In this Palm Sunday sermon, Pastor Babij teaches from various Scriptures the reasons why Jesus had to die. Many people misunderstand Jesus’ death, thinking that Jesus’ death merely shows us:
1. How much God loves us
2. That even good men will die
3. That Jesus was overcome by His enemies.
Pastor refutes these beliefs with reasons for Jesus’ death based on Scripture, such as:
1. To redeem His people from their sins
2. To redeem us from the Father’s anger
3. To condemn sin in the flesh and free us from the wages of sin.
Pastor concludes with an exhortation for Christians to keep the reality of hell before their eyes so that they might be motivated to warn everyone and spread the Gospel.
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okay the next couple weeks I’ll be looking at two sermons on the reasons why Jesus had to die and then also the reason for the reasons for the resurrection for next week so today we’re going to have several passages of Scripture that I’d like you to pay attention to and of course we are considering this morning why Jesus had to die and some of the reasons people come up with are not the correct ones we want to consider from the Word of God not all of them only some of them and this morning we want to look at those if you notice this passage of Scripture up there in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2 it says in these last days have spoken to us in his son whom he appointed heir of all things through whom also he made the world so let me say that the death of Jesus Christ is really it remains the apex of all human history and it is clear from this passage of Scripture that Jesus is the final and the complete revelation of God to the world there is no other that’s going to come after him there’s no one other one that can take his place he is the only one he is the final word from God He is God now clearing up some of the misconceptions about why Jesus came to die would be things like Jesus died because he was overcome by his enemies in fact if you take your Bibles and turn to John chapter 10 in verse number 17 and 18 you will say see there it says for this reason John chapter 10 verse 17 for this reason the Father loves me because I lay down my life so that I may take it again no one has taken it away from me but I lay it down on my own initiative I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again this commandment I received from My Father so in other words from that passage of Scripture there is the Word of God tells us that Jesus Christ could have called legions of angels if he wanted to an elysian of angels about 6,000 angels and if you remember from the Old Testament that one angel killed 885 thousand soldiers in one night in the camp of the Assyrians so Jesus had authority to take his life and at the right moment to give it up for us but for right before I go on let’s pray Lord this morning as we look at the Word of God help us direct our minds in our tensions Lord to see that there’s no other way there’s no other one that a person can be saved and rescued from their own sin and the consequences of the sin unless they come to Jesus Christ unless he is their Savior and Lord and I pray Lord that would be true of everyone who listens this morning that they know for sure that they have believed the way the Bible shows us we should believe and they have repented and trusted you as their Lord and Savior if they have Lord I pray that you would continue to bless them with the desire to always want to hear the gospel that the gospel would never get old but those who have never come Lord who have never called upon you today Lord I pray that you would use the Word of God to bring conviction and illuminate their heart and mind give them life so they can believe and repent and trust you as their Lord and Savior I asked this another reason could be that people gave us that he deserved that was the Romans they believe that and also the religious leadership of the day they thought that that he made himself God so therefore he blaspheme then he should be put to death and the Romans said that he’s upsetting everything that’s going on and so we need to get rid of him others have said we want that Jesus died to show us how much God loved us now that is a derivative but it is not the main reason the main reason was that you and I needed to be rescued and then some say he wanted to leave us an example of how to love others that is that is true also partly but that’s not the main reason this time of year many people like to watch holiday related movies I do and matter of fact I dragged them out maybe once a year and I watched them one of them is the film The Passion of Christ and I’m not necessarily saying this is my favorite but or Ivan have watched it more than once but it was directed by Mel Gibson after the movie came out the Talking Heads of Good Morning America discussed the movie and one of the ladies there said that she just didn’t understand why there had to be all this violence she thought it was supposed to be a love story why you know she said Jesus loved the little children he took them up in his arms she said it says in the Bible that Jesus said to love one another she finally asked and retorted why did the movie have to end with all the violence discouraging the crucifixion it was too bad it had to end that way it kind of ruined the story I guess her version of John 3:16 was for God loved the world that he sent the Valentine with a sweet little poem in a picture of some roses no the Bible says God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son it was the father who ultimately sent his son to die and there in the greatest love story that the world has ever known if you miss that if you miss Jesus and you missed the reason you missed the truth you missed the very message that will save you so you see God loved enough to give His only Son now some directors like to put themselves into their movies Jah Alfred Hitchcock was famous for this in his old series of movies that he put out and of course well Mel Gibson did the same thing but you would not