TELECAST TELEVISION SERMON FOR SUNDAY MARCH 17, 2019 THE REDEEMED ARE RICH" HEAD PASTOR BILLY HAN, JR.

TELECAST TELEVISION SERMON FOR SUNDAY MARCH 17, 2019 THE REDEEMED ARE RICH" HEAD PASTOR BILLY HAN, JR. Thank you Melvin! It is God's desire that all people come unto Him in full repentance, and receive His salvation, full and free. Those who respond and obey His command will be blessed bountifully: Spiritually, materially and physically, and even financially. The soul who rejects and rises up against the Lord, shall be "devoured by the sword," and there shall be no remedy for his tragic end. Do we dare provoke the Lord to jealousy? Do we dare contend our strength is greater than His? God forbid! He has the power to save, the power to devastate, the power to heal, the power to curse, the power to overcome, and the power to bless. I invite you to partake in today's message, entitled, "THE REDEEMED ARE RICH," and I pray that by the time it concludes, you will be encouraged to seek the Lord, Whose powers are limitless and can sustain you in every way. True born again Christians are the richest people in the world. Go with me to a home that is filled with love and faith. The family living there has very little. The house is small; the furniture is cheap. But on the table is a Bible which shows evidence of being well-used. As the family sits down to a meal we hear the voice of the father being lifted in thanksgiving to God. The spirit of Jesus permeates this home, for all those in the family are one in Christ Jesus. They all love the Lord and they are all growing in grace. When the time of services approach, we see them on their way to church, for they know Bro. Paul's words found in Heb. 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." When the preaching on tithes and offering is presented, they put the Lord's money in God's storehouse, just as Mal. 3:10 instructs, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse (your storehouse is where you found your salvation), that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." And when they give, they give with a cheerful heart, for they know God loves a cheerful giver. When their pastor preaches on how to be born again, they listen intently and rejoice that their names are written in heaven, for they have already accepted the Lord and are now a part of God's family. They fully realize that when one is baptized, one's name is written in heaven, they know the scripture Luke 10 which says, "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are in heaven." Isn't that wonderful? When they see souls saved, they thank God that salvation has come to others as well. And as the final benediction is given, they rejoice and praise the Lord. As they leave the church, they don't ride in a big car or wear expensive clothes. Yet, I tell you that they are rich. They are rich in this world and rich for the next world. 1

Now that's a picture of many families in our church. We have no millionaires in our congregation, but we are a rich church. We are rich in faith, we are rich in love, we are rich spiritually and in the things that count the most. The greatest thing that has happened to my congregation and me is that our souls have been saved. Yes, we are rich in the blessings of heaven. But as we look into another house, we find that Jesus doesn't dwell there; it isn't a home. It is very large and its floors are covered with the finest carpets that money can buy. Expensive pictures hang upon the wall. The furnishings are luxurious. Sterling silver is there; imported China is there, too. But when these people sit down to eat their sumptuous meals, no one looks to God in gratitude; no one says grace. Paul tells us in I Tim. 4:4-5, "For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." In addition, no scripture is ever read in this home and the name of Jesus is never mentioned. These people ride in big cars, but they don't go to God's house. They spend a great deal of money, but nothing goes to God's storehouse. They wear fine clothes and expensive jewelry, but they don't have the peace of God in their hearts. Jesus tells us in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Yes, all the religious leaders of the world have come and gone, but only Jesus rose triumphantly over death, hell and the grave. And He came back to preach the self same gospel He preached on the shores of Galilee, "The Gospel of the Kingdom of God." Look at these people. This is a picture of many families. They are rich, popular, well-educated. But in God's sight they are the poorest of the poor. They are going to live a little while, then die and leave all these things behind them. We read in Psalm 49:16-19, "Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light." Thank God, you and I can be rich in Christ. The redeemed of the Lord are the richest people in all the world. Paul tells us in Roms. 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." In other words, Paul is conveying a 3-fold message: first, there is no condemnation; then he says that for us, there is no complication; then he says for the true born again Christian, there is no separation. No condemnation, no complication, no separation! Oh, what riches for the redeemed! Paul tells us that he is speaking of those who dwell in "Christ Jesus." There is no condemnation for them. Unfortunately, however, there are many who are not in Christ Jesus. What does the Word of God say about them? We read John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." We also read John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." 2

