Will the gospel that you know be good enough? Will the familiar, smooth gospel that you slip in your back pocket be strong enough for the rough, unfamiliar times we live in today?
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
“ 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
How do we respond to this gospel when we hear it?
We receive it
We remember and savor it
We believe it, steak our life in it, and it saves us
Is it just my insurance or is it my whole life?
Revelation 13:1-8
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Verse 7- Christians are being conquered(killed) by the beast,
Verse 8- 8 Observations
Lamb. Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
Slain. In Greek this means horrible slaughter against the lamb
Life. When the lamb is slain and life was taken from him, life is given to us if we receive Him.
Book. Names that are written in the book of life live.
- Why do they live?Being in the book of life keeps them from worshiping the beast.
- God keeps us because our names have been written in the book of life. Not the other way around. God does not write our names in the book of life because we have not ‘worshiped the beast’.Why- The lamb dies to purchase my life and protection from worshiping the beast. The reason they don’t worship is because they are written in the book by the blood.
When was our name written in the book?
- God views Jesus slain before the creation of the world
- Our names are written in the book of life before the creation of the worldWhy is this important?
God intends to give me the deepest security and the deepest confidence in my salvation imaginable.
Close:
Revelation 22:17
“ ...And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
God says COME to the fountain you who are thirsty
You may drink and it is FREE, a free gift.
You can’t know if your name is written in the book of life by peeking, you can know by how you respond to the lamb who was slain.