have caught it because he only inserted hid all his arms into the movie one hand held the spike the other hand held the huge hammer that pounded the nails into the hands of Jesus Mel Gibson was making the point as to who killed Jesus he was making himself culpable as a sinner in contributing to the death of Christ and maybe suggesting that all humans are culpable of this crime of nailing Jesus to the cross now whatever mill wherever Mel Gibson lands as far as his relationship to God I don’t know and I’m not saying that but things is that the point he makes may be a good one that we are all guilty of nailing Jesus Christ at the cross we are well we are all guilty by our own sin and it was sin that nailed him there so here are some reasons why Jesus had to die and now when I mentioned to you this morning seven of them and here’s the first one the first one is and looked at John chapter 7 verse number 30 the first one is because Jesus had to die because he said so because he said so in fact in John 7:38 says so they were seeking to seize him no man laid his hands on him because his hour had not yet come and then over to chapter 8 of John verse 20 it says these words he spoke in the Treasury as he taught in the temple and no one seized them because his hour had not yet come and then over to chapter 12 of John verse number 27 it says this it says now my soul has become troubled and what I shall say father save me from this hour but for this purpose I came to this hour so jesus knew very well that he was he came into the world to die and so he said it all over the place in fact all the Gospels tell us that he told his disciple he’s going to go he’s going to be scourge he’s going to be nailed to a cross and he’s gonna rise the third day but they didn’t really get that right away so Jesus one of the reasons why is that Jesus said so a second reason is this that Jesus death was the only way to redeem us the only way to redeem us to redeem us from what to redeem us from the consequences of sin if you remember this passage of Scripture in Galatians without turning there just listen to what it says it says but if you are led by the spirit you are not under the law now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery enmity strife jealousy outbursts of anger disputes dissensions factions envying drunkenness carousing and things like these of which I forewarned you just as I’ve forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God so the ultimate consequence of sin is that it borrows one from the presence of God and keeps them out of the kingdom of God and if a person remains in that condition they cannot go into the kingdom of God because God cannot allow sin into his presence also we are redeemed from the anger of God now if you are still in the Gospel of John if you look over to chapter 3 verse 36 a very well-known passage of Scripture but we are actually saved or redeemed from the anger of God yes and I mean the anger of God that God is angry at sinners he’s angry at you and that may be strange to your ears but it is biblical it says in John 3:36 he who believes in the son has eternal life but he who does not obey the son will not see life but the wrath of God abides on him see God does not love you the way you are or the way you were he does not love you that way he will save you the way you are but he does not love you the way you are that is in your sin and in your guilt and you need to understand that you are guilty before God that’s what people need to understand that you are not in a good standing before God you are a pair of sinner is actually in trouble with God they are caught in the slave market of sin and there’s nothing that they can do to free themselves or to redeem them from that condition so the main thing Jesus came to save you from is God Himself the holy God that we Psalm 7 verse 11 in the King James Bible says God judgeth the righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day say you and I before we came to Christ if you have come to Christ we needed to be rescued from God himself in fact this word here in the Hebrew is a word that means indicate indignation that God is indignant with us in fact the Greek translation of the Old Testament it’s the word or day which means anger God’s angry so the very words show that God’s attitude towards evil is anger the truth is that God is holy and he he thus is angry with the sinner at this very moment and there’s nothing a sinner can do to change that except come to Christ a third reason why Jesus had to die is because as sinners we are subject to the wages of our sins now of course Romans chapter 6 verse 23 that passage of Scripture that if you’ve been a believer any length of time you quickly were introduced to the wages of sin and here we are confronted with two courses a person can take in the world from this passage of Scripture a soul will either yield to sin serve it and earn it’s wages or a soul will yield to God received the gift and live see without understanding sin The Passion of Christ whether on the screen or in the book the Bible it will have no meaning to you you won’t understand what it’s all about you may even conclude as the woman why all the violence because after all aren’t we really basically good people but what are wages in this passage of Scripture wages are payment they are compensation they are earnings a person when they work has a right to their wages right and a wages are equivalent to work if a young man works an eight-hour shift at a hamburger joint and makes wage of 6:15 an hour at the end of his 8-hour shift he will grouse about 49 dollars and 20 cents a day his wages are said to be the equivalent of the work performed he or she has earned them they don’t need to thank anyone for them they actually worked for them so if wages be the payment for work sin is the work that earns the payment so if a person has as their master sin then they earn wages for living in that condition but they have no choice in determining the wage it has already been said now what exactly decides the wages for a person who is