Genesis 1:7 || Meditate the Scripture daily verse by verse
02 February 14, 2016, Matthew 11;20-30, An Open Invitation
1. Matthew 11:20-30
An Open Invitation
February 14, 2016
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
The glory of God!
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1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.
February Memory Verse
I John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Grace Bible Study
Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. - Noon
Christian Life Center Dining Room
“Culture Shock” by Chip Ingram
Grace Bible Study
“Armor of God” by Priscilla Shirer
Led by Millie Quarterman
And Beck’e Melton
2. Volunteers Needed
Little Feet Spring Sale
Benefiting Mission First
February 26-27
A Great Outreach Opportunity!
State Street Wednesday
Adult Discipleship Classes
Wednesday Evenings 6:00-7:00 p.m.
4th Floor East Wing
The desire of the FBCJ Education Department is:
Multiplication of Christ followers who love God, love others and obey His Word in
Disciple Making.
Please Pray For
The Pastor Search Committee
Ross Aven Rodney DePriest
Laurel Ditto Susan Lindsay
Chris Maddux Joe Young
Paul Moak, Jr. (Chairman)
Sunday
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No Sunday School
Next Sunday
February 21, 2016
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
3. Matthew 13:1-13
Access Granted
February 28, 2016
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
Matthew 11:20-30
An Open Invitation
Today
February 14, 2016
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Warren Wiersbe
(born May 16, 1929)
Radio Program: Back to the Bible
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4. J. Vernon McGee's
Thru The Bible
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Matthew 11:16-19 NKJV
16 “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the
marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying:
‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not lament.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and
a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her
children.”
Matthew 11:16-19 NKJV
These four verses compose one of the Lord's parables that was loaded with
biting sarcasm and irony.
The Lord did not give this story to hurt or to harm but to illustrate a great truth.
This is a picture of a group of children out playing in the streets.
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5. One group says, "Let's play funeral."
They play funeral for a while, soon tire of it and then say, "Let's play wedding."
Soon they grow tired of playing wedding and they go from one extreme to
another.
They are spoiled children.
The generation Jesus was speaking to was like that, and our generation is also.
Whiners – “I want my Mommy!”
Christ rebuked the people of that generation for their childishness.
Nothing pleased them!
There is a difference between being childish and childlike.
Later in Matthew 11:25-26, Jesus says that only the childlike can understand His
Word.
The world today is like spoiled children who demand entertainment and
something new all the time.
John and Jesus were opposites in their lives and ministries, yet neither one could
satisfy the childish crowd.
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For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
[Matthew 11:18]
John was both austere and severe and they didn't feel comfortable with him.
6. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man
gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is
justified of her children. [Matthew 11:19]
Jesus was friendly.
What about Him?
"Oh, He is gluttonous. He's too friendly with sinners!"
They weren't pleased with Jesus.
There are some folk that you simply cannot please and you are better off not
trying to please everyone.
They don't like one preacher because he just stands up there and in a
monotone gives his sermon.
Then the next preacher they don't like because he is very demonstrative and
pounds the pulpit.
Or one is too profound, and they don't understand him, and the other is too
simple -- so they don't like him either.
There are a lot of people whom no one can please, and that was certainly true
in our Lord's day.
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7. Today’s Passage
Matthew 11:20-30
Matthew 11:20-21 NKJV
Woe to the Impenitent Cities
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had
been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Matthew 11:20-21 NKJV
(How unusual to find the word “Woe” on the lips of Jesus! This is the first time in
Matthew we find Jesus uttering words of condemnation. The word woe means
judgment, but it also includes pity and sorrow.)
The Greek word for woe is ouai; and ouai expresses sorrowful pity at least as
much as it does anger.
Jesus had done many mighty works, and His disciples had performed miracles
too, yet the cities rejected Him.
This sorrow of Jesus is the sorrow of One Who offered men the most precious
thing in the world and saw it disregarded.
Jesus’ condemnation of sin is holy anger, but the anger comes, not from
outraged pride, but from a broken heart.
The greater a person’s privileges have been, the greater is their condemnation if
they fail to shoulder the responsibilities and accept the obligations which these
privileges bring with them.
These cities did not attack Jesus Christ; they did not drive Him from their gates;
they did not seek to crucify Him; they simply disregarded Him.
This was the sin of indifference.
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8. And so we are face to face with one great threatening truth — sometimes it is a
terrible sin to do nothing.
There are sins of action, sins of deed; but there is also a sin of inaction, and of
absence of deeds.
The sin of Chorazin, of Bethsaida, and of Capernaum was the sin of doing
nothing.
Many a man's defense is: "But I never did anything" and that defense may be in
fact his condemnation.
Matthew 11:22-24 NKJV
22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to Heaven, will
be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had
been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you
that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than
for you.”
