gave the parable of the publican and the Pharisee: “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk 18:13).  

*****

Frieda remembers Dr. Alan Redpath giving an illustration when he was speaking at Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University). He said his two little girls came running to him one morning. The elder jumped into his lap and put her arms around him.  She taunted her little sister, “I have all of Daddy.” He reached out and put his arm around the younger child. The little girl looked at her sister and said, “But Daddy has all of me!” 

Saving faith involves receiving all of the Lord Jesus Christ and entrusting all of ones self to Him.

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This is the last in the series of messages on The Three R’s of Salvation from Acts 26:18. 

I welcome constructive comments.

THE THREE R'S OF REDEMPTION (Division III B)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto god, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). 

  I. RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION – Acts 26:18a

A. The Payment for Sin – Rom. 6:23a

B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23

 II. RENOUNCE SIN AND SATAN – Acts 26:18b

A. Renounce the Practice of Sin – Acts 26:18a

B. Renounce the Promoter of Sin – Acts 26:18b

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR - Acts 26:18c

A. Receive the Pardon from Sin – Acts 26:18ca

B. Receive a Place with the Saints – Acts 26:18cb

C. Receive the Promise from the Savior – Acts 26:18cc

Introduction:  Acts 26:18 is one of the main verses I have used in evangelistic meetings as well as in discipleship classes.  This verse was given to Paul when he was commissioned to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  It involved three distinct concepts that a person must know to come to the Lord Jesus Christ: I. Recognize the situation; II. Renounce Sin and Satan; and III. Receive the Savior. Today I will talk about III. B. Receive a Place with the Saints.

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR

B. Receive a Place with the Saints – Acts 26:18c

“And inheritance among them which are sanctified” (26:18cb).

I understand that an “inheritance among them which are sanctified” (Acts 26:18b)  means the riches that the redeemed will have one day when all the saints meet together in heaven, but as a new Christian, I learned that I received a place with the saints. At the age of 18 I attended church for the first time. I went every night during a week of evangelistic meetings that they called a revival, and I was saved on the last night. It was  a thrill to be accepted among the consecrated Christians in the church. I hadn’t given one thought about an inheritance in heaven at the time.  I was not thinking about finances but about fellowship. 

The next week after the evangelistic meetings, on Saturday night I made arrangements with the rancher I worked for to borrow his car to go to church on Sunday morning. He graciously let me use it. I really appreciated being able to drive to the church and see all the people again. I had promised the rancher to take the car back as soon as church was over, so as much as I wanted to stay and enjoy the fellowship, I had to leave right after the last “amen” was said.

A week later on Saturday night I asked if I could borrow the car again. The rancher frowned slightly and said no, that I couldn’t. I put my horse in the corral and gave him feed and hay so I could go to church the next morning. I got up early and saddled my horse in time to have a leisurely ride to town. It seemed that everyone was glad to see me. Everyone wanted to shake my hand.  One rancher called me “Brother.” How exciting! 

The third Saturday night I didn’t ask the rancher for the car; I simply made sure my horse was in the corral and had feed, hay, and water. I woke up early the next morning, excited to know I would soon be back in church seeing my brethren again. When I went out to the corral, the first thing I saw was that the gate was open. “Oh, no,” I thought, “they let my horse out on purpose.” I knew they thought they were doing me a favor—they had already told me they were worried that I was becoming a fanatic. So I put on my Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes which included my new boots, and took off jogging for town on the unpaved country road. After two hours I arrived at the church—just as everyone was leaving. Even so, I was thrilled to see and greet the people. My new boots no longer looked new, but it didn’t matter—I never gave them another thought. I just wore my scuffed boots to church every Sunday after that. (New boots cost a week’s wages, and that was if I had a good job.)

My feelings about church might be akin to what we read in Acts chapter 2: “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (2:42) . . . . “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (2:46).

To this day, I look forward to meeting with the assembly of the brethren.  Here are two of my favorite verses: “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). And “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD” (Psalm 122:1) I know these verses are talking about the temple in the Old Testament, but they express how I feel about church.

