The Lord’s Work – Part 23
We have often used the analogy of setting a free gift down on the table, and then we say that all a man has to do is reach out and take it (receive it). But I don’t think that is Scripturally accurate. You cannot just receive the gift, its not available to just take it. One must first Repent Believe and Confess, and then it is GIVEN to you. But you can’t just receive/take it. You have to ASK for it.
Matthew 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
You must ask in faith, “nothing wavering”, or you won’t receive anything of the Lord.
James 1:5-7 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
But if when you ask for eternal life, if you don’t believe that you will receive it.. then you ought not think that you will receive anything of the Lord.
If you don’t believe that when you pray, that at that same moment you receive the Holy Ghost (eternal life, eternal security), then you won’t receive anything of the Lord.
You might receive something, but it won’t be from the Lord.
And how can you believe that you receive eternal life at the moment you ask in faith, if you haven’t repented? You can’t. You’ll believe something.. but the wrong thing. “another gospel”.
Matthew 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized [with the Holy Ghost – i.e. die with Christ, get saved] 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.
Repentance has to be first, or you won’t receive anything from the Lord.
We repent and get saved FOR the remission of sins.
We don’t repent so that we can have help against our sins.
We repent, so that we can DIE to sins. We are washed clean, then we die (with Christ), we are born again of God, in heaven, without the ability to sin.
Acts 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Believing comes before receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
But they had already “believed”. Well then what did they believe? They believed something else. They believed John’s baptism. But not the gospel of Jesus Christ. They hadn’t repented to believe that yet. They hadn’t even heard of it yet. So how could they receive the gift before they believed? They had already admitted they were sinners and believed SOMETHING. But they still hadn’t received the gift. Because you can’t receive the gift before you believe the gospel. R must come before B.
John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
When the Holy Ghost is given, this is receiving the gift. But believing is before receiving (the gift), and repenting is before believing.
1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Salvation is what we Receive AFTER we Repent and have Faith in Christ.
You can try to “Receive” Jesus all you want, and you may receive something, but nothing that you receive will be from the Lord until you RBC. You will receive “another Jesus”.
You can try to “Receive” the Holy Spirit all you want, and you may receive something, but nothing that you receive will be from the Lord until you RBC. You will receive “another spirit”.
You will not be given the gift, you will not receive eternal life, until you R-B-C.
An offering to the Lord has to be perfect to be accepted. If you change things, mix things, add things, or subtract things, then the sacrifice of your lips is not acceptable. You won’t receive the Holy Ghost.
If what you speak is your offering, and what you offer must be perfect to be accepted, then you better offer HIS words.
How can you add your own, or choose your own, and expect that it will be accepted of Him?
Receive/Accept/Admit… this is not the way the Bible teaches it.
The issue is not that if you teach it this way someone CANNOT POSSIBLY get saved.
I think if you were careful to teach salvation by grace through faith with the only works being believe and confess, with no added works, no living for God, no works as proof, someone could still get saved. But they would have to still Repent of works, even though you didn’t specifically tell them to Repent.
They would have to soften their hearts, change their minds to believe the RECORD of Jesus Christ.
The issue is that if you allow words like Accept, Admit, or Receive instead of Repent, then you can easily teach a false doctrine. And that is exactly how they’ve done it.
“Lets just agree that ‘accept’ is close enough to Repent… Agreed? So then, now we can say that ‘We have to ACCEPT Jesus as the Lord of our lives’.”
“Lets just agree that ‘receive’ is close enough to Repent… Agreed? So then, now we can say that ‘We have to RECEIVE Jesus into our hearts’.”
Neither of those is true. Jesus is Lord of all living things either way, whether or not you choose to give your life to Him. And a saved man has Christ in his heart regardless of whether or not he invited or asked Jesus to come into his heart.
But what have you done here? You’ve added another work. A work that, logically could be reversed, if desired.
I gave my life to Christ, but its my life, so what if I take it back? I could decide to live my life for myself instead of for Him.
I let Jesus into my heart, but its my heart, so what if I open the door and kick him back out?
If Repent means to turn from my sins, then what happens when I turn back to my sins?
That is what Satan did with the Bible, and its what he’s done with the gospel as well. Changed it into another gospel. Changed it into a lie.
I want to show you that I’m not exaggerating. I want to show you what happens when you begin to change the words that God uses.
https://teenmissions.org/ABCs%20of%20Salvation%20Teaching%20:%20Lesson%20Notes.pdf
So I hope you can see how that, if you begin to add, subtract, or change the steps, the requirements for receiving the gospel, accepting eternal life, it allows the whole thing to be corrupted.
Oct 10 2021
The Lord’s Work – Part 23
Downloadable Word document:
The Lord’s Work – Part 23
The Lord’s Work – Part 23
We have often used the analogy of setting a free gift down on the table, and then we say that all a man has to do is reach out and take it (receive it). But I don’t think that is Scripturally accurate. You cannot just receive the gift, its not available to just take it. One must first Repent Believe and Confess, and then it is GIVEN to you. But you can’t just receive/take it. You have to ASK for it.
Matthew 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
You must ask in faith, “nothing wavering”, or you won’t receive anything of the Lord.
James 1:5-7 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
But if when you ask for eternal life, if you don’t believe that you will receive it.. then you ought not think that you will receive anything of the Lord.
If you don’t believe that when you pray, that at that same moment you receive the Holy Ghost (eternal life, eternal security), then you won’t receive anything of the Lord.
You might receive something, but it won’t be from the Lord.
And how can you believe that you receive eternal life at the moment you ask in faith, if you haven’t repented? You can’t. You’ll believe something.. but the wrong thing. “another gospel”.
Matthew 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized [with the Holy Ghost – i.e. die with Christ, get saved] 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.
Repentance has to be first, or you won’t receive anything from the Lord.
We repent and get saved FOR the remission of sins.
We don’t repent so that we can have help against our sins.
We repent, so that we can DIE to sins. We are washed clean, then we die (with Christ), we are born again of God, in heaven, without the ability to sin.
Acts 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Believing comes before receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
But they had already “believed”. Well then what did they believe? They believed something else. They believed John’s baptism. But not the gospel of Jesus Christ. They hadn’t repented to believe that yet. They hadn’t even heard of it yet. So how could they receive the gift before they believed? They had already admitted they were sinners and believed SOMETHING. But they still hadn’t received the gift. Because you can’t receive the gift before you believe the gospel. R must come before B.
John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
When the Holy Ghost is given, this is receiving the gift. But believing is before receiving (the gift), and repenting is before believing.
1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Salvation is what we Receive AFTER we Repent and have Faith in Christ.
You can try to “Receive” Jesus all you want, and you may receive something, but nothing that you receive will be from the Lord until you RBC. You will receive “another Jesus”.
You can try to “Receive” the Holy Spirit all you want, and you may receive something, but nothing that you receive will be from the Lord until you RBC. You will receive “another spirit”.
You will not be given the gift, you will not receive eternal life, until you R-B-C.
An offering to the Lord has to be perfect to be accepted. If you change things, mix things, add things, or subtract things, then the sacrifice of your lips is not acceptable. You won’t receive the Holy Ghost.
If what you speak is your offering, and what you offer must be perfect to be accepted, then you better offer HIS words.
How can you add your own, or choose your own, and expect that it will be accepted of Him?
Receive/Accept/Admit… this is not the way the Bible teaches it.
The issue is not that if you teach it this way someone CANNOT POSSIBLY get saved.
I think if you were careful to teach salvation by grace through faith with the only works being believe and confess, with no added works, no living for God, no works as proof, someone could still get saved. But they would have to still Repent of works, even though you didn’t specifically tell them to Repent.
They would have to soften their hearts, change their minds to believe the RECORD of Jesus Christ.
The issue is that if you allow words like Accept, Admit, or Receive instead of Repent, then you can easily teach a false doctrine. And that is exactly how they’ve done it.
“Lets just agree that ‘accept’ is close enough to Repent… Agreed? So then, now we can say that ‘We have to ACCEPT Jesus as the Lord of our lives’.”
“Lets just agree that ‘receive’ is close enough to Repent… Agreed? So then, now we can say that ‘We have to RECEIVE Jesus into our hearts’.”
Neither of those is true. Jesus is Lord of all living things either way, whether or not you choose to give your life to Him. And a saved man has Christ in his heart regardless of whether or not he invited or asked Jesus to come into his heart.
But what have you done here? You’ve added another work. A work that, logically could be reversed, if desired.
I gave my life to Christ, but its my life, so what if I take it back? I could decide to live my life for myself instead of for Him.
I let Jesus into my heart, but its my heart, so what if I open the door and kick him back out?
If Repent means to turn from my sins, then what happens when I turn back to my sins?
That is what Satan did with the Bible, and its what he’s done with the gospel as well. Changed it into another gospel. Changed it into a lie.
I want to show you that I’m not exaggerating. I want to show you what happens when you begin to change the words that God uses.
https://teenmissions.org/ABCs%20of%20Salvation%20Teaching%20:%20Lesson%20Notes.pdf
So I hope you can see how that, if you begin to add, subtract, or change the steps, the requirements for receiving the gospel, accepting eternal life, it allows the whole thing to be corrupted.
By Pastor • Christian Doctrine, Salvation • 0