THE WORDS OF OUR SALVATION (PART 1): PASTOR MENSA OTABIL – SUNDAY 31ST JANUARY, 2021
SUNDAY SERVICE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)
TOPIC: THE WORDS OF OUR SALVATION – PART 1.
DATE: 31ST JANUARY, 2021
TEXT (S): MATTHEW 18:11, JOHN 10:9, ROMANS 1:16
AMEN! Let’s rise up together as we make our DECLARATION OF FRUITFULNESS:
Are you ready? Say with me:
The Eternal God is our refuge. He opens rivers in desolate Heights.The Lord makes the wilderness a Pool of water.
The LORD God is my Sun and Shield; The LORD gives Grace and Glory.
Therefore, I delight myself in Him. Those who are Planted in the House of the LORD
shall be fresh and flourishing.
Though the Earth be shaken; the Name of the Lord is my Strong Tower. By Faith I affirm that: In Christ alone is my Salvation. In Him I live, And move And have my Being.
It is written: The Righteous are like trees Planted by the waters; bearing fruits in its Season.
So I boldly declare: As for me, my God has made me EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL.
In this Season, my Spirit bears Fruits of Righteousness, my Talents make way for me. With my hands, I will Plant, I will Build, I will Harvest – Day by day, Step by step.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
Today, I am starting a SERIES that will be a bit Unusual because I I will Preach those Series ONCE a Month
And so, every Communion Sunday, I will do subsequent of this Series.
So this is the PART 1 is this Series.
I have Titled it “THE WORDS OF OUR SALVATION.”
And I will be Preaching it throughout the Year – On Communion Sundays.
So we Probably would do Parts 1 to 11, or Parts 1 to 12 – I’m not sure whether I will do it in December, or do something else (The last Sunday of December)!
But definitely, we are going to do it throughout the Year – “THE WORDS OF OUR SALVATION”.
Many words are used to describe our Salvation. And each word refers to the same Experience; but the words are different!
Words like: Born Again, New Birth, Redemption, Saved, Sanctified, Justified, New Creation, Elect, Chosen, Saints.
… All of these words are used differently, but they refer to one and the same Experience!
And what I am going to do this Year, is take these words and explain what they mean to us as Christians; so that we will be Strong in our Salvation.
Because there are many Christians who know Christ as LORD; but who are not FIRM, in the Foundation of their Faith.
So, I’m going to use the Communion Sundays to address this Important Subject of the: THE WORDS OF OUR SALVATION.
I will begin today with three (3) Scripture Readings – Matthew 18:11, John 10:9 and Romans 1:16.
And I will read them very quickly; so you just have to note of the Verses and I will read them:
Matthew 18:11, Jesus says: “For the Son of Man has come to SAVE that which was LOST.”
John 10:9, Jesus says: “I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be SAVED, and will go in and out and find Pasture.”
Then Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to SALVATION for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
So in these three (3) Passages, we read the word ‘SAVED’ twice; and the word ‘SALVATION’ once (in Romans). But they are all from the same Root word.
And since my Series is going to be about “THE WORDS OF OUR SALVATION”; I will just take a little time to explain what Salvation is?
The Geek word for Salvation is ‘Soteria’.
And it is a word that we find used many times either in the “Verb form” or the “Noun form”, throughout the New Testament.
But the word was first introduced in the Old Testament; and it was used to refer to ALL kinds of Deliverance.
And in the New Testament, it is used to describe our Deliverance from sin.
SO WHAT DOES SALVATION MEAN?
Basically, it means ‘GOD’S DELIVERANCE.’
So, when a Person says: ‘i am SAVED’ or ‘I have Salvation’ – it means that God has DELIVERED me!
But God can deliver us from many Things – He can deliver us from shame, He can deliver us from disgrace, He can deliver us from traps that have been set for us; He can deliver us from our enemies.
But, when we talk about SALVATION (in this sense), we are not just talking about Physical Salvation.
There are three (3) Things that we mean that God has Delivered us from:
- First, is that – God has Delivered us from SATAN’S CONTROL.
