Appreciate Our Salvation - Delbert Birky

I would like to greet you this morning in the

name of Jesus. It's good to be together, and trust

that our time together and the word will be profitable,

and that we might learn more of God's love to

us in our experiences. Some of the difficulties bring out

the joyful things, as was noted this morning already, as

we thought about some of the obstacles, and then we

consider some of the blessings that come to our comes

our way because of those things are good. But what

should we do this morning? I would like to talk

about salvation. But in talking about salvation, I'd like to

talk about appreciating our salvation. Now we have the little

hypothetical thing. I think it's hypothetical about the little boy

that banged his head against the wall. And so what

you do that for? We said, it feels a good

one to quit? Yeah, what should we do? Sin a

little bit more so that graceful abound the wonderful grace

of God. The worst sin is the greater the grace

of God. Is that right? Sure shall we sin that

we get some more grace. Now, let's get it straight.

Let's appreciate our salvation only to recognize that it reaches

to the depth. David said he did some terrible things.

He said, my sin is ever before me. Yeah, I know.

Read the rest of the Psalms and we see a

whole different picture than him just sitting on a rock

somewhere said I have sinned of sin, of sind of sin. Well,

let's appreciate salvation. It's wonderful. How do we show that

we just came through a little season we called Valentine's Day.

I don't know husbands get any roses. I think the

ladies did. Why didn't you give him some? Don't you

appreciate him? Maybe you Maybe it wasn't even a husband.

Maybe it was that girlfriend got some. Now I know

that she loves me. Really it was the flowers that

did it. Now she made a beautiful dinner last night.

Is that what did it? If that's what did it,

we're hung and have getting up and say in Hallelujah,

praise the Lord? Does it?

We're hung?

Appreciation for salvation is going to come more than just

in what we say and what we sing. But I'm

thankful this morning though, we have the opportunity to sing,

and I believe that it's important to sing and praise

the Lord and worship him as a part of the

appreciation of salvation in the Life Songs number one hundred

and twelve, and I asked Brother Eric to lead this

song for us. Brother Eric, would you come forward and

lead that song from the front. I think it'll go

a little better. Life Songs number one hundred and twelve.

Will sing the first last Danzas. The last Danzas says,

wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defile.

Go ahead.

Under for graef salt show strange us, how sull my

tongue is so stracey, taking away I and sety my

street free for the werful grain su street, wonderful and

astro straight so geese ste then the mighty hall cha

like star fas most patient straight for me.

Broader than the scope and night trustra shot shame it to.

Far in all my seat, shape my seat, and shape

a name.

Straight underful gray shot g.

Three cheap nos see.

By arming.

Name in last.

And me.

A turn and tea therefore great so speaks me under

all the match straights of Jesus and my let's see

I tell straight like a fast obso patients for me.

Broad and the scope of my Transcrian show, say it

after party, my scene steps shame, thank you, thank you

for singing.

That song speaks about the great love of God toward us.

How deep the Father's loved us? In your little chorus

book number ten, how deep the Father's love? But how

deep is my love? I think I know how deep

God's love is. I haven't got to see where the

depth is, but keeps going deeper the more I realize

what God's salvation does and is for us. But what

about mine? How do I express it? What do I say?

One John three, in verse seventeen, not our text this morning,

but just the verse. It says this looking on to

someone else, and the question is asked, how dwelleth the

love of God in him? If a man does not

love his brother, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

So sometimes we have people say are you a Christian?

What do you say? Yep?

Yesterday a lady came into the bakery and we were

talking in the craft room. It's not my first love,

but anyway, there it is, and we're talking about some things,

and she brought up the name of one of my relatives.

Oh yeah, yeah, I know her, Yeah I do and

she named two others of the relatives. I said, yes,

so you know them, she said, I said yes. She said,

they are the ones that helped me and my husband

to find the Lord. I used to be smoking.

Not anymore.

We're talking about salvation. What does salvation have to do

with smoking? In her heart, that was one of the

things that was the habit she wanted.

