CAPITAL BIBLE CHURCH July 17, God is Able to Save. Hebrews 7:25

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Roger Palmer
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1 CAPITAL BIBLE CHURCH July 17, 2011 SERMON NOTES PASTOR BILL HAKEN God is Able to Save Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them Hebrews 7:25 How far does God s saving power really go? 1. The Length of Christ's Salvation. Christ's power is sufficient to deliver murderers, rapists, wife beaters, child molesters, alcoholics, drug addicts and others from their enslaving habits and the judgment they deserve. He can save an Adolph Hitler, a Charles Manson, and He can save you and me. Jesus' resurrection from the dead proves He can save completely or to the uttermost. Death was the first enemy to enter our world. By conquering it Christ tore the roots out of sin's curse. When He was crucified for us, Jesus freed us from sin's penalty, which is eternal death. Hebrews 2:14,15 Jesus himself became a human being. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death the devil and free those who were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. Romans 6:23 The penalty or payment for sin is eternal death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. He also saves us from sin's pollution - we are no longer offensive to God. Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away from God are brought near through the blood of Christ s death.

2 Each day we have liberty from sin's power, because we are not under its control. Romans 6:17,18 In the past you were slaves to sin sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed the things that you were taught. You were made free from sin, and now you are slaves to goodness. And when we arrive in heaven, we will even be free from sin's presence. Revelation 21:4 and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever. That is a complete salvation. Biblical illustrations of God s complete salvation: Take Manasseh, the King of Judah. He reigned 55 years, during which time he filled Jerusalem to the brim with innocent blood.he burned his children alive.he practiced witchcraft and sorcery. He built altars to pagan gods throughout the temple. To punish Manasseh, God sent the Assyrian army to capture him, sink a hook into his nose, bind him with bronze shackles, and drag him off to Babylon. The depraved king, realizing that the Lord was dealing with him, humbly prayed for pardon. Then God forgave him and even restored him to his throne. Manasseh was saved from the depths of sin to the heights of grace. Mary Magdelene is another example. 7 demons made her body their home, but Jesus cast them out of her. Later she was given the honor of being the 1st person to see Christ alive after His resurrection. The repentant thief on the cross is another case of Jesus' ability to save to the uttermost. By his own admission he was put to death justly, yet even he received new life through faith in Christ. He was on his way to hell for a lifetime of sin, but Jesus gave him a home in paradise for a moment of faith. The church at Corinth was filled with former fornicators, adulterers, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves, coveters, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, and blasphemers. Notice what 1 Cor. 6:10 says: There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.

3 they had been washed clean and made new in Jesus Christ. That is a complete salvation. In every century since then Jesus has proven countless times his ability to save completely. Illustration of Mel Trotter: Mel Trotter was such a hopeless drunkard that when his infant son became sick and his wife gave him money to buy medicine, he went out and spent it on alcohol. When he sobered up, his baby was dead. A compassionate friend bought new red shoes for the baby to wear in his coffin. But even as he wept over the body of his own son, Trotter fell prey to temptation. He snatched the shoes off the corpse and cashed them in for a drink. He then became so drunk that he missed the funeral of his own child. Later Christ broke through Mel Trotter's stubborn heart and converted him. He often said, "God saved me from the guttermost to the uttermost." He founded over 50 rescue missions for people still in the gutter, and he won hundreds to faith in Christ. And let me remind you Christians that Jesus is also able to save you to the uttermost. Why do we say this? Many believers are like ancient Israel after their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. They wandered in the wilderness 40 years because of their unbelief, when they should have been in the Promised Land. Perhaps you have been freed from the penalty of sin, but that's all you trust God for. You still carry the heavy baggage of worry when you could be rolling your burden onto the Lord. You yield easily to temptation because you feel God is unable to show you a way of escape. Sometimes you even doubt that you belong to Christ. Remember this: God is able to save you completely not only from your sins, but from your doubts, defeats, and your disobedience. You do not need to settle for an incomplete salvation. 2. The Limitations of Christ's Salvation. Our Scripture text goes on to say that Jesus only saves "those who come to God through Him".

