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WHERE AM I?

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     Each preacher has a lesson or two that he believes is very important.

1.        One I preach that I feel is important is entitled:  “Postmodern Thinking.”

2.       The one that I am going to present this morning is another. 

a.       The information is vital.

b.      What is hoped is that the lesson can be preached so that the importance of the information is understood by those who are listening.

 

B.      The title of the lesson is:  “Where Am I?”

 

I.                   GOD LOOKS UPON THE WORLD

 

A.     This world was created by God (Gen. 1:1).

 

B.      Part of his creation was man (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7).

1.        Man was created in the image of God.

2.       Man was created with a soul that lives on after death.

 

C.     God is deeply concerned for His creatures, man in particular.

1.        Matthew 10:29

 

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?  And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

 

2.       Matthew 6:26

 

Behold the fowls of the air:  for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?

 

D.     God is constantly watching the affairs of man.

1.        II Chronicles 16:9

 

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth…

 

2.       Proverbs 5:21

 

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.

 

3.       Hebrews 4:13

 

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight:  but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

 

E.      When God looks upon the earth and sees man, He sees them in one of two groups of people.

1.        He does not see race.

2.       He does not see gender.

3.       He does not see age.

4.      He does not see position.

 

II.                GOD SEES THOSE IN THE WORLD

 

A.     Those in the world live in a place that is ruled by Satan.

1.        He is called “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).

2.       He is also called “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

 

B.      The world is a very dark, evil place

1.        “…present evil world” (Gal. 1:4)

2.       “…and the whole world lieth in darkness (I John 5:19b).

3.       “…the rulers of the darkness of this world…” (Eph. 6:12).

 

C.     The world is at serious odds with God.

1.        John 1:10

 

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

 

2.        John 3:19

 

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

 

3.       John 7:7

 

The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of I, that the works thereof are evil.

 

4.      John 17:25

 

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee…

 

5.        I Corinthians 1:21

 

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God…

 

D.     Those who are in the world are

1.        Ruled by Satan

2.       In sin

3.       Separated from God

4.      Lost

5.       Destined to eternal condemnation

 

III.             GOD SEES THE CHURCH

 

A.     The church is a special group of people in the eyes of God.

1.        God had them in His mind from eternity (Eph. 3:8-11).

2.       He sent Jesus to purchase the church with His blood (Acts 20:8).

3.       Every man and woman can be part of this special group of people because Jesus died for all (John 3:16-17).

 

For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 

4.      He brought the church into physical existence on the day of Pentecost following our Lord’s resurrection from the grave (Acts 2:47).

 

B.      The word “church” means “the called out ones.”

1.        God has called them out of the world by means of the gospel of Christ (II Thess. 2:14).

 

Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

2.       Man answers the call of God by obeying the conditions God has revealed for salvation (Ex., Corinthians).

a.       The saved in Corinth had been called of God (I Cor. 1:2, 9).

b.      When we look at their conversion account in the book of Acts, we see how this was done.

1)       Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath (Acts 18:4).

2)      He and his companions testified that Jesus was Christ (Acts 18:5).

3)      Some obeyed (Acts 18:8)

 

And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

 

C.     God adds the saved to the church at the moment of their obedience.

1.        “…And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

2.       “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body as it hath pleased them” (I Cor. 12:18).

3.       “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13).

4.      The church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:18).  Paul tells us that we are baptized into one body (I Cor. 12:13).

 

D.     The church is holy and stands in opposition to the world.

1.        Be not conformed to this world (Rom. 12:2).

2.       Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world (I John 2:15-17).

3.       …know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God?  Therefore whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     All of this information leads the question:  “Where am I?”

1.        Am I in the world?

2.       Am I in the church?

3.       God sees and knows

B.      Remember:  God adds the saved to the church (Acts 2:47).  To be saved, a person must believe and be baptized according to Jesus (Mark 16:16).

 

C.     It is possible or members of the church to return to the world.  This latter end is worse than when they were in the world before becoming a child of God (I Pet. 2:20-21).

 

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 

D.     Again:  God sees and knows (II Tim. 2:19a).

 

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.