Welcome to this week's posting of the Weekend Sermon. I am always thankful that the Lord has provided me with the opportunity to post these messages each week. I hope that all is going well with you.
Last night, there were some terrible storms in my area. Right where I live, the weather was not horrible. I am thankful for your prayers. I would ask for your prayers once again today. We are supposed to have severe weather with large hail and flooding again. Please pray that this will not materialize. Thank you.
In other matters, I would ask that we all continue to pray for those in the Bahamas and Texas who were affected by the bad storms. Pray that they will continue to get the help that they need.
Pray for an end to the Ebola virus in Congo. Pray for those who are working to help those that are sick, and pray that those who are sick will recover.
Continue to pray for peace in the trouble areas of the world. Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Libya need our prayers.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us all pray for those who live in China and Sudan. Pray that many will hear the message of Jesus' love.
Over the course of the last couple of weeks, we've been in a study of what the Lord has to teach us from II Corinthians 5. Last week, we focused on the passage that tells us as Christians that all of us will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ. This is not a judgment to determine one's salvation. We are saved by what Jesus has done for us on the cross. It is a judgment to determine eternal rewards based on what we have done for the Lord while we are here on this earth.
In our passage today, Paul tells us in verse 11 that, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others." Paul is referring back to the judgment seat of Christ. We know that one day we will have to give an account of what we have done for the Lord. Because of this, we are to be out in the world fulfilling the Great Commission given to us by Jesus. Jesus told us to go out into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. We are to baptize those who believe and then teach them the ways of the Lord.
Each one of us has the duty to tell others about Jesus. We have a message that can change people's lives. We can tell people that Jesus loves them and wants to have a relationship with them. We have the greatest message in the world to give to others.
I am fairly sure that each one of us who is a follower of Jesus knows someone who does not follow the Lord. We need to tell these people about the death and resurrection of Jesus. We need to tell them that they can be forgiven of their sins and receive life everlasting.
In verse 14 Paul states, "The love of Christ compels us." This is what our motivation is to be. We aren't supposed to tell people about Jesus because we are worried about getting some type of reward. We are to have the proper motivation to spread the good news about Jesus. We are to be filled up with the love of Jesus to overflowing. Our love for Jesus and what He means to us should compel us to tell others how much Jesus means to us.
Here is the message. Jesus died for all. The Bible tells us that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross. He came and died for every person. The Bible says that whosoever will may come. Paul stated that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Jesus said, "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The message of the Gospel is that Jesus died for our sins. He will forgive and restore anyone who comes to Him in repentance and faith. When we come to Him, we are no longer our own. We are not to live life for ourselves. We are to accept Jesus as the Lord of our lives, and from that point, we are to live our lives to please our Lord.
As we have seen in the first part of this chapter, Jesus died. But Jesus rose again. Those who are in Christ will one day be with Him in the place that He has prepared for those who love Him.
I close the message today by inviting you to give your life to Jesus if you have not done so. If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus, I invite you to find some way to tell others about what the Lord Jesus means to you. I urge you to work to make this world a better place.
Next week, we will continue our series in II Corinthians 5. I will post the sermon on Saturday. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will post a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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