THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS

SERMONS FOR EDIFICATION

GOD'S GREAT DELIVERANCE

TEXT: 2Corinthians 1:8-11

INTRODUCTION:

Do you ever just pause to think about how God SAVED you?
Isn't it wonderful to just REFLECT on how God, in His mercy, extended to you and to me, His Holy Spirit into our hearts?
God FORMS man, sin DEFORMS him, the schools INFORM him, but only Jesus
Christ can TRANSFORM him!!

I heard about a man who was a retired pastor and went to a church to
teach a winter Bible study. The retired pastor was a very well known
man. But the pastor had forgotten to announce the Bible study and only a
few people showed up. The retired pastor asked, "Did you announce I was
coming?" The local pastor admitted, "No sir. I forgot. But the news
leaked out some!"

Jesus Christ has come and paid the price of our redemption. He has promised
to come again. This is the BEST NEWS the world has ever known! Are we
ANNOUNCING it and proclaiming it? Or is it just "leaking out some?"

Today, maybe you've heard and answered the call of Christ to be saved. Your
joy is full just to remember, as Paul did in our text, the GREATNESS of God's
salvation.

Maybe you're here today, and have never answered God's call to be saved.
If so, PLEASE LISTEN! God has a GREAT DELIVERANCE!

TEXT "For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which
came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength,
insomuch that we despaired even of life:
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust
in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
Who delievered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in Whom we trust
that He will yet deliver us;
Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon
us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf."

We have the "sentence of death" in us because of SIN. Paul, in our text is talking
about having the sentence of death because of doing God's work. But ALL of us
have the sentence of death uupon us because of SIN.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23)

However, God, Who is rich in MERCY toward us, decided to make a sacrifice
in order to forgive us.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own
way; and the LORD hath lain in HIM the iniquity of us all."

Jesus Christ died on the cross as that sacrifice for our sins.

He laid down His life and said, "Father forgive them..."
It's amazing to me that even though God KNEW us, and KNEW our sin, He STILL wanted
to show us His willingness to forgive!
"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Look with me now at verse 10 of our text. You'll see 3 verb tenses used in
relation to our salvation.

1 - Who DELIVERED
2 - DOTH Deliver
3 - Will YET Deliver

I. WHO DELIVERED

  1. If you are saved, you know the joy of the forgiveness
    of past sins.
  2. The joy of God's NEW CREATION (2Cor. 5:17)
  3. The joy of God's CONTINUED forgiveness (1John 1:9)


II. WHO DOTH DELIVER

  1. If you are saved, you know the joy of God's GUIDANCE in
    your life.
  2.   ILLUS -- A young boy and his mother stopped at a roadside restaurant for a quick sandwich before church. He didn't eat all of his, and put half of it in his pocket. When they got to church, the preacher was talking about God always being present and seeing everything. The little boy was listening closely. Soon, he put his hand down in his pocket, and said, "God, if you are here, PLEASE don't eat my sandwich!"
  3. God IS always with us!
  4.  In every trial, in every difficulty, in every temptation, Christ is with those who have committed to Him.
  5.   As we do what He has commanded, He PROMISES His presence!
    ((Matthew 28:18-20))

III. WILL YET DELIVER

  1.   What a great and wonderful DELIVERY believers have YET TO SEE!!
  2.   If you believe the RAPTURE, as I do, then you're looking FORWARD to that delivery ANYTIME!!
  3.   Whether you believe the rapture or NOT -- Christ IS COMING AGAIN!
    THAT's a fact the Bible states over and over again.
    ((1Thess. 4:13-18, 1Cor. 15:51-57, Rev. 20:1-6))
    Jesus will come and reign on this earth for 1,000 years!
    He IS COMING AGAIN!!
  4.   He then is going to deliver us from SIN and all the RESULTS of sin!
    He then is going to put incorruptibility and immortality in THESE bodies!
    He then will be KNOWN by us even as WE are known by Him today! (1Cor. 13:12)
  5.   And FURTHERMORE Jesus will deliver us even MORE SECURELY after the 1,000 year reign on eath.
    He will deliver us into ETERNITY in the place called HEAVEN - the NEW JERUSALEM!
    It will be a place where there is no sickness, no sorrow and no death - because there will be NO SIN!

CONCLUSION:

OH! FRIENDS!! I'm looking FORWARD to that day! Are YOU?
One day, whether I die first, or Jesus comes in the clouds with glory first,
I will live with Him FOREVER in that place called Heaven.

And it's not because of anything I've done, but all by grace and for His
GLORY! He sought me, He bought me, and He will DELIVER me!

Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

INVITATION:

What about YOU tonight? Can you HONESTLY say that you are looking forward to Jesus' coming?

If you have not surrendered your life to Him and begged His forgiveness, the prospect of Him coming should cause you to be FEARFUL!

He IS coming again! The Bible has NEVER been proven wrong!! ALL of God's promises are "yea and amen!"

He WILL come! It could be today. Or you could die and go out into eternity tonight!

Life is brief and uncertain!

If you've never asked Jesus to forgive you and save you, do that RIGHT NOW!!!

Come down that aisle today during the invitation and give your life to Jesus. THEN you can have that JOY of looking FORWARD to His coming again!