February 3, 2025 • 26 mins
This episode addresses the essential elements that form the foundation of our faith, urging listeners to examine their relationship with God and shed distractions that hinder their spiritual growth. By recognizing our sinfulness in contrast to God's holiness, we are reminded of the power of grace and the significance of being "born again" into God's family through faith in Christ.
• Addressing the need to shed extra baggage in spiritual life
• Understanding God's holiness vs. our sinfulness
• Recognizing the sweetness of God's love amid our flaws
• The transformative nature of being "born again"
• The importance of faith in receiving God's salvation
• The identity and privileges of being in God's family
• Warning against distractions that lead to spiritual compromise
• Empowering believers to pursue restoration and growth
• Encouraging self-inventory and commitment to spiritual renewal
• Emphasizing the journey back to the foundations of faith
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Heed the Word with our pastor
and teacher, Ken Davis.
Pastor Ken is the senior pastorof Calvary Chapel, Southwest
Metro, located in Burleson,Texas.
Please join us as we study ourseries entitled the Foundations
of Faith.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
You know, so often, as believers, we go through life
and we pick up all this extrabaggage, don't we?
We pick up all these extrathings that seem important to us
but really they're not, becausethey don't have anything to do
with eternity.
And these extra things that wecarry with us, all this extra
baggage that we have, oftentimesgets in the way of our devotion
(00:41):
to Christ.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Even if you're not handy, you know that when it's
time to build a house, thefoundation must be the first
thing that's addressed and mustbe done right the first time.
Our relationship with God is nodifferent.
We must have a firm foundationin the Word of God that's rooted
in a deep, lasting faith inJesus.
That's why Pastor Ken chose toshare with you our series
(01:05):
entitled the Foundations ofFaith.
What things in this life canyou honestly say are an
intrusion to your walk with God?
Most of us can think of a hobby, a habit or a practice that
competes with our time with God.
Maybe it's your career or evenyour service in the church.
God desires that we keep ourminds and hearts focused on Him
(01:29):
and His will for our lives.
Don't forget to stay with usafter today's message to hear
more information about he theWord, specifically how you can
get a free copy of this teaching.
But for now, please open yourBibles and let's join Pastor Ken
with part two in our seriesentitled the Foundations of
Faith.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Now, of course, normally here at Calvary Chapel,
we like to teach through theBible chapter by chapter, verse
by verse, but today finds us inbetween book studies and looking
at a topical study that webegan last week and that is the
foundations of the faith.
And today we're going to belooking at foundations of the
(02:10):
faith, part two, which,basically, is welcome to the
family of God.
Last week we talked, as welooked at the lives of Isaiah
and Peter, about the fact thatGod is holy and we are not.
Ecclesiastes 7.20 put it thisway.
Indeed, there is not arighteous man on earth who
(02:33):
continually does good and whonever sins.
Now you might say well, wait aminute, I do good.
Well, doing good is not thestandard, is it Ecclesiastes?
There said the man whocontinually does good.
Is there anyone here whocontinually does good and who
never sins, anyone at all?
Because if you are that man,you can come and teach here,
(02:54):
probably better than I could.
The fact of the matter is youdon't exist other than our Lord
Jesus Christ, because there'snot a righteous man on earth who
continually does good and whonever sins.
Now, you remember what Isaiahhad said when he saw the Lord
sitting on the throne, lofty andexalted, with the train of his
robe filling the temple and theangels there singing holy, holy,
(03:15):
holy is the Lord of hosts.
When Isaiah saw that in chaptersix he writes in verse five woe
is me, for I am ruined becauseI am a man of unclean lips and I
live among a people of uncleanlips, for my eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts.
Now, peter had exhibited asimilar response when Jesus told
(03:38):
him to put out into the deepfor a catch of fish, and though
they hadn't caught anything allnight, peter obeyed and, as a
result, the boat could barelycontain the incredible catch of
fish that they have.
And you remember how Peter hadfallen at Jesus' knees and said
to him depart from me, for I ama sinful man, o Lord.
There was a commonality betweenthese two men that is true, I
(04:02):
believe, of all mankind, andthat is this when we come face
to face with the holiness of Godand we recognize just how good
God is and how perfect and howset apart and how holy, then we
come to a realization of howunworthy and of how sinful we
(04:22):
really are.
Why are we so afraid to be inthe presence of that holiness.
Why is it that Isaiah is likewoe is me, I'm undone.
Why is it that Peter was soeager for Jesus to just get away
from him?
Because the light of God'sholiness hurts our sinful eyes,
(04:47):
doesn't it?
Because it shows us who wereally are, and we don't like
the sight of it.
The Bible tells us in the bookof Romans that the wages of sin
is death.
And when we encounter theholiness of God and we see how
perfect God is, we recognize alltoo well that we deserve to die
(05:13):
.
And that is not a comfortablerealization.
That is not a happy thought.
