WEBVTT

00:00:07.150 --> 00:00:11.910
chapter 6, verses 1 and 2. We've been going through

00:00:11.910 --> 00:00:14.830
2 Corinthians for the last few months on Wednesday

00:00:14.830 --> 00:00:18.309
nights, a few verses at a time, and we are getting

00:00:18.309 --> 00:00:24.730
to the halfway point here. 2 Corinthians chapter

00:00:24.730 --> 00:00:30.050
6. We ended last week in the verses we talked

00:00:30.050 --> 00:00:34.149
about being ambassadors for Jesus Christ, ambassadors

00:00:34.149 --> 00:00:37.210
for the Lord, representatives. For the Lord.

00:00:37.310 --> 00:00:41.149
Who are we representing in our life? Are we representing

00:00:41.149 --> 00:00:44.009
the Lord? How are we representing the Lord? How

00:00:44.009 --> 00:00:47.210
do we live? Do the people see Jesus in us? And

00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:50.649
so that was what we looked at last week. And

00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:54.909
Paul ended on a great verse in verse 21 saying

00:00:54.909 --> 00:00:57.530
that he made the one who did not know sin to

00:00:57.530 --> 00:01:01.710
be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness

00:01:01.710 --> 00:01:05.650
of God in him. So all the focus... is on Jesus

00:01:05.650 --> 00:01:08.310
Christ. That Jesus took everything that we deserve,

00:01:08.549 --> 00:01:11.329
the punishment for our sins, and we received

00:01:11.329 --> 00:01:15.090
only what Jesus deserved, and that was righteousness.

00:01:15.349 --> 00:01:18.829
We are made righteous through Jesus. And so that's

00:01:18.829 --> 00:01:22.030
where we left off last week. So let's pray, and

00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:24.709
then we'll start in chapter 6. God, we thank

00:01:24.709 --> 00:01:27.150
you for a good day. We thank you for the freedom

00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:29.709
to come in here and to worship tonight. I pray

00:01:29.709 --> 00:01:35.030
that your Holy Spirit would be with us. our worldly

00:01:35.030 --> 00:01:38.049
distractions and our worries and just the temptations

00:01:38.049 --> 00:01:40.329
of the world that fight for our attention right

00:01:40.329 --> 00:01:43.269
now, that in these few minutes, dear Lord, that

00:01:43.269 --> 00:01:46.709
we would experience your grace and live in your

00:01:46.709 --> 00:01:48.989
grace, dear Lord, and not take it for granted,

00:01:48.989 --> 00:01:52.329
but allow your grace to transform who we are.

00:01:52.730 --> 00:01:55.810
And I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

00:01:58.489 --> 00:02:01.569
Continuing on the same lines as what we just...

00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:05.319
Read at the end of 2 Corinthians 5, we turn to

00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:09.840
2 Corinthians 6, verse 1. Working together with

00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:15.580
Him, we also appeal to you, don't receive God's

00:02:15.580 --> 00:02:19.360
grace in vain. Therefore, Paul says, we're working

00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:21.919
for the Lord. We are representatives of Jesus

00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:24.939
Christ. We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

00:02:25.060 --> 00:02:29.000
God has given His only Son. to take our punishment

00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:32.000
so that we could be made righteous through him.

00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:35.719
And so we are working with God. We are workers

00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:39.439
for God. And what is his appeal to the Corinthian

00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:44.159
audience? He says, don't receive God's grace

00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:48.800
in vain. Don't receive God's grace in vain. When

00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:52.259
we experience the grace of God, it needs to have

00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:55.539
some effect on our life. There should be some

00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:58.300
change in our life when we experience the grace

00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:01.599
of God. Now, we could take this in a couple of

00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:04.259
different ways. One is, he could be saying, look,

00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:06.800
some of you are Christians and you've experienced,

00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:09.219
you've received the Holy Spirit, you've received

00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:12.479
God's grace. You know what it means to be forgiven

00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.560
of your sins and you are in danger of falling

00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:18.330
away. That's one way that we could look at this,

00:03:18.349 --> 00:03:21.090
that possibly there are some who are committing

00:03:21.090 --> 00:03:23.449
apostasy, and there are some Christians who would

00:03:23.449 --> 00:03:27.430
view that verse with this interpretation. Another

00:03:27.430 --> 00:03:29.949
way that we could interpret it, and there's Christians

