{"id":70966,"date":"2024-12-29T12:17:59","date_gmt":"2024-12-29T18:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=70966"},"modified":"2024-12-29T12:19:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T18:19:32","slug":"gods-invitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/gods-invitation\/","title":{"rendered":"God&#8217;s Invitation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Gods-Invitation.mp3\" \/><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-70966-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Gods-Invitation.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Gods-Invitation.mp3\">https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Gods-Invitation.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\t<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Gods-Invitation.mp3\" download target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<p>Text: Isaiah 1:16-20<\/p>\n<p>&#160;<\/p>\nI.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;As mentioned in the text, God offers invitations to people to examine what He is able to\nprovide\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jesus gave a similar invitation &#8211; Matthew 11:28-30<\/p>\n<p>II.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;No one has to be lost<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Everyone sins &#8211; Romans 3:23<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;And the result is that we die &#8211; Romans 6:23<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Thus, everyone needs to be saved before we reach the throne of judgment &#8211; I\nCorinthians 5:10\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;God doesn&#8217;t want any to perish &#8211; II Peter 3:9<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He promised salvation &#8211; Mark 16:16<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The conditions God places on His offer are reachable by all<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We already mentioned: believe, repent, and be baptized<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;F.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;As Moses told Israel &#8211; Deuteronomy 30:11-14<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;G.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;God&#8217;s offer is accessible!<\/p>\n<p>III.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;No one has to be condemned<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jesus purchased our salvation with his blood &#8211; Ephesians 1:7<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He took on the depth of our sins &#8211; Isaiah 53:10-12<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;God valued us that much &#8211; I Peter 1:18-21<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But we have to accept the offer &#8211; Acts 2:38<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;And we need to remain confident in His grace &#8211; I Corinthians 15:58<\/p>\n<p>IV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;No one has to remain stained by sin<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;David desired cleansing after his sin &#8211; Psalms 51:2-3,7-13<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In baptism, our sin is washed away &#8211; Acts 22:16<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Our old way of life is put to death &#8211; Romans 6:3-7<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We are sanctified and cleansed &#8211; Ephesians 5:25-27<\/p>\n<p>V.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;No one has to carry his guilt<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We have been justified by Christ&#8217;s blood &#8211; Romans 5:9<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Justified means: &#8220;to make righteous, to make innocent, to declare to be\npure, to cleanse, to free from all guilt and accusation.&#8221;\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;God is not changing our past. He is changing our future &#8211; Isaiah 38:17<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;God has done it, and we can rejoice &#8211; Isaiah 44:21-23<\/p>\n<p>VI.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;No one needs to fear rejection<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;When we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit gives His guarantee &#8211; Ephesians\n1:13-14\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Thus, we must not grieve the Spirit &#8211; Ephesians 4:30<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Spirit equips us for battle &#8211; Ephesians 6:17<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Bible He gives us is sufficient &#8211; II Timothy 3:16-17<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;So long as we don&#8217;t reject His offer, we have nothing to fear &#8211; Hebrews 10:26-31<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We must abide in God&#8217;s love &#8211; I John 4:15-19<\/p>\n<p>VII.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;There is no reason to reject God&#8217;s invitation<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Even if your sins are glaringly bad, God will forgive &#8211; Isaiah 1:18<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We are just asked to seek the Lord &#8211; Isaiah 55:7<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We must walk in the light with our God &#8211; I John 1:7<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;You can&#8217;t do it on your own. You need God&#8217;s gift &#8211; Ephesians 2:1-10<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;You aren&#8217;t asked to straighten out your life first; in truth, you can&#8217;t &#8211; Proverbs\n14:12\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But you can with Christ&#8217;s gift &#8211; Philippians 4:13<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It is the Spirit and His teachings that changes you &#8211; Galatians 5:22-25<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;F.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;However, it is a limited time offer <\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;You can&#8217;t be certain about tomorrow &#8211; Proverbs 27:1<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;You don&#8217;t want to pass up this opportunity &#8211; II Corinthians 6:1-2<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;You&#8217;ll never receive a better offer<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 1:16-20 &#160; I.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;As mentioned in the text, God offers invitations to people to examine what He is able to provide &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jesus gave a similar invitation &#8211; Matthew 11:28-30 II.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;No one has to be lost &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Everyone sins &#8211; Romans 3:23 &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;And the result is that we die &#8211;&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[47],"class_list":["post-70966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-salvation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64089,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/heed-the-invitation\/","url_meta":{"origin":70966,"position":0},"title":"Heed the Invitation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 6, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Garry Floyd","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6918,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-should-an-invitation-be-offered\/","url_meta":{"origin":70966,"position":1},"title":"When should an invitation be offered?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We meet in a rented hall so we don't have a bell or buzzer to use to alert everyone when services begin. During our business meeting last evening one brother (whose wife teaches the children's class) made a request. He stated that our normal procedure during our mid-week services\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50157,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-the-lords-supper-only-be-offered-after-the-invitation\/","url_meta":{"origin":70966,"position":2},"title":"Should the Lord&#8217;s Supper only be offered after the invitation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been a member of the Church for many decades and have never felt the Lord's Supper should be served before the invitational hymn. We want to wait for those who care to join our work, so we should serve it after the hymn. Do you agree? Answer:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14682,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-appreciate-that-you-post-your-sermon-texts-and-not-just-audio-files\/","url_meta":{"origin":70966,"position":3},"title":"I appreciate that you post your sermon texts and not just audio files","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, Hope this email finds you well I just wanted to send a quick message to express my appreciation for your website.\u00a0The fact that you take the time to post sermons in text form rather than audio-only is a tremendous help in studying the word.\u00a0I have learned a great\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18391,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/offering-an-invitation\/","url_meta":{"origin":70966,"position":4},"title":"Offering an Invitation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by James Shewmaker We may offer encouragement at any time to respond to the summons of Jesus, but the summons belongs to Him and not us. If a person expresses a desire to respond to the Savior's summons, I do not wait till the end of services. For example, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67391,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/understanding-bible-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":70966,"position":5},"title":"Understanding Bible Faith","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Hebrews 11 by Don Bunting One (or Two) Chapter Lessons","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}