Be a Partaker of Redemption

Two weeks ago I shared 'The Fall of Man" and last week "The Redemption of Man". This week I am sharing "Be a partaker of Redemption". I pray it is a blessing to you.

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Be a Partaker of Redemption

Sermon notes 4-11-2010

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Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

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The church is built upon the foundation of a genuine confession of faith in Jesus Christ. The confession is that which is spoken from the heart about Jesus the Messiah.

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Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

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The bedrock of salvation is that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.

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John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

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Scripture after scripture brings out the truth that faith in Jesus and receiving Him as your Messiah is where salvation begins. Let's examine just few more.

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John 6:28 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."

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John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 "But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

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John 3:35 "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

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1 John 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

How does one know if they have a genuine confession of faith? Jesus Himself spoke of the conditions of true surrender. Confessing Jesus as Messiah is a surrender of your life to His Lordship. No surrender no salvation; know surrender know salvation. Let's consider Jesus' words in Luke 14.

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Luke 14:25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it; 29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 "saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

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This is a very strong teaching that Jesus spoke. No, His word is not teaching us to hate our family members. In this passage He speaks of the priority of your love. If you love your mother and father more than Him, or your children or brothers or sisters more than Him you can not be His disciple! Will you make your family members more important than your relationship with God? If you answer yes you have not truly made Jesus your Messiah. Jesus Christ deserves and commands preeminence. God has given Jesus the preeminence and if you accepted Him as Messiah you accept His God given authority in your life. True salvation comes from bearing your cross and coming after Jesus. That is a complete surrender of your will to the authority of Jesus. If you will not you can not be His disciple. Jesus made clear the terms of surrender! "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple."

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One of the greatest burdens of my heart is that many have never come to the fullness of salvation because they have never surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. One of the greatest deceptions of the devil is to get one to believe they are saved when they are not! Beloved, examine yourself and see if you are in the faith. Have you passed the test that Jesus preached about? Full forsaking of all, no full surrender no salvation!

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The benefits of true surrender are immeasurable. You get to give him your sin, guilt, and shame and He will give you His righteousness. You can trade in your sorrow for His fullness of joy. You can trade in your broken heart and get a brand new heart. God will turn your mourning into dancing! He can take the wounds and turmoil of the past and bring a peace that passes all understanding.

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Ephesians 1 brings the truth of benefits of those who have surrender fully to Jesus.

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Ephesians 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

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The divine influence of God and the union that He brings is found exclusively in Jesus Christ.

1 God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus

2 He chose you before the foundation of the world and it gave Him great pleasure to do so.

3 He has predestined you to adoption as his child by Jesus Christ.

4 God has made you accepted in the Beloved

5 In the beloved Jesus Christ, you have redemption and the forgiveness of sin measured by the riches of His grace.

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Your genuine faith brings you full access to God.

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Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

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Because of your faith in Jesus you have a right and privilege to come boldly into the throne room of God. I love it. You can come boldly in your hour of need! At the point you need His grace (divine influence) and mercy (God's goodness) the most you can come to Him boldly!

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True children of God can be full partakers in the redemption purchased by Jesus!

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Acts 20:32 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

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The word of His grace is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified!

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Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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