Well, good morning. Welcome to Sure Foundation Baptist Church as I'll take our seats and let's all grab our songbooks and go to number
245. The old account will settle. Number 245. The old account will settle. Let's all stand as we sing unto the Lord this morning.
Number 245. The old account will settle long ago. Let's think about those words as we sing.
On the first, there was a time on earth when in the book of heaven an old account was standing for since yet unforgave.
My name was at the top and many things below. I went unto the keeper and settled long ago, long ago, long ago.
As the old settled ago, the record for he washed my sins away. When the old account was settled on that second church,
the old account was large and going every day for I was always sinning and never tried to pay.
But when I looked ahead and saw much pain and woe, I said that I would settle, I settled long ago, long ago.
Yes, the old account was settled long ago, and the record's clear today for he washed my sins away.
When the old account was settled long ago, when in that happy home, my savior's home above,
I'll sing redemption's story and praise him for his love.
I'll not forget that book with pages wide and snow, because I came and settled, I settled long ago, long ago, long ago.
Yes, the old account was settled long ago, the record's clear today for you.
The old account was settled long ago, on that fourth.
O sinner, trust the Lord, be cleansed of all your sin, for thus he had provided for you to enter in.
And then if you should live a hundred years below, up there you'll not regret it.
You settled long ago, long ago, long ago, settled long ago.
That grit's clear today, for he washed my sins away, when the old account was settled long ago.
Amen. Family Father, thank you for this day, Lord. Thank you for allowing us to be in church this morning.
I ask for your please bless the service, Lord, and bless the preaching as well, and bless the pie and pray service later today, Lord. Thank you, Lord. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.
Let's take our psalm books and go to number 205. Number 205, he keeps me singing. Number 205, he keeps me singing.
Sing it on that first. There's within my heart a melody. Jesus whispers sweet and low. Fear not, I am with thee. Peace be still in all of life's ebb and flow. Sing it out, church. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Sweetest name I know's my end.
Lord, keep me singing as I on that second church. All my life was wrecked by sin and strife.
Disco filled my heart with pains. I swept across the broken street. Teared the slumbling cords.
I'm stuck in a church. Thus is my every resting shell. Looking on, that is why I shout, "Amen!" Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. He knows that for those sometimes he leaves trials fall across. Sometimes the path seems rough and steams footprints. All get out, church. Jesus, from the land he's coming back to. I love hearing you guys sing.
I shall reign with him, our church. Jesus, singing as I go.
And you may be seated at this moment. Have evangelists, justins on, come and give some announcements.
Welcome to our Shul Foundation Baptist Church Sunday morning service.
Raise your hand if you need a bulletin and I shall bring one to you.
Let's look at the verse of the week, James chapter 1, verse number 17.
The Bible says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
Of course, we'll have a pie and pray service this afternoon.
And today will be a Sunday of Thanksgiving.
So it's time to remember that every good thing that we have comes from God.
And we need to thank God for that.
Let's look at the inside page.
Please follow us on the social media, YouTube, Facebook, Rumble, and X.
We have service time Sunday morning at 11. Sunday afternoon service at 4.
And Wednesday night Bible study at 7 p.m.
This coming Wednesday we'll be going through Judges chapter number 7, I believe.
It will be talking about the actual battle of Gideon versus the multitude of the Midnight Nights.
So please join us for Wednesday night service.
So many times this afternoon at 1.30 p.m. and Saturday morning at 10.30 a.m.
Salvation and the attendance last week is for you to see.
We finished up the Gary Sony Marathon yesterday, had nine salvations.
I believe the year today total for the Gary is 100 some salvations, 173.
So praise the Lord for that. We will continue the Gary one next year.
And potentially expanding south, you know, to head, you know, Evansville, Terry Hall.
Just, you know, stay tuned for more detail of next year.
Upcoming events this afternoon, we'll have a pie and pray service during the afternoon service.