When I was in Germany with the Air Force in 1954, I was taught and memorized Acts 20:32: “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” It was further impressed upon my mind when a speaker we had at the Service Men’s Center stressed that when people depart from loved ones, they often commend them to God. (Think of the hymn “God Be with You ‘till We Meet again.”) The Apostle Paul, however, knowing he would not see his beloved brethren of the church of Ephesus again, commended them to the Savior, to the Scriptures, and to the Saints.

Some time back we were privileged to preach in a church in the mountains of Southern Mexico several times over a period of a few years. The sweet fellowship we had with the people there will always be among our most cherished memories. Different circumstances made it impossible for us to continue going there. When we visited, they would have meetings all day for as long as a week, and most who came would take off work to attend. Many walked a considerable distance from their homes to be there. Some of the older members only understood an Indian dialect so sometimes I spoke in Spanish with a Nahuatl translator. The people would memorize the verse I spoke on and my outline (usually three points) after each service. The last night I was there, I spoke on Acts 20:32. I will give my Spanish outline here for my bilingual readers:

  I. Que les vaya bien con Dios – Hechos 20:32a

 II. Que les vaya bien con la Doctrina – Hechos 20:32b

III. Que les vaya bien con los Discípulos – Hechos 20:32c

Since we had to leave after the service the night I preached this message, there wasn’t time for them to repeat the verse and outline back to us as they usually did. However, as we left we had to go around three sides of the square to get to the highway, and one man came running to cut us off long enough to show us he had already memorized the verse and outline. As I have met brethren from that town in other places or talked with them on the telephone, this message seems to be the one they remember best.

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Here I have discussed division III B. Receive a Place with the Saints (Acts 26:18cb) in my outline of Acts 26:18. Next week I plan to talk about III C. Receive the Promise from the Savior (Acts 26:18cc)

I welcome constructive comments.

THE THREE R'S OF REDEMPTION (Division III A)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto god, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me” (Acts 26:18). 

  I. RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION – Acts 26:18a

A. The Payment for Sin – Rom. 6:23a

B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23

 II. RENOUNCE SIN AND SATAN – Acts 26:18b

A. Renounce the Practice of Sin – Acts 26:18

B. Renounce the Promoter of Sin – Acts 26:18b

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR - Acts 26:18c

A. Receive the Pardon from Sin – Acts 26:18ca

B. Receive a Place with the Saints – Acts 26:18cb

Introduction:  Acts 26:18 is one of the main verses I have used in evangelistic meetings as well as in discipleship classes.  These words were said to Paul when he was commissioned to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  The commission involved three distinct concepts that a person must know to come to the Lord Jesus Christ: I. Recognize the situation; II. Renounce Sin and Satan; and III. Receive the Savior.

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR - Acts 26:18c

We have come to the last division of Acts 26:18.  The first two divisions were 1) to recognize the situation and 2) to repent of sin and Satan.  Number 3, the last division, is titled Receive the Savior. 

A. Receive the Pardon from Sin – Acts 26:18ca

“That they may receive forgiveness of sins” (26:18ca).

Several years ago I was teaching a home Bible class consisting of teachers from local schools.  I wanted to teach them the “Three R’s of Redemption” from Acts 26:18.  I had very much in mind something that was reported to me as coming from Dr. Chafer of Dallas Theological Seminary: “Give people something to believe before you ask them to believe.” I said the essence of the evangel can be divided into three parts, 1) Recognize, 2) Repent, and 3) Receive. One of the teachers said, “Listen to that!  We were told number 3, to receive.  We didn’t know anything, and they didn’t mention repent. 

In one of the first classes I took on how to preach, the teacher said a sermon should have three points and a poem. But most of the time the audience forgets the three points. Sometimes they remember the poem. But the three ingredients of evangelism are clearly stated in the great commission given to the Apostle and I believe they were given in the right order.  1, 2, and 3. 

