Jesus Is The Only God Who Can Save

Trevor S Ferguson

December 14, 2013

INTRODUCTION

Today we reflect on the word of God from book of the prophet Isaiah, as I share with you on the topic: Jesus Is The Only God Who Can Save.  I declare unto you that Jesus Christ is Lord and God. He is the only God and the only One that can save us from our sins. Despite the fact that there are many things and persons that are worshipped as gods, Jesus Christ is the only true God and the only One that has the ability to save.

The setting is from the book of Isaiah, chapters 43-45, and speaks to the time period when Israel was in Babylonian captivity. Isaiah had previously prophesied concerning Israel going into captivity because of the multitude of their sins. During this time Israel was in a desperate and depressed state. This is probably best exemplified by the expressions in Psalm 137:

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.”  In such a desperate state, Israel was in need of a Saviour, a God who could deliver them from Babylonian captivity and bring them once again into their own land.  Beyond that however, they needed salvation for their souls. They needed a restoration to a right relationship with God and a deliverance from the effects of sin, which was in fact the reason for their captivity. In these chapters, Isaiah takes much time in explaining to Israel who is the only true God and the One to whom they can look for salvation. 

Today I apply these prophecies not only to Israel, but to all peoples, as I declare that Jesus Christ is the only true God and that He is the Only One that can save!

EXPOSITION

Let us take a look at the text: Firstly we look at Isaiah 43:10-11:

¹⁰Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. ¹¹I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

God, through Isaiah, here challenges Israel to recognize who they were and then to understand who He is.

“You are my witnesses” – Here God was saying to Israel, You are the one who have seen all my glory and my power. You are the ones who experienced the mighty parting of the Red Sea. You are the Ones who saw all the miracles in the wilderness; you are the ones who experienced mighty deliverance from armies that were much superior to you. You are the ones who have seen and heard the prophets. You Israel, above all nations, should know that I am God!

He further emphasized that He, God, is the first and the last. Before Him there was no God formed and after Him there will not be another.In verse 11 he reminds them – “I even I am the LORD” – I am Jehovah, the Self-existing One, the Creator; the One who was and is and is to come! He then lets them know that beside Him there is no saviour. If they are in need of salvation then He is the only One they can look to. 

This absolute supremacy and singleness of deity is repeatedly emphasized in these passages throughout Isaiah chapters 43 to 45. Let us look at some of these passages:

Isaiah 44:6 (NKJV) - "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

Isaiah 44:8 (NKJV) - “… You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one."

Isaiah 45:5 (NKJV) – “I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me …”

Isaiah 45:6 (NKJV) – “That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other;”

Isaiah 45:18 (NKJV) – “For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is no other.”

Isaiah 45:21-22 (NKJV) - "Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."

These passages strongly emphasize that Israel’s God, Jehovah, is the only true God. All the other gods that the nations worshipped were false gods, who were incompetent and could not save.

Isaiah also spoke of the folly of idolatry. How men cut down trees, use a part of it for fire wood or for other purposes then uses another part to carve out an image and then bow down to it. It should have been obvious to the least among them that such gods of wood or stone are powerless! Despite this however, Israel fell into the trap of idolatry and served gods which could not save. They should not have been surprised to find themselves in captivity because they put their trust in gods which could not save.

Men and women today are falling into the same trap! People all over the world are serving gods that cannot save! Some have put their trust in other men, believing that Buddha can save, or Confucius can save, or that Selassie can save. Some today behave as if some politician or president or Prime Minister can save! Some have put their trust in money; some in guns or military might! But alas, these cannot save!

I declare to you today that none these persons or things have the power to save. Only Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah God of the Old Testament, who was manifested in the flesh, and revealed to us, has the power to save. As the psalmist declared – “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright!”

Israel learnt the hard way. They forsook the One True God and put their trust in idols and ended up in captivity. Even then they still did not learn. When Jesus came they rejected Him as Messiah and chose instead to crucify Him. They the lost their prime position in God’s plan as God engrafted in the Gentiles. We as Gentiles do need to learn a lesson from Israel. As Paul writes to the Romans (11:21) – “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee”.  

God is challenging all the people today to recognize that He is the only Saviour. He says to us in verse 22 of Isaiah 45: “Look unto me and be ye saved, … for I am God and there is none else!”

