Love and Acceptance
Do you feel like everyone else is a better Christian than you are? Do you discount yourself among the heroes of faith, the bold men and women used mightily by God, men like David, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, the Apostles, the Revivalists, the martyrs, the prayer warriors, the men and women of great faith, exploits, power with men and favor with God?
This past Sunday morning I shared with you 10 statements of truth about your standing before God… statements of His total acceptance of you. He does love you, and more than you can possibly imagine. Here are the statements, and the references which support them. Look each one up. See if they aren’t true. If you call upon Christ as Saviour and Lord you are loved and accepted!
- You are God’s child. – John 1:12
- You are a friend of Jesus. – John 15:15
- You have been declared righteous before God. – Romans 5:1
- You are one with Christ in spirit. 1 Cor. 6:17
- You have been bought with a price by God and you belong to Him. – 1 Cor. 6:19-20
- You are a member of Christ’s Body. – 1 Cor. 12:27
- You are chosen by God and adopted by Him. – Eph. 1:3-8
- You have been redeemed and forgiven of all your sins. – Col.1:13-14
- You are complete in Christ. – Col. 2:9-10
- You have direct access to the throne of grace through Christ. – Heb. 4:14-16
We all know these words of Jesus, “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.” (John 3:16). It is interesting to note that if you look up the same reference in the first epistle of John you find these words, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16).
It is no wonder that Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees was: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-38).
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13).
Great men and women of God are those who love Him greatly.
More tomorrow…
To hear Pastor Andrew’s Sunday message, go to the Facebook page of Lincoln Baptist Church, or link to the livestream from the church website.
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