Sometimes, however, the listeners get confused with the math and fail to understand the message.  I remember the first time I was given a combination lock. After trying to make it work for about an hour, someone showed me how to do it—you have to put each number in the right place, and turn the knob in the right directions until you stop with number 3. Then the lock opens. It always opens if you do it correctly.

Recently I talked to a twelve-year-old boy who thought he had accepted the Lord, but he was very sad. He said he just kept on sinning and mentioned some of the sins. Then he asked me why God made him if He knew he was going to sin. I told him God loved him and wanted fellowship with him. He said he wanted to quit sinning, to receive Jesus, and to be His lamb and follow Him.  (He had in mind John 10:27-29.)  I told him to go in a room by himself, have a talk with Jesus, and tell him everything he had told me. That is what he should have done in the first place.     

Again, Acts 26:18 says, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.”  Remember!—this verse is the great commission given to Paul to be an Apostle. (cf. Rom 1:1; 1 Cor1:1)  The emphasis of the Gospel is that the sinner who is converted to Christ receives forgiveness of sins—all sins. We read in 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.” And again we read in Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” The Gospel of God gives us a plain path to pardon, to peace, and to the palace in heaven. (cf. Rom 5:1-5)

The moment a sinner is saved, he is removed from the reign of Satan and transported into the reign of the Son of God. Paul says in Colossians 1:12-14: “¹²Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: ¹³Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” 

In Mexico I talked to a man in his 40’s, whom I had known since he was a teenager. His wife, formerly a devout but unhappy Catholic, out of desperation started taking Bible classes and is now an enthusiastic Christian. The man likes the change in his wife. He said he is thankful that she is faithful in church is following the Bible. But he said the Christian life is too hard for him. He does not want to give up his worldly lifestyle, which is basically wine and women. I told him I could not live a Christian life either, but Christ wants to live His life in me and in every Christian. That is the only way we have power to overcome Satan and His sinful system. I asked him to read Colossians 1:13: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,” to show him that God has the way out of sin for those whom He saves. I told him again we can’t get out of Satan’s system by ourselves, but if we really want to be saved, the Lord will transport us into “the kingdom of His dear son.” Intellectually, he finally understood, but I could tell he was having an emotional battle. 

He saw that the way out of sin was to let God deliver him. He didn’t really want to die in his sins, but I wasn’t sure he was ready to give them up. I think he might have made some kind of decision right then if I had asked him to, but I didn’t want him to say something he didn’t really mean. I told him all sinners had to come to this point, and if he realized he was going to hell and wanted to be saved, God would forgive his sins and give him victory over sin. Then he understood Colossians 1:14, which says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” 

Lest I be misunderstood, let me say that all Christians sin. In 1 John 1:8 we read: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” However, Christians don’t practice sin. A Christian will sin, but wants not to sin. His conscience will bother him when he does, so he will ask for forgiveness. We find comfort in 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.” But with this verse, note also Proverbs 28:13: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

Here are two important verses associated with the Biblical concept of conversion. One is in 1 Pet 2:24: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed,” and 1 John 3:5: “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”

Here we have discussed division III A. Receive the Pardon from Sin in our outline of Acts 26:18. Next week we plan to talk about III B. Receive a Place with the Saints – Acts 26:18cb. 

I welcome constructive comments.

THE THREE R'S OF REDEMPTION (Division II B)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto god, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). 

  I. RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION – Acts 26:18a

A. The Payment for Sin – Rom. 6:23a

B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23

 II. RENOUNCE SIN AND SATAN – Acts 26:18b

    A. Renounce the Practice of Sin – Acts 26:18

    B. Renounce the Promoter of Sin – Acts 26:18b

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR  - Acts 26:18c

Introduction:  Acts 26:18 is one of the main verses I have used in evangelistic meetings as well as in discipleship classes.  This verse was given to Paul when he was commissioned to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  It involved three distinct concepts that a person must know to come to the Lord Jesus Christ: I. Recognize the situation; II. Renounce Sin and Satan; and III. Receive the Savior.   This week we are looking at part B under Roman numeral II.

