GETTING BACK TO BASICS

Going Back to the Basics

Pastor John’s message on Sunday, April 6, 2025

I am more convinced now than ever that we need to always pray about everything; never give up; turn our face to the wall; go into our prayer closet; our WarRoom; whatever you have and do business with our God. He is not nervous, He is not going to be put out with you for doing what He always wanted you to do.  Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

Do you think you are violating your relationship with God if you are assertive in your request to God. He says to come boldly before Him. Your claim to that promise is not because God is withholding it from you. Most of the time, we don’t receive because we have a wrong view of God. He is our daddy who really loves us. If you have the blood of Jesus applied to your life, He sees you as washed in the blood of the Lamb. He is our omnipotent daddy who gives to His children all things. His view for His children is to prosper our souls, and to give us what we ask of Him.

I know most of us have been in the Christian faith a long time but is it OK to go over the basics again? Pastor Richard, in your coaching days, did you ever review the basics? They say that even the professionals, in professional sports, return to the basics quite often because it is good to know them and have them fresh in our mind.

Everything we have in Christianity today, is because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and it is sustained by the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. No other religion on this planet can say that of their belief. This is the superior work of God to us.

Pastor Richard and I are presently studying the book of Romans. This is the book of the Bible used to introduce people to the Christan faith. It was written by Paul, to a church he never started, but he had met some people from that church. He deals with the sin question and our ongoing, maturing faith in the work of Jesus in our lives. Salvation is probably in all the books of the Bible but not as well explained as in Romans. Also, in a couple of weeks from now, we are about to remember and celebrate the death and Resurrection of our Lord. It is good time to review this now.

What are the basic issues that we need to consider to put our salvation on sure footing in God’s eyes and ours?

1.     Absolutely all of us have sinned and we all need a saviour. We have all fallen short of the glory of God.

2.     Most of the time, God’s way is very different than man’s way, isn’t it. If a man were deciding about salvation, I can see it being a task that is almost impossible and only a few, if any would make it. Isn’t that the way most man-made religions, do it? You have to complete some penance to pay for your salvation.

3.     God’s way is by grace through faith in the blood of the cross. Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is the when the power of God is used to bring you to salvation. Faith is that tangible thing we can hold on to until the actual thing appears. We hold on to it in that bulldog way we mentioned before.

4.     God’s righteousness demanded that sin needed to be punished, so God the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, He said send me to pay the price for their sin. God became flesh, born of a woman, God and man at the same time.

5.     God’s way was to do all the hard stuff in substitution of man, He paid the debt that we needed to pay. He died the most horrible death known to man. Can you imagine, hanging on the cross for six hours, before that being whipped almost to the point of death.

6.     Jesus came, born of a woman; lived his life without sin. He brought Heaven to earth by performing miracles for those who were fortunate enough to meet him.

7.     You see His plan was that in our redemption, mankind is made acceptable to hold the Holy Spirit within us. We are free from sin and absolutely new creatures in Christ Jesus. 2Cor. 5: 16-20 All the old things we have done are no longer remembered against us. How can God forget? He has made that choice. There is nothing in our past that has transcended that redemption. Our country may not recognize you being a new creature, if you were a murderer, you would probably have to pay the price to society but as far as God is concerned, you are free. Your salvation is complete!!!

8.     Look at the thief on the cross. He didn’t have a chance to do good or bad but Jesus told him that “Today you will be with me in paradise”.

9.     This is the reason why we can access the throne room of heaven. All things are new. We are now in Christ.

All of this is so important for us today, but it continues.  The plan of God is also to sustain us and to be the church without spot or wrinkle.  Romans gives us the secret to live as Jesus lived. He never sinned although He lived in a sin filled society. Romans 12: 1-2 says this.  I beseech[a] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your [b]reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

These verses actually work to bring our thinking into Kingdom thinking. First of all, what is a living sacrifice? What is Holy? What is conforming to this world? What is renewing our mind? Holy is that which is dedicated to God.

A living sacrifice A sacrifice is an act of surrendering a possession as an offering to God. In the old covenant it meant killing an animal and offering it according to the instructions of the law. This frequently meant a burning of much of the body as a burnt sacrifice. This was offering in substitution for the sins of the people. A living sacrifice is when, because of the death of our Lord Jesus, we still offer ourselves to God to live life in Him. Being conformed to this world is agreeing with and following the views of this world governed by the unseen and wicked spiritual forces that are evident in the deeds of the flesh. The deeds of the flesh appear many places in the Word of God but I have selected:

Galatians 5:19-2119 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We conquer the deeds of the flesh and mind by the renewing of our mind.  How do we renew our mind? Well do you know, the longer you spend with someone, the more you become alike and agree on everything. When Heather and I were first married, we both, no I’ll say I had selfish ideas, and sometimes we fought over them. As we stuck with it, I lost some of my selfish ideas and we began to agree on most things. That same principle is true here with God. As we spend time reading God’s word, meditating on it, studying to show ourselves approved, we begin to take God’s side of every issue that we find ourselves in. It doesn’t mean it is easy, but it means it’s the only way it can be.

In closing, when our minds are renewed, we will be able to believe God for the impossible. We will be able to agree with God when the world views are against Him. We can stand true to His plan for our lives and miracles will happen.

I am excited about God’s plan for Hope Centre Family Church. I mean, what can God do with a small group of mostly elderly people. Well, the truth of the matter is that our times are in HIS hands and HE can do more than we can even imagine. I encourage you today, each of us have things we are dealing with. All of them different but still important to us. Can we trust God to bring really good things out of them? Can we trust God, the Way Maker when there is no way? Can we leave it in God’s hands. If you can, with perseverance, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.