00:03:29.949 --> 00:03:32.689
that interpret it this way as well, is that the

00:03:32.689 --> 00:03:35.129
people have heard of the grace of God, they've

00:03:35.129 --> 00:03:37.770
listened to the Word, but they haven't really

00:03:37.770 --> 00:03:40.750
accepted God's grace. That the kingdom of God

00:03:40.750 --> 00:03:43.449
has come near, as Jesus would say, and they've

00:03:43.449 --> 00:03:45.569
heard the good news, and they've heard the teachings

00:03:45.569 --> 00:03:48.430
of God, Paul, and they know about Jesus Christ,

00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:51.150
and even though they've heard of the grace of

00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:55.389
Jesus Christ, they are not accepting it. So it's

00:03:55.389 --> 00:03:58.770
come by, but they've missed the bus, so to speak.

00:03:59.409 --> 00:04:03.370
But Paul says here, don't receive God's grace

00:04:03.370 --> 00:04:07.050
in vain. So if we come and we read God's word,

00:04:07.189 --> 00:04:09.870
and we hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, that

00:04:09.870 --> 00:04:13.349
is this, that Jesus Christ is the one and only

00:04:13.349 --> 00:04:16.720
Son of God. That all things were created through

00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.819
him, by him, for him, and nothing exists apart

00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:24.360
from him. And we are sinners, and we are on this

00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.759
world, and we are in our sin, and we are doomed

00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:30.879
to death because of our sin. Separation from

00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.399
God because of our sin. And God sent his only

00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:37.779
son, Jesus Christ, to this wretched old earth.

00:04:37.860 --> 00:04:41.879
And Jesus came freely to be a sacrifice for us.

00:04:42.540 --> 00:04:44.920
That Jesus would give his life on a cross so

00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:47.680
that we could be forgiven. So that he would suffer

00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.779
the punishment that you and I deserve. So that

00:04:50.779 --> 00:04:54.319
you and I can experience the righteousness that

00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:57.759
only Jesus Christ deserves. This is the gospel.

00:04:57.819 --> 00:05:00.300
This is the good news. That Jesus did that for

00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:04.379
us. That Jesus died on that cross. He died completely

00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:08.779
sinless. He was a man who did not sin. And so

00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:12.860
therefore he can stand up for you. We're men

00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:16.819
and women who do sin. We sin repeatedly, probably

00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:20.620
repeatedly every day. But Jesus was perfect in

00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:23.360
every way, and therefore he can be a perfect

00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:28.120
sacrifice to cover our sins. And Jesus was raised

00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:31.220
from the dead. Three days after he was placed

00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:34.980
in the grave, God raised him from the dead. Jesus

00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:38.360
is victorious over death. And so when we trust

00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:42.329
in Jesus Christ, we too. are victorious over

00:05:42.329 --> 00:05:45.430
death. This is the gospel. This is the good news.

00:05:45.550 --> 00:05:48.470
This is the grace of God that as wretched as

00:05:48.470 --> 00:05:52.149
we are, as rotten as we are, that there is nothing

00:05:52.149 --> 00:05:55.870
that we can do to earn God's love. There's nothing

00:05:55.870 --> 00:05:58.930
that we do to deserve God's love. But God says,

00:05:58.949 --> 00:06:01.449
I love you anyway, and if you would just come

00:06:01.449 --> 00:06:04.889
to me and seek me and live for me instead of

00:06:04.889 --> 00:06:08.089
yourself and put faith in me and trust in my

00:06:08.089 --> 00:06:11.529
son and allow his sacrifice to cover your sins,

00:06:11.730 --> 00:06:15.250
I'll give you grace. I'll give you what you don't

00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:18.680
deserve. I'll take you from the claws of death

00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:22.839
and I will bring you into eternal life. That

00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:25.420
is the grace of God that there is nothing that

00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:28.339
we can do to earn it, but that God gives it to

00:06:28.339 --> 00:06:32.800
us freely. But even though it's free for us,

00:06:32.819 --> 00:06:35.379
it was not free. There's nothing that's free.