It'll be a special service. We'll have song requests.
We'll operate a sermon net. I'll probably break the record for the shortest sermon.
And then we get to partake in pies and eggnog, raw milk, and just all kinds of good things.
So Christmas service will take place on Sunday, December 21st.
There'll be a pollock right after the morning service. Please invite family and friends.
Also join us for the Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, December 24th.
So if you don't normally come on Wednesday nights, so this is a service that you don't want to miss.
So many trips coming up. December 6th will be the Evansville Spying Trip, just a scouting trip to see how it goes.
And if it's fruitful, then we'll have an official So Many Marathon next year.
The goal is to target the Marshall East, so just meet at the location below Eastern Standard Time.
That's the time zone to be in. Do not get your time zone wrong.
I believe the whole U.S. should be in one time zone.
Anyway, that will be a separate sermon on the one time zone policy.
December 27th is the Winter Wonderland Swimming Marathon.
We'll meet here at 1 p.m., and then we're going to go swimming for three and a half, four hours straight.
We're going to push it through that, and then we're going to meet for dinner together.
Dinner location will be disclosed at the 1 p.m. meetup.
So you don't just show up at dinner, just become a freeloader.
Dinner will be provided by the church, of course.
Help us with the cleaning right after the afternoon service.
Also, next week during the afternoon service, we'll have a men's preaching night.
If you are planning on preaching, please let me know.
Please let me know your sermon topic.
If you want to know how to be saved or needs to be baptized,
please see an usher or myself at the service.
Please be diligent in your following up.
Talk to them about baptism and then church attendance.
We want to finish the year strong.
If you flip on the back side, we can see the birthdays coming up for the month of November.
Cooper's birthday will be on the 30th.
That will be next Sunday.
We'll sing happy birthday to him during the afternoon service.
If your dates are not on there, please let me know by writing it on the back of the card
and drop it when the offering play goes by.
So with that being said, let's sing one more song and then we'll take up the offering.
We're going to stay seated and go to number 136, Master the Tempest is Raging.
Number 136, Master the Tempest is Raging.
Sing it on that first.
Master the Tempest is raging, the billows are tossing high, the sky is so shadowed with holes sheltered.
Oh, has not thou, not thou, lost each moment so madly?
Sit down, church!
The winds and the waves shall obey my will.
The sea's oar can swallow shit, the master's sweet stir.
I grieve my sad heart, I sing, and I pine.
Think about those words, the winds and the sea's oar shall sweetly
master the taste of shit.
Have ushers come up and prepare to give the offering.
Brother Falco, can you please pray for the offering?
We'll be in Ephesians chapter 2 this morning.
If you need a Bible, raise your hand, and usher will give one to you.
Ephesians chapter 2.
While you're turning there, I'll begin reading the chapter.
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom also we all had our conversation in time past, and the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love whereif he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ; by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Wherefore, remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh were called uncircumcision,
by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands.
That at that time ye 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.
But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are menai by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us,
abolished in his flesh the eminy, even the law of commandments, containing ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the eminy thereby,
and came and preached peace to you which were far off, and to them that were nigh.
For through him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone,
in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto and holy temple in the Lord;
in whom ye are also builded together for the inhabitation of God through the Spirit.
Brother Jerich, could you pray us into the service?
Amen, John Ephesians chapter number 2, look at verse number 11.
The Bible says, "Wherefore, remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,
who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands,
that at that time ye 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.
And Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Now the title of the sermon this morning is derived from verse 12, "Without God in the world."
And on Thursday we'll celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, and I want you to zoom into this phrase,
"Without God in the world," because this is a Thanksgiving sermon, and just think about today or throughout the week,
think about what would life be without God? Who will you become without God?
What will your world be without God in the world? Who will your friends be without God?
What are you going to do today if there is no God? How will your marriage be without God?
What would give you joy, happiness without God? What would you teach your children without God?