Now suppose Paul had said only, "There is no condemnation." Then every sinner in the world could cry out, "That's fine, we are going along with Paul. It doesn't matter how we live or what we do, everything will work out all right in the end and we will all be together in heaven." Now that's what many people in the world believe today. They believe their way is the right way, but we find there is only one way to heaven. Proverbs 14:12 tells us, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." False religions, not in accordance with the Word of God, are ways, for example, which may seem right, but which lead to death. Those who take part in such religions may even seem joyful, but deep down in their hearts they are heavily burdened. Only Jesus can give joy and happiness. He tells us, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Many say that God is such a loving God that He will take everyone home to glory at the end of the way, regardless of the fact that some may have sinned, broken His laws and trampled His Son under foot. Surely, we agree that God is a God of love to those who love Him and obey His commandments, but He is not going to let His love blot out His justice. God is no respecter of persons. If God permitted the sinner to go unpunished, regardless of what he had done, even the sinner would lose respect for God. Well, if God said to every sinner in the world, "It doesn't matter how you have lived upon the earth; it doesn't matter how much you have sinned, just enter into heaven and enjoy the blessings of the redeemed." If God said that, He just wouldn't be God, and no one would respect Him. But we know that any gospel which contends there is no punishment for sin, comes directly from the serpent, himself, who is the Lord's adversary. How well we remember the conversation in the Garden of Eden between Eve and the serpent. She told the serpent that God would send death upon her and Adam if they sinned. In Gen. 3:4 we read of Satan, in the guise of a serpent, "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die." This is Satan's lie. They did die. It is simply a matter of God's Word against Satan's word. God says, in Roms. 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Satan says, "Go on in sin, nothing will happen to you." Thus, we see that some are condemned already and they will be forever lost, if they don't repent of their sins and come to Jesus, He alone, Who can save. What does a lost man have waiting for him? The Bible calls this a "fearful looking of judgment and of fiery indignation." I would hate to be where the sinner stands today and think that there is nothing to look forward to but death and hell. Yet, that is all there is to a sinner's future. Now how does one get into Christ Jesus. Romans 13:14 reads, "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." In other words, many are trying to get in by living a good life. One Sunday after the service, a man told me that he lived a good life and expected that good life to take him to heaven. I handed him the Bible and said, "Show me where it says in God's Word, 'Live a good life, then thou shalt be saved.' Of course he couldn't do it. We read in Eph. 2:8-9, "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." 3

If you gave a thousand dollars every day to the Lord, that would not wash away a single sin. No matter what amount you gave, all your giving would not save you. There are two great words in the scripture we have just read, "grace and faith." The "grace" is God's part. It means all the loving kindness of God, extended to a sinner, who has broken all His laws and rejected His Son, Christ Jesus. The greatest sin of mankind today is unbelief in Jesus Christ. "Faith" is man's part. It means for man to repent of his sins and look unto Jesus the "Author and Finisher of his faith." Why do we make salvation so difficult to understand? Actually, it is not understanding, but believing in Jesus. Let us read of the Philippian jailor and the important question he asked Paul in Acts 16:30-31, "And brought them out, said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said (Paul and Silas) Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." The key word is "Believe." Yes, the Philippian jailor and his family were baptized, and I'm sure that Paul baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ, as the apostle Peter did on the day of Pentecost when 3000 souls rushed in and were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. When those, who had rejected and crucified the Lord of glory, heard the Word of God preached by Peter, in power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit, they asked Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" We read in Acts 2:38, "Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 4:12 declares, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." In other words, outside the name of Jesus, one cannot be saved. Nearly 2000 years ago, a very great and religious man came to Jesus by night. The Word says he was devout, a religious ruler. He was a Pharisee, who adhered to high moral standards and observed long prayers and days of fasting. Nicodemus thought his good works and living a good life would be enough to enter into heaven, but he found out otherwise. Jesus told him, "Ye must be born again." The man was shocked, but Jesus explained to him the way to deliverance and salvation. We read in John 3:3 and 4, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" And in John 3:5, it reads, "Jesus answered Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." And in the 6th verse it reads, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." The second birth is a spiritual birth. It's impossible for the natural man to see or enter the kingdom of God. A man may be gifted, moral, refined, educated, and rich, however, the natural man is blind to spiritual truth, and impotent to enter the Kingdom; for he can neither obey, understand, nor please God. The new birth is not a reformation of the old nature, but the creation of a new creature in Christ Jesus. The new man is Christ formed in the believer. 4