mastered by sin well according to the Word of God it’s the law the law decides the wages the law is the record of found of the Word of God given to Moses at Mount Sinai the law reveals sin in fact in Romans chapter 5 in verse number 20 you should turn there the Bible says this the law came in so that the transgression would increase but where sin increased grace abounded all the more right there in that section of Scripture it says the law came in so that transgression would increase and in fact the law of magnified the sin that’s what it does also the law curses those who try to become right with God through it in Romans chapter 4 in verse 15 it says this for the law brings about wrath but where there is no law there also is no violation so the law curses those who try to become right with God through it the law then is the deciding factor in fact in this passage of Scripture on the screen it says this the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is what it is the law the law is the one that is the condemning factor when someone sins so law then decides that the wages paid to the person who has been a slave of sin is death the Bible also tells us that whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all the law so if a person commits just one sin in their entire lifetime which which that that’s never going to happen according to the law of God they are just as guilty as if they had broken every single one of God’s law now all this together says that it’s it’s really impossible for someone to escape from that in fact in 1st Timothy it tells us but we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully realizing the fact that law is not for a righteous man but for those who are lawless rebellious the ungodly and sinners for the unholy and profane for those who kill their fathers or mother for murderers and immoral men homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching so if we choose sin as our master the law then determines the wages the earnings the compensation for living that way and of course the wages of sin is death that is the wages of sin and so that has to be contrasted with the word other word in the passage of Scripture in Romans 6:23 and that’s the word gift and what is a gift but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord gift here is an expression of divine grace emphasized actually by the word free gift the emphasis here is on the freeness of the gift what then is a free gift well a free gift is something that cannot be earned it is that which no man can claim as his right that’s what that which cannot be bought that which cannot be worked for if one tries to earn it to buy it or work for it it actually cancels out the whole point of a gift see it is solely the result of God’s goodness in God’s grace God’s unmerited favor his kindness shown to someone who does not deserve any kindness at all it is it is the free gift of God to people who are utterly under serving of it and always will be C grace is that which God does for mankind through his son which mankind of course cannot earn does not deserve and cannot merit the Olympic Games has a section of competition called the marathon race we’re all familiar with it the best runners in the world compete in the race they really conditioned hard for years just for an opportunity to present their country in the Olympics and yet only one runner will come away with a gold medal it’s almost a shame that all that work put in and one person who leaves with a gold medal see the runner could have earned that gold medal could not have all earned that gold medal without years of hard work and hard training we’ll see what happens is that we’re conditioned to believe that we can’t get something for nothing so when we think about spiritual things we often apply the same exact kind of logic for example if I’m going to live with God in heaven forever I will have to be the best person I can be in this life so that when I stand before God I can hand him my gold medal of achievement and certainly he will let me into heaven now something like that that’s how people reason let’s see the Bible says something about attempting to reach heaven this way and it is that old passage of scripture in Proverbs where it says there is a way that seems right to a man but the end is the way of death see man tries to achieve heaven how through religion right I’ll just become more religious I thought that way I’ll just go to church more I’ll do what I have been doing more it’s good works I’ll just do more good deeds or morality morality is a big thing today people think that if their moral somehow they’re getting points from God now it’s good to be moral it’s good to do good works it’s good to be religious because the very foundation of the world religious means to be bound back to God people come up with their own philosophy of how they should live their life and think that as long as I live according to my standard in my philosophy I’ll be I’ll do all right some of course are self righteous some believe it’s self-improvement whatever it may be see there there seems a right way to people but it really is as it says in the scripture the way of death working your way to heaven seems right but God says it leads to death it says in Romans chapter 5 verse 21 so that as sin reigneth and death even so grace would rain for righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord it was Bernard Shaw who said the statistics on death are staggering 1 out of 1 people died other statistics say that those who have the most birthdays lived the longest it’s funny but it’s not because what they don’t understand is that there are the Bible describes death in three ways physical death we all understand that one where the body is your spirit separated from the body but there’s spiritual death your spirit is separated from God and you’re spiritually dead the day you’re born no relation to God at all until Christ and then there’s eternal death and eternal death is referred to in Scripture as the second death see sin pays its full wages sin pays its wages