4 Drawing near to God implies 4 things: 1. We are far removed from Him. 2. We are willing to admit we have strayed. 3. We are repenting of our sins. 4. Drawing near to God indicates we have a heart for God. Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away from God are brought near through the blood of Christ s death. Isn't it true that the ones we draw nearest to are the ones we love? Have you confessed your sins to God? Have you turned away from them in repentance? And is there love in your heart for this holy God? If so, you have drawn near to the Lord. But even this must be done through the one acceptable channel: We must draw near to the Father through Christ. The writer of Hebrews is careful to add that we can do so only through Him. That reminds us that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (Jn. 14:6). Our sins created a vast gulf between us and God. We could never have crossed it ourselves. Only Jesus bridged the chasm, and He did it with His cross. It cost Him His life, but he paid the awful price. That s why only He is able to bring us near to God, because only He was able to bring God near to us. If you think that drawing near to a priest or a church will make you a Christian, you will abort God's power to save.if you try to buy your way into heaven by donating large sums of money to Christian causes, you will never be acceptable to the Heavenly Father. You must draw near to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. This means that Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and other religious groups who attempt to approach God apart from Christ are not going to make it. However sincere people in non Christian religions might be, they are lost. The same verdict applies to churches that worship Jesus but do not consider His death on the cross to be necessary for salvation.

5 Also, we have millions of people not connected with any religion but who think they can know God through nature or personal meditation. But Scripture is clear. Jesus "is able to save completely those who come to God through Him." 3. The Love of Christ's Salvation Our text goes on to say that Christ is able to save even the most notorious sinners, " because He always lives to intercede for them." Some people live for their careers. Workaholics are willing slaves to their jobs. Others live for wealth, excelling in a sport, entertainment, or something they own. Jesus, however, "always lives to intercede" for us. Christ once confided to Peter that He was interceding for him. (Lk. 22:31 32) "Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." The night before He died, Jesus told His disciples He was interceding for them (Jn. 14:16), "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may help you forever." And as soon as His murderers had nailed Him to the cross, our Lord prayed a great prayer of intercession (Lk 23:34), "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And now in heaven He continues to intercede for us. In the O.T. book of Esther the Persian king Ahasuerus legalized a day on which the Jewish people could be massacred. When Mordecai, a Jew, learned of this, he appealed to his cousin Esther, who was married to Ahasuerus, and urged her to intercede with the king for their people. But though Esther was the queen, she had no right to approach the king uninvited. The penalty for such an intrusion was death. She immediately realized, however, that too much was at stake. So she replied to Mordecai (Esther 4:16), "I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." Her plea moved the king's heart, so much so that he not only spared her but the Jews as well.

6 Why did Esther intercede for the Jews? Because she was one of them and loved them. Likewise, Jesus is one with us and loves us. Esther was willing to die to save her people. But Christ did die. Now He shows His wounds to the Father and says, "I took the penalty for them. I was their substitute at Calvary." A pagan king granted Esther's plea for the Jews. How much more will a loving Heavenly Father accept Jesus' intercession for us. In Heb. 7:25 we learn that Christ intercedes for us as our heavenly high priest. Romans 8:26, 27 teaches us that the Holy Spirit intercedes from within us. Romans 8:26, 27 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God s own will. We have one intercessor in heaven and another in our hearts. The 2 who pray for us and the One who listens to us make up the Godhead, so we know these prayers are heard. PERSONAL APPLICATION 1. It should strengthen our faith in Christ's ability to save. Perhaps you have been so distant from God that you are convinced that even he could not find you and bring you home. You may feel like Mel Trotter, down in the "guttermost." Don't despair, Christ can change that to the uttermost degree. Maybe you despair over someone you know and love. (A wife once said, "I believe God converts people, but my husband is beyond converting.") Are you living with that kind of discouragement? If so, don't forget this: The Lord Jesus saved you, so He can do the same for that person who is on your heart. And if you long to see him/her trust Christ, how much more does the Heavenly Father! Never think that He doesn't care. He cared enough to sacrifice His only Son on a cross.

7 2. Since Christ prays for us, we should pray for others. Are you praying by name for people who are far from God? The example of Jesus impresses us with the importance of doing that. Someone once pleaded with God for us when we were lost. We must now pass on that same love to others we know. Maybe they are far from God and us, but our prayers can reach them. If this was and is the way Christ expresses His love, then it's a fitting way for us to love too. 3. Since Christ has done His uttermost for us, let's do our uttermost for Him. In spite of our Lord's constant goodness to us, we continue to doubt Him. We can replace that doubt with our uttermost trust, even through times of severest trial. Rather than grow cold and indifferent toward Jesus, as our hearts tend to do, let's give Him our uttermost love. And haven't we lived too long with our allegiance divided between this world and God's Kingdom? Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. I'd say it's time we surrender our uttermost commitment to Christ.

The Gospel of John 8:33-36

The Gospel of John 8:33-36 Welcome back to this week s study in the book of John. As with this study and all bible studies, remember to pray before you start. John 8:33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's