00:06:35.459 --> 00:06:38.959
Everything costs someone something. And the freedom

00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:41.720
that we have to receive the grace of God comes

00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:46.259
through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So God's

00:06:46.259 --> 00:06:51.379
grace came at a great cost, but he paid the price.

00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:55.399
This is the good news. This is the gospel of

00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:58.120
Jesus Christ. This is why we have hope today.

00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:01.759
And what does Paul say? He says, don't receive

00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:05.209
God's grace in vain. If you hear that message

00:07:05.209 --> 00:07:08.470
tonight and you have not trusted in Jesus Christ,

00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:10.850
then you need to know that there is hope and

00:07:10.850 --> 00:07:13.350
that there is help in this world and it only

00:07:13.350 --> 00:07:15.569
comes from the grace of God. That's the only

00:07:15.569 --> 00:07:19.430
way that we can make it through our lives. Our

00:07:19.430 --> 00:07:24.689
lives are so difficult, but God's grace is sufficient.

00:07:25.589 --> 00:07:28.629
Power is perfected in weakness, as we'll see

00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:32.269
in a few chapters. But God's grace is sufficient

00:07:32.269 --> 00:07:35.629
for us. And all that we go through, no matter

00:07:35.629 --> 00:07:37.810
what struggles we may have and what pains we

00:07:37.810 --> 00:07:40.089
may have and what fears we may have and what

00:07:40.089 --> 00:07:43.790
worries we may have, God's grace will get us

00:07:43.790 --> 00:07:47.329
through it. He'll give us the strength. We cannot

00:07:47.329 --> 00:07:50.310
get through this life apart from God's grace.

00:07:50.449 --> 00:07:51.930
There are a lot of people that try, and man,

00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:55.610
it's miserable. You're miserable trying to live

00:07:55.610 --> 00:07:57.769
in this life apart from God's grace. But man,

00:07:57.930 --> 00:08:01.589
it is so reassuring and so uplifting when we

00:08:01.589 --> 00:08:04.939
can read the Word of God. We can come together

00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:07.000
as brothers and sisters in Christ and encourage

00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:11.199
one another and lift one another up to live in

00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.759
the grace of God and be strengthened by the grace

00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:17.519
of God. So Paul says, don't receive God's grace

00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:20.560
in vain. If you hear the message of Jesus Christ,

00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:23.579
you need to accept it. If you've accepted the

00:08:23.579 --> 00:08:26.379
message of Jesus Christ, then you need to live

00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:28.879
like you've accepted the message of Jesus Christ.

00:08:29.470 --> 00:08:32.750
If you've experienced the grace of God, it should

00:08:32.750 --> 00:08:36.490
change your life. When you look back at all the

00:08:36.490 --> 00:08:40.009
things that you've done, you can think real quick,

00:08:40.049 --> 00:08:42.330
you could fill up a page in a notebook, real

00:08:42.330 --> 00:08:44.750
quick, with just the things probably you've done

00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:46.789
in the last week. It would not take you long

00:08:46.789 --> 00:08:50.679
to fill up a page of all your sins. And you start

00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:52.580
going back through your lifetime, and you could

00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:55.320
write from now until you died, and you wouldn't

00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:57.240
be able to write down all of your sins, some

00:08:57.240 --> 00:08:59.440
of which are horrible things that you don't even

00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:02.039
want to think about, that you cringe thinking,

00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:04.600
what if somebody in there finds out what I've

00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:07.700
done? I'm talking about we've done some seriously

00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:12.600
rotten and evil things. But if we've come to

00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:14.440
Jesus Christ, and we've asked God to forgive

00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:17.929
us, and we've placed our faith in Him, God has

00:09:17.929 --> 00:09:20.950
forgiven our sins, praise the Lord. That's good

00:09:20.950 --> 00:09:24.509
news. Now, if we've been forgiven of all of our

00:09:24.509 --> 00:09:27.570
sins by the grace of God, if we've experienced

00:09:27.570 --> 00:09:31.169
the love of God through Jesus Christ, then how

00:09:31.169 --> 00:09:35.610
in the world can that not change us? How can

00:09:35.610 --> 00:09:37.610
we see people in need and not have compassion

00:09:37.610 --> 00:09:39.669
when we have received the compassion of Jesus

00:09:39.669 --> 00:09:44.350
Christ? How can we see people who have sinned

00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.179
and not strive to love them, knowing that we,

00:09:47.299 --> 00:09:51.659
as great sinners, have been loved by God. How

00:09:51.659 --> 00:09:54.379
can we accept grace but not give grace to others?