When a Person says: ‘I am SAVED, or I have SALVATION’, it means that they have been Delivered from Satan’s Control.
The Power of Satan to rule over their lives and their desires is broken.
A Person who has SALVATION is NOT under Satan’s Control.
A Person who is SAVED is NOT under Satan’s Control.
- Secondly, it means: DELIVERANCE from our SINFUL NATURE.
And this Sinful Nature is not just the sins you commit each day, or once in a while.
… I hope you don’t do it everyday!
I am not talking about the frequent sins; but the NATURE OF SIN that was brought to all of us, through the SIN of Adam and Eve.
Sometimes, that Nature of sin is called “the ADAMIC Nature”. It is also called ‘The OLD MAN’ in the New Testament.
But God delivers us from the Sinful Nature.
That is what Salvation is: DELIVERANCE from Satan’s Control, Deliverance from the Sinful Nature.
What Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden has no Power over the Person that is SAVED.
- Thirdly, it is Deliverance from ETERNAL DAMNATION.
That means you are not going to go to Hell, or suffer Second death.
So when a Person says: ‘I and SAVED, or I have SALVATION in Christ’ – this is what it means:
It means God has Delivered me from Satan’s Control, God has Delivered me from my Sinful Nature, and God has Delivered me from Eternal Damnation.
So you cannot be SAVED, and be afraid of going to Hell. Because you are Delivered from Eternal Damnation; from the Sinful Nature and from Satan’s Control.
… So that is what SALVATION is, in a jiffy.
Today, we will focus on the first (1st) of our WORDS OF SALVATION.
And the very Popular one that most People use – The Phrase “BORN AGAIN.”
Why do we use this Phrase – ‘BORN AGAIN’ to describe our SALVATION?
… And that is what we will Explore TODAY.
It is a term that was first used by Jesus Christ Himself, in the New Testament.
He used the term to show Nicodemus how to enter the Kingdom of God.
And Jesus first used it in John 3:3:
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, UNLESS one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
‘UNLESS’ – That means there is no way you can SEE the Kingdom of God, except you are BORN AGAIN.
Remember: ‘BORN AGAIN’ is another Phrase that means SALVATION.
So SALVATION and BORN AGAIN, are not two (2) different things; they are the same thing.
But the Phrase ‘BORN AGAIN is used to describe SALVATION; and help us to see it in the light that Jesus is Presenting it to us.
So, BORN AGAIN! – In the Greek, the word ‘BORN’ is ‘Genahu’.
Genahu simply means, to be BORN.
And then the word that is translated ‘AGAIN’ is ‘Anoten’.
Anoten means AGAIN or from ABOVE.
That word is an interesting word, because it means two (2) things – It means ‘AGAIN’ or ‘ABOVE’ or ‘HIGH’.
And that is why when you read the New Testament, sometimes, you find some Translations would say:
“Except a man be born from ABOVE, or born from on HIGH; and other time it says BORN AGAIN.”
Because ‘Anoten’ means Again; and it means from on HIGH or from ABOVE.
So, when we say a Person is “Born Again”, it means that they have been BORN AGAIN.
Sometimes, we call it ‘The NEW BIRTH’; Other times we call it ‘REBIRTH’; Other times it is called ‘SECOND BIRTH’.
So, whether it is Second Birth, Rebirrth, New Birth; it is all BORN AGAIN. And it all means SALVATION. – Alright?
So, somebody cannot ask you: “Are you BORN AGAIN or SAVED?” Or, you are SAVED, but you are not BORN AGAIN. Or ‘I’m Born Again, but I am not SAVED.’
If you are SAVED, you are BORN AGAIN; if you are Born Again you are SAVED. If you are saved, you have Salvation!
And if you have SALVATION, it means that you are Delivered from Satan’s Control, from your Sinful Nature and from Eternal Damnation.
SO WHAT IS IT TO BE BORN AGAIN?
We know what it is in the Greek; but WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
- To be Born Again is a SPIRITUAL BIRTH.