He then follows it up with a warning in verse 23 “…unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear”. (Note that the same thought is echoed in Philippians 2:10-11 – “Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess …”). The question then is, do we wait unto we are forced to obey God or do we do so willingly now? Willing obedience to God comes with peace now and the hope of eternal life, whereas failure to obey will be characterized by the inevitable frustrations and disappointments of this life and eventually separation from God and eternal damnation.

Let me again point out that salvation today comes only through Jesus Christ. The way of salvation has been given us in Acts 2:38 – "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". Acts 4:12 tells us that salvation comes only through the name of Jesus Christ, for there is none other name by which men can be saved.

CONCLUSION

Jesus is the only way to Salvation! He is the Only God that can save! He invites people everywhere to look to him and be saved; No other god, no other system can bring salvation. Despite what we may have said or done the door to salvation is still open today. It is open to all who desire to receive him! Look to Him today and be saved!

Wounded But Not Dead: Don’t Let Them Die

Trevor S. Ferguson 

November 9, 2013

Luke 10:30-35 (KJV)
³⁰And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. ³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, ³⁴And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

INTRODUCTION

We live in a self-centered society. Most people today are concerned only with their own issues and problems and seem unconcerned about other people’s suffering and are often unwilling to help.

The problem spans all facets of life. The rich and well-to-do are unconcerned with the problems of the poor. This has resulted in the creation of, as it were, two separate societies – ‘the haves’ and the ‘have nots’. This lack of concern contributes to problem of crime and violence as many who are disadvantaged believe the cause of their problems is somehow the fault of the advantaged groups.

Then there is the problem of emotional and psychological abuse. People often treat each other with disrespect, doing anything to protect their space or their turf, regardless of how it makes others feel. Where relationships are concerned, people are often interested only in their own pleasure and therefore use others, getting involved in multiple relationships, cheating and deceiving. The end result of all this is that we have a hurting society. Many people are bruised, wounded and barely existing. There is no joy in their lives. Some are depressed and dysfunctional some are even contemplating suicide.

Unfortunately the church is not exempt from these issues. Many of the wounded come through our doors on a daily basis, but sadly sometimes they leave the same way they came. Today we want to minister to those who are wounded and are hurting. I will use the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate some important principles relating to how people end up wound and what we need to do in order to demonstrate our care.

EXPOSITION

The story of the Good Samaritan is well known. Jesus told this parable when an expert in the law asked him the question: Who is my neighbor?

The first point I would like to emphasize is the circumstances under which the traveler in the story got wounded.  We are told that this traveler went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a major thoroughfare in New Testament times and hence we can assume that the traveler had legitimate business in Jericho. We can therefore conclude that it was during the course of his normal business that traveler fell among thieves, who stripped him, wounded him and left him half-dead!

Similarly today many people in the course of their normal daily living fall into problems.  Let us take a minute to examine the issue of falling. The normal human posture is upright; therefore to fall implies a loss of normal posture as well as loss of normal control. Falls may be accidental, due to obstacles on the road, or may be due to careless walking and not looking where we are going or may be due to the action of others who may deliberately attack us or in some other way instigate a fall. Sometimes when we fall we can get us by ourselves, but there are times when the injuries are so severe that we need help to get back on our feet. The inability to get up may be due to the fall itself or it may be due to the issues and problems that preceded the fall. Regardless of the cause of the fall, persons who have fallen and are unable to get up need help!

This was the state of the traveler in the parable, but unfortunately the first two perosns that came by were unwilling to help. A priest came by, saw him but passed on the other side. A Levite came by; he stopped to have a look, but still walked away on the other side. Commentators have posited that these might have thought that the man was dead and did not want to become ‘unclean’ by handling a dead body, but this does not excuse their duty to care, even at the cost of temporary ‘uncleanness’.

The attitude of the priest and Levite is all too common in the church today. Many of us will see our brothers and sisters in need, wounded, hurt, frustrated but do not offer a helping hand. How many persons have died spiritually because there was no one to help in their time of need? We cannot afford to perpetuate this callous attitude. We must begin to care!