in full the wages paid to a person who has been a slave of sin is death and that death is they die physically and go into eternity then that’s the second death so to see the this passage is not merely while the Scriptures not merely referring to physical death we all face but the eternal separation and the torment that all sinners will face upon their deaths in a place the Bible calls hell and hell is the proper punishment for people’s sins this refers to the second death this is the final the irreversible separation from God the fact from from from from the face of God and from the life of God and it means eternally outside of God’s life with all the consequent misery and suffering so this is what God does in and through Jesus Christ this is what he does what does he do he does this the free gift of God is eternal life eternal life is God’s gift not wages this is what eternal life means sharing and enjoying the life of God for all eternity without the slightest suspicion of any admits Chur of sin or evil that’s what Martyn lloyd-jones said we have eternal life the moment we believe in Jesus Christ it is all because of Jesus it says there the end in Christ Jesus our Lord the life of man means the existence of man as he ought to exist in union with God and consequently in holiness in purity and in health and happiness man as God intended him to be is man enjoying life man as sin makes him is man abiding in death have you not discovered that death is an enemy in this world it doesn’t belong here there’s nowhere to put it it’s the most confusing thing to try to think about why do we die yeah we know he died because of sin but ultimately if we didn’t understand that why would we even die it doesn’t belong in God’s creation at all it is it’s an enemy and it’s described in Scripture as an enemy but we have a huge problem that people do not deal with their accountability to God their guilt of sin or the reality of death in the right manner see the tragedy of modern man is is not that they know less and less about the meaning of life but they are not bothered by what happens afterwards they are not bothered by the reality of where they are actually heading so you’re heading somewhere when you die are you not God in His grace and mercy told us what lay ahead in the future so there’s really no reasons for excuses and here may be an example how someone may think maybe specifically an American may think but Lord you have you have to see it from my perspective I live in the United States of America 90 percent of the people did not believe there was a judgment or hell and anyway I’ve always heard that you love everyone just the way they are you see I went along with the majority because Iowa’s taught the majority is mostly always right isn’t that what people think it was Jonathan Edwards that great Puritan preacher of the Great Awakening who said almost every natural man that hears of hell flatters himself that he shall keep it Robert Peterson in his book hell on trial mentioned there are five things being said about the fate of the unsaved after death life after death is unlikely that’s the first one second one everyone goes to heaven thirdly unbelievers get a second chance fourthly unbelievers are ultimately destroyed or annihilated and then lastly unbelievers suffer eternally in hell well if we were given a Bible test which would Bible say the Bible would say unbelievers suffer eternally in hell if they do not believe in Christ rob bell I don’t if you ever heard of him he wrote a book called Love Wins and Rob Bell said this will everybody be saved or will some perish apart from God forever because of their choices that was a question those are questions or more accurately he says those are tensions we are free to leave fully intact we don’t need to resolve them or answer them because we can’t and so we simply respect them creating space for the freedom love requires man that’s a lot of mumbo-jumbo there because you know what we need to answer the question right where are we going to go when we die that question can’t be just left out there in you know space hanging there it has to be answered see the Word of God answers the question God’s attitude toward the sinner is one of judgment and condemnation and wrath without Christ see that’s the key Jesus Christ is the key John 3:18 he who believes in Him is not judged he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of now son of God see the knowledge of hell coupled with compassion should move Christians to warn sinners of the dreadful consequences of facing the wrath of God in the lake of fire I saw a sign that had this written on it and I thought it was it’s it’s it kind of jumped out at me and I jotted it down and it said this if there is a hell when would you want someone to tell you how to avoid going there if there is one and there is one so we ought to be telling people how to avoid going there see Jesus Christ frequently spoke of Hell and warned men of the dangers of going there in fact scripture clearly tells us of the reality of Hell and what is like for it says in Matthew 13 verse 49 and 50 the angel shall come forth and take out of the wicked from from the righteous and will cast them into the furnace of fire there shall be weeping and gnashing of a teeth just another way of dis description describing what happens when somebody is separated from God the obsession with self fulfillment and self esteem is part of the reason that we’re on a downward course in our society omission and neglect of what the Bible teaches about judgment undercuts any sense of accountability and responsibility for people unless we understand the death of Jesus in the light of the consequences and wages of our sin the cross is just a symbol it’s just an emblem you might as well just wear it as a piece of jewelry the cross of Jesus Christ becomes meaningless but actually the cross of Jesus is what rescues us that brings me to my fourth and why Jesus had to die and that’s found in Romans chapter 3 in verse number 20 and it’s this because we are unable to remove our sin and guilt