Text: II Thessalonians 1:3-10<\/p>\n
Suggested Invitation: “What Can Wash Away My Sin?” (454)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. In any game, we want an equal chance of winning, otherwise the game would not be fun.<\/p>\n A. To that end, we want the rules of the game spelled out clearly at the beginning.\nNothing is more irritating than to have someone in the middle of the game say,\n“Oh, I forgot to mention . . .”\n B. Even in our government we expect the rules of society to be openly declared. We\ndon’t tolerate closed door meetings very well. We definitely don’t like being\nticketed for something we didn’t realize was against the law.\n C. While life is not a game, and matters of salvation are more important than any\nman-made law, we too are left to wonder what happens to the man who never\nheard the gospel. Does God condemn those who never had the opportunity to hear\nthe truth?\n D. Consider that our world now contains 6 billion people. The possibility that some\nwill live and die without seeing a Bible or hearing the message is not inconceivable.\n
II. Some teach that the ignorant are saved<\/p>\n A. A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology<\/i>, (1909): “Since Christ is the Word of God and\nthe Truth of God, he may be received even by those who have not heard of his\nmanifestation in the flesh . . . We have, therefore, the hope that even among the\nheathen there may be some . . . who <\/i>under the guidance of the Holy Spirit\nworking through the truth of nature and conscience, have found the way to life\nand salvation.”\n B. Virgil Warren, What the Bible Says About Salvation<\/i>, (1982): “Even some two\nthousand years after the Great Commission, more people in the world have not\nheard the gospel than have heard it. The secret things do belong to God, but\nChristians and non-Christians alike cannot help wondering about the justice as well\nas the compassion of a God who assigns to eternal torment people who, for\nreasons beyond their control, never heard about fellowship with him through Jesus\nChrist . . . Our opinion is that scripture does not automatically assign the\nunevangelized to endless hell.”\n C. Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Answers to Tough Questions<\/i>, (1993):\n“Although the Scriptures never explicitly teach that someone who has never heard\nof Jesus can be saved, we do not believe that it infers this. We do believe that\nevery person will have an opportunity to repent, and that God will not exclude\nanyone because he happened to be born at the wrong place and at the wrong\ntime.”\n
III. Reasoning from the Scriptures<\/p>\n A. If these statements were true, then consider why Jesus gave the great commission –\nMatthews 28:19-20\n 1. Disciples were to be made of all nations. All nations were to be instructed\nin the teachings of Christ.\n 2. If people who never heard the gospel are necessarily saved, then\nintroducing the gospel to them puts their souls in jeopardy. \n
a. They might hear the gospel and reject it.<\/p>\n
b. Teaching the gospel would cause some people to be lost.<\/p>\n (1) Hearing the gospel and rejecting it causes one to lose their\nhope of salvation – Hebrews 10:26\n (2) Even if the gospel is accepted and later rejected, they are\nlost – Hebrews 6:4-6\n c. If they did respond to the gospel, then they were saved before\nhearing the gospel and they continue to be saved after hearing the\ngospel, then the gospel made no effect on their salvation!\n
B. We need to consider why people are lost<\/p>\n 1. Are they lost because of ignorance or because they have sinned against\nGod?\n
2. We understand that ignorance of a law doesn’t nullify the law<\/p>\n a. Try telling a policeman that you didn’t know the speed limit and see\nif that brings you any sympathy.\n b. If one must know the law before he can break the law, then there\nwould be no such thing as a sin of ignorance. Ignorance would\nimply there was no sin.\n c. Jesus was killed by the Jews in ignorance, but it did not excuse their\nsin – Acts 3:17-19\n d. God once overlooked the ignorance of the Gentiles, but now\ndemands repentance – Acts 17:30-31\n
3. Consider Romans 2:12<\/p>\n a. Notice that those who sin while under the law are judged by that\nlaw.\n
b. Yet, those who sin without the law also perish!<\/p>\n c. Having or not having the law did not alter the outcome. It only\naltered the standards to which they were judged.\n
d. Even without the law, people sin!<\/p>\n
4. People are lost due to their sins<\/p>\n
a. It causes a breach between man and God – Isaiah 59:1-2<\/p>\n
b. It is universally found – Romans 3:23<\/p>\n (1) In fact, the points of Paul in Romans 1 and 2 show that sin\nexists among the Gentiles and the Jews, among those\nwithout the law of God and those with the law of God.\n
(2) All then have earned death for their sins – Romans 6:23<\/p>\n c. Without accepting God’s remedy for sin, man remains condemned –\nRomans 5:16-19\n d. Without being reconciled to God, we are enemies of God – Romans\n5:10\n
C. We need to consider how people are saved<\/p>\n
1. We can be saved from sin – Isaiah 1:18-20<\/p>\n
a. Notice verse 19, “if you consent and obey”<\/p>\n
b. To what must we consent and to whom must we obey?<\/p>\n
2. Christ died for our sins – I Corinthians 15:3<\/p>\n
3. We are justified by the blood of Christ – Romans 5:8-9<\/p>\n a. We sing a song “What can wash away my sins – Nothing, but the\nblood of Jesus.”\n
