Pastor Eric Goode, “The Consequences of Coming to Christ”

foreign [Music] if these brief bleeding moments I pray that you will help your servant to Proclaim your gospel with clarity related to a guide my pace I pray that you will give me the capacity to recall to all that has been said in Earth and communicated power and conviction we thank you in Christ amen [Music] in the book of First Peter chapter 2 the entirety of the text was read earlier I want to read verse 4. for our consideration English Standard Version rendered renders this word as you come to him a living song rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious God be praised for his word for the brief time that's mine for preaching this morning I want to talk a bit from this thought the consequences of coming to Christ the consequences are coming to Christ last week you will recall that I have shared with you the main theme of this book which comes from First Peter chapter 5 verse number 12. Peter tells the church to stand fast in the grace of God I want to unpack that just a tad bit today because that steadfastness is seen in times of unmerited suffering that when you go through trials and tribulations you and I ought to be unmoved we should not allow anything or anybody to move us from the hope of the Gospel our last week also argued you the sermon which which was that we ought to do good to those who don't always do good to us but I want to say and show you that this major theme of standing fast in the grace of God is seen in our texts but before we do that we gotta just do a brief overview of the Peter how he works this scene he talks about who the Christians are throughout this book First Peter chapter number one verses three to nine we are classified we are those who have been born again by the resurrection of Jesus Christ we've been born again rather unto a lively Hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ uh First Peter chapter 1 verses 12 or rather 13 to 21 we are children of God who have been called to be holy before our God and First Peter chapter 1 verses 22 to chapter 2 verse number three we have been born again by the word of God which calls us and gives us the a desire to by the grace of God obey the word of God but now we come to this immediate text and Peter in verse number four begins to establish who Christ is he says that Christ is a living Stone Christ is a living Stone Christ is a living stone that stone that word Stone in the original language means it speaks of a stone that was used in the constructing of a building it was also used of a precious jewels this was unlike Peter's name you do know what Peter's name means his name means middle song you it was those songs that were found on the side of the road those were not songs that were used in the foundation of a building what Peter is trying to teach us in this moment is that the church is not built on a personality but the church is to build on Jesus Christ isn't that beautiful brothers and sisters that you can you cannot have a church without Jesus Christ let me say that again you cannot have a church without Jesus Christ for In Christ Alone My Hope Is found he is my life my strength my song This Cornerstone this Solid Ground firmed through the fiercest drought and storm what types of love what deaths of Peace when fears are still and when driving see this Cornerstone My All In All here in the love of Christ I said all I'm trying to tell you is that the church is built on Jesus churches built on Jesus and notice how Peter identifies Jesus he says that he is rejected by men now if you read the gospels in particularly Luke and John you will always discover that Jesus always had people who oppose his ministry and they opposed him because they did not know who he truly was yeah brothers and sisters he had people who did not know who he truly was that's why you hear him either on the cross father forgive them for they know not what they the writers of the writer Isaiah 53 verse number three he says he was despised by he was he was rejected by men he was despised and rejected by men a man of sorrow acquainted with grief Jesus was rejected by people but he was chosen and precious by God he was accepted by God which is a powerful message brothers and sisters that you can be rejected by people but as long as you're accepted by God that's all that matters isn't that good news brothers and sisters I said it I don't care you may not like me you may not see my worth you may not see my value but Jesus saw the best in me when everyone else around me Could Only See No Worse so the best I said he's all the best I said he's all the best in me I want to just argue in this sermon today I want to argue today in this sermon that there it is this is the major theme of this text that there is a blessing in coming to Christ that's all I really want all you today there is a blessing in coming to Christ I want to argue that brothers and sisters there is a blessing in coming to Jesus Christ quite frequently brothers and sisters I'm often asked to participate in programs outside of this church a lot of times I'm asked to join organizations be it they had secular and sacred outside of this church we'll talk about the and many times the leader of the representative of that organization will call me and we will talk about the form and the function of their organization we'll talk about the fees that are that are needed to support because you do know most times membership isn't for free they're asking you to pay something brothers and sisters in control what I would normally do after we've had our conversation here's what I would do my wonderful questions that I will ask at the end of these conversation that they talk to me about the form and the function and how much money I'm gonna have to pay I say to them what am I getting out of this organization what can this organization do for me and I suspect that that's that's pregnant with preaching possibilities because there are some