Matthew 11:22-24 NKJV
Capernaum had been especially blessed, since this was Christ's "headquarters"
for the early part of His ministry (Matthew 8:5-17; 9:1).
Where the light shines the brightest, people have the greatest responsibility.
There will be degrees of judgment according to the amount of light a person
had.
It is a serious thing to know the truth and turn from it!
It is J. Vernon Magee’s understanding that there will be degrees of punishment
as well as degrees of reward at the time of God's judgment, according to the
amount of light a person had.
He said: “I would much rather be a Hottentot in the darkness of a jungle without
having heard the Gospel than to be an officer in one of our modern churches,
having a Bible but never truly having accepted Christ as Savior.”
Matthew 11:25 NKJV
Jesus Gives True Rest
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of Heaven
and Earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent
(leaders) and have revealed them to babes (common people).
9. …revealed them to little children.
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This is a crucial moment in His ministry because the rebellion against Jesus has
already set in and will culminate in open rejection.
Christ turns to His Father and gives thanks and what an example for us when we
come to times of difficulty.
God bypassed the wise and prudent scribes and Pharisees and chose the
simple but believing common people for salvation (see 1 Corinthians 1).
We cannot explain the mystery of the Father's will, but we can adore and obey
Him.
Christ's invitation here is for all to come to Him.
It is no longer a message limited to the Jews, as it was in 10:5-6.
Christ now opens the door to all who will come and believe and take His yoke.
There is a vast difference between the spoiled children of the parable (Matthew
11:16-19) and the submissive children of this statement of praise.
The Pharisees had laid many burdens on the people (Matthew 23:4), and their
religion did not give rest and peace.
No human religion can give peace to the heart.
Matthew 11:26-27 NKJV
26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been
delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor
does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills
to reveal Him.
10. The Father reveals Himself to the Son, and the Son, in turn, reveals Himself and
the Father to those who are willing to come to the Son in faith.
Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
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This is a new message from Jesus as He turns from the corporate nation to the
individual.
It is no longer the national announcement about a kingdom but a personal
invitation to find the "rest" of salvation.
Three commands summarize this personal invitation:
“Come.”
“Take.”
“Learn.”
"Come."
The Pharisees all said "Do!" and tried to make the people follow Moses and the
burdensome traditions.
Jesus said in Matthew 23:4a
4a "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders;
True salvation is found only in a Person, Jesus Christ, not by doing something or
by keeping a set of rules.
To come to Him means to trust Him – faith in Christ alone.
11. This invitation is open to those who are exhausted and burdened down.
That is exactly how the people felt under the yoke of pharisaical legalism
(Matthew 23:4; Acts 15:10).
"Take."
This is a deeper experience.
When we come to Christ by faith, He gives us rest.
When we take His yoke and learn, we find rest that deeper rest of surrender and
obedience.
The first is “peace with God" (Romans 5:1); the second is "the peace of God"
(Philippians 4:6-8).
To "take a yoke" in that day meant to become a disciple.
When we submit to Christ, we are yoked to Him.
"Learn."
The first two commands (Come and Take) represent a crisis as we come and
yield to Christ, but this step (Learn) is a process in which we learn more about
Him and we find a deeper peace since we trust Him more.
Christ offers a yoke that is easy in contrast to the grinding, binding yoke of the
law (Acts 15:10).
"I will give you rest" is literally "I will rest you" and this is the peace with God that
comes with salvation.
Romans 5:10 NKJV
10 For if when we were enemies (of God) we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son,
(also Colossians 1:19-21)
12. Romans 5:1 NKJV
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ,
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When Christ gives us rest, that brings peace with God but when we find rest, we
learn of the peace of God that comes with surrender (see Philippians 4:6-9).
Philippians 4:6-7 & 9 NKJV
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these
do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:6-7 & 9 NKJV
With the peace of God to guard us and the God of peace to guide us – what
could we possibly have to worry about?
Matthew 11:30 NKJV
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
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13. The word "easy" in Greek is chrestos which means “well-fitting”.
Jesus has just the yoke that He tailor-made for your life and for your needs.
There is a legend that Jesus made the best ox-yokes in all Galilee, and that from
all over the country men came to Him to buy the best yokes that skill could
make.
In those days, as now, shops had their signs above the door; and it has been
suggested that the sign above the door of the carpenter's shop in Nazareth may
well have been: "My yokes fit well."
What He means is: "The life I give you is not a burden to gall you; your task is
made to measure to fit you."
Whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly.
Therefore, the burden of doing His will is not a heavy one (1 John 5:3).
1 John 5:3 NKJV
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His
commandments are not burdensome.
