Children Of The World Choir at Cypress Church

As part of its 2008-2009 U.S. tour, World Help presents Children of the World. This choir, comprised of orphaned and disadvantaged children from several different countries, will be performing at Cypress Church on Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 8:45am and 10:30am.

Their high-energy and inspiring program will feature several songs, in both English and native dialects, as well as stirring personal testimonies. The children have performed in such venues as Focus on the Family, Brooklyn Tabernacle, Crystal Cathedral and Disney World.

Children of the World represents millions of innocent hurting children who are suffering needlessly as a result of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Their purpose is to generate compassion and inspire individuals to get involved in helping over 15 million children who have been orphaned and their lives drastically impacted by AIDS. A special video presentation will take you into the heart of this crisis and show you how to make a difference.

Cypress Church serves all of northern Orange County including the cities of Buena Park, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Garden Grove, La Palma and Cypress. The church campus is located at 6143 Ball Road just east of Valley View. For additional information call (714) 952-3001 or email: steven@cypresschurch.net

The event web site is: http://cypress.church.events.googlepages.com/childrenoftheworldchoir

New Online Showroom

We have developed an affiliate relationship with Amazon.com. You can buy your Bibles, Christian Books, Christian Music and Christmas gifts at our "Best Of The Web Shopping" Online Showroom.

New Web Site Online

Our new website is now online at:
http://www.bobjeanproperties.com/

We will soon be offering Christian books, music and gift items.

Serving Others Is A Blast!

Jean & I spent a good part of the day Friday (8/15) at Camp Pendleton helping with a retirement party fo a Marine Lt. Col. We were serving with the Patriots Ministry of Cypress Church and the "Knights of the Holy Grill." We had lots of fun. Check out the pictures at this link: http://donate.patriotsministry.us.googlepages.com/colonellowellrector

Cypress Church is offering a really great opportunity to experience the joy of serving others on Sunday, Sept. 21st. We are going to have a "Cypress Community Service Day" where we find lots of ways to help our community. Find out more at this link: http://cypress.church.40doc.googlepages.com/missionsproject

Cypress Church at the Cypress Community Festival

Cypress Church, the Patriots Ministry and the Truth Project had adjoining information booths at the Cypress Community Festival on Saturday, July 26, 2008 at Oak Knoll Park. We distributed about 1,100 free bottles of water to thirsty festival goers plus Bibles and "Daily Bread" pamphlets. The Cypress Church band played for the community in the afternoon on the main stage. Follow this link for the event report and a slide show of photos from the Festival:
http://cypress.church.events.googlepages.com/cypresscommunityfestival

The Shepherd Seeking His Sheep

The Shepherd Seeking His Sheep:
Presented at the Seal Beach Military Christian Community on
July 13, 2008 by Bob Koehler

Scripture - Luke 15: 3-7:
So He spoke this parable to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

The Shepherd Seeking His Sheep - Introduction:
Dozens of times in the Bible, the people of God are referred to as sheep. A few of the more notable passages that come to mind are: Psalms 79:1 – “…we thy people and sheep of thy pasture…”
Psalms 95:6-7 – “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand…”
Psalms 100:3 – “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Isa. 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
In John Chapter 9 Jesus opens the eyes of a man who was born blind. The Pharisees (who think they have a monopoly on God’s truth) can’t figure out how it is possible for Jesus to do this. Jesus says that they are blind but think they can see. Then in John Chapter 10 Jesus uses the pictures of sheep, a shepherd and the sheepfold to describe to these religious leaders what God’s family of believers looks like.

Then, of course, there is probably the most beloved Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 23, where David says: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
There are many good reasons why we are called sheep in the Bible and one of them is because of the basic character of the sheep. From a military standpoint the closest parallel I can think of is that sheep are about on the level of a recruit on his or her first day at boot camp. By nature, sheep already have 3 strikes against them.
Let’s turn to our outlines and you can fill in the blanks as we go along.

1st … Sheep are Dumb - In other words, they are not the smartest animals in the world. As a result, they are constantly getting into terrible situations. People are exactly the same way! People who are away from the Lord live lives that are often just plain dumb.
The prophet Jeremiah describes those who do not know the Lord. In Jer. 5:4 he says: Therefore I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.”
Unfortunately, even after a person is saved, there is still a lack of understanding about how to live an abundant, victorious Christian life among many of the Lord's sheep. Next…

2. Sheep are Directionless - If a sheep wanders off from the rest of the flock, it will have a hard, if not impossible time, finding its way back. Sheep have no sense of direction. So it is with those who do not know Jesus and who do not belong the God’s family, there is simply no sense of spiritual direction in their lives. They cannot find their way to the Lord by themselves. Number...

3. Sheep are Defenseless - Lions have teeth and claws, bears have the same. Snakes have fangs, even the birds of the air have some type of defensive mechanism. Not so with sheep. They have absolutely no means of protecting themselves from danger. If they are attacked, they are simply helpless! Again, people are the same way. Whether we want to admit it or not we are constantly under spiritual attack. There is no way that anyone can protect himself or herself against the fiery darts of the evil one. We need someone else to protect us and that someone is Jesus.

By their very nature, sheep need a shepherd and I suppose this is another reason why the figure of sheep is used to describe the people of God. No analogy is perfect but just take a moment and transport yourself back to your first day in the military. As a new recruit, how much progress would you have made without some kind of experienced leader (a sergeant or petty officer) to show you to right way to go? In the person of the shepherd in this parable, we see many characteristics that speak of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it becomes clear that this idea of the shepherd and his sheep is a good way to describe the relationship between the Lord and His people.

