JERSEY-BARKER

The fact of the matter is heaven is glorious because of Christ. But he also wants you to know that heaven is glorious because of his people, because of not what they are inherently by
themselves, but what he has made them to be.

Before we go to our text I want to summarize a few of the things we have gone through so far this week. First, we started out dealing with the evidences of true conversion. We live in a day and age in Christianity where everyone in America believes they are saved because one time in their life they prayed a prayer and asked Jesus to come into their heart.

Today we are going to look at … it was actually prompted yesterday while I was working on the yard I was also listening to a preacher on the radio. And it struck my attention that when he began the sermon he says:

To take God seriously means to take His Word seriously. If a person speaks to us, but we ignore—or even reject—much of what he says to us, we certainly are not taking him seriously. In fact, we are guilty of disrespect. The same applies to God.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we find ourselves caught up in a conflict that spans both heaven and earth. The forces that confront us are “persons without bodies”—evil spiritual powers in the unseen realm that oppose all true righteousness and seek to establish Satan’s dominion over the whole world.

Many people started out as disciples of Jesus, but only twelve continued steadfastly with Him to the end, and they alone were counted worthy to reign with Him over Israel.1 “For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” (2 Tim. 2:11–12a) If we are to share Christ’s exaltation, we must first share His death and then continue steadfast to the end through many trials.

As American Christians, we are confronted by a grim, undeniable fact: our nation has come under the judgment of God. For this there are many reasons, but they can be summed up in one simple statement: We have committed the sin for which Esau was rejected—we have despised our [...]

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. Titus 3:8.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Proverbs 18:9.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Ecclesiastes 9:10.

The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Jesus left the believers the authority to use His name to continue doing His work. He gave to every man his work. That means we each have a work to do!

Yes, all that I have said can be expressed in one simple instruction: To keep your deliverance, all you have to do is live the Christian life as it is depicted and demonstrated in the New Testament. That is the distillation of how to keep your deliverance-but it is radical!

Now that you are wearing your garment of praise, God offers you a complete set of armor to put on over it. In case you have not yet realized it, you are a soldier in a war. You need all the armor God has provided for you.

There were two phases in Israel’s salvation. First, in Egypt they were saved from God’s judgment by faith in the blood of the Passover lamb, which was a type of Christ. Second, they were delivered from Egypt by passing through the Red Sea.

As the Holy Spirit fills you continuously in this way, demons will find in you no vacant area that they can occupy!

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more you see the Day approaching.”

In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul says God has given us “a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (NIV). This is the primary form of discipline in any life-self discipline. Unless we learn to discipline ourselves, no other form of discipline will be effective.

Many other influences will compete for control over us: our own feelings, the opinions of others, accepted traditions, the culture that surrounds us. But God guarantees us victory in every area-and specifically, victory over the devil-only insofar as our lives are directed and controlled by His Word.