 B. Renounce the Promoter of Sin – Acts 26:18b

“And [to turn them] from the power of Satan unto [the power of] God” (26:18bb)

The Great Commission given to the Apostle Paul to take the Gospel to the Gentiles is concise, clear, and complete.  The phrase “And from the power of Satan unto [the power of] God” is taught throughout the Bible, but it takes many of us a while to capture this truth, which is short but piercing. 

Let me see if I can explain this in such a way that it will be helpful.  Jesus told the religious leaders in John 8:44: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”  This verse does not need much explaining.  But we do need to think seriously about it.  Satan is the author of sin and he is the administrator of sin. 

Last week I had a very good Bible class in Reynosa, Mexico, just across the River. It took me about thirty minutes from our house to get to the house of Benito and Gloria Camareno where we were to hold the class. The class or classes lasted from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. I think this was the most enthusiastic class I have held in this home. The class consisted primarily of three married ladies and their children as well as the Camareno family. These were educated ladies whose husbands had good jobs, and they send their children to expensive private schools. In fact that is how the Camarenos became acquainted with them—two of the Camareno daughters teach their children.

During the course of the class one lady said she had a hard time talking to anyone about God because it seemed to her that God is very mean. She said, “Look at what He is doing to people all over the world.” I told her that the author and administrator of all these crimes was not God, but a god, Satan himself.  They were shocked. They said they had never heard that.  So I shared with them the following verses:

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

John 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

2 Corinthians 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Hebrews 2:14  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;

I could see that the Holy Spirit was using the Word to convince these people of the truth. So I shared with them some additional verses: 

John 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

John 14:30  Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

John 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Ephesians 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

The Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, gave Timothy, the pastor of the church of Ephesus, this exhortation: “²⁴And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, ²⁵In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; ²⁶And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will”  (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

To be continued: This was Division II. B. Next Tuesday we will look at Division III.  I welcome constructive comments.

THE THREE R'S OF REDEMPTION (Division II A)

II. RENOUNCE SIN AND SATAN - Acts 26:18b                 

     “To turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (26:18b).

Introduction: One meaning of “To turn . . . from darkness” means to change directions. Before I was saved at the age of 18, though I was not a Christian, I thought was following Christ—well, maybe at a distance.  I thought of Jesus and me as going to heaven together, I imagined it was  kind of like we were going around a tall mountain, 14,000 feet high.  Jesus was going around on the south side of the mountain and I was on the north side and we would finally meet on the west side, and He would usher me into heaven. I thought He was taking the serious side and I was taking the scenic side, the more exciting side. Actually, I kind of liked it that way, supposedly following Jesus at a distance.  

My two high school friends who counseled me the week I was saved told me, “You might think you are taking the scenic route to heaven, but “you will never meet Jesus during your journey.”  I started to say, “How dare you say that to me!” Then I remembered that one of them was the heavy weight golden glove champion of Oklahoma that year, so I didn’t say anything. They told me I was going in the wrong direction.  They meant Jesus was going up and I was going down. I got the point.  I needed to turn around. 

A. Renounce the Practice of Sin – Acts 26:18b

“To turn them from darkness to light” (26:18ba).

Before I say more about turning, I want to talk about “darkness” which is used in many parts of Scripture as a metaphor for the sinfulness of man. Jesus came to save humanity from the devil’s darkness: “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79).

The Apostle Peter wrote to some Christians these wonderful words: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (I Peter 2:9). A person who is not saved is walking in spiritual darkness.  He does not have spiritual sight. He is actually spiritually blind. (cf. I Cor. 4:4; I Jn. 2:11)

I only remember one time that I experienced complete darkness. When I was a young cowboy working on a ranch in Western Oklahoma, some ranchers, who lived ten or fifteen miles to the east of where I worked, had invited me to supper, to visit, and probably to play cards or dominoes. It was late and the night was very dark when I mounted my horse and headed west to go back where I lived, That night I was riding a good young horse, but he could buck and he liked to buck.  Ordinarily, however, he obeyed my commands. 