Remember, Nicodemus asked Jesus: “Do I have to go back to my mother’s womb to be born a second time?”
And Jesus was surprised that a brilliant man would ask such an unbrilliant question.
… It is a SPIRITUAL BIRTH.
We are born into this world by Natural Birth! Each one of us was born Naturally, by our mother. And that Birth made us Part of the life on this Earth.
But this Birth is SPIRITUAL!
John said: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
It’s a Spiritual Birth – It doesn’t take Place Physically; it takes Place Spiritually.
First, to be Born Again is a Spiritual Birth!
- Secondly, it is a HEAVENLY BIRTH.
Our Natural Birth took Place on Earth; but this Birth takes Place in Heaven.
Though a Person who is Born Again lives on Earth; they are BORN FROM HEAVEN.
… That is why they are Citizens of Heaven.
The Birth your mother gave to you made you a Citizen of the Earth. But this Birth makes you a Citizen of Heaven.
It is the HEAVENLY BIRTH.
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In other words, a Person who is Born of the Spirit, you can’t tell where they come from on Earth!
Because that birth is not from the flesh, it comes from the Spirit; it comes from Heaven, it is the Heavenly Birth.
If a Person is Born Again, they belong to the Earth (and they may be Africans); but, they have been Born Again from Heaven.
It is called the Kingdom of God; and it is sometimes called Heaven.
- It is a NEW LIFE given by GOD.
And this is very important!
Because many times People say: “But all Human Being are God’s children.”
… We are all God’s children!
In fact, there are all sorts of Music that talks about – “We are all God’s children.” We are all from God – created by God. We are all God’s children.
CREATED BY GOD is not the same as CHILD OF GOD.
All of us are created by God – We were all created by the same God: Whether you a Black man, you are a White man, you are a China man you are an Indian, whereever you come from!
Whether you are a Male or a Female, you are tall or short; whether you are deformed or not deformed; whether you have any Sickness or no Sickness.
No matter who you are; every Human Being was CREATED BY GOD.
… But not every Human Being is BORN OF GOD.
I will explain it very easy; and I try to use Analogy to try and explain things.
Two (2) of the Greatest Artists who ever lived in my estimation (and I think it’s correct) would be: Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
… These were the Greatest Artists!
And then there are others. But these two (2) Stand Out!
Now, every Paintings or Sculpture Pieces, made by Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci is Precious!
Every Paintings, there is no one they had done, that is not Precious!
Every WORK that these two (2) People have done, is HIGH VALUE.
And almost all of them are PROTECTED, SECURED and most of them cannot even be sold. Their Value is so HIGH, you can’t BUY THEM.
… And they are showcased in the Museums.
If today, somebody discovered a work of Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo, anywhere in the world – By the way, these Guys died over Five Hundred (500) Years AGO!
But if you discovered any work of theirs today, immediately, that work becomes Priceless.
Why? Because of who CREATED it – Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci CREATED IT.
Because of the CREATOR, the Creation is PRECIOUS.
Because of who the Person are: Who Michelangelo is or Leonardo da Vinci is; whatever they Produce, is PRECIOUS.
But none of the Paintings have the life of Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci.
So, if Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo had a child;
… And by the way, none of them had a CHILD.
But is they had a child – Produced by them. The child Produced by them would not be seen as the Painting Produced by them!
Although both are Produced by him: One is a WORK he has Produced, the other has his Life in him, and that has been BORN BY HIM
Both Produced by Him, but the VALUES are not the same!
… Are you following what I’m saying?
Now, that is how it is: God Created ALL HUMAN BEINGS; and because of Who God is, everything He Created is VALUABLE.
Whether it’s a Dog, it’s a Mouse, it’s an Antelope, a River, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars and Mountains;
You can’t abuse the CREATION OF GOD; because God made it! – Especially those He made in His Own IMAGE.
But the fact that we are made in His IMAGE, does not mean He has given BIRTH TO US. His Blood, His Life, is NOT in us!
