Main Page

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20

JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

FIRST, man kinds need of salvation arises from the fact of his lostness and separation from God. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This awful lostness is illustrated in the greater context of our text verse in John ch. 3. Verse one places before us a man named Nicodemus . Three things are noted about him. One, he was very religious for he was a Pharisee which means he was associated with a particular religious party of the Jews. Two, he was a ruler and this places him in a leadership position among the Jewish people. Three sets before us the obvious fact that he was a Jew, a man among the chosen Hebrew nation. Although he enjoyed all these advantages Jesus told him that he could neither see (perceive) vs. 3 or enter God's kingdom vs. 5 apart from a spiritual birth. In short, this man was lost in sin.

SECOND, the source of salvation is God himself and God's salvation arises out of his great love for the world (man kind). We read in Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God is holy and cannot have a relationship with a lost sinner. But he loves us so much that he made a way for us to have a relationship with him.

THIRD, God made provisions for our salvation. Notice our text verse again. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. What this means is that God gave up Jesus Christ to die as a sacrifice on the cross in our place to pay our sin debt for us. Notice again Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Another great verse sheds light on this fact. Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.

FOURTH, A lost sinner can avail himself of God's salvation by placing his personal faith in Jesus Christ's sacrifice for his sins. Notice again our text verse that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Another great verse sheds additional light on this process.. Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith in Jesus Christ. Faith and repentance go together. As a lost sinner comes to understand his lost condition in sin as an offense against God it causes him to want to turn from sin (repent which means to turn around from his sin and turn to God) and believe (have faith) that Jesus paid his sin debt for him. This causes the lost sinner to come to God and ask God to forgive him of his sin and save him. A great passage of Scripture addresses this. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

FIFTH, When a lost sinner turns to God in repentance and faith in God's provision for his salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus and calls to God, God blesses the poor lost sinner by giving him a Spiritual birth and in doing so gives the person Spiritual life. This is what it means to be born again or to put it another way to be born anew from above by God the Holy Spirit. That Spiritual life is everlasting because it comes from the ever living God. Notice again our text verse. Whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. To receive Spiritual life is to receive God into one's life. This is the meaning of I John 5:10-13 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

SIXTH, This great salvation is available to everyone. Notice again our text verse. “that whosoever believeth in him”

SEVENTH, Any lost person who reads this sermon is invited and encouraged, even urged to accept the truth from God's word that Jesus Christ paid your sin debt on that old cross some 2,000 years ago and ask God to forgive you of your sins through Jesus and save you. Ask him, even right now!

Ezekiel 36:16-38, 37:1-14

Ezekiel 37:1-2 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and behold there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry.

Today is September 25, 2009. I have been studying for several days in making preparations to write messages concerning the nation of Israel. On today's Fox Net News it says “New world order at G-20 summit.” Yes things are changing at a rapid pace! During this UN summit, on September 23, 2009, President Obama spoke and during his speech he made prominent mention of the nation of Israel and the middle east peace process. Israel is in the news daily. There is little wonder about that. This world system is against God, therefore, this world system is against Israel as a nation and Christians as a people because both belong to God. Hear the words of Jesus Christ our Lord. John 15:18-20 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your's also. But God is for his people and God will win and his people will be blessed to share God's victory and live with him forever. Our text is dated 587 BC, having been written some 2,596 years ago. How wonderfully reassuring it is to sit here just at this moment and know that the words spoken at that time have now at this time been fulfilled. Let us rejoice together as we visit over this passage of Scripture.

FIRST Israel is God's nation: Gen. 12:1-4 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…. The nation of Israel originated in the mind of almighty God. Her purpose as a nation is stated at her very origin as stated in our above text. “and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Through her Jesus came into the world. Matt. 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Through Jesus salvation is given to all who believe. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. From Genesis 12 through the rest of the Old Testament, the history of the ups and downs of Abraham's offspring is followed. Through all of Israel's history, the hand of God is with them and his hand is still with them today.

