Drawing From the Wells of Salvation

 Temple Baptist Church - 2-13-2022

Isaiah 12; John 4:9-15

 

Introduction:

 

A.  By interpretation, these verses in Isaiah, chapter 12, speak of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom after the Tribulation Period.  He is speaking to Israel, His covenant people.  Tonight, we will begin our study of the Millennium in Revelation, chapter 20.

 

B.  This morning, I want to make a biblical application that is relevant to the child of God in our day.  We live in days that are called perilous in 2 Timothy, chapter 3.  We who are saved know what spiritual time it is and are looking forward to heaven. 

 

C.  You cannot draw from something that you do not have.  The classic example is the woman whom Christ waited for at Jacob's well in Sychar. 

 

John 4:11-15  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?  (12)  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?  (13)  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  (14)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.  (You cannot drink from a well that you do not have!)

 

D.  BUT, while we await our homecoming, we must endure the hardship of perilous times.  Notice with me the wording found in verse 3: "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."  WITH JOY!

 

1.  The Joy of Rejoicing – Verse 4.  Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

 

2.  The Joy of Fellowship – Verse 5.  1 John 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

 

 

3.  The Joy of Hope – Verse 6. Titus 2:12-13  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

 

 

E.  Verse 3.  These are wells, not cisterns.  This water is pure, fresh, abundant, and free.

 

F.  Here are 7 things you can draw from your wells.

 

1.  Forgiveness in Failure – Isaiah 12:1  And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.

 

2.  Peace in Trouble – Isaiah 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

3.  Strength in Weakness – 2 Corinthians 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

4.  Grace in Temptation – 1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

5.  Hope in Discouragement – 1 Samuel 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

 

6.  Refreshing in Weariness – Isaiah 40:29-31  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  (30)  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  (31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

7.  Joy in Weeping – Psalm 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

 

The Evidences Of Abiding In Christ

Temple Baptist Church - 6-2-2019

John 15:1-16

Introduction:

A.  Last week, I preached on “Abiding In Christ.”  Once saved, always saved; therefore, we must abide in Christ as we reside in Christ.  Many do not abide in Christ because:

1.  They were never born of the Vine in the first place.  You cannot abide in or bear fruit for the Vine unless you are attached and the sap flows.

2.They choose to live a life of sinful disobedience which causes the branch to:

a)  Dry up and fall off.  This is not normal unless there is a problem with either the branch or the Vine itself.  It is not a Vine problem!

b)  Be broken off during the storms of life.  If the branch is not strong and vibrant with life, it may well be found lying on the ground after a storm.  It is not a Vine problem!

c)  Or, Be pruned away by the Husbandman.  It is not a Vine problem!

B.  One of the problems associated with the Laodicean Church Age in which we live is that of unfaithfulness.  I am not speaking of unsaved church members, but of saved people who choose to live inconsistent, disobedient lives.  Our Lord asked this question of His disciples, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”  We know that He will find saved but will He find faithful?  The farther we go the less we find professing believers who remain loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ.

C.  It is the will of the Husbandman that each branch be healthy and prosper in fruit bearing!  He prunes and purges it so that it can produce to its maximum potential.

D.  I want to look at some of the evidences found in these verses of a healthy branch that abides in the Vine.  There should be evidences in our lives showing our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as we walk in obedience to Him.  Healthy branches bear both the characteristics and fruit of the Vine.

1.  Abiding Produces Fruit Bearing – vs. 2-8  (I believe that all of God’s children bear fruit though the amounts may vary.  How can you be in Christ and never show any evidence of the imparting of a new nature?  Every child born bears some resemblance to father, mother, or both.)

a.  Verse 2 – “beareth fruit”

b.  Verse 2b – “more fruit”

c.  Verse 5 – “much fruit”

2.  Abiding Produces Answered Prayer – vs. 7

a.  Answered prayer is evidence of a relationship.  I could ask my earthly father and get an answer.  It was not always what I either wanted or expected because I sometimes asked for the wrong things.

Luke 11:11  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

b.  Answered Prayer is an evidence of abiding.  Receiving what we asked for is a result of desiring God’s will and asking within the realm of it.

1 John 5:14-15  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

3.  Abiding Produces Consistency – vs. 9

a.  There are those believers who never stabilize!  They lack spiritual growth, discernment, and faithfulness.  We love them but never come to expect anything of them!

Hebrews 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

b.  There are those believers who can always be depended upon to get the job done.  They are the same, year after year.  They love the Lord and that love is manifested in their lives for others of see.

