EVERYONE WHO HEARS THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS GIVEN AN INVITATION. ALL PEOPLE ON EARTH WHO ARE PRIVILEGED TO HEAR THE WORDS OF THE CRUCIFIED AND RISEN SAVIOR IS INVITED BY HIM TO BE BLESSED BEYOND ANY POSSIBLE GIFT EVER GIVEN TO MANKIND. LISTEN TO JESUS. THESE ARE HIS VERY WORDS. THEY ARE RECORDED FOR US IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
SPEAKING TO A RELIGIOUS LEADER NAMED, NICODEMUS, JESUS SAID: “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. FOR GOD DID NOT SEND THE SON INTO THE WORLD TO JUDGE THE WORLD, BUT THAT THE WORLD SHOULD BE SAVED THROUGH HIM.” JOHN 3:16-17.
DID YOU TAKE NOTICE THAT JESUS SAID GOD SENT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD SO THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES? THAT MAKES HIS INVITATION UNIVERSAL. IT IS GIVEN TO EVERY PERSON OF EVERY NATION. NO RACE, CREED OR LANGUAGE PREVENTS ANY INDIVIDUAL FROM RECEIVING IT. IT DOES NOT MATTER ONE’S AGE OR SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS. THE LORD’S INVITATION IS NOT BASED UPON WHETHER ONE IS A GOD-FEARING MORAL PERSON , LIVING IN GOOD CONSCIENCE OF DOING WHAT IS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD AND MAN OR IF ONE IS LIVING A SELFISH, UNGODLY LIFE WITHOUT REGARD TO RIGHT AND WRONG. EVERYONE IS ON AN EQUAL PLANE. THE INVITATION IS OFFERED.
ANOTHER POINT FROM THE INVITATION IN JOHN 3:16-17 IS THAT IT SAYS GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD. HIS LOVE IS NOT SELECTIVE IN ANY WAY. THE CREATOR LOVES HIS CREATION. HE MADE MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT WHEN HE CREATED MAN HE SAID, “LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, ACCORDING TO OUR LIKENESS.” A PART OF THE NATURE OF THE DESIGNER AND CREATOR OF EVERYTYHING WE SEE AND KNOW HAS BEEN PLACED UPON MANKIND. “GOD FORMED MAN OUT OF THE DUST OF THE EARTH AND THEN BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE; AND MAN BECAME A LIVING BEING OR SOUL”. NOTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION WAS MADE IN SUCH A FASHION. PLEASE NOTE THAT IN THE BEGINNING NOTHING IDENTIFIED MAN MORE THAN THE IMAGE OF GOD UPON HIM.
THE WHOEVER INCLUDED MEN AND WOMEN. THE CREATION RECORD TELLS HOW GOD MADE MAN BOTH MALE AND FEMALE. THIS WAS THE ONLY DISTINGUISHING DIFFERENCE WITHIN MANKIND. GOD MADE ADAM AND THEN FORMED EVE OUT OF THE RIB TAKEN FROM ADAM’S SIDE. GOD THEN UNITED THEM AS HUSBAND AND WIFE. IN THEIR UNION TOGETHER THEY MET EACH OTHER’S NEEDS.
RETURNING TO THE INVITATION FOR EVERYONE IN THE WORLD, WE BECOME AWARE OF THE FALLEN NATURE OF MAN. SIN SEPARATED MAN FROM THE PERFECT RELATIONSHIP MADE BY GOD IN THE BEGINNING. GOD OFFERS THE INVITATION TO PREVENT THE SOUL FROM PERISHING. BECAUSE OF SIN WE LIVE UNDER THE CURSE AND CONDMENATION OF IT. GENESIS RECORDS HOW SIN ENTERED INTO THE LIVES OF BOTH EVE AND ADAM. IT RECORDS THE CURSE OF DEATH. THEY WERE BANISHED FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN, FORBIDDEN TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE TREE OF LIFE, DEATH WOULD THEN COME TO MANKIND.
THE INVITATION IS OFFERED TO PROVIDE A VICTORY OVER DEATH. SINCE NO ONE WILL ESCAPE DEATH AND JUDGMENT; GOD IN HIS RICH MERCY HAS OFFERED EVERY LIVING SOUL OPPORTUNITY TO BE SAVED AND TO LIVE FOREVER.
