2 Cor. 3:5 JESUS IS ALL WE NEED
Intro: This week our nation was stunned by the school massacre in
Littleton Colorado. Our minds were shocked to consider the thought that 2 teenaged boys
could ruthlessly shoot and kill 13, seriously injure 21 others and then take their own
lives, but not before booby trapping their own bodies in a effort to kill even more
innocent people. In response to this tragedy, people have begun to question why these
things happen and what can be done to prevent them in the future. There is an answer!
However, the world probably doesn't want to hear it. I will simply say at this time that
Jesus is all we need.
President Clinton announced on Friday that he was going to send 1.5
million dollars to the families and victims of the shooting to help with counseling, new
programs to reach troubled youth and to install metal detectors in the school. I would say
to Bill Clinton that this effort is far too little and far too late! Would to God we had a
President who would stand forth on national television and say, "Jesus is who you
need in this hour!"
In the passage we have read this morning, the great Apostle Paul tells
us all about what we need. In defending his apostleship to the Corinthian believers, Paul
tells them, "I do not have to defend myself, Jesus is all I need!" I
want to remind Gilead Baptist Church and every person who is in this building this morning
that Jesus is all we need!
When you are without Jesus, then you are in serious trouble! You can do
nothing in and of yourself. Without Jesus you are nothing, John 15:5. Yet, with Him, you
can do all that He would have you to do, Phil. 4:13. Allow me for these few minutes that
we have together to share with you some areas of life where Jesus is all we need.
I. Acts 4:12 JESUS IS ALL WE NEED FOR SALVATION
A. The Price He Paid - There would be no
salvation today if it were not for Calvary. When Jesus went to the cross, He paid the
price for all those who will trust Him by faith for salvation. He died a horrible death on
that cross so that you and I might enjoy the salvation of God without price and without
fear. (Ill. Isa 52:14; Isa. 50:6 - Ill. Calvary!) The greatest demonstration of the
awesome love of God for you is the image of Jesus hanging on the cross dying in your place
- Rom. 5:8.
B. The Promises He Made - In regard to
salvation, Jesus made several precious promises. Among them are these:
1. Anyone Can Be Saved - John 3:16; John 12:46 (Ill.
Jesus Himself said that His purpose in coming into the world was to rescue the perishing -
Luke 19:10. He did not come to save the religious or the righteous, but Jesus came to save
the sinner - Luke 5:31-32.)
2. Any Sin Can Be Forgiven - (Ill The Unpardonable Sin
- Not an issue in our day!) Regardless of what you have done in life, you need never fear
that Jesus will turn you away - John 6:37. (Ill The Dying Thief on the cross, Luke
23:40-43. This man had lived a wicked life and was even them dying on the cross. He had no
chance to do good works, to be baptized, or to join a church, still Jesus saved him and
forgave him all of his sins, Col. 2:13-14.)
3. All Who Believe Receive Eternal Life - The
life that Jesus gives is not just good for a short time, but it is good for all eternity!
Jesus Himself said in John 10:28-29 that those who came to Him received "eternal
life" and that they would "never perish!" You simply cannot improve upon
that! Notice also, John 5:24; John 6:47.
4. All Who Believe Are Promised Deliverance From Hell
- Rom. 5:9 tells us that through Jesus, we are saved from the wrath of God. In other
words, when you trust Jesus for your soul's salvation, you get a get out of Hell free
card. Not one child of God will ever enter the gates of that awful place of the damned and
the doomed. That in itself is enough to shout about!
5. All Who Believe Are Promised An Eternity In Heaven
- John 14:1-3 - Jesus promised His disciples that He was going away to prepare a heavenly
home where they could spend eternity with Him. Praise His name, I look forward to going to
that Heavenly land - 1 Cor. 2:9; Rev. 21:4
C. The Plan He Laid - Jesus promised all these
things to all those who become partakers of the salvation offered through Himself. Now,
the question is, how do we take part in His salvation? This is the best part of all,
because everything Jesus promises in relation to His salvation is available through simple
faith. Notice what Jesus said about this matter of faith - John 3:16; Rom. 10:13. In fact,
works, religion and the rest that man can do will utterly fail when it comes to the saving
of his soul - Eph. 2:8-9. (Ill. Rom. 11:6; 1 Cor. 1:29-31; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:3-5.) Here
is the bottom line, if you want to be saved and enjoy all the benefits of salvation
through Jesus Christ, then the only way to get in on this deal is to place your faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him and Him alone for your salvation.