That is not what you would calla positive confession, is it
that you deserve to die?
But just as there was hope forIsaiah and for Peter, there's
hope for us as well, for theBible tells us in Romans 5.8
that God demonstrates his ownlove toward us in that, while we
(05:38):
were yet sinners, christ diedfor us.
While we were yet sinners,christ died for us.
That means we didn't doanything to deserve that kind of
love.
We didn't work up any degree ofgood behavior or time served.
We could not earn in any waythe admiration of God, but his
(05:58):
love for us was such that, asbad as we were, he loved us
enough to send his son to die inour place.
The free gift of God, guys, iseternal life, and that is an
awesome, awesome realization.
So how do we appropriate thatsalvation?
(06:20):
How do we make that salvationour own?
We talked about that last weekas well.
How do we benefit from thesacrifice that Jesus made?
The answer, very simply, is wemust believe in him.
Now, that word believe talksabout putting our hope and our
trust and all that we are in hiscare and at his disposal.
(06:41):
It isn't merely a mental assentthat says, logically, I
recognize the fact that he iswho he says he is, but it is a
placing of ourselves in him.
We believe in him.
Romans 10 tells us that whoeverbelieves in him will not be
(07:02):
disappointed.
In verse 11.
Verse 13 tells us for whoeverwill call upon the name of the
Lord will be saved.
It's very emphatic there.
It doesn't say whoever callsupon the name of the Lord could
be saved.
It doesn't say that they mightbe saved.
It doesn't even say that theyshould be saved or that it's
(07:22):
very likely that they'll besaved.
It says whoever calls upon thename of the Lord will be saved,
amen.
So are you saved this morningif you've called on his name?
Absolutely, you are.
Absolutely you are Now.
If you have called upon the nameof the Lord, if you have
(07:45):
received Jesus as your Lord andas your savior, if you have
called upon the name of the Lord, if you have received Jesus as
your Lord and as your Savior, ifyou have acknowledged him for
who he is in your life andsalvation is yours, that means
very simply that you have beenborn again.
That phrase, born again, is aphrase that we use to describe
(08:07):
what has happened to you if youhave placed your faith in Jesus
Christ.
We find the principle describedvery clearly by Jesus in John,
chapter 3.
Let's turn there Now again.
I realize that these principlesmay seem very basic to you, but
my reason for sharing thesebasic principles of the faith
with you today is this Irecognize the fact that many of
(08:29):
you may have come to Christ, asI did in the early days of my
walk with him, and you werenever really discipled.
You were never reallyinstructed in what the
commitment that you had mademeant and about what had
happened to you as a result ofthat commitment and about what
you should do now that you'vemade that commitment, so that
you had made meant, and aboutwhat had happened to you as a
result of that commitment, andabout what you should do now
that you've made that commitment, so that you might continue to
(08:49):
grow in God and to serve him.
And so, yes, we're coveringthings that are very basic today
, that are very fundamental toour faith, but it's important
that you be grounded in thesefundamental principles of the
faith you know.
So often, as believers, we gothrough life and we pick up all
this extra baggage, don't we?
(09:10):
We pick up all these extrathings that seem important to us
but really they're not, becausethey don't have anything to do
with eternity.
And these extra things that wecarry with us, all this extra
baggage that we have, oftentimesgets in the way of our devotion
to Christ.
It gets in the way of our walkwith him.
(09:30):
It gets in the way of ourdevotional time and our quiet
time with the Lord.
It gets in the way of timespent reading his Bible and
praying and talking to God andgrowing in his spirit.
It gets in the way of ourserving in the body of Christ
and in our fellowship with ourbrothers and sisters.
It gets in the way of ourserving in the body of Christ
and in our fellowship with ourbrothers and sisters.
It gets in the way and,ultimately, when we allow the
things of this world and thedistractions of life, however
(09:52):
good they may seem, when weallow them to break our
fellowship with God or to weakenour walk with him, then sin
waits at the door.
Sin waits for that opportunity,for that window, for that
moment of your weakness becauseyou have not been edified and
(10:14):
strengthened, and it creeps inunaware and you compromise and
before long you're not just notpraying because you're too busy,
you're not praying because ithurts too much and there's a
coldness that comes to your lifeand you realize that as you go
(10:34):
to church and as you open theBible to read along with the
message, or as you do thevarious things that you do, or
maybe as you're standing inpraise, that you're lifting your
hands but they don't reach yourheart and there's a dryness to
your life.
You didn't get there overnight,but you got there.
So how do you go from thatplace back to that point where
(11:01):
your life in Christ is radicaland vital and living and on fire
.
How do you do it?
By repenting, by asking God toforgive you for your neglect of
him and by going back and doingagain those things that you did
in the beginning of your faithand renewing yourself in the
(11:24):
foundations of the faith.
And so, as we read throughthese verses and as we look at
these studies this week and next, and perhaps the week after
that, I want you to ask yourselfthe question am I walking with
God?