In our Scripture passage for today from Chapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke we are given a picture of a shepherd who has lost a sheep. He does everything in his power to find it and when he does, he returns home with it rejoicing that he has recovered that sheep that was missing. In these verses, there is a clear and wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus. I would like for us to see this picture as we think together about the thought of The Shepherd Seeking His Sheep. First let’s look at…

I. THE SHEPHERD'S SORROW
The shepherd is sorrowful because His sheep are…

A. A Personal Possession - This sheep belonged to the shepherd, he had paid a personal price to own it and wasn't going to stand idly by while it was lost. 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us that (as believers in Jesus) we “were bought at a price.” What was the price that was paid for you and for me? Peter tells us that the price was “the precious blood of Christ” shed for each one of us by Jesus on the cross at Calvary. Even If a person is not yet a believer in Jesus – his or her sins have already been paid for by Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift from God to each one of us – but we need to make a conscious decision to receive that gift.
The shepherd is also sorrowful because each one of His sheep is…

B. A Prized Possession - This particular sheep may have been no different from any other ordinary sheep, but it was special to the shepherd. To him, it was a prized possession. Each one of us is special to the Lord! He died for the individual! He died for you and for me. If you were the only person who would have responded in faith in Christ, Jesus would still have gone to Calvary and shed His blood on the cross just for you!
The shepherd is also sorrowful because this sheep is…

C. A Precious Possession - To this shepherd, there were no big sheep and no little sheep. Every sheep he had was precious in his eyes. So it is with the Lord. He loves all His sheep equally. All are precious in His sight. You and I can never begin to understand the value of the human soul. We are so precious to the Lord that He willingly gave up His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. We are precious in His sight.
So there we have the first part of the picture – The Shepherd's Sorrow. Next let’s look at…

II. THE SHEPHERD'S SEARCH
What was the Shepherd’s motive that caused Him to go looking for one lost sheep?

A. His Motive - Unlike our drill sergeant analogy is not in anger to punish, but in love to rescue. The shepherd in the parable doesn't go after the sheep in an effort to beat it for going astray. His motive is to find the sheep and restore it to its proper place in the fold. So it is with the Lord. He doesn't go after the lost ones so that He can give them a “time out” them for their sins. He pursues them in order that He might prove His love for them and that they might be restored to a right relationship with the Lord. His motive is to deliver them from punishment not inflict punishment upon them.
So how does the Shepherd conduct His search?

B. His Method is:
1. He Initiates The Search - The sheep is powerless to find its way back to the flock or to the shepherd. If the shepherd waited on the sheep to return of its own accord, then it would die in the wilderness. Instead of waiting, the shepherd goes after the sheep. He is the One who begins the process. It is the same thing with salvation! The lost ones do not make the first moves toward God. They cannot, because (as Ephesians 2:1 tells us) they are “dead in trespasses and sins.” It is the Good Shepherd who makes the first move toward the sinner. In John 6:44 Jesus says: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and (a fantastic promise) I will raise him up at the last day.” But according to Scripture, no one can ever be saved unless they are first approached by the Lord. He comes looking for us, it is never the other way around! We don’t find Him … He finds us!
So the Shepherd has initiated the search and next…

(2.) He Intensifies The Search - Luke 15:4 says that the shepherd searches “until he finds” the sheep. He doesn't give up after just a few minutes or hours of searching, but he stays on the job until the sheep has been recovered. So it is with the Lord. He never gives up on the lost sheep. He keeps calling and knocking and waiting, hoping that they will come to Him before it is too late. I am thankful and grateful that the Lord didn't give up on me! I am glad that He kept knocking and kept calling until I answered – (Rev. 3:20) I shouldn't be surprised though, after all, that is His business – (Luke 19:10). And we should not give up praying for our friends and family who need Jesus. Jesus wants us to partner with Him in the salvation process. My sister and her husband prayed for me for years before I came to know Christ. I’m glad they did not give up.
OK, we have looked at The Shepherd's Sorrow and The Shepherd's Search. Let’s now turn to:

III. THE SHEPHERD'S SUCCESS

A. He Locates The Sheep - He finds the sheep. God already knows where every lost sheep is. He doesn't have to seek, He knows where you are right now! Remember back in the Garden of Eden in Genesis Chapter 3? God told Adam not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, Eve got deceived, ate the fruit, gave some to Adam, He ate some too. So they both were disobedient to God. They had sinned. God asks Adam in Genesis 3:9 “Where are you?” Now do you really think that God did not know Adam’s location? God has 100% complete and perfect knowledge. Adam was hiding from God because he knew he was guilty of sin. God was opening a conversation with Adam and giving him an opportunity to confess and repent. So God locates us in the same sense. He opens doors of opportunity for confession and repentance. What does the shepherd to next?

B. He Lays Hands On The Sheep - The shepherd reaches out to the sheep in its need. He doesn't turn away from it and leave it to languish in it dangerous place. He loving lays his hands upon it bringing comfort and hope to the wayward sheep. When the Lord comes to a lost sheep, He too lays His hands upon it. He reaches right into the midst of the mess we find ourselves in and by doing so shows us that there is hope and that there is a God in Heaven who loves us. Now this does not mean that God forces us to do something against our will. We are free moral agents. He respects our decisions. If we choose to remain in hiding (so to speak) He will patiently wait until we decide to accept His loving offer of assistance.