of you right now that are assessing your decision about following Jesus because you thought uh following Jesus was going to be roses and pillows but you've been meeting conflict and complication in your life and you come with the probing and provocative questions what blessing do I get Adam coming to Jesus there might be somebody there might be somebody that same preacher from this text what blessing do I get out of coming to Jesus Christ I'm so glad you submit there are two things two blessings that you get out of coming to Jesus I I submit your two blessings y'all want those two blessings today good I'm gonna give you those two blessings that you get out of Covenant Jesus first blessing that you get is that we are enabled to live a life of worship yeah we you and I are enabled to live a life of worship I love I love visiting churches love is in churches I love visiting churches I love looking at the various structures about the Church of the churches I love looking at their various orders of services every so often when I go to those churches I will look and I will ask myself what are some of the things that they are doing that I could possibly adopt and or adapt to the ministry of the People's Baptist Church in fact I look at some of the fancy slogans and mottos that they have in their in their worship but there was one there was one worship and I'm sure you when I say this statement you will probably recognize it you're probably familiar with it uh I was looking at a program of worship and the program had as their motto we enter to worship the part to serve y'all read that y'all heard that haven't y'all we enter to worship the part to serve initially I thought that was fine I I actually was I actually like the slogan actually liked the model and until I fought theologically about it brothers and sisters and then I discovered that they have they they have done a theological fallacy because they have relegated worship to a Sunday morning activity we do not enter to worship the part to serve we enter to worship and depart to worship [Music] worship that's what Peter is saying to us y'all that that's look at verse number five uh for brothers and sisters now let me clarify verse number four does not function on its own it's not an independent clause verse number five completes the thought of verse number four Peter says as you come to Christ and he then gives a description of Christ he says verse number five you and I are being built up as living Souls we are being weak God is engaged in a building project God is engaged in a building project and watch this you You're Building God is building you you are being built God is building you brothers and sisters isn't that wonderful that God is building the church now when you talk that word you is not a personal but it's plural which means he's talking about Collective Believers and yes I do believe that you and I are the church when we're scattered but I do believe more importantly that we are the church when we're gathered and when we come into these sacred walls this building is simply the building that houses the true church you and I are the Church of Jesus Christ because we have been filled with the Holy Ghost can I get a witness in here you and I are the church yeah of Jesus Christ God is building a people and People's Baptist Church you want to be thankful today and you ought to celebrate today that God is building you he's building a spiritual house he's building this spiritual house that word house means Dwelling Place and is used in this context as a Sacred Space that you and I are designated we are God's Property we are God's Property we are God's Property God God is using us watch this but not only are we a spiritual house where the spirit where the presence of God lives but we are also a priest We Are Spiritual priests that word Peter Morrow's language from Moses in Exodus chapter 19 verse number six where Peter where Paul where Moses rather says to the people of Israel that you will be a kingdom of priests Peter says he applies it to both Jew and Gentiles and says that all of us who come to Jesus Christ by faith are considered priests in other words we don't have to rely on a priest to go into the presence of God for us but because of the one-time sufficient sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ I have access into the presence of An Almighty loving God [Music] that's why that's why Paul says therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ verse two not who we have access into this grace we have access and if you don't care shout about nothing else you ought to shout about the fact that you go to God on your own you don't have to come you don't need me to get to God you don't need these preachers against God you don't need these Dickens against God yes they are instruments they are healthiest but brothers and sisters you can just call on God whenever you need you to say father I stretch my hands to leave no other help I know is thou will withdraw that accept from me whether shall I go we're called to he's building a spiritual house and we Are Spiritual preach we're a spiritual our spiritual priests for a purpose to offer spiritual sacrifices spiritual sacrifices that and this is not relegated to Sunday morning church I submit brothers and sisters that worship is not simply relegated to the music on Sunday morning it's not relegated to praise dancing I love it it's not it's not it's not limited it's not limited to testimony service I love it it's not real it's not relegated to giving I love it it's not relegated to preaching I love it those are simply outgrowths of a surrender life brothers and sisters brothers and sisters listen it's impossible to truly worship on Sunday if you haven't been worshiping through your life Monday through Saturday amen it's impossible and watch this he says not just and you worship God by the way you treat people you worship God by your integral living you worship God by your ability and capacity