What would death mean to you if there is no God? What kind of life choices would you make without God?
What kind of men, women, and children would you become if there is no God in this world?
What would your identity be without God?
Because let's just be honest. Without God in the world, everything is meaningless.
So I hope this sermon is going to help you reflect on how good life is and how good it is to be a Christian.
So point number one this morning is the condition of man without salvation.
Now the context of Ephesians chapter 2 is here without God, it's talking about before you were saved.
And the verses prior to the passage we just read talks about how you can be with God or how to be saved.
Let's look at verse number 8, a very famous passage, Ephesians 2 verse 8.
The Bible says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."
The Bible is abundantly clear that salvation is a gift, and that's not depending upon anything that we do.
Because if we can do good things to go to heaven, then we can boast about it, right? We can brag about it.
The Bible says it's by faith alone, it's a gift of God, not of works, okay?
But then the Bible is giving us what to do after salvation.
Because, you know, after we are saved, God wants us to do good works. Look at verse number 10.
"For we," talking about believers, "for we are His workmanship, creating Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God had before ordained that we should walk in them." Okay?
I think it's funny that people who preach a workspace salvation will use verse number 10,
but they just completely ignore verse 8 and 9, okay?
Because verse 8 and 9 and 10 gives us the distinction between salvation and sanctification, right?
After we are saved, we should walk in the works because we love God.
Look at verse number 11.
"Wherefore, remember that ye, being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,
who are called uncircumcision, by that which is called a circumcision in the flesh made by hands."
So verse 11 is saying that before you got saved, those circumcision in the flesh,
those Jews, they will call these people uncircumcision, okay?
So we have two different groups here.
Verse number 12, "at that time ye were without Christ."
That's prior to salvation, "being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."
So without God in the world, without Christ, without salvation,
you were strangers or aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.
The word commonwealth means a nation or state, okay?
So by the way, it's saying that if you were not saved,
you would not be part of the chosen nation made up of all believers.
Now that after you are saved, you have the commonwealth of Israel,
that means you are part of the nation of the spiritual Israel, okay?
Turn the Bible to Genesis chapter number 12.
Keep it placed in Ephesians chapter 2.
Go if you would to Genesis chapter number 12.
So without God in the world, without Christ, without salvation,
you were aliens, strangers, you were foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel.
But also, without God in the world, you were strangers from the covenants of promise.
What I'm trying to get at is, if you were not saved,
you would not be part of the Abrahamic covenant.
If you were not saved, you would not even take the benefit of the Abrahamic covenant.
Luke 12, verse number 1, the Bible says,
"Now the Lord has said unto Abram, Get thee out of the country,
and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house,
unto a land that I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing."
Verse number 3, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee,
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Obviously we know that God is making promises to Abraham singular as a person,
and then Galatians is very clear that he says,
"not empty seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ."
And then the Bible further says that if he be in Christ,
then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
That means if you are saved, you get to partake this Abrahamic covenant, right?
We get the blessings, which is the gospel, coming from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Go to 2 Samuel chapter number 7, 2 Samuel chapter number 7.
If you were not saved, you would not be part of the Abrahamic covenant.
But also, if you were not saved, you would not be part of the Davidic covenant.
That's the covenant that God gave to King David.
2 Samuel chapter 7, look at verse number 12.
Here is the prophet Nathan talking to King David.
2 Samuel chapter 7, verse number 12.
The Bible says, "And when thy days, David's days, be fulfilled,
and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up to miss this thy seed after thee."
I believe this is talking about Solomon in the immediate context,
but also foreshadows Christ, "which shall proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom, he shall build a house for my name,
and I will establish the throne of his kingdom, notice, forever."
So obviously we have dual application here, right?
Solomon, but obviously the ultimate fulfillment is the Lord Jesus Christ,
because the kingdom of Christ will last forever.
Verse number 14, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son.
If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men,
and with the stripes of the children of men."