After riding a couple of hours, I came to a place where I had to turn. I could turn right, go a mile and turn left, then go aanother mile and turn left again, and from there it was still another mile to my destination. BUT the ranch was one mile west of where I stopped to think. I debated, “Should I or should I not take the short cut through this ranch?”  If I took the long way around, I would have to cross several wooden bridges.  One was particularly long, and the others didn’t have any side rails.  I could imagine what my horse might do when his hoofs hit the planks of a wooden bridge.  It would sound like a bass guitar.  I had been over those bridges in the morning and he hadn’t like the sound then, so he certainly wouldn’t like it at night.

So why not take the short cut through this man’s ranch? As I rode, it had been getting darker and darker.  At this point, it was so dark I couldn’t even see my hand when I held it up in front of my eyes. I was under some dark storm clouds that just hung there for over an hour. It would be dangerous to take the short cut because the pasture I would cross had a small canyon which split the ranch in two. It was about 30 feet across at the top and 100 feet to the bottom. Now, there was a trail straight west for a half a mile and it would come to a dividing fence from where I would have less difficulty negotiating my way home. Since the old ranchers used to say a horse could see in the dark, I decided to take the short cut straight across the ranch for half a mile, thinking that the horse would follow the well worn path. So I gave the horse his reins, which would have been a bad idea even in the day time.

After riding about an hour, I began to have second thoughts, third thoughts, and thousands of thoughts.  Where was my horse going? We should have reached that dividing fence within fifteen minutes. I was definitely lost. About that time, I realized the horse was lost too. because he ran into the fence. I dismounted and felt the fence, but I didn’t know whether to go left or right. I took three or four steps to the left holding the top barbed wire, and lo and behold—I came to the canyon! The horse evidently could see the canyon and had followed it all the way across the ranch. Obviously, the only direction to go was away from the canyon.  I got back on the horse, and I would check every few steps to see if the fence was still there. Finally, I came to the top of a hill where there were two tall posts, and by this time there was just enough light that I recognized where I was. I still had to go a half mile west.

I rode for about three minutes, and the horse began to buck!  With all my might, I stopped him and got off.  Something was badly wrong with my horse.  I could think of no reason for him to buck. I couln’t see, so I began to feel all over him, and finally, I found a wire hanging under his tail.  I pulled hard and it came right out.  I got back on the horse and made my way home.  Once again, this is the only time I can remember riding when it was that dark. It was like being blind folded. The world champion cowboy could not ride a bucking horse very long blind folded.

A person who has not committed his life to the Lord is spiritually blind folded. There are analogies to this in the Scriptures. When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, a religious leader who certainly thought he was enlightened, He said: “¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (Jn 3:19-20).

Our text says: “To turn them from darkness to light” (26:18ba).  Growing up on the ranch I loved to hunt with a rifle or with dogs. Many years later a pastor friend and I went fox hunting with a rancher who was about our age. As we waited for the dogs to tree a fox, I was talking to this rancher about spiritual things.  He said, “You know, I think I’ve got something figured out. “Repent means ‘Turn right and go straight’.” Later I told this story to a well-known theologian, and he said, “Give me a minute.”  He pulled a note pad out of his pocket and wrote down this definition of repentance. 

Following are some verses on repentance and turning:

(2 Chr 7:14)  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

(Prov 1:23)  Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 

(Jer 8:6)  I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

(Joel 2:12-13)  ¹²Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: ¹³And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

(Neh 1:9)  But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

 (Ps 119:79)  Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.

I will close with one more passage that, interestingly, describes turning though it does not use the word:

(2 Cor 7:10-11)  ¹⁰For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death^{. 11}For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

To be continued: This was Division II. A.  Next Tuesday I hope to Division II. B.  I welcome constructive comments.

THE THREE R'S OF REDEMPTION (Division I B)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto god, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). 

  I. RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION – Acts 26:18a

                 A. The Payment for Sin – Rom. 6:23a

                 B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23

 II. RENOUNCE SIN AND SATAN – Acts 26:18b

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR  - Acts 26:18c

Introduction:  Acts 26:18 is one of the main verses I have used in evangelistic meetings as well as in discipleship classes.  This verse was given to Paul when he was commissioned to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  It involved three distinct concepts that a person must know to come to the Lord Jesus Christ: I. Recognize the situation; II. Renounce Sin, Self, and Satan; and III. Receive the Savior. This week we are looking at part B under Roman numeral I.