once we see that we are a sinner and we are guilt before before God we cannot erase it ourselves we cannot undo it ourselves we can’t at that moment saying wow I didn’t think I was that great a sinner and then I’m responsibly for God and then begin to turn over what they say a new leaf and a new way of living your life that’s not going to erase the sin and guilt that has been committed in your life for it says in Romans 3:20 because by the works of the law no flesh will be justified in the sight for through the law comes the knowledge of sin see what the law actually does is is magnifies your understanding and your view of sin now how many people on earth will be right with God based on their works their deeds in their efforts how many zero no one can be right with God like that it’s like this kind of reasoning a person Rob’s wha-wha on the way home he gives some of the money to charity helps a little old lady across the street places some clothes in the goodwill box he gets caught eyewitnesses have positively identified him he’s guilty when he stands before the judge the judge asks him how do you plead and he says I judge I plead not guilty because judge you have to understand yes I did commit robbery but on the way home I did three good deeds so being that my good deeds outweigh or out a number of my bad deeds I should be set free see no one no one would take this as justice being served this is a manipulation of this see justice is served when the judge upholds the law and says to him the penalty still is to be paid by you five years in jail see God will not let the guilty go unpunished because God is a just God and his justice must be met we cannot remove our own guilt as Romans chapter 2 verse 3 through 6 tells us but do you suppose it says o man when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself that you will escape the judgment of God or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and the tolerance and patience not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance but because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will render to each person according to his these see God is just it is all God’s plan because of his love actually God’s own sense of justice had to be satisfied and so God gave his son as though the Bible says as a propitiation or as a satisfaction for our sin we seem actually the biblical authors seem to be quite amazed when they write about how the Lord can forgive without ignoring sin and without compromising his justice at the same time it’s an amazing thing to see in Scripture but listen what Romans chapter 8 says it says for what the law could not do weak as it was through the flesh God did sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin he condemned sin in the flesh see that’s what God did see the Bible says eternal life is not the purchase of human merit but the free gift of the love of God and you have to see that the gift of eternal life God offers is too precious to be bought too full of God to be made by man this brings me to my fifth reason why Jesus had to die and that’s found in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 and it’s this because we needed someone else to die in our place Jesus was our substitute he died for our sins 2nd Corinthians 5:21 this is what it says he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so Jesus Christ became sin on our behalf so that we may become the righteousness of God in him so Jesus purpose in coming into the world is summed up nicely where it says in Luke 4 the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost how did he accomplish his mission in the person of Jesus Christ God literally became a man and lived a perfect life of righteousness in obedience to his own laws and on behalf of his children and as we have seen sin against God’s laws brings death and punishment both physical death and spiritual death in hell forever leading to eternal death when Jesus died he endured the wrath of God for us he endured the anger of God for us he endured the punishment of God for sins for our sins he died as the sacrifice for our sins satisfying the requirements of divine justice and took upon himself the punishment that was due for us for our sins where the Bible tells us for Christ also died for sins once for all the just Christ being the just for the unjust us in order to that he may bring us to God so it is he who brings us to the Lord that leads me to my last one this morning and it’s this the last one and did I say six or seven Noahide um and yet six sorry buddy the last one’s simple but were we’re just unable to reconcile ourselves to God and remove the alienation that we have when born into and what is that alienation the Bible says we’re enemies of God how do you change that how do you how do you make yourself a friend of God there’s nothing you can do to make yourself a friend of God it’s no amount of good work lawyers said or or anything you can possibly do Romans 5 and verse number 10 says for if while we were enemies have you ever considered yourself to be an enemy of God I don’t think people wake up and says you know I’m an enemy of God today we don’t think like that but see is the reason why we don’t think like that is because we don’t look at ourselves like God sees us we don’t see ourselves from the eyes of Scripture because it says in Romans it says this for a while if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his son much more having been reconciled we shall be saved by his life see we were enemies and the only one that can reconcile an enemy and an enemy and make them friends is God and he does it through who through the death of his son so the sinner cannot reconcile himself or herself to God that’s God’s place that’s what he does it is when the sinner repents and turns to Jesus Christ in faith only then only then can can God the Father change his attitude toward that center of one of Wrath to one of peace when a wrath – one of peace and even in Romans it tells us there that we have peace by the blood of the Cross that’s how we can be made at peace