(Ill. Are you trusting Jesus and Him alone this morning? If not, then
today would be a good day for you to get past all the things that are preventing you from
coming to Jesus. Things like problems, grudges, fears, sins, whatever is standing between
you and Him needs to be laid down and you need to be saved. To delay puts you in danger of
Hell's fire. To respond and to come to Jesus guarantees you that you will reside in Heaven
when this life is past. What will you do with Jesus? After all, He is all you need!)
I. Jesus Is All We Need For Salvation
II. Psalm 33:12 JESUS IS ALL WE NEED IN SOCIETY
(Ill. The double tragedies of the shootings in Colorado and the
escalating situation in Yugoslavia serve to remind us that something is missing in our
society. I know what the world needs and what the world needs is a Who and His name is
Jesus!)
A. We Need His Book - What America needs today,
as well as the rest of the world, is to return to the blessed old Book. The Bible would do
more to change society every program the government can start. Our trouble began when man
decided that he knew more than the Lord and threw out the Bible as the standard for daily
life. Now, we have returned to the standard that prevailed during the days of the Judges
in Israel, Judges 21:25. This is a standard of living know as moral relativism. That is,
this means that what is wrong for you may not be wrong for me and what is right for you
may not be right for me. Right and wrong are defined by the situation at hand. In other
words, man lives by a set of moral standards that he creates and recreates to fit every
occasion. No wonder we are in such a mess today! I want you to know that God's Word is
still the only true and righteous standard for holy living! If men were to return to
living by this blessed old Book, then we would see our society turn from this path of
destruction which it seems determined to carry out.
(Ill. God's Word might be maligned and kicked at, but it will never be
destroyed! Ill. Psa. 119:89; 119:160; Matt. 5:18; Matt. 24:34-35; 1 Pet. 1:25. By the way,
men may not receive this Book today and they may ridicule those who pattern their lives by
it, but one day, they will face it in judgment - Rev. 20:12; John 12:48.)
B. We Need His Blood - Man has invented many
religions which he follows in a effort to make himself feel better about himself. But, our
world is in the mess it is in today because man has neglected the only plan of salvation
ever known by man that can make the vilest sinner clean. The Bible tells us that to be
saved, one must be washed in the blood of Jesus, 1 Pet. 1:18-19. When this takes place,
that blood washes the sinner whiter than snow, Isa. 1:18 and the salvation that results
produces a change in the heart of this newly saved individual that literally transforms
him/her into a new creature - 2 Cor. 5:17, 2 Cor. 4:7.
(Ill. Every murderer, every thief, every rapist, every racist, every
pedophile, every molester, every drunk, every harlot, every drug addict, every drug user,
every foul mouthed punk, every sin stained young man and young lady can forever be changed
by placing their faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing would turn
America around quicker than for every sinner to get saved! This would save our homes, our
schools and our society! We do not need a new Federal program. We do not need a new 12
step program. We do not need AA or NA. We do not need a national dialogue on violence. We
do not need more religion. We do not need a bunch of reprobates leading our children in
wrong praying in our schools. What we need is for America to come to Jesus. What we need
to understand is that our problems are ALL sin related and that the only cure for sin is
the Blood of the Lamb. If you want to change the world, I challenge you to pray for the
salvation of sinners and then get up from off your knees and go tell some lost person
about a soul saving, life changing Christ!)
C. We Need His Blessings - By His blessings, I
do not mean material blessings like money and things. What I am referring to is a great
move of God. What America needs is an old-fashioned, soul-stirring, heart-changing,
God-honoring, Christ -exalting, Spirit-obeying, Hell-defying, sin-killing,
church-cleansing, devil-stomping, God sent revival! We need the power of God to be turned
loose in our society. When this happens, we will experience what God can do. I say that
the church has been silent too long! It is time we stood up and acted like what God has
saved us to be. When we get where we need to be with the Lord, then He will bless by
sending a move of God into our midst that will forever change this world for the glory of
God, 2 Chron. 7:14. If we are going to see America saved than what we need is Jesus and
nothing more!
