ASI 2011: Inspired to Finish Strong

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

ASI 2011 Plenary Meetings

Doug Batchelor

Be Courageous

Frank Fournier

Marred in Our Hands

David Kulakov

Giving Our Best to Our Loving Lord

Members in Action

Just a Thought

Matt Parra

Why Should You Believe in You

Ivor Myers

The Blueprint

Beyond the Righteousness of Angels

Lyndi Schwartz

Worship and Song and Praise

Ted N.C. Wilson

God’s Remnant Church - Finishing Strong

ASI Presents

Chester Clark

The Patience of the Saints

Study the Bible and to learn God's will for our lives.

The message that we have to consider this morning is entitled, Why Should You Believe in You?

Father in heaven, we thank you that you've brought us here together to worship, to learn, and to grow.

I ask that you would anoint this message, you give it your spirit, help it to be an encouragement and inspiration to someone here.

Father, we thank you for your love and for your mercy, for your grace that has given us an opportunity to be a part of your family, a part of your kingdom.

As I said, the message is entitled, This Morning, Why Should You Believe in You?

And we begin by turning to the book of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.

We'll begin reading together this morning.

1 Timothy chapter 2 and beginning in verse 1.

In 1 Timothy chapter 2, beginning in verse 1, we read together, Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and the giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires how many men to be saved.

My Bible says who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For there is 1 God and 1 mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for how many?

The Bible says that God desires everybody to be saved.

Now, to desire something and to desire to do what it takes to get something are 2 very different things.

God can want everyone to be saved, But if God is not willing to do what it takes to offer everyone salvation, then even God's infinite desire for all to be saved will amount to nothing.

You can determine how bad someone wants something by what they're willing to do for it.

His passion is for the salvation of the lost, for the restoration of the hurting and the broken, the blind and the confused.

But just like any person, a passion to attain something is not enough.

Rather, it takes a desire to get what you have a passion to obtain or what you have a passion to get.

God doesn't just, according to scripture, want all men to be saved, but he does what it takes to offer all men salvation.

The Bible communicates to us in Revelation chapter 22 in verse 17.

It says, the Spirit and the bride say come.

And whoever thirsts let him come and take the water of life freely.

So in scripture we see that God has a desire for all to be saved, that God does what it takes in order to offer salvation to all.

He gives a ransom for all, and more than that, furthermore, he actually sends an invitation to all, to everyone, black, white, red, yellow, poor, rich, American, non-American, Democrat, Republican, Muslim, Hindu, He pays a ransom for every single 1 and he sends an invitation to every single 1.

This communicates that God values every single 1.

You don't pay a ransom for all if you do not value all.

Now it's interesting because God it seems has a different way of valuing people than I do.

If people are of no benefit to me or of no service to me or of no use to me, I don't value them.

If you can do nothing for me, then why would I value you?

Because you need to be of service to me if I'm going to value you.

I don't pay ransom for people if I don't think that they're going to be of use to me.

There are very few human beings who are of use in a practical sense to God.

In a practical, physical sense, Very few people are of use to God.

God doesn't value people obviously the way that I value people, because He pays a ransom for all, and I wouldn't pay a ransom for all if I'm not benefited by all.

Here in scripture we see that God must value all because He pays a ransom for all.

I wouldn't pay a ransom for all because not everybody is of use to me.

And if I assess other people and I can come to the logical conclusion that they're selfish too and they're looking out for number 1, if they're not going to be of service to me or benefit me, then I'm not going to value them.

God has a different way of valuing people than you and I, obviously.

And that's exhibited by the fact that he's willing to do what it takes in order to offer everyone salvation.

As I said before, you can determine how much someone really wants something by what they're willing to do in order to get what they say that they want.

How much does God want the salvation of all?

Well, He wants it more than he wants to exist.

God wants you more than he wants to exist.

And that's demonstrated by what he was willing to give for you.

He has a different value system than you, and he has a different value system than me, because he paid a ransom for all, even though not everybody is of use or of service to him.

He has a different standard of determining value than you or I.

He must because he paid a ransom for all.

Now I just want to make a point here that I think will be practical and beneficial for you personally and in your ministry as a servant of Christ.

If God desires all to be saved and if God pays a ransom for all and if God sends an invitation to all, Obviously God values all.

Why does he value all if all are not of use to him?

It must be that he, God, our heavenly father, our creator, doesn't just see us as a race, as we are, He sees us as we can be.

That's why we only value people if they are of use to us.

They're selfish, they're twisted, they're covetous, they're greedy, they're just looking out for number 1, and that's what we see, and that's why we don't value everybody.

But God doesn't see us the way we see others.

That's why he values all and that's why he pays a ransom for all.

I was baptized about 13 years ago at an ASI convention in Orlando, Florida.

And you know, several months before I was baptized, I couldn't actually believe that I would have been baptized.

I thought I was just gonna go over and get a little stool, but this thing is massive.

I was baptized 12, 13 years ago, something like that, at an ASI convention in Orlando, Florida.

And I was only at the Youth for Jesus meetings that Pastor Ashwick was preaching at because I had received an invitation from my mom.

My mom is a very determined person and that's the kindest way to describe her.

When it came to Her approach to sharing the gospel with her children Determined some people would say stubborn hard-headed aggressive I'll say she was determined and She invited me to come and hear the messages being preached by the team the evangelistic team that ASI had funded to preach in Orlando, Florida.

And when she asked me to come, I considered in my mind, do I wanna go?

But if I say to mom, I'm not going, oh, it's just gonna have, I'm gonna have a few weeks of conflict and headaches and arguments and I'll just say yes.

And so I said to my mom, yeah, I'll go and listen to this preaching.

And I thought to myself that she'd forget.

And that's why I said yes, because the chances of her forgetting, if I say yes I'll go, were better than the chances of her leaving me alone if I said no I won't go.

And when the meetings came, much to my chagrin at the time, she hadn't forgotten.

And she said to me, she said, hey, you know, these meetings are happening, this great young preacher is preaching, he's a lot like you, and he has similar hobbies, and likes and dislikes, and so you might want to come and listen to him preach.

Series

ASI 2011 Plenary Meetings

Why Should You Believe in You

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

The Spirit of Prophecy Matters

1h 5m

Eugene Prewitt: How to Learn to Think for Yourself Without Becoming Rebellious

Diseases of the Maturing Mind

39m

SPARK: How to Start a Fire for the Lord in Your Church

SPARK: How to Start a Fire for the Lord in Your Church- Part 3

1h 1m

ASI 2012 Seminar: Evangelism

Bible Studies Made Easy

1h 22m

Lessons from the Sower: The Conditions of the Soil

43m

How To Study the Bible and Know God’s Will For Your Life

1h 25m

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2023: God's Mission My Mission

07 Mission to My Neighbor

28m

Gardening, Mission, and the End

Gardening, Mission, and the End- Part 2

54m

Where is Elijah?

1h

AMEN 2005 Plenary Sessions

The Heart Cry of the Son

17m

Alan Parker - Truth or Hoax: Validity of Ellen White

Strange Statements of Ellen White Explained

1h

A Most Beautiful Treasure

51m

Sound Doctrine