1Ti 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
I want to shorten my message from yesterday and it put it into blog form. It was entitled, “The Pattern of Salvation.” Paul was an example to us, as were many others in the Bible. You could say they were a pattern for us to follow, but the pattern wasn’t created and established by Paul, rather Paul believed the common salvation for his own life and preached it unto others.
Lets look to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, for a minute. Jesus came for a cause, he came for a reason. All of the prophecies concerning him in the Old Testament had to be fulfilled. In John 18, we find Jesus standing before Pilate and he tells Pilate for what cause he came.verse 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
He came to “bear witness unto the truth.” For a reason. Not just so…
- That 2000 years later we could have a nice story to tell.
- Not just so we would have a day to celebrate life and family.
- Not just so we could hide eggs and give children sweets.
- Not just so the stores would have another holiday to sell for.
- Not just so we would have a day to go to church on.
But he came, TO SAVE US!
He came and died, and was buried, and resurrected. And if not for the resurrection, Paul wrote later, that our faith would be in vain if the dead rise not. He was giving us his gospel, he was bearing witness to truth, he was setting a pattern for us to follow. Everything Jesus said and did was for a reason. He did everything he did in his love toward us, showing us his great grace! He allowed this to be for whosoever will. He came on the scene saying “repent, and believe the gospel.” He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to give life (John 10:10). He had so much purpose!
Lets look at the pattern of Salvation that Jesus set, and then how Paul obeyed it! First lets remember that Jesus came in the flesh (God in Christ) so that he could have a lamb to shed blood, because the shedding of blood was needful for remission of sins. (Heb. 9:22, Matt. 26:28, Eph 1:7). Once again there was a reason, as in everything Jesus did. Now neither of those scriptures tell us how to apply that blood, nor how to get remission, WE will see how later. Lets look at the gospel…
1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
That is the gospel, now the question is how do we obey the gospel? Jesus gave us this pattern to follow, and helped us by explaining it during his earthly ministry. He told us a “expect a man be born again”, and he told us “of water and of the Spirit.” He explained his fulfilling of the old testament to his disciples in Luke 24 and then later opened their understanding so that they could understand the scriptures. Luke 24:
Verse 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Once again for a cause he suffered, and rose. So that now repentance and remission of sins could be preached in his name!
And on the day of Pentecost this very message was preached. We find Peter deliver them the way to obey the gospel. Repent-our death, our turning from sin. Be Baptized in Jesus name-our burial, remission of our sins (blood). And receive the Holy Ghost (God’s promise, what he must give us if our heart is right). This is the way to obey the gospel, the pattern Jesus set! (see Acts 2:38, obey it!)
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Born again)
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
So Paul said he was an example, a pattern to follow. So how did God take him from being a persecutor of the church to what he became (a great missionary/evangelist of this gospel)? By him following the pattern, the common salvation. Which we all must follow.
First of all he had to get the revelation of one God, of what he later wrote Go manifested in the flesh!
Act 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
If we never believe, “I am he” we will die in our sins. First must get that understanding.
Then the Lord sent Paul to a preacher.
Act 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
And that preacher, Ananias, gave the pattern to Saul.
Act 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Act 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
And we find this to be the pattern Paul preached in the 19th chapter of Acts.
Act 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
Act 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Act 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
Act 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
Act 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Act 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Act 19:7 And all the men were about twelve.
Act 19:8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
So Jesus came and bore witness to the truth, and accomplished his mission. He shed his blood for our remission, and he sent back his Spirit to reside in those that will obey him. So Jesus established the pattern, Paul followed it and preached it as did the other apostles. So why would the pattern change for us, why would the message change for us? It hasn’t, this is the common salvation.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Follow the pattern, believe the truth!
Heb 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
Heb 2:2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him
There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. It has been confirmed by his word. Follow the pattern of God’s word! The examples he gave us!
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation
-Bro. C
Nice! Thanks, this is great! I'm thinking of making my own pattern for sharing "salvation" that Jesus has offered, but I found this, thanks a lot again, I'll be using this as my guide :)
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