THE WITNESS AND HIS FAITH AND CONVICTIONS

#624                                      THE WITNESS AND HIS FAITH AND CONVICTIONS                                                             

Scripture  John 1:12                                                                                                                                                  2/11/1976

Passage: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.”

I.             Why We Have Come to Believe as We Do.

                Because of our enduring need.  (1) Someone said, “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God”—we believe ourselves to be.  (2) What the whole world is looking for we have found: “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (3) We came to despair in  the atonement of human worth; Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

                Because of the working out of the great promises from God.  (1) That God can accomplish great victories through us.  Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the Lord.  Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”  2 Timothy 1:12 “I . . .am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed unto Him.”  (2) That Jesus is the only enduring hope for people such as we. Matthew 14—Peter walked on the water until he took his eyes off Jesus.  Hebrews 12:2—"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

II.            What We Need to Believe. 

• The deity of Christ. (1) Divine authority—“As the  Father hath sent Me, so send I you,” John 20:21.  (2) Virgin birth, “And the virgin’s name was Mary,” Luke 1:27. (3) The personification of God, “The express image of His person,” Hebrews 1:3.
• Salvation through the blood of Christ.  We will not be disappointed if God saves some other way. (1) Old Testament prophecies: “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him,” Isaiah 53:5.  (2) New Testament identification: “Who bare our sins in His own body,” I Peter 2:24. “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,” Revelations 1:5.
• That such salvation comes only by grace, without works. (1) “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8. (2) “Not by works of righteousness, which we have done,” Titus 3:5.
• Man’s sin nature, and his resultant lostness.  (1) Ephesians 2:3, “by nature the children of wrath.” (2) John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil.”  (3) Psalm 51:5, “In sin my mother conceived me.”      
• Inspiration of the Word.
• Obligation to witness.   
• Jesus’ return.    
• The Holy Spirit.