Here is a little insight into how God the Son (Jesus Christ) deals with lost sheep. The prophet Isaiah tells us: “A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench;” (Is. 42:3) Thank God that He doesn't condemn us when He comes alongside us. I am grateful that He comes to us in grace and mercy offering hope, forgiveness and a new beginning to everyone who will place their faith in the shed blood of Christ. After the shepherd has located and laid hands on the sheep …

C. He Lifts The Sheep - This shepherd doesn't stop with a mere touch. He reaches down and lifts the willing, repentant sheep out of the place where he finds it. He removes it from the place of danger. Jesus Christ, out Good Shepherd does the same for those He finds wandering the dark valleys of sin. He comes alongside them, reaches out to them and when they respond to His touch (when they choose to place their faith and trust in Him), He lifts them out of their sin and removes them from the danger they were in. Thank God, when Jesus comes into a heart and life, He delivers us. The 23rd Psalm tells us: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Now Jesus does not promise us a life with no problems. Sometimes in the short term we may feel like God is not solving our situation the way we think it should be solved. But in the long term eternal perspective we need to trust God’s Word that promises us: “…that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)
So the Good Shepherd locates His sheep, lays hands on them, lifts them up and…

D. He Lugs The Sheep Home - the Bible says that this shepherd lifts the sheep and lays it upon his shoulders. I can picture him taking the front feet in one hand and the hind feet in another. This way, the sheep is draped around the neck of the shepherd and is absolutely safe and secure! Next, the Bible teaches us that the shepherd carries the sheep home. Notice that the sheep is not required to get there under its own power, but it goes there under the power of the shepherd. This is a picture of our salvation. When Jesus comes to where we are and finds us in our sins, He places us securely in Himself and carries us home. Jesus tells us in John 10:27-28: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” None of us are going to get to Heaven in our own power, but if we go, we will go through Jesus and Him alone! This is also a picture of how Jesus is available to help each and every believer every single day if we will only turn to Him and decide to rely wholly on His love, His care, his provision. He won’t force us to get our marriage back on track. He won’t force us to throw away that bottle of Scotch or toss that little plastic bag of weed. But if we will make the decision to open our Bibles, study God’s Word, do what God wants us to do and seek support and strength from the Lord in prayer … He WILL answer!!!
OK - We have looked at The Shepherd's Sorrow, The Shepherd's Search, The Shepherd's Success and now we come to…

IV. THE SHEPHERD'S SATISFACTION

A. There Is Rejoicing - When the shepherd returns home, he calls all the neighbors together and they all rejoice in the fact that the shepherd has had his sheep restored to the fold. Again, this is a picture of what happens when a lost sheep comes into the fold of the Lord. According to Luke 15 verse 10 there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels. Apparently, God the Father gets excited when a lost sheep is rescued. There is rejoicing in Heaven an there ought to be rejoicing in the earth. If there was ever anything to get excited over it is the redemption of souls.

B. There Is A Reason for this rejoicing - The Sheep has been saved from:
1. Disuse - As long as it was lost, it was of no benefit to the shepherd. The Lord cannot use a wayward life. He wants us to be available to Him and obedient to His wishes. When we are obedient, when we become doers of the Word and not hearers only, God can use us in a mighty way for His Kingdom purposes. So the sheep has been saved from disuse and the sheep has also been saved from…

2. Danger - Unless the shepherd had intervened this sheep would have remained in serious danger. It could never have defended itself or rescued itself. As long as you of I are apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in serious danger. Hell and judgment are out there in front of anyone who is not saved. If you are saved but are not presently being obedient to God you will face earthly consequences for your sins and a possible loss of rewards in heaven. Only the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ saves us from the penalty for sin. Only the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to live a life pleasing to God. Finally the sheep has been saved from…

3. Death - If the shepherd had not come looking for the sheep, it would have most certainly died out there in the wilderness. But now, it lives all because the shepherd came looking to save a wayward sheep.
Back to Isaiah 53:6 - “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way …”
Now what does gone astray mean? In Romans 3:23 Paul tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” OK so all of us have sinned but what is sin? James tells us that “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Have you ever known deep down inside that there was something you should do and you deliberately decided not to do it? I know I have! So I have sinned … and you have sinned and the Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 that "the wages of sin is death." Without the intervention of the Good Shepherd (Jesus Christ) the lost sinner has no hope and will eventually wind up in Hell. We need to understand very clearly that there is only one means of salvation for all men and that is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any other religion, any other method, any other system of belief, no matter how good it looks by human standards, is doomed to fail.

Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Speaking of Jesus Christ Peter tells us in Acts 4:12: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

And then there is one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible, John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Whoever believes in Him, not Buddha, not Mohammed, not Ted Turner, not Oprah Winfrey. Only Jesus saves a person from eternal separation from God and everlasting torment and, instead of spiritual death, gives them the free gift of an abundant life both now and forever.

