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
II. WHO DOTH DELIVER
III. WILL YET DELIVER
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!