with God so that means that all alienation between the repentant sinner and God is ended when someone comes to Jesus Christ repents of their sin and believes in Christ alone to save them and this this change is solely based upon the death and the resurrection of a son nothing else there’s nothing else we can add to it or take from it so this actually I did have several reasons Jesus death broke open the new way and that’s the seventh that’s the reason why the only way that we can have a way broken up where we come to the presence of God is through Christ and according to Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 and 20 it says therefore brethren we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the veil that is his flesh so there it is that Jesus breaks that way for us into the presence of God and and just this the picture that I had up of the temple where when Christ was was crucified and he cried out Eloi Eloi Eloi Lama sabachthani which is translated my God my God why have you forsaken me and it says then Jesus uttered with a loud voice and cried out with his last breath and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and God made a new and living way into the presence of God through his own flesh see again you cannot avoid ignore go around Jesus Christ you must go through him that’s the only way that you can be saved and so it is really the death that broke open the way to God and of course his resurrection will all speak more on next week so it’s the cross so Jesus died to save his people from their sins he does it by taking all the sins of his people upon himself and because he took their load his people are freed and no longer have the burden of sin to weigh them down or to judge them he saves them by bearing the penalty due because of their sin Christ being made a curse for us suffered in our place he died the just for the unjust to bring us to God he saved his people by bearing the wrath of God the wrath of God’s clean and clear and honest justice Jesus has taken the sin paid the penalty that was to us he saves his people from the power and the tyranny and the Dominion of sins which had mastery over us and he saves us completely that is Jesus work was so thorough everything was accomplished and nothing else has to be added to be to it or be done ever again so completely does Jesus save those who receive him as Lord and Savior that he makes them fit to dwell with God and be one with Jesus Christ throughout all eternity and that is the blessed good news that is the hope of our salvation if you can’t rejoice in that I don’t know what you can rejoice in that’s got to be the point of rejoicing now if you know Christ this morning as your Lord and Savior praise the Lord continue to live for him continue to serve Him continue to follow him don’t give up don’t let down your guard continue forward no matter what happens in the world keep going because you’re heaven’s home remember your sojourners as I’ve been preaching in 1st Peter you’re just passing through you’re the real aliens on this earth you’re gonna be out of here some day but gotta have some work for you to do right all right so but if you don’t know Christ if you’re a young person here never trusted in Christ this is what you must do these are gifts from God repent of your sin that’s what the Bible says in mark 1:15 repent and believe the gospel repentance is a conscious recognition that you are a sinner and that you are turning to a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who can’t forgive your sin and make you right with God and reconcile you back to him and then that includes belief belief in Jesus alone for salvation in other words that Jesus is not an add-on to where everything else you’re doing in trusting you discard everything else everything else is a pile of skubalon all right that’s a nice way of saying it okay this is a family show so I can’t I can’t say the word that maybe describe it better but you get the point you got to discard it all and the reason why you discard is because Jesus Christ has done everything you have to do just come to him and he will in no wise cast your true saving faith always responds in obedience and believe me the gospel is a call from God either to be obeyed or disobeyed and it has consequences I already mentioned those so this morning if you don’t know Jesus Christ please come and talk to me or one of the elders or one of the people in our church and come and receive the free gift of eternal life offered by Jesus Christ see today’s the day of salvation today if you’re hearing is the day of salvation and to halt all who come to Jesus in repentance and faith he will receive you because he said he would because he came to save his people from the very thing that separates them from him and that sin he removed it he’s taking care of it amen and that is the blessed message of the gospel of Jesus Christ now those people that are being baptized this morning you can be dismissed get ready to get baptized we have for people to be baptized what I would like you to stay and witness their testimonies and be a part of what the Lord’s been doing in their life well let me close in word of Prayer and then I’ll depart let’s pray father thank you this morning for giving us ample reasons to not bypass Christ to not ignore him but Lord to actually believe in what he’s done for Lord through belief in Christ becomes true salvation and I pray Lord that if someone has not believed in Christ tonight did this day this this afternoon this morning Lord would be the day they come and call upon you as their Lord and Savior and that you Lord would graciously received them cleanse them wash them from their sin and make them your children I pray you would do that Lord so Lord lead those people to yourself encourage those who are already believers to continue on in the faith no matter what and not give up now throw in the towel not look back because we know Lord looking back means that you’re not worthy for the kingdom of God but continue on in faith and obedience and I pray this in Christ’s name Amen