Colossians 1:2  To the saints and faithful brethren in Christwhich are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

4.  Abiding Produces Obedience To Christ – vs. 10

a.  Obedience unforced - Romans 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

b.  Obedience born out of love - 1 John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

5.  Abiding Produces Christian Joy – vs. 11

a.  Christian contingent - Psalms 32:11  Be glad in the LORD, andrejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

b.  Christian Joy is contagious - Proverbs 15:13  A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.  Everyone loves to be around a joyful Christian!)

6.  Abiding Produces Spiritual Blessing – vs. 15-16

a.  The Blessing Of Being A Friend Of God - James 2:23  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

b.  The Blessing Of Being Filled With God – vs. 16 “your fruit should remain” - Galatians 5:22-24  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Conclusion:  Fruit bearing takes both a “birthing” and an “abiding!”

The Witnesses Of Salvation

Temple Baptist Church - 4-29-2018

Romans 8:14-17

Introduction:

A.  Last week, I dealt with the obligation of the child of God.  An obligation to God in service and to the world in witness.  It is important that we realize that the witness that we give to others is an inward witness that we possess.

B.  Our inner witness, which every child of God possesses, is important for a couple of reasons. 

1.  To the child of God, our inner witness gives us blessed assurance.  God wants His children to know that they are saved. 

1 John 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

2.  To the unsaved, our inner witness shows them the reality of salvation!

Acts 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

C.  Tonight, I want to look at five witnesses of salvation.

1.  The Witness of Confession - Romans 10:9-13  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (11)  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  (12)  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  (The old song says, “I can tell you about a time and I can take you to a place where the Lord saved me by His marvelous grace.”  I have never been ashamed of my Lord.)

Matthew 10:32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

2.  The Witness of Communion -  2 Corinthians 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

1 John 3:23-24  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.  (24)  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

1 Kings 19:12  And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  (The child of God has a still small voice that only he or she can hear.)

3.  The Witness of Comfort - John 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

John 14:16-17  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  (17)  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  (14)  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;  (4)  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

4.  The Witness of Change - Romans 6:3-4  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  (4)  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 John 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

5.  The Witness of Comprehension - John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

1 John 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1 Corinthians 2:13-14  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  (14)  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The Results of Justification

Temple Baptist Church - 11-5-2017

Romans 5:1-5

Introduction: 

A.  Justification is the change in the sinner’s state, from guilt and separation from God to salvation and peace with God!  No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, salvation is available through Christ’s sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection.

B.  Justification should also bring the peace of God.  Get your salvation settled!  You must place your trust in the finished work of the gospel.

1.  Man is condemned by his sin.   Chapters 1-3  “for all have sinned”Romans 3:10-12  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  (11)  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  (12)  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

2.  Man is saved by grace through faith alone.  Romans 4:3-5  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  (4)  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  (5)  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

3.  Man is justified by imputation.   Chapter 4:22-25  “imputed” Romans 4:22-25  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.  (23)  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;  (24)  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;  (25)  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

4.  Salvation and Imputation bring about Justification!

C.  Why keep repeating these things?  Because we often tend to believe that we are saved if we feel that we are being good and fail to realize that we are saved by what God did and not what we are doing.

D.  Justification Defined – to declare righteous (just as if I had never sinned)

Jude 24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

E.  The Results of Justification – 5:1-5

1.  Justification Brings Peace – vs 1  There was a time when we were enemies; but now in Christ we have peace with God. Peace with God means that our problem with sin has been settled by the blood of Christ.

2.  Justification Brings Access – vs 2  Before our salvation, we stood "in Adam" and were condemned; but now in Christ, we have a perfect standing before God and can enter into His presence.

3.  Justification Brings Rejoicing – vs 2  The unsaved person is "without hope." We cannot boast in good works that could never bring salvation, but we can boast in the wonderful salvation God has given us freely in Christ.

4.  Justification Brings Hope – vs 2  Not a false or baseless “I hope so.” But a blessed hope.

5.  Justification Brings Growth – vs 3-4  Growth through studying the Bible and victory over the tribulation.

6.  Justification Brings Love – vs 5  One of the outward signs of salvation is love.  The fruit of the Spirit begins with love, joy, then peace.

            a.  A Love For The Saviour

            b.  A Love For The Sinner

            c.  A Love For The Saint

            d.  A Love For The Scripture

            e.  A Love For The Sanctuary

The Inner Witness Of God

Temple Baptist Church - 4-29-2015

1 John 5:9-13

Introduction:

A.  For the past few weeks, I have been preaching from the first 13 verses of chapter 5.  I have not continued to send out an outline because these verses are tied together and it is a message that is progressive.