Let’s Review what we have covered so far:
Sheep are Dumb
Sheep are Directionless
Sheep are Defenseless
The Shepherd’s has Sorrow because the sheep is
A Personal Possession
A Prized Possession and
A Precious Possession
The Shepherd’s Search begins with
His Motive – loves rescue & restoration
His Method
He Initiates the search and then
He Intensifies the search
The Shepherd’s Success (we know God cannot fail)
He Locates the sheep
He Lays hands on the sheep
He Lifts the sheep
He Lugs the sheep home on His shoulders
The Shepherd’s Satisfaction
There is Rejoicing in heaven
There is a Reason – the sheep has been saved from
Disuse; Danger and Death

We have just one more point to cover and it’s not on your outline. Let’s look for just a moment at the last verse of our Scripture passage for today, Luke 15:7: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Is the Bible saying that some of us are in such good standing with God that we do not need to repent? Heaven’s standard is perfection. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Are you perfect? Is any human being perfect? I know I’m not perfect. John tells us in 1 John 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” So what is this verse saying?

Our Scripture for today begins with these words: “So He spoke this parable to them…” Who is them? An important principle of Bible interpretation is that we must know not only who is speaking but to whom the text is addressesd. If we go back to Luke 15:2 we discover that Jesus is giving this parable to the scribes and the Pharisees. These are the guys who thought they knew it all. These are the guys who thought they could enter the Kingdom by obeying the Law of Moses and the traditions of the elders. Jesus is pointing the finger of God’s truth at them. They complained about Jesus even talking to the tax collectors and the people they saw as “sinners.” They thought they were righteous. They thought they did not need to repent. Jesus is telling them that heaven rejoices when someone is convicted of their sin by the Holy Spirit, repents of their sin, agrees with God that nothing they can do on their own will get them into heaven and believes that faith Jesus Christ alone is the only way to a personal relationship with God Himself.

John tells us how we dumb, directionless, defenseless and, yes, dirty sheep can be cleansed of our sin and really know God. In 1 John 1:7 he says: “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son (that’s God’s Son or God the Son) cleanses us from all sin.” Then he goes on to say in verse 9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That’s the ticket. That’s the way to heaven. It’s Jesus. His death on the cross, His blood, His resurrection from the dead. And our part? It’s faith! We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Conclusion:
So … How about you? … where are you today?
Are you in the sheepfold? Are you safe and secure in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Or, are you wandering about in the wilderness of sin in danger of death and damnation and living a life without purpose, a life of disuse apart from the Lord?
Maybe at some time in the past you were walking closely with Jesus and something happened in your life that made you feel distant from God. You know there’s got to be more to life and you just can’t figure out what you’re missing.
Or maybe you are struggling with some personal sin, difficult relationships in your family or a bad habit you would like to break away from?
If you have never trusted Jesus as your Savior, then I would like to invite you to come to Him now. If your relationship with God needs to be restored or strengthened or if you are struggling with family issues, sin or addiction I invite you to trust Jesus Christ to place you on His strong shoulders and bring you back home to a life of purpose and meaning.



Let’s go to the Lord in prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you so much for all of your blessings. You are awesome and gracious and merciful. Thank you that Heaven and Eternal Life is a free gift. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross and pay the penalty for my sins and purchase a place in heaven for me. Thank you that He rose from the dead to prepare that place reserved just for me. I know that your standard is perfection and I know I have missed the mark. I am a sinner and I confess that now. Lord I turn away from my sins and I turn to you. I ask you to forgive me and to accept me into your family or return me to a close personal relationship with you. Lord, I want to live a life of purpose and meaning but I need your help. Please show me how you can restore the damaged relationships in my life. Lord please fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to see the way out you have promised to show me so that I can live a life that is pleasing to you. Help me break the chains of sin and bad habits. Deliver me from the evil one. Count me worthy by the blood of Jesus Christ to spend eternity in Heaven with you. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

Based on a message by Alan Carr from: http://www.higherpraise.com/outlines/newtestament/Luke 15_3-7.htm

You Were Made For A Mission

Week Six - Week Six - You Were Made For A Mission:
Purpose Driven Life 40 Days StudyMessage Presented by Bob Koehler at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons StationFor the Military Community Christian Community
Sunday, June 8, 2008

Good Morning. Welcome to our Sunday Bible Study.

Let’s read our Scripture Verse together: “…Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20

Sermon Outline Notes:

Welcome to our Sunday Bible study. Let me set the stage … You are in the military. You are off duty for the moment and are at home eating dinner with your family. The telephone rings. Your wife picks up the phone, says “Hello” talks for a moment, turns to you in amazement and says: Honey, It’s the White House. You think she’s pulling your leg, but, to humor her you take the phone. Sure enough, the President’s secretary is on the line. He says: I’m sending you a First Class ticket to Washington, DC. The President has a special mission for you.

You pack your gear, get your dress uniform on, fly to DC, there is a limo with a police escort waiting for you. You get to the White House and are escorted to the Oval Office. The President greets you like a long lost friend. All this time you just can’t figure out what this whole deal is all about. Then The President, your Commander in Chief says: “You are getting a promotion. I want you to be my ambassador. I have a special mission for you.” How would you feel at that moment? Your buttons would be popping off your uniform! You be proud! What a privilege that you were chosen!

That is exactly what happened when you accepted Jesus Christ into your life. God chose you for a mission. He wants you to share the good news about Jesus Christ with the world. He has provided the resources of His Word, the Holy Spirit and the Church to equip you. And he expects you to complete your mission.

At the beginning of your outline you can write in the blank:
MY 5th PURPOSE IS TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS about Jesus Christ. Sharing the Gospel is called Evangelism or Outreach.