When He speaks of being "heavy laden," He is referring to being burdened with
sin. (see 1 Peter 2:24)
1 Peter 2:24 NIV
24 Jesus Himself bore (the burden of) our sins in his body on the cross, so that we
might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His wounds you have been
healed.”
To be yoked to Christ (I am crucified with Christ – Galatians 2:20) is the greatest
blessing possible.
He will put you exactly where He wants you when you are yoked up to Him.
Jesus says, "My burden is light."
As a Rabbi said: "My burden has become my song."
It is not that the burden is easy to carry; but it is laid on us in love; it is meant to
be carried in love; and love makes even the heaviest burden light.
14. When we remember the love of God, when we know that our burden is to love
God and to love men, then the burden becomes a song.
There is an old story which tells how a man came upon a little boy carrying a still
smaller boy, who was lame, upon his back.
"That's a heavy burden for you to carry," said the man.
"That's no' a burden," came the answer. "That's my wee brother."
The burden which is given in love and carried in love becomes light.
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother!
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15. John MacArthur, Jr.
(born June 19, 1939)
Radio program: Grace to You
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Matthew 11:28 NKJV
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28a “Come to Me”
Just as man's part in salvation is to come humbly, it is also to come in faith.
Although finite minds cannot fully comprehend the truth; divine grace and
human faith are inseparable in salvation.
“For by grace are you saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8)
Romans 12:3 NKJV
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God
has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it
(the demon causing epilepsy) out?”
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if
you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here
to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this
kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV
16. http://www.tejadohanchell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/mustard-seed.jpg
To come is to believe to the point of submitting to the lordship of Christ.
"I am the bread of life," Jesus declared; "he who comes to Me shall not hunger,
and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).
“Comes” and “believes” are parallel just as are hunger and thirst.
Coming to Christ is believing in Him, which results in no longer hungering and
thirsting.
Other Biblical synonyms for believing in Christ include:
1) confessing Him,
2) receiving Him,
3) eating and drinking Him, and
4) hearing Him.
REPENTANCE AND REST
“all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28b
‘All who are’ indicates a condition that already exists.
Those whom Jesus invites to Himself are those who already are weary and
heavy-laden.
Although this aspect of Jesus' invitation is mentioned after faith ("Come to Me"),
chronologically it precedes faith, referring to the repentance that drives the
humble, seeking person to Christ for salvation.
17. Kopiao (to grow weary, or "to labor") carries the idea of working to the point of
utter exhaustion.
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Weary refers to arduous toil in seeking to please God and know the way of
salvation.
Jesus calls to Himself everyone who is exhausted from trying to find and please
God in his own resources.
Jesus invites the person who is wearied from his vain search for truth through
human wisdom, who is exhausted from trying to earn salvation, and who has
despaired of achieving God's standard of righteousness by his own efforts.
Heavy-laden indicates that at some time in the past a great load was dumped
on the wearied person.
Whereas weary refers to the internal exhaustion caused by seeking divine truth
through human wisdom, heavy-laden suggests the external burdens caused by
the futile self-efforts of works to achieve righteousness.
In Jesus' day, the rabbinical teachings had become so massive, demanding,
and all-encompassing that they prescribed standards and formulas for virtually
every human activity.
It was all but impossible even to learn all the traditions, and was completely
impossible to keep them all.
Jesus spoke of the heavy loads of religious tradition that the scribes and
Pharisees laid on the people's shoulders (Matthew 23:4).
At the Jerusalem Council, Peter noted that the Judaizers were trying to saddle
Christianity with the same man-made "yoke which neither our fathers nor we
have been able to bear" (Acts 15:10).
18. Jesus gives a call to repent, to turn away from the self-centered and works-
centered life and come to Him.
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The person who is weary and heavy-laden despairs of his own ability to please
God.
He comes to the end of his own resources and turns to Christ.
Desperation is a part of true salvation, because a person does not come to
Christ as long as he has confidence in himself.
To repent is to make a 180-degree turn from the burden of the old life to the
restfulness of the new.
Repentance was the theme of John the Baptist's preaching (Matthew 3:2) and
the starting point of the preaching of Jesus (Matthew 4:17), Peter (Acts 2:38; 3:19;
5:31), and Paul (Acts 17:30; 20:21; 2 Tim 2:25).
The person who humbly receives God's revelation of Himself and His way of
salvation, who turns from the unbearable burden of his sin and self-effort, and
who comes to Christ empty-handed is the only person God will save.
Anapauo (to give ... rest) means to refresh or revive, as from labor or a long
journey.
Jesus promises spiritual rest to everyone who comes to Him in repentance and
humble faith.
God's rest is a common Old Testament theme.
19. The Lord warned Israel, "Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day
of Massah in the wilderness; when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though
they had seen My work .... Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not
enter into My rest" (Psalm 95:7-9,11).