Am I walking in fellowship withhim?
(11:46):
What is there in my life thatcomes between he and I?
And I encourage you to dealwith those things very harshly
in your own heart and to make noagreements or compromise with
sin, but to rededicate andrecommit yourself to those
things which are good for yoursouls, amen.
(12:10):
So, as we read in John, chapter3, we read that there was a man
of the Pharisees in verse 1,named Nicodemus.
He was a ruler of the Jews, andthis man came to Jesus by night
and said to him Rabbi, we knowthat you are a teacher.
Come from God, for no one cando these signs that you do
(12:34):
unless God is with him.
Now, very often, the Phariseeswould come to Jesus and they
would say things like this, butthere was no sincerity in their
hearts.
They were merely building himup in order to try to get him to
say something or to trap him,to make him look bad.
This was not the case withNicodemus.
How do we know this wasn't thecase with Nicodemus?
How do we know that whatNicodemus says here is said in
(12:56):
sincerity?
We know this by Jesus' responseto him, don't we?
Because Jesus cuts right to theheart of the matter.
Jesus answered and said to himwell, wait a minute.
Had Nicodemus asked a question?
Not in his words, but there wasa question in Nicodemus' heart
(13:16):
and Jesus saw right through himto that question.
So Jesus answered and said tohim most assuredly, I say to you
, unless one is born again, hecannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus said to him how can aman be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time intohis mother's womb and be born
Now?
(13:36):
Nicodemus is having a problemwith the Greek language at this
point because he's understandingwhat Jesus is saying and he's
taking Jesus to mean one thing,but he's not understanding the
fullness of the statement thatJesus has made.
That word again to be bornagain has a dual meaning.
One of the two meanings is themeaning that Nicodemus took it
(13:57):
to mean and that is born asecond time.
You see, and Nicodemus issaying well, how can that
possibly happen?
How can a man be born a secondtime?
But the other meaning of thatword again is from above, and
that is the part that Nicodemuswas not understanding.
How can a man be born again andhow can a man be born from
(14:21):
above?
You see, when a man is bornfrom above, what that is
implying is is that he is bornof the spirit of God.
The Greek word for again tellsus that Jesus intended more than
just to say you have to be borna second time.
He was saying literally thatyou have to be born of God.
(14:45):
In John, chapter 1, verses 1through 13, we see a little bit
more about what he's talkingabout, so let's go ahead and
turn there briefly.
I'm going to skip through someof this, but let's start with
verse one.
In the beginning was the word,and the word was with God and
the word was God.
I love the fact that he says inthe beginning was the word.
(15:07):
That means that in the verybeginning of all things, at the
very beginning of time, jesuswas already past tense.
He existed prior to thebeginning.
In the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God and
the Word was God.
He was in the beginning withGod.
All things were made throughhim and without him nothing was
(15:29):
made.
That was made In him was life,and the life was the light of
men, and the light shines in thedarkness and the darkness did
not comprehend it.
So we see there that Jesusexisted with God and that he was
God, and that everything thatwas created was created by him
(15:52):
and through him, and that he wasand is the light of the world,
and that that light shined inthe darkness.
Let's skip ahead to verse 14.
And the word became flesh anddwelt among us and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the onlybegotten, of the Father, full
(16:14):
of grace and truth.
John bore witness of him andcried out saying this was he of
whom I said he who comes afterme is preferred before me, for
he was before me.
And of his fullness we have allreceived and grace for grace,
for the law was given throughMoses, but grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ.
(16:35):
No one has seen God at any time, the only begotten son who is
in the bosom of the father.
He has declared him.
So this word Jesus became fleshand he came and he dwelt among
us.
And we're going to go back nowto verse six.
There was a man sent from Godwhose name was John.
(16:55):
That's the one who was bearingwitness a moment ago.
This man came for a witness, tobear witness of the light that
all through him might believe.
Now, he was not that light, butwas sent to bear witness of
that light.
That was the true light, whichgives light to every man coming
into the world.
He was in the world.
That is Jesus, the light, theword.
He was in the world.
That is Jesus, the light, theword.
(17:15):
He was in the world and theworld was made through him, and
the world did not know him.
He came to his own, speaking ofthe nation of Israel, and his
own did not receive him, but asmany as received him.
To them he gave the right tobecome children of God, to those
who believe in his name, whowere born not of blood, nor of
(17:38):
the will of the flesh, nor ofthe will of man, but of God.
Who has the right to be a childof God?
Those who believe on his name.
And where are they born from.
They are born of God.
They are born from above.
They are born from above.
They are born again.
And so when you come to thatpoint in your life where you
(18:01):
receive what it is that God hasoffered in the way of
forgiveness and a relationshipwith him and the cleansing of
all of your sin, what that meansis that you have been born
again.
That's what we're talking aboutwhen we use that word.
Now we see from these versesthat being born again speaks of
(18:25):
admittance to a family.
So what are the results ofbeing born again?
It means that we literally havenow become a part of God's
family.
Those are the results, some ofthe results of salvation.
Let's take a closer look atwhat that really means.
Turn with me to Galatians, ifyou will, chapter 3.
(18:46):
We're going to pick up in verse26, as Paul writes these words
for you are all sons of Godthrough faith in Christ Jesus.
Now let me ask you a questionIs everyone on earth a son or
daughter of God?
So the soap opera All myChildren.
(19:08):
They're a little bit wrong intheir statement there, right?
You know, there's a statementout there in the world that says
, well, we're all God's children.
Isn't there, but what does itsay here in verse 26, that
prerequisite is to being a childof God.
Now, we're all God's childrenin the sense that God created
all of us, but we are not allGod's children in that we are
(19:31):
all part of God's family orshare God's nature.
The prerequisite to being a partof God's family is what?
What do we see from verse 26?
Someone tell me faith, right.
Faith, not in faith itself,faith not in the promises of men
, faith not in our own effortsor in our own righteousness, or
(19:54):
in our ability to keep the law,because we can't.
But faith in what?
Faith?
In Christ Jesus, you see, foryou are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus, for asmany of you as were baptized
into Christ have put on Christ.
(20:14):
There is neither Jew nor Greek,there is neither slave nor free
, there is neither male norfemale, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus, and if you areChrist's, then you are Abraham's
seed and heirs, according tothe promise.
Now I say that the heir, as longas he is a child, does not
(20:36):
differ at all from a slave,though he is master of all but
is under guardians and stewardsuntil the time appointed by the
father.
Even so, we, when we werechildren, were in bondage under
the elements of the world.
But when the fullness of thetime had come, god sent forth
his son, born of a woman born.
(20:58):
What's he saying there?
Prior to the coming of JesusChrist, the nation of Israel
operated and existed and walkedin their relationship with God
as children who were under atutor.
(21:20):
They walked under the law.
But when Christ came in thefullness of time, he fulfilled
the law, as he says here thatwhen the fullness of time had
come, god sent forth his son,born of a woman, born under the
law, to redeem those who wereunder the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons.
(21:43):
And because you are sons, godhas sent forth the spirit of his
son into your hearts, cryingout Abba, father.
Therefore you are no longer aslave but a son, and if a son,
then an heir of God throughChrist.
So when he says that the spiritof his son is in us, crying
(22:07):
Abba, father, that word Abba,that literally means daddy.
It's a term of endearment.
What it is saying?
That, as a child of God, assomeone who is born again, you
have entered into a relationshipwith the God of the universe
and you are his child.
And because you are his child,you are an heir in his kingdom,
(22:29):
and that is an incredible and anawesome fact.
That is something that you mustnot ever forget.
But remember who you are andremember whose you are as
members of God's family.
There are many benefits that wereceive, not the least of which
(22:52):
is eternal life, and I thinkthat's one that a lot of people
have a pretty good grasp on,wouldn't you agree?
They think, hey, when I becomea Christian, it means I'm gonna
live forever, right?
I mean, that's one of the firstthings we learn about.
Jesus said hey, if you believein me, even if you die, you're
gonna live right, and he whobelieves in me and lives will
(23:12):
never die.
That means the moment that Icome to Jesus Christ and the
moment I receive him as my Lordand Savior and his spirit comes
to dwell in my heart.
Death has no power over me.
I need not fear death, becausedeath will not hold us.
Oh, will we die?
Sure, should the Lord tarry.
Our physical bodies will die,but our spirit, which belongs to
(23:34):
God, will be with God for alleternity.
And in the resurrection we'llhave a bodily resurrection and
we will always be with God,forever and ever.
So not the least of thosebenefits of being part of the
family of God is that eternallife that we receive because of
that.
There's also the fellowshipthat we experience with God.
But I want to take a closerlook at some of the other
(23:56):
results of salvation in the lifeof a believer.
One of the first things thatyou'll notice when a couple
adopts a child is that they givethat child a new name.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Well, that's all the time we have for today.
You've been listening to Heedthe Word, the radio ministry of
Calvary Chapel, southwest Metro,located in Burleson, texas.
As you likely gathered, pastorKen Davis is currently sharing
our series entitled theFoundations of the Faith.
Pastor Ken will be coveringmany topics about how we can be
(24:33):
founded in the fundamentaltruths of the Word of God.
If you were with us at thebeginning of today's broadcast,
you know we mentioned that we'dbe giving additional information
about Heed the Word and how toget a free copy of this message.
For more information about Heedthe Word, log on to
heedthewordorg.
That's heedthewordorg.
At the website, you'll findeverything you need our contact
(24:57):
information, podcastsubscription link and a link to
our online order form, whichwill allow you to place an order
for a CD of today's message inits unedited form.
Since all of our materials arefree of charge, supplies are
limited, so log on toheedthewordorg and place your
order today.
As we close today, we want toencourage you to not only be a
(25:20):
listener of Heed the Word, butto truly apply what you're
learning.
Take the Word of God and beginapplying it to your life every
day.
Well, that's all the time thatwe have for this edition of Heed
the Word with Pastor Ken Davis.
Place a marker in your Biblesand join us next time as Pastor
Ken continues with our seriesentitled the Foundations of the
(25:41):
Faith.
You're listening to Heed the Word with our pastor
and teacher, Ken Davis.
Pastor Ken is the senior pastorof Calvary Chapel, Southwest
Metro, located in Burleson,Texas.
Please join us as we study ourseries entitled the Foundations
of Faith.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
You know, so often, as believers, we go through life
and we pick up all this extrabaggage, don't we?
We pick up all these extrathings that seem important to us
but really they're not, becausethey don't have anything to do
with eternity.
And these extra things that wecarry with us, all this extra
baggage that we have, oftentimesgets in the way of our devotion
(00:41):
to Christ.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Even if you're not handy, you know that when it's
time to build a house, thefoundation must be the first
thing that's addressed and mustbe done right the first time.
Our relationship with God is nodifferent.
We must have a firm foundationin the Word of God that's rooted
in a deep, lasting faith inJesus.
That's why Pastor Ken chose toshare with you our series
(01:05):
entitled the Foundations ofFaith.
What things in this life canyou honestly say are an
intrusion to your walk with God?
Most of us can think of a hobby, a habit or a practice that
competes with our time with God.
Maybe it's your career or evenyour service in the church.
God desires that we keep ourminds and hearts focused on Him
(01:29):
and His will for our lives.
Don't forget to stay with usafter today's message to hear
more information about he theWord, specifically how you can
get a free copy of this teaching.
But for now, please open yourBibles and let's join Pastor Ken
with part two in our seriesentitled the Foundations of
Faith.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Now, of course, normally here at Calvary Chapel,
we like to teach through theBible chapter by chapter, verse
by verse, but today finds us inbetween book studies and looking
at a topical study that webegan last week and that is the
foundations of the faith.
And today we're going to belooking at foundations of the
(02:10):
faith, part two, which,basically, is welcome to the
family of God.
Last week we talked, as welooked at the lives of Isaiah
and Peter, about the fact thatGod is holy and we are not.
Ecclesiastes 7.20 put it thisway.
Indeed, there is not arighteous man on earth who
(02:33):
continually does good and whonever sins.
Now you might say well, wait aminute, I do good.
Well, doing good is not thestandard, is it Ecclesiastes?
There said the man whocontinually does good.
Is there anyone here whocontinually does good and who
never sins, anyone at all?
Because if you are that man,you can come and teach here,
(02:54):
probably better than I could.
The fact of the matter is youdon't exist other than our Lord
Jesus Christ, because there'snot a righteous man on earth who
continually does good and whonever sins.
Now, you remember what Isaiahhad said when he saw the Lord
sitting on the throne, lofty andexalted, with the train of his
robe filling the temple and theangels there singing holy, holy,
(03:15):
holy is the Lord of hosts.
When Isaiah saw that in chaptersix he writes in verse five woe
is me, for I am ruined becauseI am a man of unclean lips and I
live among a people of uncleanlips, for my eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts.
Now, peter had exhibited asimilar response when Jesus told
(03:38):
him to put out into the deepfor a catch of fish, and though
they hadn't caught anything allnight, peter obeyed and, as a
result, the boat could barelycontain the incredible catch of
fish that they have.
And you remember how Peter hadfallen at Jesus' knees and said
to him depart from me, for I ama sinful man, o Lord.
There was a commonality betweenthese two men that is true, I
(04:02):
believe, of all mankind, andthat is this when we come face
to face with the holiness of Godand we recognize just how good
God is and how perfect and howset apart and how holy, then we
come to a realization of howunworthy and of how sinful we
(04:22):
really are.
Why are we so afraid to be inthe presence of that holiness.
Why is it that Isaiah is likewoe is me, I'm undone.
Why is it that Peter was soeager for Jesus to just get away
from him?
Because the light of God'sholiness hurts our sinful eyes,
(04:47):
doesn't it?
Because it shows us who wereally are, and we don't like
the sight of it.
The Bible tells us in the bookof Romans that the wages of sin
is death.
And when we encounter theholiness of God and we see how
perfect God is, we recognize alltoo well that we deserve to die
(05:13):
.
And that is not a comfortablerealization.
That is not a happy thought.
That is not what you would calla positive confession, is it
that you deserve to die?
But just as there was hope forIsaiah and for Peter, there's
hope for us as well, for theBible tells us in Romans 5.8
that God demonstrates his ownlove toward us in that, while we
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were yet sinners, christ diedfor us.
While we were yet sinners,christ died for us.
That means we didn't doanything to deserve that kind of
love.
We didn't work up any degree ofgood behavior or time served.
We could not earn in any waythe admiration of God, but his
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love for us was such that, asbad as we were, he loved us
enough to send his son to die inour place.
The free gift of God, guys, iseternal life, and that is an
awesome, awesome realization.
So how do we appropriate thatsalvation?
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How do we make that salvationour own?
We talked about that last weekas well.
How do we benefit from thesacrifice that Jesus made?
The answer, very simply, is wemust believe in him.
Now, that word believe talksabout putting our hope and our
trust and all that we are in hiscare and at his disposal.
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It isn't merely a mental assentthat says, logically, I
recognize the fact that he iswho he says he is, but it is a
placing of ourselves in him.
We believe in him.
Romans 10 tells us that whoeverbelieves in him will not be
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disappointed.
In verse 11.
Verse 13 tells us for whoeverwill call upon the name of the
Lord will be saved.
It's very emphatic there.
It doesn't say whoever callsupon the name of the Lord could
be saved.
It doesn't say that they mightbe saved.
It doesn't even say that theyshould be saved or that it's
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very likely that they'll besaved.
It says whoever calls upon thename of the Lord will be saved,
amen.
So are you saved this morningif you've called on his name?
Absolutely, you are.
Absolutely you are Now.
If you have called upon the nameof the Lord, if you have
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received Jesus as your Lord andas your savior, if you have
called upon the name of the Lord, if you have received Jesus as
your Lord and as your Savior, ifyou have acknowledged him for
who he is in your life andsalvation is yours, that means
very simply that you have beenborn again.
That phrase, born again, is aphrase that we use to describe
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what has happened to you if youhave placed your faith in Jesus
Christ.
We find the principle describedvery clearly by Jesus in John,
chapter 3.
Let's turn there Now again.
I realize that these principlesmay seem very basic to you, but
my reason for sharing thesebasic principles of the faith
with you today is this Irecognize the fact that many of
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you may have come to Christ, asI did in the early days of my
walk with him, and you werenever really discipled.
You were never reallyinstructed in what the
commitment that you had mademeant and about what had
happened to you as a result ofthat commitment and about what
you should do now that you'vemade that commitment, so that
you had made meant, and aboutwhat had happened to you as a
result of that commitment, andabout what you should do now
that you've made that commitment, so that you might continue to
(08:49):
grow in God and to serve him.
And so, yes, we're coveringthings that are very basic today
, that are very fundamental toour faith, but it's important
that you be grounded in thesefundamental principles of the
faith you know.
So often, as believers, we gothrough life and we pick up all
this extra baggage, don't we?
(09:10):
We pick up all these extrathings that seem important to us
but really they're not, becausethey don't have anything to do
with eternity.
And these extra things that wecarry with us, all this extra
baggage that we have, oftentimesgets in the way of our devotion
to Christ.
It gets in the way of our walkwith him.
(09:30):
It gets in the way of ourdevotional time and our quiet
time with the Lord.
It gets in the way of timespent reading his Bible and
praying and talking to God andgrowing in his spirit.
It gets in the way of ourserving in the body of Christ
and in our fellowship with ourbrothers and sisters.
It gets in the way of ourserving in the body of Christ
and in our fellowship with ourbrothers and sisters.
It gets in the way and,ultimately, when we allow the
things of this world and thedistractions of life, however
(09:52):
good they may seem, when weallow them to break our
fellowship with God or to weakenour walk with him, then sin
waits at the door.
Sin waits for that opportunity,for that window, for that
moment of your weakness becauseyou have not been edified and
(10:14):
strengthened, and it creeps inunaware and you compromise and
before long you're not just notpraying because you're too busy,
you're not praying because ithurts too much and there's a
coldness that comes to your lifeand you realize that as you go
(10:34):
to church and as you open theBible to read along with the
message, or as you do thevarious things that you do, or
maybe as you're standing inpraise, that you're lifting your
hands but they don't reach yourheart and there's a dryness to
your life.
You didn't get there overnight,but you got there.
So how do you go from thatplace back to that point where
(11:01):
your life in Christ is radicaland vital and living and on fire
.
How do you do it?
By repenting, by asking God toforgive you for your neglect of
him and by going back and doingagain those things that you did
in the beginning of your faithand renewing yourself in the
(11:24):
foundations of the faith.
And so, as we read throughthese verses and as we look at
these studies this week and next, and perhaps the week after
that, I want you to ask yourselfthe question am I walking with
God?
Am I walking in fellowship withhim?
(11:46):
What is there in my life thatcomes between he and I?
And I encourage you to dealwith those things very harshly
in your own heart and to make noagreements or compromise with
sin, but to rededicate andrecommit yourself to those
things which are good for yoursouls, amen.
(12:10):
So, as we read in John, chapter3, we read that there was a man
of the Pharisees in verse 1,named Nicodemus.
He was a ruler of the Jews, andthis man came to Jesus by night
and said to him Rabbi, we knowthat you are a teacher.
Come from God, for no one cando these signs that you do
(12:34):
unless God is with him.
Now, very often, the Phariseeswould come to Jesus and they
would say things like this, butthere was no sincerity in their
hearts.
They were merely building himup in order to try to get him to
say something or to trap him,to make him look bad.
This was not the case withNicodemus.
How do we know this wasn't thecase with Nicodemus?
How do we know that whatNicodemus says here is said in
(12:56):
sincerity?
We know this by Jesus' responseto him, don't we?
Because Jesus cuts right to theheart of the matter.
Jesus answered and said to himwell, wait a minute.
Had Nicodemus asked a question?
Not in his words, but there wasa question in Nicodemus' heart
(13:16):
and Jesus saw right through himto that question.
So Jesus answered and said tohim most assuredly, I say to you
, unless one is born again, hecannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus said to him how can aman be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time intohis mother's womb and be born
Now?
(13:36):
Nicodemus is having a problemwith the Greek language at this
point because he's understandingwhat Jesus is saying and he's
taking Jesus to mean one thing,but he's not understanding the
fullness of the statement thatJesus has made.
That word again to be bornagain has a dual meaning.
One of the two meanings is themeaning that Nicodemus took it
(13:57):
to mean and that is born asecond time.
You see, and Nicodemus issaying well, how can that
possibly happen?
How can a man be born a secondtime?
But the other meaning of thatword again is from above, and
that is the part that Nicodemuswas not understanding.
How can a man be born again andhow can a man be born from
(14:21):
above?
You see, when a man is bornfrom above, what that is
implying is is that he is bornof the spirit of God.
The Greek word for again tellsus that Jesus intended more than
just to say you have to be borna second time.
He was saying literally thatyou have to be born of God.
(14:45):
In John, chapter 1, verses 1through 13, we see a little bit
more about what he's talkingabout, so let's go ahead and
turn there briefly.
I'm going to skip through someof this, but let's start with
verse one.
In the beginning was the word,and the word was with God and
the word was God.
I love the fact that he says inthe beginning was the word.
(15:07):
That means that in the verybeginning of all things, at the
very beginning of time, jesuswas already past tense.
He existed prior to thebeginning.
In the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God and
the Word was God.
He was in the beginning withGod.
All things were made throughhim and without him nothing was
(15:29):
made.
That was made In him was life,and the life was the light of
men, and the light shines in thedarkness and the darkness did
not comprehend it.
So we see there that Jesusexisted with God and that he was
God, and that everything thatwas created was created by him
(15:52):
and through him, and that he wasand is the light of the world,
and that that light shined inthe darkness.
Let's skip ahead to verse 14.
And the word became flesh anddwelt among us and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the onlybegotten, of the Father, full
(16:14):
of grace and truth.
John bore witness of him andcried out saying this was he of
whom I said he who comes afterme is preferred before me, for
he was before me.
And of his fullness we have allreceived and grace for grace,
for the law was given throughMoses, but grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ.
(16:35):
No one has seen God at any time, the only begotten son who is
in the bosom of the father.
He has declared him.
So this word Jesus became fleshand he came and he dwelt among
us.
And we're going to go back nowto verse six.
There was a man sent from Godwhose name was John.
(16:55):
That's the one who was bearingwitness a moment ago.
This man came for a witness, tobear witness of the light that
all through him might believe.
Now, he was not that light, butwas sent to bear witness of
that light.
That was the true light, whichgives light to every man coming
into the world.
He was in the world.
That is Jesus, the light, theword.
He was in the world.
That is Jesus, the light, theword.
(17:15):
He was in the world and theworld was made through him, and
the world did not know him.
He came to his own, speaking ofthe nation of Israel, and his
own did not receive him, but asmany as received him.
To them he gave the right tobecome children of God, to those
who believe in his name, whowere born not of blood, nor of
(17:38):
the will of the flesh, nor ofthe will of man, but of God.
Who has the right to be a childof God?
Those who believe on his name.
And where are they born from.
They are born of God.
They are born from above.
They are born from above.
They are born again.
And so when you come to thatpoint in your life where you
(18:01):
receive what it is that God hasoffered in the way of
forgiveness and a relationshipwith him and the cleansing of
all of your sin, what that meansis that you have been born
again.
That's what we're talking aboutwhen we use that word.
Now we see from these versesthat being born again speaks of
(18:25):
admittance to a family.
So what are the results ofbeing born again?
It means that we literally havenow become a part of God's
family.
Those are the results, some ofthe results of salvation.
Let's take a closer look atwhat that really means.
Turn with me to Galatians, ifyou will, chapter 3.
(18:46):
We're going to pick up in verse26, as Paul writes these words
for you are all sons of Godthrough faith in Christ Jesus.
Now let me ask you a questionIs everyone on earth a son or
daughter of God?
So the soap opera All myChildren.
(19:08):
They're a little bit wrong intheir statement there, right?
You know, there's a statementout there in the world that says
, well, we're all God's children.
Isn't there, but what does itsay here in verse 26, that
prerequisite is to being a childof God.
Now, we're all God's childrenin the sense that God created
all of us, but we are not allGod's children in that we are
(19:31):
all part of God's family orshare God's nature.
The prerequisite to being a partof God's family is what?
What do we see from verse 26?
Someone tell me faith, right.
Faith, not in faith itself,faith not in the promises of men
, faith not in our own effortsor in our own righteousness, or
(19:54):
in our ability to keep the law,because we can't.
But faith in what?
Faith?
In Christ Jesus, you see, foryou are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus, for asmany of you as were baptized
into Christ have put on Christ.
(20:14):
There is neither Jew nor Greek,there is neither slave nor free
, there is neither male norfemale, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus, and if you areChrist's, then you are Abraham's
seed and heirs, according tothe promise.
Now I say that the heir, as longas he is a child, does not
(20:36):
differ at all from a slave,though he is master of all but
is under guardians and stewardsuntil the time appointed by the
father.
Even so, we, when we werechildren, were in bondage under
the elements of the world.
But when the fullness of thetime had come, god sent forth
his son, born of a woman born.
(20:58):
What's he saying there?
Prior to the coming of JesusChrist, the nation of Israel
operated and existed and walkedin their relationship with God
as children who were under atutor.
(21:20):
They walked under the law.
But when Christ came in thefullness of time, he fulfilled
the law, as he says here thatwhen the fullness of time had
come, god sent forth his son,born of a woman, born under the
law, to redeem those who wereunder the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons.
(21:43):
And because you are sons, godhas sent forth the spirit of his
son into your hearts, cryingout Abba, father.
Therefore you are no longer aslave but a son, and if a son,
then an heir of God throughChrist.
So when he says that the spiritof his son is in us, crying
(22:07):
Abba, father, that word Abba,that literally means daddy.
It's a term of endearment.
What it is saying?
That, as a child of God, assomeone who is born again, you
have entered into a relationshipwith the God of the universe
and you are his child.
And because you are his child,you are an heir in his kingdom,
(22:29):
and that is an incredible and anawesome fact.
That is something that you mustnot ever forget.
But remember who you are andremember whose you are as
members of God's family.
There are many benefits that wereceive, not the least of which
(22:52):
is eternal life, and I thinkthat's one that a lot of people
have a pretty good grasp on,wouldn't you agree?
They think, hey, when I becomea Christian, it means I'm gonna
live forever, right?
I mean, that's one of the firstthings we learn about.
Jesus said hey, if you believein me, even if you die, you're
gonna live right, and he whobelieves in me and lives will
(23:12):
never die.
That means the moment that Icome to Jesus Christ and the
moment I receive him as my Lordand Savior and his spirit comes
to dwell in my heart.
Death has no power over me.
I need not fear death, becausedeath will not hold us.
Oh, will we die?
Sure, should the Lord tarry.
Our physical bodies will die,but our spirit, which belongs to
(23:34):
God, will be with God for alleternity.
And in the resurrection we'llhave a bodily resurrection and
we will always be with God,forever and ever.
So not the least of thosebenefits of being part of the
family of God is that eternallife that we receive because of
that.
There's also the fellowshipthat we experience with God.
But I want to take a closerlook at some of the other
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results of salvation in the lifeof a believer.
One of the first things thatyou'll notice when a couple
adopts a child is that they givethat child a new name.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Well, that's all the time we have for today.
You've been listening to Heedthe Word, the radio ministry of
Calvary Chapel, southwest Metro,located in Burleson, texas.
As you likely gathered, pastorKen Davis is currently sharing
our series entitled theFoundations of the Faith.
Pastor Ken will be coveringmany topics about how we can be
(24:33):
founded in the fundamentaltruths of the Word of God.
If you were with us at thebeginning of today's broadcast,
you know we mentioned that we'dbe giving additional information
about Heed the Word and how toget a free copy of this message.
For more information about Heedthe Word, log on to
heedthewordorg.
That's heedthewordorg.
At the website, you'll findeverything you need our contact
(24:57):
information, podcastsubscription link and a link to
our online order form, whichwill allow you to place an order
for a CD of today's message inits unedited form.
Since all of our materials arefree of charge, supplies are
limited, so log on toheedthewordorg and place your
order today.
As we close today, we want toencourage you to not only be a
(25:20):
listener of Heed the Word, butto truly apply what you're
learning.
Take the Word of God and beginapplying it to your life every
day.
Well, that's all the time thatwe have for this edition of Heed
the Word with Pastor Ken Davis.
Place a marker in your Biblesand join us next time as Pastor
Ken continues with our seriesentitled the Foundations of the
(25:41):
Faith.
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