The attitude of the Samaritan stands in stark contrast to the presumably righteous priest and Levite. Let’s look at the approach and attitude of the Samaritan, because I believe that he demonstrates for us a lesson in caring. Firstly when he saw the wounded man he had compassion on him – he immediately saw himself lying on the ground; on another day or another time it could have been him. He was touched, he was moved. He cared! Secondly, he went to him – we can’t care from a distance! We have to get close to the person in need in order to help. People in caring professions know that this is necessary. A doctor must examine his patient. A nurse will need to bathe, clean up the patient, take care of bodily waste etc, all in an attempt to help. There is always a risk that the caregiver may catch the sick person’s illness but we still have to care. Caring will almost always lead to some contamination but the joy of the person being restored to full health makes it a risk worth taking.

The lesson in caring continues with how he attended to the injuries of the wounded man – he poured in oil and wine, covered the wounds, and then he placed him on his own beast and brought him to an inn. This illustrates the need to offer immediate care, deal with the pressing problems and prevent further injury or complication as well as the need to have a place to recuperate. It is not sufficient to put ‘band-aid’ on the problems. We must also make provision for proper healing.

Finally he paid the inn-keeper, enough to cover the immediate expenses and made a commitment to take care of any additional expenses. This illustrates to us that caring has a cost. As much as is possible, if we have the ability to help with the cost of recovery we must help.

APPLICATION & CONCLUSION

The text today reminds us of the urgent need to care for those who are wounded or hurting. I believe that there are several persons today who are hurting, wounded and in need of help. I believe the Lord wants to minister to you today. You may be wounded and hurting, perhaps even half-dead, but the fact is you are not dead. Once there is life there is hope. We won’t let you die! Jesus is passing by you right now. Allow him to minister to you. He will pour in the oil and wine, bind up your hurts and set you on your feet again. He has already paid the price. Receive your healing right now!

Power Over Sin

Trevor S Ferguson

August 24, 2013

Scripture Setting: Romans 6:1-4, 12-14; Romans 8:1-2

Today we reflect on word the of God from Romans chapters 6 to 8, as I share with you on the topic: Power Over Sin.

The bible emphatically declares that all men have sinned. Every human being that is born on the face of this earth is born with a sinful nature. This, of course, is the consequence and legacy of Adam’s sin. Left to our selves, without instruction or encouragement, we all will commit sinful acts. The good news today, however, is that we do not need to be slaves to this sinful nature! God has provided a way, through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and through the power of the Holy Ghost, that gives us power over sin.

Let us look at how this works out in practice. The unregenerate man, that is the man or woman who has not yet received salvation, is in a constant struggle and fighting losing battle with sin. This is best illustrated by Paul’s expression in Romans 7:19-24. Look at what Paul says as rendered by the New Living Translation:   

“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”

All of us can at some time identify with this statement, as we struggle to do the right things on our own accord, but soon discover that our efforts are futile. Some persons give up the struggle and conclude that since God readily forgives our sin, we can rely on this forgiveness and continue in our sin. Such an approach is however is emphatically rejected by Paul. Most of us are familiar with the question asked and the answer given in Romans 6:1-2:

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Two points should be noted here: Firstly, God does not condone, or endorse sin in any shape or form. God by nature is Holy and thus abhors sin at all times. He cannot have fellowship with sin. Therefore while God loves and willingly forgives a repentant sinner, God hates sin. If God hates sin, then we must not sin. Secondly, in order to have power over sin we must become dead to sin. But what does this mean?  According to Adam Clarke's Commentary ‘to die to a thing or person’, is to have nothing to do with it or him; to be totally separated from them. Therefore in order to become dead to sin we must become totally separated from sin. This can only occur through repentance and baptism into Jesus Christ or alternatively stated repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.

At repentance we die to sin. We acknowledge that we have sinned, asks God to forgive us of these sins and pledge that from now on we will no longer live in sin but will live in righteousness. Having died to sin, it is appropriate that that which is dead is buried. This burial is accomplished by baptism. (Let me pause to emphasize that baptism as a burial requires full immersion in water, as was practiced by the early church. Sprinkling, as is practiced by some today, does not accomplish a burial and is therefore inadequate and incorrect as a mode of baptism.) Baptism into Christ identifies us with his death, which was the sacrifice he paid to purchase our salvation and to free us from the death penalty for sin. We then rise, in like fashion to his resurrection, to walk in newness of life. Note however, that the completion of this resurrection process requires the infilling of the Holy Ghost, which will give us power over sin. Without the Holy Ghost we will still struggle to win the battle over sin because the power of God is not yet in us.