B.  These verses deal with the blessed assurance of the believer which is a part of his/her birthright.  God wants all people to be saved and wants all believers to be assured.  You will never be useful either to or for God until you have salvation settled in your heart. 

C.  The greatest attack of Satan upon God’s people is that of assurance.  He questioned God in the Garden of Eden and cause Eve to fall into that spiritual trap.  Through the ages, Satan has continued to use the same tactic on believers. 

D.  Verse 9 speaks of the witness of men.  I believe that the witness of man is a very valuable thing. 

1.  We have often heard people referred to as being godly, faithful, loving, etc. because these can be outward expressions of an inward reality but they can also be characteristics of what we would call good, moral people who are spiritually lost.  Men may say that they think you are saved or lost.  They could be right or wrong. 

2.  There are a lot of people that I believe with all my heart are saved.  Their spirit bears witness with mine, their lifestyle is moral, they love people, they are faithful, etc.  I could be right and I could be wrong!

3.  There are many that say they are saved that I think may be lost.  Their lack of a spirit that bears witness, their total lack of spiritual life, they do not love the church—the Lord—the Bible—God’s people, they have never been faithful, etc.  I may be wrong or I may be right.  I am glad that God is the Judge!

E.  The Witness of God – this is the “acid test” for salvation.  What the witness of God is not a feeling, it is an absolute!  What is the witness of God?  Verses 9-11 define the witness of God as being the record of His Son.

F.  Verse 10 says that the believer has the witness of God in himself/herself.  What is the inner witness? 

1.  What the inner witness is not. 

a.  It is not a feeling.  Many people will say, “I think I am saved” or “I feel like I’m saved” or “God has been with me all of my life” or “God has helped me, therefore, I am saved.” 

b.  It is not even the Holy Spirit telling you that you are saved.  I thank the Lord for the blessed Holy Spirit.  He dwells within the believer but the believer can still have doubts at times concerning his/her eternal life.

c.  The inner witness is not assurance of salvation.  Some people think that you are lost if you doubt your salvation.  If you will notice again with me in verse 13, John is writing to those who were evidently having some doubts about that.    There are people who will tell you that they are saved that are actually lost.  I will explain this last statement with our text. 

2.  What the inner witness is. 

a.  The inner witness is a saving faith that agrees with the witness of God.  What is the witness of God?  It is found all through these verses but especially in verses 6-13.  The inner witness is a faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. 

b.  Verse 6 shows the fulfillment of the prophecies of His coming.  Jesus Christ, Almighty Jehovah God, was manifested in the flesh and was the Propitiation for the sins of all mankind. 

c.  Verse 7 shows the agreement of the trinity in heaven concerning the prophecies, purpose, propitiation (the finished work of the gospel: death, burial, and resurrection), and priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

d.  How do you know you are saved?  You are saved when you believe the record that God gave of His Son.  It is what we trust!  Jesus Christ died for our sins and that finished work, called the gospel, is sufficient to give us eternal life.  You can add anything you want to these verses but I stand alone on the finished work of Christ! 

e.  We saw that Biblical belief in verse 1 is always followed by good works in verses 2-5.  That shows the changed heart and life of the repentant sinner.

3.  Salvation is as simple as that! 

a.  And, yet, it is so simple that people miss it!  You can pray 1000 prayers and remain lost in your sin!  A prayer will not save until the heart has believed.  Read Romans 10:9-13.  Too many have prayed “the prayer” and remain lost because they either did not have a good understanding of what God’s record was or did not understand that you must believe unto salvation according to the record that God gives.

b.  Too many preachers deal with people’s doubt by having them to pray another prayer.  When a believer doubts, I want to know why.  If they have asked the Lord into their life and meant it, then the answer is not to repeat the process.  I have found that the problem normally lies in the area of faith.  They are not doubting what God did for them, they are doubting themselves.  Salvation is an act of God, not an act of man!  We do and will fail but His promises are “yea” and “nay!”

c.  How do I know that I am saved?  I have anchored my soul in the finished work of Christ: the record that God has given of His Son!  I have anchored my soul in the Word of God!  Paul said it all, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”  (2 Timothy 1:12) Paul’s salvation was incorporated in one word in Acts, chapter 9:  Lord!  He knew Jesus Christ during our Lord’s public ministry.  He knew the innocence of Christ; he knew of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; and he found it hard to “kick against the pricks!”  In that word “Lord” we find repentance, surrender, and faith!