Rohn's message for this week 8/17/13

Note: I realize that the following message has a lot of Scripture and perhaps not as many comments as some would like to see, but it is just an outline and when preaching it I fill in where I feel I need to with plenty of comments. So as you read the message please feel free to look up the Bible references that go along with the message and read the accounts as you follow through the message. Read carefully and prayerfully and allow God to speak to your heart. Being a Christian is more than a head knowledge it is a heart condition that is manifested in a life that knows and lives for God, and allows the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into a close relationship with Him.
Rohn



WILT THOU BE MADE WHOLE
John 5:2-9


Text: (John 5:6) When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? (KJV)
Five times in this chapter we find the- words, "made whole." God created man complete and "whole." Sin entered (Genesis 3) making man incomplete and in some respects totally incomplete.
((Romans 5:12) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (KJV)
Jesus Christ came to redeem and to recover man that he might be made whole again.

I. THE WHOLE OF MAN IS AFFECTED BY SIN.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (KJV)

1. THE SPIRIT, INTELLIGENCE, OR MIND IS AFFECTED.
(Ephesians 4:18-19) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (KJV)
The less of God we have in our lives the darker they become. Is it any wonder the world is so wicked and dark? We have left God out of everything. It brings darkness.

2. THE SOUL, THE AFFECTION, OR THE WILL.
(Titus 1:15) Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (KJV)
(Titus 3:3) For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. (KJV)
(1 Peter 4:3) For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: (KJV)

3. THE BODY, THE FLESHLY DESIRES AND APPETITES.
(Romans 8:6-7) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (KJV)
((Ephesians 2:2-3) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (KJV)

II. THE WHOLE OF DIVINE TRINITY IS IN OPERATION FOR MAN'S RECOVERY.
1. THE FATHER PLANNING.
(Ephesians 1:4-5) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (KJV)

2. THE SON PROPITIATING. (The offering which appeases the wrath of one against whom an offense has
been committed.)
(Ephesians 1:7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (KJV)
(Romans 3:24-25) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (KJV)

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT PROSECUTING.
(Ephesians 1:13-14) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (KJV)
(Romans .

III. THE WHOLE OF THE GOSPEL AS A MEANS.
(1 Corinthians 15:1-3) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (KJV)

1. THE LORD JESUS DIED ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURE.

2. THE LORD JESUS DIED COMPLETING THE PLAN OF
SALVATION.
(John 19:30) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (KJV)

IV. THE WHOLE OF SALVATION, RECEIVED ONLY BY FAITH.
1. FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN. The atonement by
Christ.
(Hebrews 10:4) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (KJV)

(Hebrews 10:11-14) And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (KJV)

2. FROM THE POWER OF SIN. The advocacy of Christ.
(Hebrews 7:25) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (KJV)
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman told this story of one of his friends who was a boyhood companion of Robert Lincoln. He entered the Civil War and went to the front. When Robert Lincoln found that he was a private soldier, he said to a friend, "Write, and tell him to write to me, and I will intercede with father, and get him something better." The young soldier said: "I never took advantage of the offer, but you do not know what a comfort it was to me. Often after a weary march I would throw myself on the ground and say, 'If it becomes beyond human endurance, I can write to Bob Lincoln and get relief; and I would rather have his intercession than that of the President's cabinet members, because he is President Lincoln's son.' " Every true Christian knows that he has the best friend possible at the court of heaven in the Son of God, who "ever liveth to make intercession for us" (see Heb. 7:25).

(1 John 2:1-3) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (KJV)

3. FROM THE PRESENCE OF SIN. The advent of Christ
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (KJV)

(1 John 3:2) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (KJV)
There is one additional factor that will enable us to know Christ "as he is," and that is "we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). Being like Him will make us sensitive to all that we have missed in our relationship with Him on earth. You may have had a close friend for years, yet never truly known him, just because you are radically different from him. But someone who has a real affinity of nature with him will be able to see in him what you have never seen; he is like him and sees him as he is. You must have the Christ-like heart to see the Savior; and in heaven our hearts will be perfectly tuned to His.

V. THE WHOLE OF THE SAVED ONE'S SERVICE IN COOPERATION.
(Matthew 28:18-20) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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. (KJV)
A mail carrier once said; "I have the greatest sense of security in delivering the mail. All the resources of the government are pledged to support me in carrying out my work. If I have only one small post card in my bag, no man dares to molest me in its delivery. All the police powers of the United States would be thrown into action, if necessary, to secure the safe delivery of that post card. That led me to think about what Jesus said when He spoke the words of the Great Commission: ". . . All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost . . . and, lo, I am with you always . . ." (Matt. 28:18-20)

1. AS SAVED ONES WE ARE TO DO OUR BEST TO GET FOLKS SAVED.

2. WE ARE TO TEACH OTHERS TO BE DISCIPLES, PASTORS AND TEACHERS.
(Acts 5:42) And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (KJV)
(Ephesians 4:11-16) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (KJV)
“As we all grow older we feel the pains that creep into our once strong and fluid joints. Our hands hurt when they do their work. Our knees creak when we stoop down. Our backs and necks are sore when we sleep wrong. The ailments we suffer from are seemingly endless. We are aware of those faulty parts, are we not? When we have a pain in any portion of the body we tend to focus on that area. We aren't so mindful of the hundreds of other parts that don't hurt. We do that because we go to the aid of the weakest members. They need the attention, or at least they demand it. The spiritual implications of these thoughts are many.
“Paul, in describing the role of the church's relationship with its Head, Christ, said, "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. 4:16). As the church, the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22f), functions to serve the head, it acts as a unit made up of many members (1 Cor. 12:27). Each part functions on its own, up to its own ability, yet, all the parts function together in harmony to produce all proper reflections of the Head. This places each member in a position to strive for personal spiritual excellence, as well as for all to work with each other towards the ultimate goal of glorifying Christ.”
--Christian Messenger

The text is an inquiry. “Will you be made whole?” Are you doing your best to live your life as a whole complete Christian?


_________________
Rohn

Thanks for forwarding this to us Sonshine