00:09:55.159 --> 00:09:58.259
How can we ask God daily for His grace, but yet

00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:01.039
when people do something to us, we refuse to

00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:03.279
give them any mercy, we refuse to give them any

00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:06.200
grace, and we are quick to pass judgment on them.

00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:11.700
But is that what God has done to us? So if we

00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:16.059
say we've received the grace of God, but our

00:10:16.059 --> 00:10:19.460
life doesn't reflect the example of the way Jesus

00:10:19.460 --> 00:10:22.940
lived, then maybe we haven't experienced the

00:10:22.940 --> 00:10:26.240
grace of God. Maybe we say we have. Maybe we

00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:30.740
think we have. But maybe we are guilty of receiving

00:10:30.740 --> 00:10:34.740
God's grace in vain. Maybe you really have received

00:10:34.740 --> 00:10:37.240
it. Maybe you haven't really understood. Maybe

00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.639
you need to understand tonight that if you've

00:10:39.639 --> 00:10:42.220
received the grace of God, it should change who

00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:46.279
you are and how you act. And if you can go through

00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:48.279
this world and not have compassion on people,

00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:52.960
and not love people, and not give people grace,

00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:57.259
then there's a really good chance that you have

00:10:57.259 --> 00:11:01.960
not experienced the grace of God. So Paul says,

00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:05.159
look. He says, we're working here alongside God.

00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:07.519
We are working to serve God. We are working to

00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:10.559
get out the gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ.

00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:13.539
And therefore, when you hear that message, don't

00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:16.159
miss Jesus Christ. And when you receive that

00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:18.600
grace, then let it transform your life and who

00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:22.220
you are. Listen to what he says in verse 2. For

00:11:22.220 --> 00:11:26.000
he says, I heard you in an acceptable time, and

00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:30.139
I helped you in the day of salvation. Look, now

00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:35.049
is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation.

00:11:35.309 --> 00:11:38.389
Now that's a quotation there from Isaiah 49,

00:11:38.690 --> 00:11:41.809
verse 6. That's where that comes from. And you

00:11:41.809 --> 00:11:43.889
can read that section of Isaiah. It talks about

00:11:43.889 --> 00:11:49.419
the suffering servant. the Jewish people would

00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:51.419
interpret those passages totally different because

00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:53.779
they don't believe in Jesus. But it's very clear

00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:56.519
to the Christian that when you read in Isaiah

00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:59.600
chapter 49 through about chapter 53 and maybe

00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:01.860
a little further, I'm not sure, but those chapters

00:12:01.860 --> 00:12:04.840
in that area talk about the suffering servant.

00:12:05.529 --> 00:12:08.029
And it's pretty clear, as you continue to read

00:12:08.029 --> 00:12:11.049
those chapters, that it's talking about Jesus.

00:12:11.309 --> 00:12:14.210
Now, Isaiah was written at a time when God's

00:12:14.210 --> 00:12:17.210
people were in captivity in Babylon, but God

00:12:17.210 --> 00:12:19.610
was promising that He was going to deliver them

00:12:19.610 --> 00:12:22.470
and was going to restore the nation of Israel.

00:12:22.889 --> 00:12:24.990
And he did. They were in captivity for about

00:12:24.990 --> 00:12:27.950
70 years, and God did exactly what he said he

00:12:27.950 --> 00:12:29.789
was going to do through the prophets. We see

00:12:29.789 --> 00:12:32.269
many of these prophecies in the Old Testament

00:12:32.269 --> 00:12:34.429
that talk about Israel was going to be restored

00:12:34.429 --> 00:12:37.210
to the land, and they were. After they got out

00:12:37.210 --> 00:12:39.789
of the Babylonian captivity, they were restored

00:12:39.789 --> 00:12:42.210
to the land, and they did return to Jerusalem,

00:12:42.389 --> 00:12:45.029
and they did rebuild the temple. All the things

00:12:45.029 --> 00:12:48.169
that were prophesied occurred when God brought

00:12:48.169 --> 00:12:52.200
his people back from Babylon. But this... Passage

00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:54.259
in Isaiah is pointing us forward to something

00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:56.879
much bigger than God's people simply being returned

00:12:56.879 --> 00:13:01.399
to the land after the Babylonian captivity. It's

00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:04.919
pointing forward to a servant. The language doesn't

00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:08.379
fit Israel there. It talks about Jesus Christ.

