Understand that the satan is not invincible

Romans 6:5-10

"5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be [a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been [b]freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.'

In Roman 6:5-10 the apostle Paul expounds the truth that each believer is United with Christ in His total victory over sin death and satan. 

This is an infallible truth upon which each believer is responsible to stand. 

Sin and satan cannot rule over a dead person.

 Sin cannot master and put into slavery a person who is now " alive unto God" because of our union with Christ in His in resurrection. 

That is an infallible , unchanging truth upon which we are meant to stand regardless of experience.

So do not trust your experiences...

Decision to forgive

We are now going to focus on another vitally important decision—the decision to forgive. Perhaps you are surprised that I call that a decision.

I want to deal first with the relationship between forgiving and getting our prayers answered. It’s much closer than many people imagine. In Mark 11, verses 24 and 25, Jesus speaks about how to receive the answers to our prayers but He then goes on to warn us about one thing that will block the answer to our prayers. This is what He says:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [Notice, the time to receive the answer to your prayers is when you pray— ‘...believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ The manifestation of what you have received will follow in due course. That’s wonderful but now comes the warning.] And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Jesus warns us there that failure to forgive other people can block the answer to our prayers. Maybe some of you have been praying a long time and saying, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayer?” I suggest you need to check whether there’s someone you need to forgive. Failure to forgive blocks the answers to our prayers. That’s very important to remember.

Then, remember, as I’ve said already, forgiving is a decision, not an emotion. You don’t have to feel forgiving; you have to will to forgive.

And then, another very important point brought out by those words of Jesus, the initiative is with us, not with other people. If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him. Jesus doesn’t say, “When he comes up to you and asks to be forgiven, forgive him.” But He says, “When you’re praying—in fact, before you begin to pray, make sure you’ve forgiven everyone against whom you have anything.”

And then Jesus says at the end, “...so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” You see, the way we relate to others determines the way that God relates to us. If we have totally forgiven others, we can ask for total forgiveness from God; but if we withhold forgiveness from others, God will withhold forgiveness from us.

Prayer Response

Dear Father, thank You for the gift of forgiveness. Lord, if there is still unforgiveness in my heart show me to whom, and I want to forgive. Yes Lord, I want to forgive (name the person God brought to your mind) in Jesus’ name. I want to bless him/her, and ask You Lord to shower him/her with all Your blessings. Lord, I want my prayers to be answered! In Jesus’ Name, amen!

Narrow and Wide gate

Narrow and Wide gate

Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus has been teaching us what it looks like to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, but as He brings the sermon to a close, He shifts His focus slightly. He ends His sermon with a four-part conclusion about entrance into the Kingdom of God. 

His conclusion is made up of four parts – and each part reveals a contrast.  First, He speaks of two different paths (7:13-14) and then two different kinds of fruit (7:15-20). Third, He addresses two different professions of faith (7:21-23) followed by two different kinds of builders who build on different foundations (7:24-27).

While each of these contrasts emphasizes something slightly different, they all tell us something about entrance into the Kingdom of God, who will be welcomed and who will be excluded.

The Call: Enter by the narrow gate (7:13a)

In this small paragraph Jesus emphasizes that there are two paths and only two paths. Every person will either take the path toward destruction or the path toward life. Jesus begins this important discussion with this call: Enter by the narrow gate. This is a call from Jesus to enter the gate and follow the path that leads to life.  

The First Path – Entering by the wide gate (7:13)

• A wide gate – The first path is entered by a wide gate. This is an entrance that everyone sees and that most people choose.

• An easy way – The wide gate leads to an easy path. That’s not to say that life is always easy, but it’s a path that doesn’t require repentance, self-denial, sacrifice or suffering in the way the other path does.

• A well-travelled way – Jesus says that many (most) enter the through the wide gate and travel the easy way. This is the path we are all born on and most never leave.

• Leads to destruction – This is where we recognize the weight of this teaching from Jesus. This is the path that most are following, and yet it’s a path that leads to eternal destruction. While we may not like to think about this kind of judgment, the Bible is clear – there is eternal judgment for all who die apart from Christ (Matthew 25:31-41; Revelation 14:11; Ephesians 2:1-3). 

• Psalm 73:13-20 – Consider the story Asaph and how his perspective changed when he remembered the fate of the wicked.

The Second Path – Entering by the narrow gate (7:14) 

• A narrow gate – What we learn from Scripture is that the narrow gate is Christ Himself. It is only through Christ and His work on the cross that we can be forgiven and welcomed onto the path toward life (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12).