So, in this world, there are People CREATED by God – ALL Human Beings are PRECIOUS because God created them!
But there are SPECIAL PEOPLE on this Earth; who, apart from being CREATED by God, have been BORN BY GOD.
And those People are the ones the Bible says – Have been BORN AGAIN:
Not by their mother, but by their Father Who is in Heaven, has given BIRTH TO THEM AGAIN.
And those People have a VALUE that the other Creation DO NOT HAVE
… Because the Life of the FATHER is in them!
So, when we say a Person is Born Again, it goes beyond being CREATED BY GOD; it means God Himself has given BIRTH to that Person.
John 1:12-13 says: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the RIGHT to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name: who were BORN, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the Will of man, but of GOD.”
“… BORN, not of blood, nor of the Will of the flesh, nor of the Will of man, but of GOD.”
When we say a Person is BORN AGAIN; their mother didn’t give birth to them again; their father didn’t give birth to them again. And they didn’t give birth to themselves again.
The ONLY ONE Who gives the SECOND BIRTH is the One Who CREATED ALL THINGS – Jehovah God Almighty.
He GIVES BIRTH to People, and they become CHILDREN OF GOD.
Those who are BORN AGAIN therefore, have been BORN OF GOD.
So when we say a Person is BORN AGAIN:
- It means they have experience a SPIRITUAL BIRTH.
- It means they have experience a HEAVENLY BIRTH.
- It means that God has given THEM His Life – A NEW LIFE!
Being Born Again therefore, is not an “Ordinary Thing” – It is a “Heavy Duty Thing”
That of all the things God has CREATED, there are People that He INDWELLS; He lives within them!
… So how do we get it?
HOW DO WE GET THE SALVATION OF BEING BORN AGAIN?
Because if it is so Good, everybody would say “I WANT TO GET IT!”
How do we get it? How is it made available to us?
- First, remember: IT IS A GIFT (Christ PAID for it).
A GIFT is something that is given to you out of the Goodwill of the Giver.
HOW DO I GET IT? – It is a GIFT! It has been Paid for.
Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
… Being Born Again is a GIFT.
You say Wow! This great experience is a GIFT? – YES, IT IS!
… ALL GIFTS have a Price Tag.
Normally, when you give Gifts to People, you have to remove the Price Tag. (I hope you do that)?
But once in a while, somebody gives you a Gift, and then you see the Piece Tag – Because ALL GIFTS have a Price Tag!
ALL GIFTS COST SOMETHING: But the cost of the Gift is not PASSED on to the Receiver of the Gift.
If somebody says: “This is a Gift for you, it’s one thousand Cedes. Give me the one thousand back!”
That’s not a Gift (Laughter) – It is a Trade!
But a Gift means, it has a Price but somebody has PAID the Price and giving you the Gift, without you PAYING for the Gift.
That is what we mean that the Salvation of being Born Again is a GIFT: IT HAS A PRICE! But we didn’t Pay the Price.
And if you want to Pay the Price, then it is no longer a GIFT. And if you get it, then it is not SALVATION.
- Secondly, IT IS BY GRACE – You can’t EARN IT!
This is what separates Christianity from all other Faith.
Every other Faith, Religion, tells you: You must do A, B, C, D and give you a long list of things you must do (and continue doing) to attain Salvation or whatever it is that you have to attain to.
In Christianity, you don’t EARN IT; it is by GRACE – It is not a reward for something you have done!
Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by Grace you have been saved through Faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
We don’t go to Heaven because we are Good People; we don’t become Children of God because we have done Good Things.
Good work makes us Good Human Beings; but becoming a Child of God is GIFT that God gives to us.
So it is Possible to be a “GOOD” Human Being, but not a Child of God.
A ‘GOOD’ Human be Beinging, DECENT – but not a Child of God.
Nothing we do is enough to merit our SALVATION.
NOTHING!
There is nothing you can do – The Price is so HIGH, that there is nothing we can do to get it.
So, the only way that we can get it is for God to give it to us as a GIFT; Because the Price is so HIGH.