B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23b

“But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (6:23b). 

(Jn 3:16)  For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The human cannot help himself. If man could somehow save himself, then the loving Father needlessly brutalized and murdered His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When I explained this to one of my brothers, he was aghast. He said, “The Big Chief wasn’t as strong or as smart as I thought He was.”  But it was Jesus Himself who willingly offered Himself in order to give us the gift of eternal life. Only God the Son was capable of paying the price of our salvation. We read in 1 Timothy 2:5–6: “⁵For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; ⁶Who gave himself a ransom for all. . . .”  THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.  (cf. Acts 4:12)

I probably thought like my brother when the process of salvation was first explained to me when I was eighteen years old. I wondered if there weren’t some other way for God to save me. But the two young people who talked to me mentioned regularly in our conversations that “you can’t make up your own rules.” God says that His Son is the only Redeemer. They helped me understand the process of our pardon when they took me back to the very beginning of the Bible. In the Garden of Eden Jesus gave Adam and Eve an object lesson about the price of redemption. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21).

Let me give you my own version of  some of the events of Genesis chapter three—this is how I imagine it may have happened: When Adam and Eve sinned by listening to Satan and disobeying God, they realized they were naked and tried to make themselves some clothing. Those large green fig leaves from which they made aprons (Gen. 3:7) probably covered them attractively, if not adequately, until the sun beat down on them and they dried up and fell off.

So I think Jesus had a long talk with Adam and Eve about righteousness, redemption, and robes.  Clothing is used as a symbol for salvation several places in the Bible. One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 61:10: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”  Later we will look at an interesting story Jesus told in which the correct garments are important.

Back to my story, the Lord gave Adam and Eve a painful picture of the price of our pardon as He related it to the symbolic sacrificial slaughter of the sheep. He called Adam’s favorite lamb, the one he most admired among all the beautiful, fluffy, white sheep. I can see this lovely lamb on the side of the mountain raise his head and trot down to them when Jesus called, “Adam’s favorite, come here.” Then the Lord tells the sheep to lie down by Adam.  He has Adam to lay his hands on the head of the lamb as He cuts its jugular veins. When the heart quits beating, Jesus cuts off its head. He says to Adam, “I know this is painful, but I want you to watch me—you can only watch.” He skins the sheep and places it on the altar He had built. Then Jesus called on His Father to accept this symbolic offering for the sin of Adam. Fire comes down out of heaven and consumes the sacrifice as well as the altar!  (Note the story of Elijah in I Kings 18, especially verse 38.)  Then Jesus hangs the skin of Adam’s favorite sheep on the limb of a tree for the moment. 

Then Jesus goes through the same process for Eve. He calls her favorite sheep name. Of course the great Shepherd knows all the sheep by name. (cf. Jn. 10:3) After Eve’s lamb has been sacrificed, the Lord makes for Adam and Eve beautiful seamless robes which are easily slipped over their heads. They are clothed from their neck to their ankles.  He leaves short sleeves on Eve’s but makes Adam’s robe sleeveless.  (Remember, I am imagining how all this may have happened.)

The Lord Jesus Christ explains that the sacrifice of the sheep represents the fact that in God’s time, He Himself would die for them, and if they would turn away from sin, self and Satan and surrender their lives to Him, they would be forgiven of all their sins. They would be saved from hell, and after they died physically, they would live with Him in heaven throughout eternity. They would never die a second death. (cf. Rev 2:11; 20:6 and 14; and 21:8). 

Adam and Eve understood the object lesson. They believed God and accepted Him completely. They surrendered their lives to the Creator as their Savior. We know this because of Genesis 3:20: “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.”  He knew they would not die physically right then, but would live to have children. When their first son was born, Eve said, “I have gotten a man from the LORD” (Genesis 4:1). I believe Adam and Eve recounted all these events to their children, so when Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices to God (Genesis 4:1-7), they knew very well what the Lord required, but Cain ignored God’s will and did his own thing.