The Apostle Paul was given a mission from God. In the Book of Acts in Chapter 20 He is on his way to Jerusalem at the end of his 3rd missionary journey. He sends for the elders of the church at Ephesus and they come to Miletus to have a meeting with him. Paul gives a brief account of some of his mission activities and then he says: “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (NKJV)

The most important thing to Paul was for him to complete his mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave him to do and that was to tell people the Good News about God's grace.

The Book of Ephesians is a great place to get a broad sweeping view of God’s master plan. In chapter 3 Paul talks about “…the eternal purpose which He (that’s God the Father) accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eph. 3:11 (NKJV). And what is the plan that God has had since before the beginning of time? In Chapter 1 of Ephesians we find these words: “…having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” Eph 1:9-10 (NKJV)

So God’s plan is to bring everything together and He is accomplishing this through Jesus. If Jesus is the primary instrument for accomplishing God’s mission, maybe we should ask ourselves:

What was (or what is) Jesus’ mission? Jesus answers that question for us in His own words. He says in Luke 19: “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 (NIV)

He also tells us in John: “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” John 18:37b (NKJV)

Jesus also says: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (NKJV)

So Jesus’ own view of His mission is to seek and save the lost, to bear witness to the truth, and to give people life and not only just life but life in all of its fullness or abundance. Ok, that is Jesus’ mission. It sounds good, but, other than the fact that I am happy Jesus saved me and that I am going to spend eternity with Him in Heaven (which – don’t get me wrong – is a good thing) … what am I supposed do with this knowledge.

Why Is Jesus’ Mission important to me? Let’s look at 10 Reasons why Jesus Mission should be important to each one of us.

So here is the 1st reason:

1. My life mission must be like His mission.

In the Book of John Chapter 17 Jesus is talking with God the Father. He says: “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” John 17:18 (NKJV) God the Father sent Jesus (God the Son) into the world on a mission. Jesus sends his followers on the same kind of mission. Letting others know how they can have a relationship with God.

Next…

2. Jesus expects me to continue His mission.

Our Scripture verse today from Matthew has been called “The Great Commission. But there are actually 5 Great Commissions. One in each Gospel and one in the Book of Acts. One principle of Bible interpretation is that when God repeats a certain message in many different places it is especially important. So let’s review what the Bible says about our mission. Each of these 5 Great Commissions was spoken by Jesus Himself to the 11 remaining Apostles after He was risen from the dead during the 40 days he was on earth before He ascended back into Heaven. First from Matthew:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Mat 28:19-20 (NKJV)

Now Mark: “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 (NKJV)

Next Luke: “…“Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46-47 (NKJV)

The Apostle John quotes Jesus saying: “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you." John 20:21 (NIV)

And finally Jesus says in Acts: …you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

Putting all five of these verses together we find that the basic concept is action. We have been sent, we are to go, we are to go out, we are to tell others about Jesus, we are to teach them to do what Jesus has commanded, we are to disciple them, we are to be witnesses to the power of Jesus we have seen in our own lives. We do not do this in our own power or strength because Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit and our mission is not optional. Jesus does not say “If you feel like it or when you have a little extra time.” The Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion.

3. Sharing the Good News is my responsibility.

Let’s go to the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel and find out how God commissioned his servants a few hundred years before Christ. Ezekiel’s ministry was during the time of the Babylonian captivity about 575 BC. God tells Ezekiel: “When I (God) say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you (speaking of Ezekiel) give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” Ezek. 3:18-19 (NKJV)

A person that God has appointed as his servant has obligations. Has God changed His mind since then? I don’t think so and Paul agrees. In 1 Corinthians he says: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” 1 Cor. 9:16 (NKJV) If you are a Christian sharing the Gospel is not optional.

Now on to reason number 4…

4. Sharing the Good News is a privilege.

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation … Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 2 Cor. 5:18 & 20 (NKJV)

“…I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

Paul says that he is not ashamed. What is the opposite of being ashamed? It’s being proud! Paul has the special privilege of sharing the life changing message of Jesus. He is proud about that!

5. I am grateful for what Jesus has done for me.

Paul tells us to remember that before we were saved we “were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Eph. 2:12 (NKJV)

He also says that “…the love of Christ compels us…” 2 Cor. 5:14 (NKJV). The idea here is that we were hopelessly lost, God sought us out and He saved us. We are so glad that God has forgiven us and cleansed us that we can’t hold it back. We can’t stop ourselves. We are bursting with enthusiasm. We’ve just got to share this great news with people around us. Is that how you feel? Are you excited about your relationship with Jesus? Are you grateful enough to Jesus that you share Him with others?

That brings us to reason number 6:

In the Bible in the Book of Acts after the Apostle Peter had been used of God to heal a man who had been lame from birth - he takes this opportunity to explain God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Peter says about Jesus: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NKJV)

6. People are hopeless without Christ.

The Book of Romans tells us that: “…“whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That’s great, that’s the Gospel in a nutshell. We need Jesus. But so does everyone else in the world, so Paul goes on the say: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” How shall they hear without a preacher!

Who is that preacher? It’s you and it’s me and it’s everyone who calls Jesus his or her lord. We are all called to tell others about Jesus because anyone who does not know Him and trust Him alone for their eternal life is hopelessly lost and will die in their sins without Jesus, everybody in the world needs to know this, they cannot know this unless they are told, and they won’t get told unless you and you and you and you I tell them.