(Ill. A man once visited the Vatican and the Pope showed him all the
treasures of the Roman Catholic church. The Pope said, "No longer must the church
say, silver and gold have we none." "Yes", replied the other man. "But
neither can she say rise up and walk either!" How true! We have the machinery of our
organization. We have the power of our famous preachers. We have more money than we have
ever had, but we lack the one thng whereby we can shake society to its every foundations.
We lack to awesome power of Almighty God moving in our midst. God help us mot to rest
until we become like the early church ad are filled with His presence and power to such a
degree that everyone knows Who's we are and Who is moving in our midst! Il. Acts 2:43;
Acts 5:13.)
I. Jesus Is All We Need For Salvation
II. Jesus Is All We Need In Society
III. John 15:5 JESUS IS ALL WE NEED FOR SERVICE
(Ill. There are many who feel as though they can do nothing for the Lord
and that they cannot serve Him. This verse makes it plain that we can, but that to do so
requires that we allow Jesus to live and serve through us. We need Him to be able to serve
Him and when we do allow Him to live and to serve through us then we experience His power
in our lives in three wonderful ways.)
A. He Gives The Ability To Serve - Phil. 4:13 -
Jesus makes it possible for every child of God to be actively involved in the work He has
going on in the world today. If you have been called to a place of service, please
understand that Jesus is all you need!
B. He Gives Avenues For Service - Jesus is in
the door opening and shutting business. He will direct your paths to the place where He
wants you to serve, Ill. Paul, Acts 16:6-10. If you are looking for a place to serve the
Lord, then please understand that the Lord is looking for people to serve as well. Allow
Him to use you like He wants to use you and your life will be a blessing.
C. He Gives Advancement In Service - When one
serves the Lord faithfully, God gradually increases that person's field of service. When
we prove faithful in the little things, then He will give us more to do for his glory,
Matt. 25:21; Luke 16:10.
I. Jesus Is All We Need For Salvation
II. Jesus Is All We Need For Society
III. Jesus Is All We Need For Service
IV. Psalm 107:9 JESUS IS ALL WE NEED FOR SATISFACTION
A. He Satisfies On Earth - When Jesus met the
woman at the well He told her that He was able to satisfy the deepest thirst of her soul
and that she would never feel thirsty again, John 4:13-14. Every child of God could say
"Amen!" to that statement! Jesus satisfies. I have never seen a Christian, who
was abiding in Jesus, every feel that he/she lacked any good thing. I never met a
Christian, who was abiding in Christ, who longed for the things of this old world. For
those who are abiding in Jesus have found a sweet, cool, soul-satisfying fountain of
living water that has produced within themselves a well of water springing up into
everlasting life, John 4:14.
(Ill. Sadly. Many Christians are just like the Israelites. Even though
they have been delivered from the bondage of Egypt (sin) they still long for the leek and
onions (pleasures) of the old life, Num. 11:5-6. And, like the Israelites, they are doomed
to defeat, discouragement and failure in their Christian walk, I challenge you to forget
about the land of Egypt, to put your eyes on Jesus alone and learn to drink from Him and
to be satisfied with what Jesus can do for you!)
B. He Satisfies In Eternity - When you leave
this world, there are only 2 possible destinations for the human soul. You will either go
to Heaven or you will go to Hell. Which depends upon what you do with Jesus and the plan
of salvation He offers. If you go to Hell, you will never be satisfied, but will spend
eternity enduring the flames and terrors of Hell apart from God, Luke 16:19-31; Rev.
14:10-11; 2 Thes. 1:8-9. However, if you have received Jesus as your personal savior, you
will experience a very satisfying eternity in the presence of God Himself. Eternally
saved, eternally happy and eternally alive with the Lord in Heaven. Where do you want to
go to when you die? Jesus promises a satisfying eternity. He is all you need!
Conc: Who do you need? Jesus! Do you know Him? Do you have Him in your
heart and life? You may think that you need more money, better health, more friends, more
things, etc. But all you really need is Jesus. Why not come before Him right now and
receive Him into your life? Why not come and renew that old walk with Him that has fallen
into a state of disrepair? Why not come today and remember again that Jesus is all you
need! He is! Why not come and find out why, firsthand?