When Jesus was here He frequently mentioned weddings.  In His day, the main time that families and their friends all got together was for a wedding celebration. Jesus’ first miracle was performed at a wedding to which He was invited (John 2). In Matthew 22:1-14, to illustrate the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lord tells the story of a king who prepared a feast and invited guests for the wedding of his son. The first ones invited refused the invitation, so the King sent his servants to invite everyone without exception. The terms of the invitation included the rules the king himself specified. The invitation was accepted by many people, but verses 11-13 of chapter 22 explain an important incident that happened at this wedding: “¹¹And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: ¹²And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. ¹³Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

As Cain ignored God’s will for his sacrifice, the wicked man at the wedding ignored the king’s requirements. The Lord’s invitation to salvation is for everyone, but all must come according to God’s instructions.

Romans chapter 5 explains in great detail The Provision for the Sinner.  So let us read it together:

¹Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ²By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; ⁴And patience, experience; and experience, hope: ⁵And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. ⁶For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. ¹⁰For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ¹¹And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. ¹²Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ¹³(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. ¹⁵But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. ¹⁶And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. ¹⁷For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) ¹⁸Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. ¹⁹For as by one man's disobedience [Adam’s] many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Jesus] shall many be made righteous. ²⁰Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: ²¹That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

(2 Cor 9:15) Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (cf. Jn 4:10; Ef 2:8-9; 1 Jn 5:11-12)

We can recap our subject of God’s provision for our salvation by remembering the prophecy in Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  

“A child is born” speaks of His humanity. “A Son is given” refers to His deity, the Son from heaven. Some day in the millennial kingdom Jesus will be the benevolent King who governs all the earth righteously. But now He wants to rule in our hearts and lives. (cf. Jn 18:17)  He wants to clothe us with the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness. (cf. Is. 61:10).

THE THREE R’S OF REDEMPTION (Divisiont I A)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto god, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). 

  I. RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION – Acts 26:18a

     A. The Payment for Sin – Rom. 6:23a

     B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23

 II. RENOUNCE SIN AND SATAN – Acts 26:18b

III. RECEIVE THE SAVIOR  - Acts 26:18c

Introduction:  Acts 26:18 is one of the main verses I have used in evangelistic meetings as well as in discipleship classes.  This verse was given to Paul when he was commissioned to be the apostle to the Gentiles.  It involved three distinct concepts that a person must know to come to the Lord Jesus Christ: I. Recognize the situation; II. Repent of Sin, Self, and Satan; and III. Receive the Savior.

The teaching this week concerns the first part of the Apostle’s commission.  The sinner needs to recognize his situation.  That’s what it means when God told the Apostle that he was to “open their eyes.”  God was not talking about their physical round eyeballs. He was talking about the eyes of understanding.  In other words, the sinner must first understand something. I believe it was Dr. Chafer, the president of Dallas Theological Seminary many years ago, who said, “Give the sinner something to believe before you ask him to believe.” 

I once violated this principle when talking to about forty university students in the city of Guadalajara. I asked how many believed in Jesus. They all said they believed.

“Oh,” I thought, “How am I going to get out of this?” So I asked another question: “What Jesus do you believe in?” 

They answered, “The right Jesus.”

 I came back with, “Who is the right Jesus?” Many people in Mexico are named Jesus and there was at the time a big sign over the street saying to vote from Jesus (somebody). I wanted them to say, “The Jesus of the Bible.

“But they quickly told me, “The Jesus of the Catholic Church.”  Then they clarified, “Jesus, the Son of Mary, the Mother of God.”  We had a friendly discussion about this for about two hours.  We ended the discussion still being friends, but they left without changing their opinion. 

So we will start by looking at the first thing Christ commissioned the Apostle Paul to teach sinners.         

   I. RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION - Acts 26:18a

“To open their eyes” (26:18a).