Why does God want us to tell others? This moves us along to reason number 7…

7. God wants everybody to be saved.

In 1 Timothy Paul reminds us that God “…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim. 2:4 (NKJV)

Peter tells us in 2nd Peter that the Lord is: “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

God loves us. He does not want to see us get punished. He does not want anyone to end up in Hell. He wants to forgive us. He gives us many opportunities to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. In fact, to end up in Hell a person literally has to trip over God to get there … and they do! Jesus is referred to in Scripture as a stumbling block. But it’s our choice to accept or reject that offer of forgiveness. God will not violate our free will. If we do not want to obey the Lord and join Him in that special place He is preparing for us He won’t force us to do it.

8. I will be rewarded for eternity.

Paul counsels us that “…whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Col. 3:23-24 (NKJV)

Some of Paul’s final words to Timothy are: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Tim. 4:8 (NKJV)

Have you loved His appearing? Are you a faithful servant of Jesus? Are you sharing the Good News with others? Are you looking forward to Christ’s return? Then you will be rewarded.

The subject of Christ’s return is an interesting one. Near the end of Jesus’ ministry His disciples had some questions on the subject of the end times. In Matthew Chapter 24 Jesus tells them that “…this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Now I have to be honest with you, I don’t have all the answers to what this means but one thing is clear - in some way …

9. God’s timetable for history is linked with my mission.

God wants every one to be saved, but there will come a time when the door to salvation will be shut. In the Book of Romans, Paul talks about some special events that will happen “when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Rom. 11:25 (NKJV) God has appointed a time and when He is ready Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to rule and reign. “Every eye will see Him.” Rev. 1:7 (NKJV)

If you know Jesus then you are looking forward to that day. If you do not know Jesus, if you have not been walking closely with Him, if you are not certain about your salvation, then you are probably not very excited about having Him return any time soon, if at all.

10. Heaven rejoices when people turn to God.

In Luke Chapter 15 we find the parable of the lost sheep. We are going to talk about this in detail during our series on the parables of Jesus which is starting the last Sunday in June. In this illustration Jesus teaches that there is joy in heaven when even one sinner repents.

Ok, there are our 10 reasons why Jesus’ mission should be important to us. We know we have a mission and that our mission must be like that of Jesus. But what steps do we need to take to do what the Lord wants us to do? Well fortunately He gave us specific instructions – marching orders if you will - about how we are to go about completing our mission.

COMPLETING MY MISSION:

The Chapter 1 of the Book of Acts Jesus tells His followers: “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)

So here is the game plan: First we are to go to:

“Jerusalem” which would be the people closest to us, then to
“Judea and Samaria.” That would be people who are geographically close to us but are culturally different from us. Then we are to go to the “Ends of the earth” and that means everybody else! So next on your outline …

1. I MUST SHARE WITH THOSE IN MY WORLD.
In Luke Chapter 8 is the account of Jesus casting demons out of a man who lived in a graveyard. Christian recording artist Bob Bennett sings a great song about this called “Man of the Tombs.” You may recall that Jesus sent the demons out of this man and into a herd of pigs. Some believe that this is the first mention in history of “deviled ham.” At any rate after the herd of “deviled ham” ran off a cliff into the sea we read: “Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, and “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:38-39 (NKJV)

This is just one of the many examples in Scripture of evangelism close to home. The woman at the well in John 4: “…left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” John 4:28-29 (NKJV)

We need to start close to home, but then...

2. I MUST DARE TO REACH BEYOND MY WORLD.

In 1 Corinthians Paul says: “…I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more … I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Cor. 9:19 & 22 (NKJV) The idea here is that whatever a person was like, Paul tried to find common ground with them so that he would have an opportunity to share Christ.

How can we do this in the year 2008? In Galatians 6:2 Paul tells us that we should “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We are supposed to reach out to people who are poor, needy and oppressed. At Cypress Church we go into the Central part of Los Angeles on holidays like Thanksgiving and feed meals to the homeless. We also have a ministry that provides blankets for homeless people in Orange County. There are all sorts of opportunities available to serve others. The Book of James says that we should: “visit orphans and widows in their trouble.” (James 1:27) When we do things like this we build bridges that can open up opportunities to talk about how to know Jesus.

Jesus gives us a great lesson on this subject in Mathew. He says that when we do good things for others in need it is like doing them for Jesus Himself. “I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.” Mt. 25:35-36 (NLT)

And lest we think that there is all give and no take in this life of sacrificial service … just read in Mark Chapter 10 where Jesus tells us that those who give their lives to Him will be rewarded 100 times over.

3. I MUST CARE ABOUT THE WHOLE WORLD.

The idea of reaching out to the world did not begin in the New Testament. God’s mission for the Jewish nation was to be a witness to the world. In the Psalm 67 we find these words: “God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us … That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.”

Jesus said to His followers in Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. .” Mark 16:15 (NKJV) In Acts 1:8 He says we are to be his witnesses “to the end of the earth.”

Many of you know the popular worship song: “Come, now is the time to worship.” But do you really know it? Let’s look at some of the words in that song:
“One day every tongue will confess You are God.One day every knee will bow.Still the greatest treasure remains for thoseWho gladly choose you now.”

Those words were not the figment of Brian Doerksen’s imagination when he wrote those lyrics.