THE APOSTLE PAUL SHARES THESE INSPIRED WORDS ABOUT GOD’S PROVISION: EPH. 2:1-5, “AND YOU WERE DEAD IN YOUR TRESSPASSES AND SINS, IN WHICH YOU FORMERLY WALKED ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD, ACCORDING TO THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR, OF THE SPIRIT THAT IS NOW WORKING IN THE SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE. AMONG THEM WE TOO ALL FORMERLY LIVED IN THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH, INDULGING THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH AND OF THE MIND, AND WERE BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, EVEN AS THE REST. BUT GOD, BEING RICH IN MERCY, BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE WITH WHICH HE LOVED US, EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST….”
THE APSOTLE GOES ON TO SHARE IN THAT TEXT THAT WE ACCESS GOD’S GRACE THROUGH FAITH. SO, BACK TO OUR TEXT THAT DECLARES THAT EVERYONE, NO MATTER WHO WE ARE, IS INVITED TO RECEIVE GOD’S MERCY. IT ISN’T SOMETHING ANYONE DESRVES. IF IT WERE SOMETHING THAT WE DESERVED IT WOULD NOT BE AN ACT OF MERCY. GOD’S INVITATION IS AN ACT OF MERCY FOR EVERYONE.
THERE IS A CONDITION STATED IN THIS INVITATION. NO ONE, NO MATTER WHO WE ARE, WILL BE SAVED FROM PERISHING WITHOUT FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. WE MUST BELIEVE. LET ME DEFINE THIS FAITH BY ASKING: BELIEVE WHAT? ONCE AGAIN WE RETURN TO OUR TEXT OF JOHN 3:16-17. NICODEMUS IS FURTHER TOLD IN VERSE 18, “HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM(THAT IS JESUS—THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD—) IS NOT JUDGED; HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IN HIM HAS BEEN JUDGED ALREADY, BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD.”
YOU SEE, THE ONLY SEPARATION IN GOD’S EYES IS BASED UPON WHTHER ONE BELIEVES IN HIS SON OR DOES NOT BELIEVE. TO MAKE CLEAR THAT THIS FAITH IS FAR MORE THAN SIMPLY BELIEVING THE LORD’S CLAIM , WE READ THE FOLLOWING VERSES ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE SEPARATED FROM EITHER PERISHING OR HAVING ETERNAL LIFE: “THIS IS THE JUDGMENT, THAT THE LIGHT IS COME INTO THE WORLD, AND MEN LOVED THE DARKNESS RATHER THAN THE LIGHT; FOR THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL. FOR EVERYONE WHO DOES EVIL HATES THE LIGHT, AND DOES NOT COME TO THE LIGHT, LEST HIS DEEDS SHOULD BE EXPOSED. BUT HE WHO PRACTICES THE TRUTH COMES TO THE LIGHT, THAT HIS DEEDS MAY BE MANIFESTED AS HAVING BE WROUGHT IN GOD.” THIS TELLS OF HOW OUR FAITH BRINGS US INTO HARMONY WITH THE TEACHINGS OF TRUTH JESUS HAS BROUGHT.
THIS MESSAGE TODAY IS TO HELP EVERYONE KNOW YOU HAVE AN INVITATION FROM GOD TO LAY HOLD OF ETERNAL LIFE BY BELIEVING IN JESUS HIS SON. FOR EVERYONE READING THIS WHO HAVE ACCEPTED THE INVITATION BY GIVING YOUR HEART, MIND AND SOUL TO JESUS; THEN REJOICE IN THE HOPE YOU NOW HAVE IN THE ETERNAL HOME OF YOUR SOUL.
FOR ANYONE LEARNING ABOUT THIS INVITATION WHO HAS NOT OBEYED THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST BY FAITH LEADING TO REPENTANCE AND A SURRENDER TO BAPTISM IN THE LORD’S NAME FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS; CONSIDER THIS MESSAGE ANOTHER INVITATION TO YOU. WE WILL BE PRAYING AND HOPING THAT YOU WILL COME IN FAITH TO THE SAVING OF YOUR SOUL.
GOD HAS SENT JESUS TO SAVE YOU.
Max Pratt
325-718-9987
ninthstcoc@gmail.com