• A hard way – The path toward life is a way of repentance, self-denial, sacrifice (Luke 18:18-30; Mt. 16:24-26) and suffering (John 15:20-21).

• A less-travelled way – Because the narrow way is hard, there are few who will find and follow this path. Most will not choose to humbly repent and submit to following Christ (Matthew 22:14; Luke 13:22-30). 

• Leads to life – While the way is narrow and hard, the end of this path is eternal life (John 3:16). This reality should motivate us to follow Christ and compel us to tell others about their need to trust Him.

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Prophecy about Christ in Old Testament

 Words spoken through God’s prophets, as recorded in the Old Testament, foretold every significant event in the life of Jesus in accurate detail. When each one of these prophecies came true, the Bible says that it happened “that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” Here are eighteen specific events in the life of Jesus as predicted in the Old Testament and shown to be fulfilled in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life.

His birth of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:24–25).

His birth at Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4–7).

His flight into Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15).

His being anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 3:16).

His ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1–2; Matthew 4:15–16).

His healing of the sick (Isaiah 61:1; John 5:1–9).

His use of parables (Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:34–35).

His being betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9; John 13:18).

His being forsaken by His disciples (Psalm 88:8; Mark 14:50).

His being hated without a cause (Psalm 35:19; John 15:25).

His being rejected by the Jews (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:11).

His being condemned with criminals (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 22:37).

His garments being parted and divided by lot (Psalm 22:18; Matthew 27:35).

His being offered vinegar for His thirst (Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:48).

His body being pierced without His bones being broken (Psalm 34:20; John

19:36; also Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37).

His being buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57–60).

His rising from the dead on the third day (Hosea 6:2; Luke 24:46).

who can be saved?

 

Jesus clearly taught in John 3:16 that He will save anyone who believes in Him: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This “whoever” includes you and every other person in the world.

The Bible says that, if salvation were based on our own efforts, no one could be saved: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Psalm 143:2 adds, “No one living is righteous before you.” Romans 3:10 affirms, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”

We cannot save ourselves. Instead, we are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8–9 teaches, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” We are saved by God’s grace, and grace, by definition, cannot be earned. We do not deserve salvation; we simply receive it by faith.

God’s grace is enough to cover all sin (Romans 5:20). The Bible is filled with examples of people who were saved from sinful backgrounds. The apostle Paul wrote to Christians who had formerly been living in a variety of sinful conditions, including sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thievery, greed, and drunkenness. But Paul tells them that, upon salvation, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

The apostle Paul himself had been a persecutor of Christians, approving of the death of Stephen (Acts 8:1) and arresting Christians and throwing them into prison (Acts 8:3). He would later write, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:13–15).

God often chooses to save unlikely candidates to serve His purposes. He saved a thief on a cross with only minutes to live (Luke 23:42–43), a persecutor of the church (Paul), a fisherman who had denied Him (Peter), a Roman soldier and his family (Acts 10), a runaway slave (Onesimus in Philemon), and many others. There is no one beyond God’s ability to save (see Isaiah 50:2). We must respond in faith and receive His free gift of eternal life.

Who can be saved? One thing is for certain—you can, if you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior! If you are not certain you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you can respond right now in prayer. Saying a prayer is simply a way of declaring to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ as your Savior. There are no magical words that result in salvation. It is only faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection that can save us. If you understand that you are a sinner and in need of salvation through Jesus Christ, here is a prayer you can pray to God:

“God, I realize I am a sinner and could never reach heaven by my own good deeds. Right now I place my faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son who died for my sins and rose from the dead to give me eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life.”

Have you, in faith, received Jesus Christ as your Savior because of what you have read here? If so, please let us know by clicking on the “I have received Christ today” button below.

How can I be saved

This simple, yet profound, question is the most important question that can be asked. "How can I be saved?" deals with where we will spend eternity after our lives in this world are over. There is no more important issue than our eternal destiny. Thankfully, the Bible is abundantly clear on how a person can be saved. The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Paul and Silas responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

How can I be saved? Why do I need to be saved?

We are all infected with sin (Romans 3:23). We are born with sin (Psalm 51:5), and we all personally choose to sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8). Sin is what makes us unsaved. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.

How can I be saved? Saved from what?

Because of our sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23). While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin. All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God (Psalm 51:4). Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite. What we need to be saved from is eternal destruction (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).