It’s so HIGH, so EXPENSIVE, you can’t PAY for it!
So, the only way you can get it, is for you to RECEIVE it as a GIFT.
Our Salvation is so EXPENSIVE, that it can only be given as a GIFT.
… So, how do we get it?
- SALVATION IS IN CHRIST.
It’s in Christ!
We don’t find Salvation or Become Born Again by following down a Set of RULES and REGULATIONS. It is not a CHURCH CREED.
It is in a MAN – and His Name is JESUS. He is our SALVATION.
SO HOW DO WE GET IT IN CHRIST?
I will run through them quickly:
- First, Believe in what He did for you.
That Jesus Christ DIED in your Place.
In His DEATH, He suffered the Punishment for our sins.
In His RESURRECTION, He defeated Satan and broke His Power over us.
Christ has made it Possible for all of us to have NEW LIFE.
And we must Believe that! We must believe He has done it.
- Ask Him to Save you.
Although being Born Again is available to all, and it’s free; we ask for it.
It’s like when you go to a Shop and they say: “Buy two (2), get one (2) free!” The two (2) you buy, you Pay; the one (1) you get Free, is Free!
Usually, you have to ask for the one (1) which is Free – You are not PAYING for it, but you ask for it!
Salvation is Free, but you must ASK GOD. You must go to God and say: “Father, I want my free Gift.” You ask for it!
We must ask for it ourselves! People cannot ask for it for you; I can’t ask for it for you, your Parents can’t ask for it for you, your children cannot ask for it for you.
… You must ask for it, yourself because, it is your Gift.
And when we ask, we must accept CHRIST as our ONLY Lord and Saviour.
So, you don’t say – Jesus is my Lord, but this one too is my Lord!
Once you believe in Jesus as your Lord, then no other Person offers you Salvation.
So, you can’t believe in Christ and believe in something else at the same time!
ONLY Jesus can save! Once you accept Him, you accept Him ONLY, as your Lord. And after you have accepted Him, you live the rest of your life for Him.
In a nutshell, this is what being BORN AGAIN is all about! If you want to explain it to somebody, follow this Teaching and Explain it.
Don’t tell somebody: You have to go to Church everyday; you have to stop drinking, you have to stop smoking, you have to stop chasing the women.
These are all things that People must do!
But that would not earn them Salvation.
You can stop doing all the bad things, you will just be a ‘GOOD Man’ or a ‘GOOD Woman.’ But not a Born Again Person.
… Because being Born Again is a GIFT.
Point People to the GIFT and the GIVER of the Gift, not the works they must do because by the works, no one can be SAVED. It is a FREE GIFT!
… That is the Message of Christianity.
ALTAR CALL
So today, if you want to receive this GIFT, whereever you are reading this Message now on the Label of DMC; I just want to lead you in a very Short Prayer for you to ask for your GIFT.
So everybody, just bow down your head!
And if you want to Pray for Christ to come into your heart to receive Salvation; I’m just going to lead you in these words.
But let them be your own words as you ask Jesus to be your LORD.
Say with me: HEAVENLY FATHER, I COME TO YOU TODAY, JUST AS I AM. I AM A SINNER, I CANNOT SAVE MYSELF.
SO I ASK YOU FATHER, FOR THE GIFT OF SALVATION, BY GRACE: CHRIST HAS DIED FOR ME, HE HAS PAID THE PRICE FOR.ME.
AND TODAY, I RECEIVE DELIVERANCE FROM THE POWER OF SATAN. I RECEIVE DELIVERANCE FROM MY SINFUL NATURE. I RECEIVE TODAY, DELIVERANCE FROM ETERNAL DAMNATION.
AND I ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS MY ONLY LORD AND MY SAVIOUR. AND FROM TODAY, I LIVE ALL MY LIFE TO PLEASE JESUS – AND HIM ALONE.
I THANK YOU FATHER , FOR ACCEPTING ME.
IN JESUS’ NAME – AMEN AND AMEN!
GOD BLESS YOU!
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