To me, verse 14 is a great Old Testament verse to prove one saved, always saved.
Because once you are a child of God, God will chasten you, God will punish you, right?
God will give you stripes and rods, but look at verse number 15,
"But my mercy shall not depart away from him."
You will always be my son, you will always be a child of God if you are saved.
"But I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee."
Again, that's the Old Testament illustration of the family.
The Bible is comparing salvation with family because you are born into the family of God, right?
Verse number 16, "And then the house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee.
Thy throne shall be established forever according to all these words
and according to all this vision so that Nathan speak unto David."
This passage foreshadows the everlasting kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ
who is the seed of David, okay?
So if you are saved, then you will rule and reign with Christ during the millennium
and then during the eternal state so you get to partake the Davidic covenant, you know?
Just like the seed of David, Jesus Christ, will rule and reign for forever,
you will be doing the same.
So if you were not saved, you will not be part of the Abrahamic covenant,
you will also not be part of the Davidic covenant.
Turn the Bible to Jeremiah chapter 31.
Jeremiah chapter 31.
In addition, if you were not saved, you will not be part of the New Covenant.
If you were not saved, you will not be part of the New Covenant.
Jeremiah 31, look at verse 31.
Jeremiah 31, verse 31.
By the way, Jeremiah is written in the Old Testament, right?
The Bible already talks about the New Covenant.
Jeremiah 31, verse 31.
The Bible says, "Behold, days come," said the Lord, "that I will make a New Covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
not according to a covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them,
but a hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they break."
That's the Old Covenant he's talking about.
"Although I was an husband unto them," said the Lord,
"but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel.
After those days," said the Lord, "I will put my law in their inward parts
and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother,
saying, 'Know the Lord, for they shall all know me,
from the least of them unto the greatest of them,' said the Lord.
For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their saying no more."
That's talking about salvation.
So the moment you get saved, you are part of this New Covenant.
you are part of this spiritual nation called Israel.
Further, in the New Testament, we know the verse.
The Bible says that the kingdom of God
shall be taken from you and given to a nation that brings
forth the fruit thereof.
So God's chosen people is no longer a physical nation,
but a spiritual nation made up of all believers--
Jew, Greek, black, yellow, orange, white--
made up of all saved people.
So without God in the world, you
were aliens, strangers, foreigners
from the state, from the nation, from the Commonwealth of Israel.
But also, without God in the world,
you were strangers from the covenants of promise.
Turn the Bible to Colossians chapter number 3.
Colossians chapter number 3.
Furthermore, without God in the world, you were without hope.
Because if you were not saved, you would die and go to hell.
There's no hope in life.
There's no hope in the afterlife.
Not only you will go to hell, but you will also
be tormented in hell forever and ever.
Hell lasts forever.
People don't just get burnt up in hell.
There's no purgatory.
When you are in hell, you will be in hell forever.
There's no way out of there.
But after you got saved, all of your sins
are forgiven, even your future sins.
Because Christ paid for your past, present,
and future sins, that's why losing your salvation
makes zero sense.
We don't have to be concerned about where
we will go after we die, because we can never lose
our salvation for any reason.
Colossians chapter 2, verse number 13.
The Bible says, "And you, being dead in your sins
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him,
having forgiven you all trespasses,
blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross,
and having spoiled principalities and powers,
he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
So Colossians 2.13, 2.15 is a very powerful passage
talking about Jesus Christ.
He lived a sinless life, and he took all of our sins
on himself, even the worst sins.
And he paid and died for our sins.
Praise the Lord for that.
Let's turn the Bible back to Ephesians, chapter 2.
So without God in the world, you were aliens
from the Commonwealth of Israel.
Without God in the world, you were strangers
from the covenants of promise.
And without God in the world, you were without hope.
Ephesians, chapter 2, look at verse number 13.
"But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were afar off,
are made nigh by the blood of Christ."