00:13:08.990 --> 00:13:11.570
And we know it talks about Jesus Christ. One

00:13:11.570 --> 00:13:13.909
reason, because Paul tells us that this passage

00:13:13.909 --> 00:13:17.070
here, he's telling us that this salvation that's

00:13:17.070 --> 00:13:20.789
being talked about in Isaiah 49 has come through

00:13:20.789 --> 00:13:23.509
Jesus Christ. It's not something that will come

00:13:23.509 --> 00:13:25.889
later. It's not something that will come through

00:13:25.889 --> 00:13:28.769
Israel. It's something that comes through Jesus

00:13:28.769 --> 00:13:31.750
Christ. God restored his people to the land,

00:13:31.870 --> 00:13:33.909
but God says there's going to be something even

00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:36.470
better coming down the road. And years and years

00:13:36.470 --> 00:13:39.580
after Israel were restored, their land, the Messiah

00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:42.840
came onto the scene. The Messiah was prophesied,

00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:44.679
and there were some who were looking forward

00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:46.820
to the Messiah, and there were others who were

00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:50.820
not. There's still plenty of Jews today. The

00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:53.399
vast majority of them are still looking for the

00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:56.200
Messiah. If only they would read the Word of

00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:59.179
God. If only they would read the words of Paul.

00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:02.580
If only they would see passages like these that

00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:05.940
tell us that Jesus Christ has come, the Messiah

00:14:05.940 --> 00:14:09.700
has come, the Savior has come, and salvation

00:14:09.700 --> 00:14:13.379
has come in Him. There are a lot of people in

00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:15.179
this world looking for a Savior. They're looking

00:14:15.179 --> 00:14:18.399
for salvation in some way. And they come up empty

00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.159
all the time because they're looking for a Savior

00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:24.460
in the wrong spot. They're looking for something

00:14:24.460 --> 00:14:27.419
or someone else to be their Messiah. When the

00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:30.639
Bible tells us that the Messiah is Jesus Christ,

00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:33.019
and He has come, and He has conquered death,

00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:35.700
and He has conquered sin, and He is seated at

00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:38.580
the right hand of God. That's what the Scripture

00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:42.820
tells us. And in verse 2, this quotation, I heard

00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:45.779
you in an acceptable time. Okay, this is God

00:14:45.779 --> 00:14:49.039
speaking here. He's speaking to his people. He

00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:51.620
wants his people to know that, look, when you

00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:53.820
call out to me, I'm going to hear you. When the

00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:56.480
time is right, in an acceptable time, when you

00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:58.139
seek me, I'm going to hear you and I'm going

00:14:58.139 --> 00:15:00.659
to restore you. That was his promise to his people,

00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:03.220
Israel. And he fulfilled that promise, but he

00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:05.740
alludes to an even bigger promise that was coming

00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:08.460
through Jesus Christ. I heard you in an acceptable

00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:11.720
time and I helped you in the day of salvation.

00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:15.000
All right, he's talking about a day of salvation.

00:15:15.610 --> 00:15:17.509
Now certainly there was deliverance in the Old

00:15:17.509 --> 00:15:20.190
Testament, but there was a bigger deliverance.

00:15:20.350 --> 00:15:22.370
He's talking about a day of salvation. And what

00:15:22.370 --> 00:15:25.789
does Paul say? He says, look, now is the acceptable

00:15:25.789 --> 00:15:30.929
time. Now is the day of salvation. It's not a

00:15:30.929 --> 00:15:32.970
salvation that's coming in the future. It's a

00:15:32.970 --> 00:15:35.629
salvation that has come through Jesus Christ.

00:15:36.190 --> 00:15:38.529
Today is the day of salvation. Brother Ernie,

00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:40.269
I've heard him say that a hundred times in my

00:15:40.269 --> 00:15:42.490
life. Y 'all have too. He used to quote this

00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:45.659
all the time. He used to always say, today is

00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:50.059
the day of salvation. And it's true. Every time

00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:52.980
we hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, every time

00:15:52.980 --> 00:15:56.740
we hear of God's grace, every time the kingdom

00:15:56.740 --> 00:16:00.480
of God comes near, today is the day of salvation.