After quoting that passage, the writer of Hebrews warns those who make a
pretense of faith in Christ but have not really trusted Him: "Take care, brethren,
lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling
away from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12).
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To intellectually acknowledge Christ's deity and lordship is a dangerous thing if it
does not lead to true faith, because it gives a person the false confidence of
belonging to Christ.
In the time of the early church many Jews were attracted to the Gospel and
outwardly identified themselves with the church.
But for fear of being unsynagogued, ostracized from the worship and
ceremonies of Judaism, some of them did not truly receive Christ as saving Lord.
They went part way to Him but stopped before full commitment.
"As a result" of such superficial allegiance, John says, "many of His disciples
withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore" (John 6:66).
Consequently, they would not enter God's rest, that is, His salvation, because
they still possessed "an evil, unbelieving heart" (Hebrews 3:11-12).
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20. Just as those Israelites who rebelled against Moses in the wilderness were
denied entrance into the Promised Land because of unbelief, so those who
refuse to fully trust in Christ are denied entrance into God's kingdom rest of
salvation for the same reason.
"Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one
of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good
news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit
them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have
believed enter that rest, just as He has said, 'As I swore in My wrath, they shall
not enter My rest'" (Hebrews 4:1-3).'"
The dictionary gives several definitions of rest that remarkably parallel the
spiritual rest God offers those who trust in His Son.
First, the dictionary describes rest as cessation from action, motion, labor, or
exertion.
In a similar way, to enter God's rest is to cease from all efforts at self-help in
trying to earn salvation.
Second, rest is described as freedom from that which wearies or disturbs.
Again we see the spiritual parallel of God's giving His children freedom from the
cares and burdens that rob them of peace and joy.
Third, the dictionary defines rest as something that is fixed and settled.
Similarly, to be in God's rest is to have the wonderful assurance that our eternal
destiny is secure in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
It is to be freed from the uncertainties of running: from philosophy to philosophy,
from religion to religion, from guru to guru, hoping somehow and somewhere to
discover truth, peace, happiness, and eternal life.
Fourth, rest is defined as being confident and trustful.
When we enter God's rest we are given the assurance that "He Who began a
good work in us will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
21. Finally, the dictionary describes rest as leaning, reposing, or depending on.
As children of God, we can depend with utter certainty that our heavenly Father
will "supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus"
(Philippians 4:19).
SUBMISSION
Matthew 11:29-30
29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My load is
light."
Salvation involves submission, because it is impossible for Christ to exercise
lordship over those who refuse to obey Him.
Jesus' invitation therefore includes the call to submission, symbolized by a yoke.
A yoke was made of wood, hand-hewn to fit the neck and shoulders of the
particular animal that was to wear it in order to prevent chafing.
For obvious reasons, the term was widely used in the ancient world as a
metaphor for submission.
The yoke was part of the harness used to pull a cart, plow, or mill beam and was
the means by which the animal's master kept it under control and guided it in
useful work.
A student was often spoken of as being under the yoke of his teacher, and an
ancient Jewish writing contains the advice: "Put your neck under the yoke and
let your soul receive instruction."
That is the particular meaning Jesus seems to have had in mind here, because
He adds, and learn from Me.
Manthano (to learn) is closely related to mathetes (disciple, or learner) and
reinforces the truth that Christ's disciples are His submissive learners.
They submit to Christ's lordship for many reasons, among the most important of
which is to be taught by Him through His Word.
A yoke symbolizes obedience, and Christian obedience includes learning from
Christ.
The power of salvation is entirely of grace and nothing of works.
22. An unbeliever has neither the understanding nor the ability to save himself, just
as a babe has neither the understanding nor the ability to help itself.
But although good works do not produce salvation, salvation does produce
good works.
Believers are, in fact, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
Because Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, He gives rest, not weariness, to the
souls of those who submit to Him and do His work.
When you yoke up with Him, His yoke is easy, and His load is light.
His burden is not like that of Pharaoh, who bitterly oppressed the children of
Israel, or like that of the scribes and Pharisees, who burdened the Jews of Jesus'
day with a grievous legalism.
His yoke is easy, and His load is light. (Matthew 11:29-30)
Christ will never oppress us or give us a burden too heavy to carry.
His yoke has nothing to do with the demands of works or law, much less those of
human tradition.
The Christian's work of obedience to Christ is joyful and happy.
"For," as John explains, "this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).
Submission to Jesus Christ brings the greatest liberation a person can
experience — actually the only true liberation he can experience, because only
through Christ is he freed to become what God created him to be.
The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
23. Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
Even Jesus, the one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to pay the
penalty for our sins.
The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death explained in
Revelation 21:8.
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to become an overcomer.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
If you have questions or would like to know more, please, contact First Baptist
Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/