Doesn't it feel good to be part of the chosen nation, right?
The Bible says that you are a chosen nation,
a royal priesthood, and a holy nation,
and also a peculiar people.
We are meant to show for the praise of Him
who had called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light, because we were in time past.
We're not a people, but are now the people of God,
which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
As we are approaching Thanksgiving,
we need to, first and foremost, be thanking God
for the glorious salvation.
Some people will say, you know, I'm not just saved,
I'm gloriously saved.
I think every saved person should say I'm gloriously saved,
because all of you saints are forgiven.
You are no longer going to hell.
You will go to heaven when you die,
or when Christ comes in your lifetime,
and you are part of the holy nation.
You went from an outsider to an heir, right?
From a stranger to a citizen of the chosen nation,
from judgment to mercy.
If that's not something to thank God for, then nothing is.
Amen.
Turn the Bible to Ecclesiastes chapter number three.
Ecclesiastes chapter number three.
So point number one,
I talk about the condition of man without salvation.
Point number two, the condition of man without God.
Now let's talk about life if God does not exist.
If God does not exist, if God is not real,
if there's no God, if we live in an atheistic society.
Because without God, without the existence of God,
death ends everything.
Man simply, you know, dies like a beast,
dies like an animal.
Ecclesiastes chapter three, look at verse number 18.
The Bible says, I said in my heart,
concerning the estate of the sons of man,
that God might manifest them,
that they might see that they themselves are beasts, okay?
Now I talk about during my sermon series in this book,
the context is life under the sun without God,
not life above the sun.
So Solomon was making a point that if,
if our life is without God,
then we are just like the animals, right?
And that's exactly what the atheists believe.
That's exactly what the evolutionists believe.
Look at verse number 19.
For that which before that, the what before means happen.
For that which before that, the sons of man before the beast,
even one thing before them, as the one died, so died the other.
Yea, they have all one breath, so that a man has
no preeminence above the beast for all his vanity.
So life without God, you have no more importance over a dog,
over a cat, over a cockroach, OK?
Verse number 20, here's the reason.
All go unto one place, all are of the dust,
and all turn to dust again.
So if we live a life without God, then when you die, that's it.
You go back to dust, and it's over, right?
There's no afterlife.
You are no better than an animal.
That's why atheism is such a sad religion, amen?
Without God, death will be final, meaningless,
and there will be no justice, no resurrection, no heaven,
and no hell.
How miserable is that?
Because you will work hard your whole life, learning skills,
building a family, and when you die, it's all over.
What's the point?
You pour decades into raising children,
and in a godless world, none of it
matters one second after you die, right?
You sacrifice, struggle, and fight
through illness, and difficulty, and tough times.
And for what?
If that just ends everything.
If there's no God, then what difference
does your life make in the end?
Absolutely nothing.
If there's no God, why does anything
you do actually matter?
Without God, what does success even mean,
when that just levels everything?
Without God, what does legacy mean,
if no one will remember you forever?
Without God, why restrain yourself from any sin,
if there's no final accountability?
Without God, why try to be a good husband,
wife or parent, if nothing survives death?
Without God, what comfort would you have
when a loved one dies?
Without God, who will right the wrongs
that will never fix in this life?
Without God, when evil men die peacefully in their sleep,
who will judge them?
Without God, when normal innocent people suffer,
who will vindicate them?
Without God, what hope is there when your body breaks down
and you cannot reverse it?
Without God, why does injustice bother you
if everything ends in nothingness anyway?
Without God, why cling to any morality at all
if the universe is just some random accidents?
Without God, what do you say
to someone grieving at a funeral?
That's it, they are gone forever.
Without God, how do you explain love, purpose,
conscience, hope, and meaning?
Without God, why does anything in your life
have any significance?
See if there's no God, funerals are the end, right?
But with God, funerals are a doorway to heaven or hell.
Here's the truth, there is a God.
And we need to be thankful that there is a God.