Let’s look at Philippians 2:10 & 11: “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

You see some day there will come a time, the Day of Judgment, when every person will have to confess that Jesus is Lord. If you know Jesus and are trusting in Him alone for your eternal life then you will already be ruling and reigning with Jesus on that day. Those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord during the time that the gift of God’s grace was available will hear God say: “…’Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth…” Luke 13:27-28 (NKJV) Why? Because those who do not know Jesus will spend all eternity separated from God. The Book of Revelation tells us: “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:15

So let’s summarize what we have talked about today up to this point. We were made for a mission - to share God’s Good News, the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Our mission is like Jesus’ mission, He expects us to continue His mission. Jesus’ mission of sharing the Good News is not optional, it is our responsibility and it is also our great privilege. We do it because we are grateful that Jesus saved us and we know that everyone who has not accepted Jesus as the Lord of their life is absolutely lost, hopeless, destitute, and bankrupt. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to partner with God and be His body, his arms, his legs, his mouth and share Jesus with others during our time on planet earth. We will be rewarded eternally for fulfilling our mission, our mission is part of God’s overall plan and timetable for history and Heaven rejoices when people turn to God. We are to begin close to home and move out from there to other cultures and areas.

Ok, we know that we need to (and want to) share the Gospel, the Good News, the life changing message of Jesus, with others. But just exactly what do we say. How to we take this idea and put it into action?

First we develop our own personal testimony or our God story and then we make use of that to share Jesus with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Here is an example for you. In this illustration I am going to be having a conversation with my friend named “Bill.” Bill has just told me about some problems he has been having at work and that has opened the door for me to talk about Jesus.

Wow! Bill that’s a tough situation, but I want you to know you’re not alone. Several years ago I was having a number of issues in my life. I had a good job, but I also had a bad attitude. My boss gave me an ultimatum to shape up or I would get fired. I was worried about finances, wasn’t being a good husband or a good father, had few close friends and was drifting along with no real focus except how to have a good time.

One day a friend of mine helped me discover that I was definitely on the wrong track. From that point on my life changed dramatically. Now things are going very well at work, my family situation has improved; I am not worried as much about finances and have lots of friends. Sure I have problems to deal with just like everybody else. But I know where to turn for solutions. And the greatest thing of all is that I know for sure, if I were to die today, that I have eternal life![1]

May I ask you a question, Bill? Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to Heaven? Or is that something you would say you’re still working on? Bill’s response is that he does not think he can say for sure.

You know, Bill, God tells us in His Word “I write these things to you … so that you may know that you have eternal life?”[2] May I share with you how I came to know I have eternal life and how you can know it too? Bill says: “OK, I guess so.” May I ask you another question so that I can be more clear for you? Bill says: “Sure, Go ahead.”

And I continue … suppose you were to die today and stand before God[3] and He said to you, “Bill, why should I let you into My Heaven?” What would you say? Bill responds: Well, I guess I’m good enough, I mean I’ve done a few bad things, but I’m not as bad as some people I know.”

You are right on target with the majority of folks, Bill. Many people think the same way you do about this. But I’ve got some really good news for you. God tells us that Heaven, or eternal life, is a free gift.[4] Now I know that is hard to believe, I mean we all know that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, right? But this situation is different. Even if we were to try to pay to get into Heaven in some way,[5] God tells us in His Word that it is not earned or deserved.[6] Sure there is a price;[7] the good news is that it has already been paid.[8]

But there is a problem that needs to be solved.[9] As we look around us we can see that there are some major problems in the world[10] and even in us. These are due to something that God calls sin. Man is a sinner.[11] God says that everyone has sinned.[12] How would you define sin, Bill? Bill says: “Something bad, like stealing, I guess.” Well, God says that sin is anything that falls short of His perfect standards. He tells us in the Bible that we need to be perfect![13] How hard is that? I know there’s no way that I’m perfect. How about you? Bill says: “I don’t think I could ever be that good.” I continue: Ok, suppose that I invited you over for breakfast and fixed you an omelet with 2 good eggs and one rotten egg. Would you want to eat that omelet? No way! And we can’t ask God to accept us into heaven based on our imperfect lives. He doesn’t grade on a curve.[14] What this means is that man can’t save himself.

Why can’t we save ourselves? Because of what we know about God. The Bible tells us that God is love.[15] He is merciful and does not want to punish us,[16] but the same Bible also says that God is just[17] and will by no means let the guilty go unpunished.[18] The wages of sin is death[19] and so sin must be punished. Let’s suppose that I robbed a bank, got caught and stood before the judge. Even if I gave all the money back and promised never to rob another bank the law demands that a penalty be paid. So, how does God get us out of this mess?[20]

His solution for us is Jesus Christ! We all know the Christmas story and we’ve seen the nativity scenes with Jesus as a baby in the manger.[21] The incredible thing is that Jesus Christ is both 100% God and 100% man at the same time.[22] God tells us that the Word (that’s Jesus[23]) was God[24] and that the Word became flesh and lived here on earth among us![25] Jesus came to earth,[26] lived a sinless life,[27] died on the cross[28] and rose from the dead[29] to pay the penalty for our sins[30] and purchase a place in heaven for us.[31]

Let’s go back to the bank robber situation, God the judge[32] declared us guilty,[33] pronounced the penalty[34] and then stepped down from the bench, took off His robe[35] and paid our penalty for us.[36] Now that the penalty has been paid we are free to have a personal relationship with God.[37] Isn’t that incredible?