00:16:01.059 --> 00:16:03.200
Maybe for some of you in this church tonight.

00:16:03.580 --> 00:16:06.019
Maybe for some of you listening online tonight.

00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:09.379
Today is the day of salvation. You've seen the

00:16:09.379 --> 00:16:11.480
grace of God. You've got close to the kingdom

00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:14.610
of God. And maybe you've been taking the grace

00:16:14.610 --> 00:16:17.909
of God in vain your whole life. But maybe for

00:16:17.909 --> 00:16:20.830
you, today is the day of salvation. That if you

00:16:20.830 --> 00:16:23.250
would just call out to the Lord today, that you

00:16:23.250 --> 00:16:26.870
would be restored today. That your sins would

00:16:26.870 --> 00:16:30.529
be forgiven today. If we would only confess our

00:16:30.529 --> 00:16:34.529
sins to the Lord. He is faithful to forgive us

00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:38.029
of our sins through the precious blood of Jesus

00:16:38.029 --> 00:16:41.879
Christ. The grace of God has come through Jesus

00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:47.179
Christ. Today is the day of salvation. If you

00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:49.840
don't know Him, you can put your faith and trust

00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:53.200
in Him right now. Let's pray. God, we come to

00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:56.240
You. We thank You for Your good words. We thank

00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.039
You for Your love. We thank You for Your grace

00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:00.340
that comes through Jesus Christ. And God, I pray

00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:03.960
that if there is one that does not know Jesus

00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:06.700
Christ, that in this moment that they would ask

00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:09.400
You now to forgive them. that they would just

00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:12.400
simply confess their sins, dear Lord. They know

00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:14.099
what they are, that they would confess them to

00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:16.759
you, that they would repent, God, that right

00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:20.380
now that they would turn from those sins, that

00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:22.799
they would seek to follow your word and to follow

00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:27.400
Jesus Christ, to let Jesus be the king of their

00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:29.940
life, that they would stop trying to do it on

00:17:29.940 --> 00:17:32.599
their own, but that they would trust Jesus, that

00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:34.460
they would place their faith in him, dear Lord.

00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:37.650
That they would allow Him to be their Savior

00:17:37.650 --> 00:17:42.049
today. That today they would find salvation.

00:17:42.569 --> 00:17:45.289
Today they would find joy. Today they would experience

00:17:45.289 --> 00:17:48.849
grace. A grace that would transform their life.

00:17:49.809 --> 00:17:52.089
God, I pray that if there's any that's prayed

00:17:52.089 --> 00:17:53.769
that prayer and made that commitment, that they

00:17:53.769 --> 00:17:56.450
would just grab me later, call me later, text

00:17:56.450 --> 00:17:58.710
me later, dear Lord. Reach out online later and

00:17:58.710 --> 00:18:01.150
let us know about that good news, dear Lord,

00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:05.039
that we can rejoice with them. God, maybe there

00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:07.180
are some in here today and they know your grace,

00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.819
but they haven't been living it. They've experienced

00:18:11.819 --> 00:18:13.980
it, but maybe they have not been gracious and

00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:16.140
compassionate and loving to others. And I pray,

00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:18.859
dear Lord, that you would forgive us when we

00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:23.880
fall into that trap. I pray that your grace would

00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:27.200
transform us. I pray that we would not hear your

00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:29.599
grace and let it pass us by, that we would not

00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:33.000
experience your grace and not let us... Transform

00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:36.119
us, dear Lord. Don't let us be those who take

00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:41.359
your grace in vain. But let us be those that

00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:45.059
your grace transforms into the men and women

00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:46.819
you want us to be that love you and that seek

00:18:46.819 --> 00:18:49.700
you and that serve you. I pray, dear Lord, that

00:18:49.700 --> 00:18:52.279
if there are any that are here that don't know

00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:55.779
Jesus Christ, they would know that there is hope

00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:59.099
and it's available today because today is the

00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:01.859
day of salvation. God, we thank you for these

00:19:01.859 --> 00:19:05.019
words, and I ask these things in Jesus Christ's

00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.039
name. Amen.