Because of God, because there is a God, life has a purpose.
Because of God, death is not an end, but a beginning.
Without God, justice will be done,
and everyone will be made right.
Because of God, suffering is not wasted.
Because of God, our tears have meaning.
Because of God, our labor is not in vain.
Because of God, we know where we came from and where we are going.
Because of God, we have hope beyond this world.
Because of God, we can forgive, heal, and move forward.
Because of God, our families have a solid foundation.
Because of God, marriage has meaning.
Because of God, morality is absolute and not subjective, not changing every second.
We can allow it to 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 15.
In Judges 21, verse 25, the Bible says, "In those days there was no king in Israel.
Every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
Obviously, we can apply that to the atheists, right?
They don't have a king in their mind, they do that which is right in their own eyes.
Without God there is no absolute, you know?
Star Wars only said the old thing "absolute" but the Bible is an absolute book, amen?
So absolute is not wrong, so the Star Wars are a bunch of bond of stick crap, you know?
Because of God truth exists and can be known.
Because of God we are never alone.
Because of God evil will never win.
Because of God heaven is real and hell is real.
Because of God eternity matters more than the temporary.
Because of God your soul will live forever.
Because of God your prayers are heard.
Because of God thanksgiving actually means something.
Because there's someone to be thankful for, amen.
John 11, 25 says, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life, yet I believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
John 1, 15, verse 32, the Bible says this, if after the manner of man I have fought the
beast at Ephesus, what advantage is it in me if the dead rise not?
So Paul was wrestling with the idea that why is he fighting the good fight of faith if
there's no resurrection.
And then he said, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.
God, everything is meaningless. Every struggle, every trial, every, you know, even all of our families, skills, they are all worthless. That's why we need to be thankful for God because there is a God. Amen. Go to Romans, chapter number six. Romans, chapter number six. So I said point number one, the condition of man without salvation. Point number two, the condition of man without God. Point number three, the condition of you without God. So even though
works do not come automatically after you are saved, but the Bible does teach
that the unsaved are known for sinning and they walk according to the course of
this world. Okay, Romans, chapter six, look at verse 17. Romans, chapter six, verse 17.
The Bible says, "But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin that was
before salvation, but ye have obeyed from the harder form of doctrine which
was deliver you, being that made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness." So Paul is not saying that after you are saved, you will not sin.
Paul is saying that before you were saved, you were servants of sin, but now
that you are saved, you should not serve sin anymore, right? Now you can serve
righteousness and have power over sin. Verse number 19, "I speak after the manner
of man because of the infirmity of your flesh, for as ye have yielded your
members serving to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield
your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." So this is an ammunition
for Christians to yield their members to serve God, to have victories over their
flesh, to yield to their spirit. Verse number 20, "For when ye were the servants
of sin, ye were free from righteousness." Because before you were saved,
everything you did was absent from righteousness. Even the good things you
did before you were saved were like filthy rags. Verse number 21, "What fruit
have ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed, for the end of those
things is death." So verse 21 is a very sobering verse because Paul was
basically questioning you, saved people, why are you still doing those things
that condemn you to hell in the first place, right? You know, why are you still
sinning? You know, verse number 22, "But now being made free from sin and
become servants of God, you have your fruit unto your holiness and the end
everlasting life." Now verse 22, people will twist that to preach a workspace
salvation because, you know, they will say if you have your fruit unto your
holiness, then in the end you will have everlasting life, okay? So, you know, let's
just break this verse down, okay? First, the Bible says in verse 22, "Now being
made free from sin." That's your position the moment you are saved. It already
happened. That's not something you can earn by serving God. Freedom from sin's
penalty is, you know, is instant as salvation, right? And then the Bible says,
"And become servants to God." This is your new identity, natural
performance. The moment you are saved, you become a child of God and a servant
of God. This is positional. Even a backsliding Christian is still a servant
in status, just like a prodigal son is still a son. You are a
servant of God, doesn't matter you are serving God actually or not, because
that's your status. And then the Bible says, "You have your fruit unto holiness."
Notice, holiness is the fruit, not the root. The root is salvation, right?
Holiness is the fruit if you serve God. If you walk in the Spirit, if
you submit to His righteousness, your life will produce holiness.
But if you choose not to serve God, you will not produce holiness, but you are
still saved because the beginning of the verse says, "Now being made
free from sin." So holiness is what a saved person ought to have, not
what they must have to prove their salvation. But then the Bible says, "At the
end everlasting life." That's the ultimate destination for every single believer
because of justification and not progressive sanctification. So Paul is
stating the end result of a saved life and not a requirement to reach it.
Because everlasting life is not the reward for serving, it's a guaranteed
outcome for everyone who is being made free from sin, right? If you are made
free from sin, if you are saved, you have everlasting life. That's why the very
next verse says, in verse 23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Okay, so the Bible is very,
very clear. Do not take one verse and just miss all the sequencing of the
passage. Turn around to Ephesians chapter number 2. Ephesians chapter number 2. So I'm
talking about the condition of you without God because before you were saved,
you know, some of you were doing some horrible things. Here are more verses
that teach the same concept. If in chapter 2, look at verse number 1, if in
chapter 2 verse 1, the Bible says this, "And you hath he quickened." That means
God has made you alive, aka salvation, who are dead in trespasses and sins.
Where in time past you walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience. So Paul is talking to this group, talking to the
Ephesian Christians, that before you guys were saved, you did walk
according to the course of this world. Look at verse number 3, "Among whom also we
all had our conversation," that means lifestyle, "in time past in the lust of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and wore nature
the children of wrath even as others," notice verse number 4, "but God, who is
rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, had quickened us together with Christ by grace." By grace you are saved.
So people again will twist verse number 3 saying, see, those Christians they
were no longer doing the same things they were doing before, you know, after
they got saved, but then in verse 5, "By grace you are saved." Okay, so Paul was
saying that, you know, to this group of Christians, to those
Christians in Ephesus, yeah, they did turn their way after they were saved because
they were walking in the Spirit. So what's the point, you know? Many of you
here will still be doing the same thing that you were doing if you were not
saved. And the reason that you stop doing those things is because that you love
God because you have read your Bible, because you have heard some good
preaching, right? Now some of you still commit the same sins before, you know,
before you got saved and you actually need to turn from your sins. Not to be
saved but to live in holiness, right? You actually produce some good fruit. So
let's think about the things that you stop doing because you got saved. And you
need to thank God for helping you overcoming those things. Things like
drinking alcohol. Some of you probably have been drinking alcohol before you
got saved, right? Fornication, smoking, always being angry, lying at work,
gossiping, idolatry, cross-dressing, just honoring your parents, not loving your
wife, not respecting your husband, right? Some of you maybe, you know, you
were doing those things before you got saved but after you were saved, God has
given you power to overcome those sins and we need to be thankful that God has
given us the power. Some of you would not be married today without God, nor would
your families be intact without God. Many marriages will fail miserably without
God. You will not even meet your spouse without God. You will not know how true
love is without God, right? Now where are you at with, now where are you at with
your life because of God? You don't drink? You don't smoke? I mean, I hope you don't
because, you know, that would be pretty serious, right? You don't fornicate? You have a
nicer temper? You work hard to provide for your family? You stay home to be a
housewife? You teach your children at home and you try to be at peace with all
men if it's possible? You have a better marriage? You go to church? You pray
and you read your Bible and you seek to keep God's commandment? You know what?
Praise the Lord for that. Turn the Bible to Titus chapter 3. Titus chapter number 3.
See, we owe every bit of our transformation to God because if God
had not stepped in we would still be the same people we were before salvation or
even worse. Titus chapter 3. Look at verse number 1. Titus 3 verse 1. The Bible
says this, "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers to
obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be
no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. For we," talking about Paul and
his group, "for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived,
serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and
hating one another." That is Paul and his group's life before salvation.
Notice verse number 4. "But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior
toward men appeared, now by works of righteousness which we have done. But
according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and the
renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our
Savior, that being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life." So in case Paul, you know, so in case people were
questioning, "Hey, did good works just come automatically after salvation?"
Paul wrote verse 4 to verse number 7, okay, and then he said in verse 8,
"This is the 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.'" So it should be a
constant thing to remind yourself to maintain good works because if you don't
you may go back to the things that you were doing before you got saved, right? So
why should we maintain good works? Because they are good and profitable,
because they actually help others, because they actually reflect Christ,
because you can actually have faith that's not dead if you are working it
out, right? The Bible says work out your salvation. People should work out what
God has worked in. Now you are saved, now work it out to maintain good works, to be
profitable onto the world. So what's the point? Without God, your life
is miserable. Without God, you will still hold on to some of the sins that you used
to commit, and we need to thank God for not only His saving grace, but also His
transforming power. If you are saved and you still struggle with certain sins,
ask God to give you power to overcome them, yield to the Spirit, and live for
God. As for me, without God I will not be saved, I will not quit drinking, I will
not meet my wife at church, I will likely have committed
fornication, I will not work hard, and I will not have known you guys, right?
Without God in the world my life is miserable, but with God in the world life
is colorful. Life has meaning and we need to thank God for it.
Let's go back to Psalm 100. I say point number one, the condition of man without salvation.
Point number two, the condition of man without God. Point number three, the condition of
you without God. So as we are approaching the thanksgiving season, we need to be thankful
because there is a God in the world. The Bible says, "In everything give thanks, for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." The Bible says, "Giving thanks always
for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." When you realize
that, when you realize what life would be without God, gratitude should become natural. Amen.
Psalm 100, let's read this famous praising Psalm. Psalm 100, verse number one, "Make a joyful noise
unto the Lord, all ye land, serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with sin,
know that the Lord he is God, it is he that had made us and not we ourselves, we are his people
and sheep of his pasture, enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise,
be thankful unto him and bless his name, here's the reason, for the Lord is good, his mercy is
everlasting and his truth endure to all generations." So my question to you is, is God good to you?
Then give thanks to him. Is God merciful to you? Then praise his name. Is God faithful to you?
Then trust in him in your daily life. Is God providing for you and your family? Then honor
him with gratitude. Has God answered your prayers? Then bless his holy name. Has God guided your steps?
Then follow him wholeheartedly. Has God saved you from hell? Then rejoice in the salvation that he
has given you freely. Has God strengthened you in all of your trials? Then testify of his goodness.
Has God given you bread today so you can come to church? Then use it to praise him. Go to Psalm 103.
Psalm 103. Look at verse number one. Psalm 103 verse one. The Bible says, "Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget
not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases,
who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies,
who satisfies thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.
The Lord executed righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed." See, every joy,
every blessing, every breath, every bit of hope, every deliverance from sin, every restored marriage,
every child raising truth, every victory, every answered prayer, all of that is because we are
no longer without God in the world. So I hope you have a great Thanksgiving holiday. Amen.
Let's close in with a prayer. Thank you, Lord, for saving our souls, and thank you, Lord,
for transforming us. But I pray that we will be gratitude in our Christian life and just
boldly proclaim your holy name and boldly proclaim the gospel. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. Thank you, Evangelous Zong, for that sermon. Let's all stand for the last song
and let's take our binders, should be on your seats, and go in your binders through tribulation.
[Praying]
Sing it out now.
[Praying]
Sing it out now.
[Praying]
We're gonna sing that chorus one more time, but we're gonna sing it acapella.
[Praying]
Amen. Brother Wade, can you pray us out of the service, please?