To get rid of.

How dwelleth the love of God in you? What is

it that God has saved you from? What is it

that God has done in your life? It might be

completely different from what someone else is experiencing. You know

the story of zach Caaus. The children know zach CAUs

that we little man. We say, he's a little short man.

His problem was he couldn't see over other people. So

he goes and climbs up a tree. He looks down

because he wanted to see Jesus who he was. Jesus

comes over and stops and says, Zachas, I'd like to

go to your house. Now go. And the people said,

you know what's this Jesus sitting down and talking with

a man that's a sinner. The people knew that this

man was crooked Jesus and zach Chaeas have conversation. They talk,

they understand what's going on. Pretty soon, Zachaeaz says something.

Zach Chaias says, oh, by the way, the Bible says

Zachaeus was a rich man.

He was very rich.

Zach Kaas says to Jesus, the half of my goods

I give to the poor. Who said anything about riches?

He knew, and he said, if I've taken anything unjustly,

if I have accused a man unjustly, I will restore

to him fourfold. I'd like to know what turns your

drank when you've been saved? What is it? And all

of a sudden somebody says, oh, yeah, you remember. You

know that has to do with appreciating our salvation. It's

not what saves us, it's what salvation does to us.

And we could discuss that little bit more. Sometimes we

have this discussion about faith and works, which comes first?

We go on and on. We have also something that

is known more of the lordship salvation. What do we

need first the lordship of Jesus Christ in our life

that we will be saved? Or is it that we

are saved and we believe in the lordship of Jesus Christ,

and we are his servant. He is our lord. Luke,

chapter seven, verse forty one. I'd like you to turn

to that, and will take just a little time to

read that. Luke, Chapter seven and verse forty one, again

a familiar passage before this. In verse thirty six, you

have the pharisee again, a pharisee with Jesus, and a

woman comes in and begins to wash his feet with

alabaster box appointment, weeping, began to wash his feet with tears,

and did wipe them with the hairs of her head,

kissed his feet and annoyed them. Pharisee said, if you'd

understand who it was, you wouldn't wouldn't accept that kind

of thing. Verse forty and Jesus, answering, said unto him, Simon,

I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, Master,

say On, I'm listening. There was a certain creditor which

had two debtors. The one owed five hundred pence and

the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay,

he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of

them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I

suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said,

unto him, thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to

the woman and said, unto Simon, seest thou this woman

I entered into thine house. Thou gavest me no water

for my feet, But she hath washed my feet with tears,

and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou

gavest me no kiss. But this woman, since the time

I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

My head with oil. Thou didst not annoint, But this

woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say

it to thee. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven.

For she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven,

the same loveth little. And he saith unto her. Thy

sins are forgiven. He that has been forgiven much, he

loves much. He that has only been forgiven a little

bit he loves little. I suppose that's right. Suppose or not?

I suppose that's the way it is. If you feel

that you have not been forgiven much, your love isn't

going to be as much. But when you experience some things,

the feelings are deep. Before I go further with some

of that, remember that people are different and emotions are different.

For me to look at you and say, you know,

I wonder if you really love the Lord like you

should do? I know you well enough. You ever go

to a funeral and you go out to the grave

and there stands someone who has lost a love but

maybe their mother, maybe their father, maybe their husband, maybe

their wife stand there just as staunch as could be.

Dope shed a tear. People look at him, say, you know,

he she doesn't show any emotion, So what are you

going to do? Cry your eyes out? Does that really

tell how much you loved? People are different, But how

do we express love?

Loving much?

I think there's some people who love so deeply they

can't hardly speak. Okay, we could say, anyone have a

testimony this morning? Everybody sits there must be that nobody

loves God enough. Hold on, I'm not going there. One

thing I would love. I would have loved to take

time just to have somebody in the audience a number

of people just stand up and give their testimony of

why they love the Lord, why they.

Love the Lord.