How can I be saved? How did God provide salvation?

Because the just penalty for sin is infinite and eternal, only God could pay the penalty, because only He is infinite and eternal. But God, in His divine nature, could not die. So God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. God took on human flesh, lived among us, and taught us. When the people rejected Him and His message, and sought to kill Him, He willingly sacrificed Himself for us, allowing Himself to be crucified (John 10:15). Because Jesus Christ was human, He could die; and because Jesus Christ was God, His death had an eternal and infinite value. Jesus’ death on the cross was the perfect and complete payment for our sin (1 John 2:2). He took the consequences we deserved. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead demonstrated that His death was indeed the perfectly sufficient sacrifice for sin.

How can I be saved? What do I need to do?

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). God has already done all of the work. All you must do is receive, in faith, the salvation God offers (Ephesians 2:8-9). Fully trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sins. Believe in Him, and you will not perish (John 3:16). God is offering you salvation as a gift. All you have to do is accept it. Jesus is the way of salvation (John 14:6).

Have you, in faith, received Jesus Christ as your Savior because of what you have read here? If so, please let us know by clicking on the “I have received Christ today” button below.

What is sexual immorality?

In the New Testament, the word most often translated “sexual immorality” is porneia. This word is also translated as “whoredom,” “fornication,” and “idolatry.” It means “a surrendering of sexual purity,” and it is primarily used of premarital sexual relations. From this Greek word we get the English word pornography, stemming from the concept of “selling off.” Sexual immorality is the “selling off” of sexual purity and involves any type of sexual expression outside the boundaries of a biblically defined marriage relationship (Matthew 19:4–5).

The connection between sexual immorality and idolatry is best understood in the context of 1 Corinthians 6:18, which says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” The bodies of believers are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Pagan idol worship often involved perverse and immoral sexual acts performed in the temple of a false god. When we use our physical bodies for immoral purposes, we are imitating pagan worship by profaning God’s holy temple with acts He calls detestable (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

Biblical prohibitions against sexual immorality are often coupled with warnings against “impurity” (Romans 1:24; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 4:19). This word in the Greek is akatharsia, which means “defiled, foul, ceremonially unfit.” It connotes actions that render a person unfit to enter God’s presence. Those who persist in unrepentant immorality and impurity cannot come into the presence of God. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8; cf. Psalm 24:3–4). It is impossible to maintain a healthy intimacy with God when our bodies and souls are given over to impurities of any kind.

Sexuality is God’s design. He alone can define the parameters for its use. The Bible is clear that sex was created to be enjoyed between one man and one woman who are in a covenant marriage until one of them dies (Matthew 19:6). Sexuality is His sacred wedding gift to human beings. Any expression of it outside those parameters constitutes an abuse of God’s gift. Adultery, premarital sex, pornography, and homosexual relations are all contrary to God’s design. That makes those things sinful.

The following are some common objections to God’s commands against sexual immorality:

1. It’s not wrong if we love each other. The Bible makes no distinction between “loving” and “unloving” sexual relations. The only biblical distinction is between married and unmarried people. Sex within marriage is blessed (Genesis 1:28); sex outside of marriage is “fornication” or “sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 7:2–5).

2. Times have changed, and what was wrong in biblical times is no longer considered sin. Most of the passages condemning sexual immorality also include evils such as greed, lust, stealing, etc. (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:19–21). We have no problem understanding that these other things are still sin. God’s character does not change with culture’s opinion (Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8).

3. We’re married in God’s eyes. The fallacy of this idea is that the God who created marriage in the first place would retract His own command to accommodate what He has called sin. God declared marriage to be one man and one woman united for life (Mark 10:6–9). The Bible often uses the imagery of a wedding and a covenant marriage as a metaphor to teach spiritual truth (Matthew 22:2; Revelation 19:9). God takes marriage seriously, and His “eyes” see immorality for what it is, regardless of how cleverly we have redefined it.

4. I can still have a good relationship with God because He understands. Proverbs 28:9 says, “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” We fool ourselves when we think that we can stubbornly choose sin and God does not care. First John 2:3–4 contains a serious challenge for those who persist in this line of thinking: “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”

Hebrews 13:4 makes God’s expectation for His children crystal clear: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Sexual immorality is wrong. The blood of Jesus can cleanse us from every type of impurity when we repent and receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:7–9). But that cleansing means our old nature and all its practices, including sexual immorality, are put to death (Romans 6:12–14; 8:13). Ephesians 5:3 says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”