I remember when my son was about 4 years old. We visited the Grand Canyon. When he looked over the edge he said, “Daddy, I think God lives here.” Imagine that you are standing on one side of the Grand Canyon and that God is on the other side. The Canyon itself represents our sin. There is no way we can jump over to the other side. But God built a bridge in the person of Jesus Christ. God tells us that Jesus is the only way for anyone to reach Heaven.[38] God put all of our sins on Jesus when He was on the cross.[39] When Jesus had paid the penalty for our last sin He said, “It is finished.”[40] The phrase He used is exactly the same as the word the Greeks use for a debt that is “paid if full.” Now forgiveness and the free gift of eternal life are available to all.[41]

But … it’s not automatic.[42] How do we take advantage of this free gift of Heaven? By faith.[43] Now this faith that God talks about is not just head knowledge. The Bible tells us that even the demons know about Jesus,[44] but they aren’t going to heaven.[45] And this faith is more than just trusting God to provide us with a place to live or food to eat or praying when we’re sick or in trouble. That may be only a temporary, crisis kind of faith.[46]

True saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for our eternal life.[47] It means transferring our complete trust away from ourselves and anything we ever thought we could do that would get us into Heaven[48] and relying on Jesus. The Bible tells us that if we “believe on (or trust in) the Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved.”[49] It’s sort of like this chair next to me. I know the chair can support me. That’s head knowledge. But until I actually sit in that chair, I don’t really have faith.[50] We need to get up out of the chair we are sitting on that we made ourselves and sit in the chair that God provided, Jesus Christ.

Well, Bill, you’ve just heard the greatest offer of all time. Does this make sense to you? Would you like to receive God’s free gift of eternal life right now? If you would, I can pray for you and then, if you wish, I will lead you, step by step, in a prayer asking Jesus to come into your life.[51]

Bill says: Wow, this seems like a really big step. I’m not sure I’m ready right now. This sounds almost too good to be true.” I respond: “Tell you what Bill, I found out about God’s Free Gift of Eternal Life at the Sunday Bible study right here on the base. How about I come by Sunday morning about 10:30 and we can go over there together and get some of your questions answered, what do you say? Bill responds: “OK, you know where my place is, I’ll see you at 10:30.”

Now in this scenario Bill did not want to make a decision right away and that is OK. The main thing is he has heard the Gospel, I have shown that I love him enough to care about his future and I have invited him to investigate further. You can do this too. You have many relatives and friends who need to hear about Jesus Christ.

Friday when I was at work in Long Beach Harbor I was piloting a big container ship. While I was up on the bridge of the ship I went to get something to drink. The cup I picked up had the ship owner’s company logo on it and these words in bold type: “Take it personally!” When I looked at that cup I thought, these guys definitely have the right idea. When you have a job to do the way to be successful to really care about what you are doing. As members of the body of Christ we have a job to do. We are on a mission from God. We need to tell the world about Jesus. In order to be successful in completing our mission we need to “Take it personally!”

Let’s pray: "Father God, more than anything else, I want to fulfill the purposes you made me for. So today, I accept this fifth purpose, my mission to tell others. I want you to use me any time, any way, any place. I want to bring others to you. I want to serve your purpose in my generation. And I want to be a part of what you are doing in the world. From this day forward, I want to build my life around Your eternal purposes, and I want to help our church do the same. Help me to reach one more person for Jesus. I take my mission personally. In Jesus Name. Amen.”
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Outline for this message drawn from material provided by Rick Warren & Saddleback Church. Some content drawn from "Share Your Faith" workhop resources.
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Footnotes:

[1] 1 John 5:13
[2] 1 John 5:13
[3] Revelation 20:11-12
[4] Romans 6:23 (NLT)
[5] Matthew 7:22-23
[6] Ephesians 2:8-9
[7] Romans 6:23
[8] 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)
[9] Isaiah 59:2
[10] John 3:19
[11] Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10
[12] Romans 5:12
[13] Matthew 5:48
[14] James 2:10
[15] 1 John 4:16
[16] John 3:16-18
[17] Isaiah 45:21
[18] Exodus 34:7
[19] Romans 6:23
[20] Ephesians 2:8-9
[21] Luke 2:7, 12 & 16
[22] 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 9:5
[23] 1 John 1:1; Revelation 19:11-13
[24] John 1:1; 1 Timothy 2:5
[25] John 1:14; 1 John 5:20
[26] 1 John 4:2
[27] 1 John 3:5
[28] 1 Corinthians 5:3
[29] 1 Corinthians 5:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14
[30] 1 John 4:10
[31] John 14:2-3
[32] Romans 2:16
[33] Numbers 5:6
[34] Ezekiel 18:4 & 20
[35] Philippians 2:8
[36] 1 Corinthians 6:20; Hebrews 9:15
[37] 1 John 1:3
[38] John 14:6
[39] Isaiah 53:6, Hebrews 9:28; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24
[40] John 19:30
[41] Acts 16:31, 1 John 2:2
[42] 1 John 2:12 (NASB)
[43] Romans 1:17, Galatians 2:16
[44] James 2:19
[45] Matthew 25:41
[46] Matthew 7:22-23
[47] Acts 4:10-12
[48] Titus 3:5
[49] Acts 16:31
[50] John 6:29; James 2:17
[51] Romans 10:9: