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Puna SDA Church

Dwayne Lemon

The Faith of Jesus

I hope you all have your Bibles with you.

We are going to be going through the Word of God.

And I believe we're living in a time where we need to do a lot more studying than simple mere preaching.

And you will find that God has many things to say to us from his Word, but how can we benefit from it if we don't have it?

And therefore, I'm hoping that you all have a Bible, and if you don't, maybe you wanna raise your hand, perhaps a usher can look around, and if they see that you don't have a Bible, we'll put 1 in your hand.

Is there anyone that doesn't have a Bible that needs 1, so that way we can make sure everyone is following?

All right, Okay, I see 1 little friend's hand over there.

So, unless maybe she wasn't raising her hand.

We just looked at the book of John, the 17th chapter.

And we saw the focus of the mind of Jesus.

We saw in John 17 and verse 4, that was our scripture reading, that Jesus made it very clear, I have glorified thee on the earth and I have finished the work which thou gave us me to do.

It is imperative that all of us as Christians are able to say before we depart from this earth, I have finished the work which you gave me to do.

And those words that Jesus said was not limited to Jesus.

And the reason I know that is because, go with me to the book of 2 Timothy chapter 4.

If you go to 2 Timothy the fourth chapter, you will see that the words of Christ were not limited to Christ.

This is the words of what all of God's people should be able to say at some point before our probation closes.

And so the Bible says in the book of 2 Timothy, we're going to what chapter?

We're going to chapter 3, I'm sorry, chapter 4.

In 2 Timothy chapter 4, I want you to notice what the Bible says, as the apostle Paul, he's getting ready to go to his death.

And Paul is not afraid to die because he knew that he was dead long before Nero's blade ever touched his neck.

There's 1 evangelist that said, nobody could kill Paul because Paul was already dead.

And you and I need to understand that principle.

And so Paul is not afraid to die at this point, but Paul does have some words to say.

And thank God it was contained in scripture for your encouragement as well as for mine.

The Bible says in 2 Timothy chapter 4, and if you're there, please say amen.

The Bible says, I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine, for the time will come, and I believe that time is here.

It says, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

But after their own lust shall they heap of themselves teachers having itching ears.

Their ears from the truth and fables, but watch thou in your afflictions.

Stand faithful even in the midst of affliction.

He says make full proof of your ministry.

He's giving his departing words to those who shall remain behind.

In the next verse it says, in verse 6, for I am now ready to be offered.

He says, for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

The apostle Paul says, I have fought a good fight.

You see, God gives each and every 1 of us a work.

He gives each and every 1 of us a course.

It was not just Jesus who had a work and he had to finish it.

It was not just Paul who had a work and he needed to finish it.

Every single 1 of us in this room has a work and God expects you to finish it.

The world loves to start stuff they can't finish.

And That is very much a worldly principle, and Jesus shows the foolishness of it in Luke the 14th chapter.

It is the world, the worldling, and those who are unbalanced that unfortunately start but don't finish.

And notice how Jesus uses this term in Luke the 14th chapter.

In Luke the 14th chapter, notice what the Bible says.

And I want you to see what the Bible says as we look at Luke 14.

We're gonna start at verse 28 and watch the logic in Jesus' mind.

The Bible says in Luke 14, Jesus is talking about being a faithful disciple.

Every single individual who got baptized last week, you were not baptized to become members.

Jesus, you don't find anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said, go ye therefore and make members.

You don't see that anywhere in scripture.

You see, go ye therefore and make disciples.

That's what the Bible says in Matthew 28.

That's what it says in Mark 16, go make disciples.

It is possible to have a membership somewhere and never participate in anything that that organization does.

And that's why God does not want you to have a membership mentality.

Because some people are just happy being members of the church.

While they don't show up, they don't participate, they do not reflect the things that should be reflected in the lives of those who are part of God's remnant church.

God says don't get stuck on being a member.

God says I called you to be my disciples.

Disciples are people who do not sit down and observe.

They are people who get their hands dirty and they get involved in the work.

And so it is that the Bible says in Luke 14, Jesus is talking about the qualification of disciples.

And he says in Luke 14, verse 28, he says, for which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost whether he have sufficient to do what To finish it he says less happily after he have laid the foundation and is not able to finish it all That behold begin to do what you see when a man cannot finish his work.

There's somebody that's going to sit back and mock it You understand that?

God has given every single 1 of us a work to do, and God wants us to understand our work very clearly.

Because when we do not fulfill the work that God woke you up this morning to accomplish, my brothers and sisters, Satan, if not anybody else, will sit back and mock God in his face and say, look at this, you wasted all that breath of life upon these souls and they are not even living, not even half to the potential of why you raised them up this morning.

He loves to go in his face and say look at your people look at what they're doing.

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The Faith of Jesus

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