SECOND The sins of Israel led to their captivity: Ezekiel 36:16-18 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: Israel was to be a holy people living their lives in obedience unto their God. God placed them in the land of Egypt and over a period of 400 years nurtured them until they became a great multitude of people. After he brought them out of Egypt, he gave them his law to live by. Exodus through Deuteronomy contain these laws. In giving instruction to them through Moses God warned them of ultimate dispersion among other nations if they persisted in sin. Deuteronomy 28:63-66 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to posses it. And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee,; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life.

THIRD Israel was buried among other nations just as God stated in Deuteronomy 28 above: God dispersed them because of their continued sins. Ezekiel 36:19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. But there is a remarkable thing about Israel. They always maintained their identity, even through hundreds of years while among many nations.

FOURTH The vision of the buried nation of Israel: EZEKIEL 37:1-2 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo they were very dry. First, Notice “they were very dry” indicating that they had been there a very long time. In fact, it had been hundreds of years. Second, “The valley was full of them” “there were very many in the open valley” Though oppressed and suppressed the buried nation proliferated and survived. Third, Notice in Ezekiel 37:11 behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. They considered themselves beyond help and they had lost hope. Simply stated, they had lost faith in their ancient God, they had forgotten his promises of his own faithfulness to them. But God's faithfulness rests in his own word, he would not fail them.

FIFTH The restoration of Israel back into their ancient land: God had great plans for Israel, plans that began to be executed through Abraham and have spanned the ages since Abraham, plans that continue in place even now and reach into the eternal future ages. The plans of God will not be successfully hindered. Ezekiel 37:4-6 and 11-14 Again he said unto me, Prophsey upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. ——Then he said unto me, these bones are the whole house of Israel : behold they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. Notice carefully that the restoration of Israel is by the direct action of God. The emphasis in these passages of Scripture is placed upon Divine intervention. Notice another thing, God also places great stress upon calling Israel his people. So it was that God placed a longing in the hearts of many Jews for a return to their ancient land. Out of this longing the Zionist movement was born, nurtured, planned, and eventually brought to full fruition. On May 14, 1948, the nation of Israel was again established in their ancient land. Their neighboring nations were poised on their borders and immediately tried to stomp out the little new born fledgling nation, but they failed because God was on Israel's side. Several battles against Israel have since ensued but there they remain until now.

FOUR PRINCIPLES FROM THESE PASSAGES OF SCRITPURE: One, The word of God is true. God said and he did it. Two, The will of God is certain. God's word is an expression of his will. Three, The hand of God is powerful. What he promises, he has the power to execute. Four, The way of God is wise. He does things in his own way and in his own time. AN ALARM IS NOW IN PLACE We know our time is short to accomplish the Kingdom work. Careful Bible students understand that the return of Israel to their ancient land is a sure indication that the return of Jesus Christ our Lord is very near, even at the door. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Are you ready for his return? If not, turn to him right now and ask him to save you.

Email D. Lavell Lee

• For State missionaries and MISSIONS GENERAL FUND.

• For the Revolving Loan Fund.

• For pastors and churches.

• For our nation, president, troops, and Israel.

• For those who are out in the forefront fighting for our Christian liberty.

• For BMA of America missions around the world.

• For BMA of Mississippi missionaries and their families.

• For the BMA of missionary work in Phnom Penh Cambodia.

• For the BMA Asia-Pacific Missionary work.

• Pray for our first BMAA Cambodian scholar who will begin study at the Baptist Bible College in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in October 2009.

• Pray for our first Cambodian national to be ordained as Pastor in the Philippines with Bro. Doyle Moore.

• We request your prayers concerning MISSIONS in general.

• Mrs. Howard Rogers, Cancer.

• Mrs. Matt Hudson, Cancer.

If you have any additional prayer requests you would like to add to the prayer list please do one of the following:

• Send us a message using the message box below and I will add any prayer requests to the list.
• Send an email to me and I will add your request to the list.