Religion, no matter how good, cannot take away sin. Only Jesus can save us from our sins. Listen to John 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." For without the shedding of blood, there could be no remission of sins. Jesus says, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out, for I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." There are many bridges over the Hudson River, but only one bridge spans the chasm between man and God, as we read in I Tim. 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." There are many roads from Hawaii Kai to Haleiwa; but there is only one road to heaven, and Jesus is that road. Jesus tells us in Matt. 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Yes, there are many broadways" in the world today, which lead to destruction. God promises us that "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Here is comfort and encouragement for every true born again believer. There is no question we sin everyday in one way or the other; all we need to do is repent of that sin and He will forgive us. Our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. In the days of the Old Testament there were six cities of refuge. What was the significance of these cities? Well, suppose two men were working together on a house and one man accidentally killed the other. He would be afraid that the brother of the dead man would seek to kill him, so he would run to the city of refuge. The priests there would receive him and keep him safe until a fair trial could be held. Well, today Jesus is our refuge. You who have sinned and have backslid can flee to Him, and just as surely as God lives, you will never be condemned. Therefore, the cities of refuge depict the safety that is ours, when we trust Jesus our Saviour. We no longer have to pay the penalty of our sin, but are safe in Him. Now, I have a word for those who have never trusted Christ, as their personal Saviour. You are really in danger! The sword of judgment hangs over your head. You are already under condemnation. There is only one thing for you to do. Put everything else behind, no matter how precious it is. Then come and accept Jesus Christ, as your personal Saviour, Master and Lord. Today many are lost in the mountains of sin. They have wandered about, thinking of their souls. They had had many noble impulses, many longings to live a better life. But always they come back to the same place of inaction and indecision. But Jesus is seeking you. He came to earth and died to save you. We also find there is "no complication for a Christian." We read in Roms. 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." Paul said that he was talking to those who loved God, to those He has called according to His purpose. We see clearly here that God is the primary agent in salvation. He calls us, as we read Matt. 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (This gracious invitation of our Lord Jesus reached out beyond Israel to the needy and sin-burdened of 5

every nationality, creed and color.) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Now the word "purpose" also appears in Roms. 8:28. From all eternity past, God purposed in His heart that He would save all those who came unto Him by faith. Here we find the true meaning of predestination. But remember, faith without works is dead. You must do something about it. God did foreknow all things. He knew before we were born whether or not we would accept Jesus or not. And He ordained that anyone who believed in Jesus would inherit everlasting life. His foreknowledge came first, then He elected to eternal life, all who exercised faith in Him. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God..." Paul did not indulge in guesswork when he talked about the things of God. He was always saying, "I know, I know," over and over again. He knew because of his close fellowship with the Lord. He knew because of the revelations he had received from Christ. We read in II Cor. 12:1-2 & 4, "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth:) such and one caught up to the third heaven. (God's abiding place.) How that he was caught up into paradise, (into God's presence), and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." Today we live in a world of uncertainty. We are uncertain and perplexed about almost everything. This uncertainty reaches its most dangerous climax in the spiritual realm. There are too many religious leaders who are filled with doubt. There are too many who doubt the Word of God. They doubt the virgin birth of Christ. They doubt His miracles. They are not sure that He was risen from the dead. And sorry to say, many mock and scoff at the idea of His second coming as we read in II Peter 3:3-4, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." The scoffers are ignorant of the Word of God and their thoughts are: "Since He has not yet come back to this earth, we do not believe He is coming at all." But God's Word is still true, and in it are many promises concerning the second coming of Christ in clouds of glory for His own, that is those who are water-washed, Spirit-filled, blood-washed and walking in the light. If you would like to know more about God s Word, the Church, and review these telecast presentations in its entirety, please visit our website at Jesuscomingsoon.org Until our next telecast, this is your host, Pastor Billy Han, Jr., expressing my sincerest appreciation to each of you, who have allowed us to come into your homes. May the good Lord bless and keep you all in the hollow of His hands. Entire contents of this text copyright 2019 by The Apostolic Faith Church (Jesus Coming Soon), Honolulu, Hawaii. All rights reserved. 6