to rely on the grace of God all I'm trying to tell you brothers and sisters that your life ought to be an expression of worship I like that word acceptable I like that word the rain it's a beautiful word acceptable it means a sweet Aroma in the nostrils of God that's what that means it's a sweet Aroma in the nostrils of God and I got a problem Running Blind with the trucks today because the church today tries to impact the world with the gospel but brothers and sisters their life is not integral before God you can't make the world smell better if your life stinks before God [Applause] yeah when your life thinks in the nostrils of God then it's impossible to go out and transform this world Brothers and Sisters You Gotta Lift Jesus up by living as a Christian or let the world in you the Savior see then people who will gladly follow him who has taught I will draw all men unto me Hallelujah so one of the blessings of coming to Christ is number one we're enabled we are enabled to live a life of worship but the second blessed of coming to Christ is this that we are assured that trust in Christ is worth it we are sure yeah that trust in Christ is worth it brothers and sisters there are some decisions that I regret in my life I'm sure all of us have done some stuff said some things that we regret in our lives if we could change some stuff about what we have done we would wouldn't we I'm sure you would however that the best decision that I have made in my life has been has been to place my faith totally in the Lord Jesus Christ is so sweet the trust in Jesus just to take him at his word that's the rest upon this promise just to know the science the Lord trusting Jesus is the best thing that I've ever done and Peter he's talking to a church that's living in hostile environment and he no doubt they are assessing their decision is trusting Jesus really worth it all this hell that I'm going through is it really worth it and Peter grounds his theology in Isaiah chapter 28 verse 16 When God says I behold I lay in Zion a short Cornerstone and those who place their faith in him who's the him the him is Jesus Christ that listen you and I can confide in Jesus you can't tell everybody your secret you can't contrast in everybody you can't rely on everybody but Jesus is Worthy of our trust Hallelujah is that beautiful brothers and sisters I said Jesus is Worthy of our trust and he says those yeah those who place their faith in Jesus I like this they won't be put to shame they won't be embarrassed they won't be disappointed in August of last year me and Minister Langston went to Vegas yes we went to Vegas I'd always heard Reverend Roberts about Vegas I heard that it was the Disneyland for adults yeah I've always heard about Vegas oh oh I've heard it was so much fun and so he said bro let's take the trip to Vegas I said sure now I'm not going to tell you my reaction when we got on the plane and when the plane jumped up I jumped up because I thought the train was going down needless to say let's talk about going into Vegas I was in Vegas y'all it was in Vegas and that's all the lights and the sound it was Lively it was riveting High enjoyed every moment I enjoyed walking through the casino not staying in the decision I I enjoyed walking through the casino watching Everybody play and win money I knew I can't pump up my money and no slot machine because I can't win no money so no I didn't say in the I didn't go to the casino no I enjoyed the Pepsi products that I dropped most foreign I enjoyed I enjoy brothers and sisters I enjoyed Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen I enjoy the food I enjoy the food I kept eating I don't know how many times kept eating we ate breakfast we ate lunch we ate dinner and we ate snacks in between I kept on eating no Fried Chicken at the end on the last night of our trip Minister Langston and I gathered in the common area of our hotel room and he looked with a note of concern and curiosity at me and said bro seriously he was serious bro how did you enjoy your trip he he went to Great Lengths to ensure I was busy all of those four days that's why we have to take the last day and sleep because we were busy all of those day bro how did you enjoy the trip I said bro I looked at him and with these simple words I said bro Vegas owes me nothing and I submit brothers and sisters since I trusted in Jesus Jesus owes me nothing because Jesus Paid It paid it all all to him I all sin has left a crimson saying but he watched in white offense so since I'm trusted in Jesus he gave me a hope he justified me he is Sanctified me he's made me in there I've been an adopted and the Beloved I'm filled for the day of redemption he provides for me he forgave me he's giving me everything he meets my needs he my body everything I need is in Jesus Jesus owes me nothing he does not disappointed [Applause] [Music] Jesus I do not regret trusting in Jesus because of the person I'm trusting it he is he is the best thing that has ever happened to me yeah the wrong gets rough yesterday Hills are hard to climb but one of the things I've discovered I started out a long time ago and there is no doubt in my mind I've decided to make Jesus my choice but before I leave this text Peter gives us a downside to this because while you and I shout over that while you and I celebrate that everybody don't like that truth Peter Peter Peter says that there are those who stumble over Jesus they fight against Jesus they consider Jesus repulsive and repugnant they say Jesus as therefore it is manifested in their Disobedience to the word of God and this proclivity of theirs was predestined by God yeah some folk brothers and sisters I don't care how much you tell them how good Jesus is there are some folks that just will not believe you can I get a witness in here I said can I get a witness in here there are some folk that no matter how much you tell them about what God has done in your life they just will not believe you but I I hope today