“To open their eyes” is the first thing the Apostle Paul, as the apostle to the Gentiles, was commanded to do.  The Gentiles were to have the eyes of their understanding opened to recognize their spiritual situation—that  they had all sinned and that the consequence of that sin, if it was not dealt with, was eternal death in the lake of fire.  In home Bible studies, I ofen ask the participants to read aloud Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The verse contains clearly the payment for sin and the penalty of sin.  If we have three or four people in the class, I ask each one to read the verse. Many times after they have read it several times, they already know it by memory. I tell them this verse gives a quick way to recognize one’s spiritual situation before God. Most of the people in our studies are working for wages, so I may ask, “Would you want to be paid for your works?”

So let us see how we can apply this verse in such a way that a sinner can recognize the situation he is in.

A. The Payment for Sin – Rom. 6:23a

“For the wages of sin is death” (6:23a).

Here are some verses which give the consequences of our sin, that is “the wages of sin is death.”

(Gal 5:19-21)  “¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

(1 Cor 6:9-10)  “⁹Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ¹⁰Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. “

In one home Bible study we had about six people who never missed the class.  One night a husband and wife came who were new to us, but neighbors of the people in whose house we held the Bible study. I was teaching on the Prodigal Son, and the man showed exceptional interest. On Sunday when we saw the lady of the house where we held the Bible study, she told me the man had taken a week off from work just to read the New Testament.  He had realized from attending that class that he didn’t know anything about the Bible. He continued to come to the Bible study. After about four weeks, he asked if he could have a one-on-one conversation with me. 

When we met, he looked straight at me and said, “I am not a Christian.”  I asked him why he said he wasn’t a Christian.  He answered that there were many reasons. When I asked him to give me one, he became very serious, and I could see he was wondering what he might say to me.  I had him turn to I Corinthians 6:9-10, which he read out loud.  I asked him what bothered him about this portion of Scripture.

He immediately said, “The people in that list are not going to inherit the kingdom of God.” 

 I asked him if he was in one of these groups.  He replied without stopping to think, “I am in a lot of those groups.” 

“Oh,” I said, “Then you are a sinner.” 

“It is worse,” he answered.  “I’m not going to inherit the Kingdom of God.” 

A week later, this man told me that he and his wife had received the Lord and they wanted to know what to do next. So I began having special Bible classes with them, and later they joined the church. He was a very gifted brother in many ways, including preaching, singing, and playing musical instruments.”

Paul, even in writing to the great church of Ephesus, warned the Christians about conduct not becoming to a Christian.  Let’s just look at the first five verses together:

(Eph 5:1-5)  “¹Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; ²And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. ³But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; ⁴Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. ⁵For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”            

(Rev 21:8)  “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now I would like for us to return to I Corinthians 6:9-10: “⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?”  [Answer the question!  Who qualifies as the unrighteous?  Well, let us continue the verse.] “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

We can plead ignorance, but Jesus taught us over and over again that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Let us look at Matthew 5:20.  Jesus said, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Last week in a home Bible class, we were studying 2 Corinthians 6:11-18. As we took turns reading a verse each and seeing if we could draw some conclusions as to what the passage means, we got to verse 14, which says: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” We talked a little bit about being yoked together with unbelievers.  They didn’t have any misgivings about that.  Then I asked, about “what communion hath light with darkness?” The teen-aged daughter gave a good scientific answer.  But then I said, “We missed one.”  “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?”  We came to a standstill. Finally, I explained what I thought this really means. They seemed to agree wholeheartedly. Since I thought I had gotten the point across, we went ahead and finished the rest of the passage. As I teach these verses, I pray that the Holy Spirit will use them to convince, to convict, and to convert.

The Apostle Peter wrote to professing Christians who were scattered throughout various countries of the Middle East these plain and penetrating words: “¹⁴If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. ¹⁵But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. ¹⁶Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. ¹⁷For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? ¹⁸And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Pet 4:14-18) 

To be continued: This was Division I. A.  Next Tuesday I hope to share Division I. B. The Provision for the Sinner – Rom. 6:23b