4. Only through Christ can a person reach heaven – John 14:6<\/p>\n a. There is no other path available. There is no other means of\nsalvation.\n b. If people could be saved without going through Christ, then why\nwould God have sent him to die?\n c. If salvation can be gained through ignorance, then it would have\nbeen best to leave the whole world in ignorance!\n
5. Only in Christ<\/p>\n
a. We have redemption – Romans 3:24<\/p>\n
b. We have eternal life – Romans 6:23<\/p>\n
c. We have every spiritual blessing – Ephesians 1:3<\/p>\n
d. We have forgiveness – Colossians 1:14<\/p>\n
e. We have salvation – II Timothy 2:10<\/p>\n
f. How do we get in Christ?<\/p>\n
(1) Galatians 3:27 – Baptism<\/p>\n
(2) Romans 6:3-4 – Baptism<\/p>\n
6. What happens to those outside of Christ? – II Thessalonians 1:8-9<\/p>\n
a. Notice the classification of people who will be destroyed:<\/p>\n
(1) The disobedient<\/p>\n
(2) The ignorant! – Ignorance does not save!<\/p>\n
IV. God has promised salvation only to those who:<\/p>\n
A. Hear the message – Romans 10:17<\/p>\n
B. Believe on the Son of God – John 3:16<\/p>\n
C. Confess Christ – Matthew 10:32-33<\/p>\n
D. Repent of their sins – Luke 13:3<\/p>\n
E. Have been cleansed of their sins through baptism – Acts 2:38; 22:16; I Peter 3:21<\/p>\n
F. Remain faithful – Revelation 2:10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Text: II Thessalonians 1:3-10 Suggested Invitation: “What Can Wash Away My Sin?” (454) I. In any game, we want an equal chance of winning, otherwise the game would not be fun. A. To that end, we want the rules of the game spelled out clearly at the beginning. Nothing is more irritating than to have someone…<\/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_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[1506,47,451],"class_list":["post-9028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-hearing","tag-salvation","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56912,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-hidden-ball-trick\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":0},"title":"The Hidden Ball Trick","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 15, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Thomas A. Thornhill, Jr. Most of you know that one of my \"hobbies\" is officiating sports.\u00a0\u00a0In an odd sort of way, I call it \"stress relief\" as I focus on the game I am officiating.\u00a0\u00a0I work in three sports, but the one I am most proficient in (and experienced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/12\/baseball-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":43630,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-stay-in-a-game-that-involves-betting-on-a-fantasy-football-league\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":1},"title":"Should I stay in a game that involves betting on a fantasy football league?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeffrey, I have a question for you regarding a gambling situation I'm struggling to decide on. One of my friends has a fantasy basketball league with ESPN.com where people can have basketball teams with particular players from the NBA and they compete based on stats and points to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30726,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-should-i-do-with-a-game-that-has-an-indecently-dressed-character\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":2},"title":"What should I do with a game that has an indecently dressed character?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I've been reading some of the articles and questions, and I like\u00a0your commitment to keeping sinful entertainment out of your life.\u00a0 I have been trying to keep all forms of this out of my life for a while now.\u00a0 My DVDs almost wholly consist of Disney movies save a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67075,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-wasting-food-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":3},"title":"Is wasting food a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, Brother in Christ! I recently got into a discussion about the usage of food in certain parlor games and advertisement tactics. In these situations, people would buy food and use it as paraphernalia to perform the game mechanics or as a way to advertise a product. The result\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/by-what-authority-do-you-do-these-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":4},"title":"By What Authority Do You Do These Things?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 21:23-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Book of Judges discusses the ups and downs of the children of Israel in following God. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It quickly becomes apparent that there are more downs than ups. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Most telling though is how the book ends - Judges 21:25 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Here was a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60775,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-arent-instruments-part-of-the-pattern\/","url_meta":{"origin":9028,"position":5},"title":"Why Aren\u2019t Instruments Part of the Pattern?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier Sometimes I fear we have become a people of rules for rules' sake. 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