Power over sin, however, even for those of us who have the Holy Ghost, requires an attitude and a mindset that does not allow the sinful nature to overpower us. Let me remind you that although we are saved and have become new creatures we still live in a human body and still have a sinful nature. The difference is that prior to receiving salvation we had no power over the sinful nature and thus were slaves to sin but now whether we sin or do not sin is a matter of choice. Verse 12 of Romans 6 therefore tells us that we should not let sin reign in our mortal bodies! Living above sin is a decision that each of us will have to make on a daily basis. Paul further instructs us that we should not yield ourselves as instruments of unrighteousness but we should yield ourselves to God. It is a decision that we must make. When we take this approach then we become powerful. Paul says: “sin shall not have dominion over you”!

I want to say to someone today that you don’t have to sin! You are not a slave to sin! You have power over sin! Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.  The choice is yours. Let us look at verses 16-18 (again from the New Living Translation):

“Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.”

When you commit yourself to righteous living, righteousness becomes like second nature, you think right and do right. Any time evil thoughts or temptation comes into your mind, the Spirit of God immediately awakens your conscience so that you recognize sin and can make the decision to walk away from sin. The Christian who is living for Christ will only succumb to sin when we learn to ignore the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit. The true Christian can only become comfortable with sin if he has allowed the Spirit of God in him to become cold, so that his conscience is no longer activated by sin. To sin or not to sin is a choice!

God has given us power over sin and the sinful nature. Let us look at Romans 8:1-2:    

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Once we have the Spirit of God in us we have power over sin.”

Reliance on ourselves and our human nature will lead to failure. Reliance on our human spirit, our intellect, human philosophy, ethics or moral codes will also lead to failure. Several verses from chapter 8 illustrate these principles: Verse 3 tells us that the law could not accomplish victory over sin because it was weak through the flesh. Verse 8 tells us that they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Verse 13 tells us that if we live after the flesh we shall die, but if we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body we shall live! So here is the answer: In order to have power over sin we must live by the Spirit of God. Galatians 5:16 tells us that if we walk in the Spirit we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

The call of God therefore goes out to all today reminding us that we can have power over sin. In order of have such power over sin, we must first die to sin through repentance, we must bury the old sinful nature through baptism by complete immersion in water  in the name of Jesus Christ and rise to walk in a new life through the power that comes with the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Finally we must walk in the Spirit and allow the Spirit to rule in our lives so that we can have power over sin.

You can have power over sin! You can have power over sin! You can have power over sin!

The Baptism of the Holy Ghost

Trevor S. Ferguson
August 17, 2013


Acts 2:1-4 (KJV)
¹  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
²  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
³  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
⁴  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

There is much misunderstanding today with regards to the baptism of the Holy Ghost.The lesson in the link below outlines the main tenets of biblical teaching on this subject. Click here to access the lesson: The Baptism of the Holy Ghost
 
Summary Points
- The Holy Ghost is the manifestation of God in the Church
- Being filled with the Holy Ghost means that the Spirit of God come to live in our hearts
- Several Old Testament  and New Testament prophesies concerning the Holy Ghost are found in the Bible
- The Holy Ghost was first poured out on the day of Pentecost
- Several passages in the book of Acts records how persons received the Holy Ghost
- The baptism of the Holy Ghost is accompanied by the physical sign of speaking in tongues – this is how we know when people receive the Holy Ghost
- The Holy Ghost is available today to all who seek Him

Living Life The 3rd John 1:2 Way: Fulfilling God's Plan for the Body, Soul and Spirit

Trevor S Ferguson

August 14, 2013

3^rd John 1:2

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest PROSPER and BE IN HEALTH, even as thy soul prospereth.

DECLARATION: 

WE ARE WELL ABLE TO LIVE HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE AND PROSPEROUS LIVES!

Click on this link for a full presentation on this topic:
Living Life the 3rd John 1:2 Way

Summary Points:

The bible is clear in its teaching that God wants us to prosper and in good health

God is our source of health and prosperity

We have been appointed as stewards over or bodies and over our lives

As stewards me must act responsibly and be faithful in the care of our bodies and management of our lives

We must be prepared to give account of our stewardship

Living by faith does not relieve us of the requirement to live responsibly

We should not allow fear to prevent us from acting in faith and so receive healing or achieve success

Applying these principles will ensure that we can live healthy and productive lives