The Bible says we should be ready to give answer

to every man that asketh for a reason of the hope,

not an explanation of the theological expositions. Is simply ready

to give an answer of the hope that lies within

your heart. I'd like to take a little time and

look at the personal call to salvation. There's a need.

In Romans chapter three and verse twenty three, it says,

for all have sinned and come short of the glory

of God. Now you know that there are some people.

They can almost be a Christian without being a Christian,

you know what I mean. Their demeanor and their makeup

is just so tranquil and so easy going. It seems

that they could be a Christian without trying. Now what

Romans three, verse twenty three says, It just simply says it.

All everyone has sinned and comes short of the glory

of God. And that's the fact. Now, sometimes there are

people that find it easier in life than others. That

might be true, But sin is the same as far

as being of the sinful nature. Verse ten in Romans

chapter three says there is none righteous, no, not one.

If there's anyone that wants to speak of righteousness, they

need to speak of the righteousness of God. The righteousness

of God can be in the life of the believer,

and so if there are believers that want to speak

of the righteousness, it must be of the righteousness of

God within salvation. It must be that salvation is someone

who is convinced by their own conscience. Many of us

grew up in our culture of i'll use revival meetings,

and my personal opinion is that someone can be convicted

of sin without the preacher saying I see it, I

see it on him back there. I heard a minister

one time say I won't close the service yet, We'll

have another verse of song. No one responds, will close.

The meeting came to the end of the versus song

and the minister said this. He said that I see

that there's conviction, and he said, I don't feel right

in closing the service. Well, conviction is going to be

in your heart because you're convicted by the Holy Spirit,

not because you're convicted by a preacher. Okay, convicted by

the Holy Spirit. Jesus had the experience of a bunch

of people men bringing the lady and said, this lady

was found in adultery in the very act we've got

the proof, We've got the goods everything. She needs to

be stoned. Oh, Jesus says, well, he gets down. He

writes on the ground. Pretty soon, he says, he that

is without sin. Let him cast the first stone, writes

on the ground, gets to understands up and all the

men are gone. The lady's standing there. He said, were

your accusers? If you read that passage, it says they

went out one by one because they were convicted in

their own conscience. I don't know what Jesus wrote on

the ground. I don't know that. Some people say, you

start listing sins. I don't know, but I know that

the scripture tells us that they were convicted of their

own conscience. Another thing that's interesting to me is it

started with the oldest one and went to the youngest.

You know how we are when we're young, we think

we can hold out the old man. You know. They well,

he maybe saw their need and they started leaving first.

I'll tell you when it was all done. The young

boys saw their need too. I don't think they were boys.

I think they were young men. Doesn't matter on that age.

God will touch the conscience as to.

Where the need is.

Sometimes we say, well, I'll make things right eventually. Just

remember this. John six and verse forty four says that

no man can come to the Father, accept the Father,

draw my friend this morning. You can't come to God

unless God talks to you.

You just can't.

God talks to you first. That's why I just love

the thought of faith, that little tiny thing. Where did

it come from? God gave it to me. The gift

of faith, the ability to believe. Bless those that can't

understand enough to believe. The little handicaps and the one

man that looked at the handicap and looked at him

and said, but he's got a straight ticket to heaven

because he doesn't understand the choices. Or you say, well,

I'm not handicapped, Well you might not be, but I'll

tell you one thing. You won't come to the Lord

until he talks to you. No, you can't. You can't

just get some faith out of the air. And I

understand what's meant. But how do we pass on the

faith to the next generation? Ask God to do it

for you because you can't. You can't handle faith like that.

It's the blessing of God. We can help to develop,

we can help to instruct and teach. But God is

the one that draws us. Salvation is not by position

or learning. A man came to Jesus by night. You

know this one, John three, Nicodemus. Nicodemus comes to Jesus

by night, and he was a ruler, He was a pharisee.

He knew and he said, Jesus, tell me. He said,

we know that you're a man come from God, because

people don't just do these things. They're a prophet. Jesus said,

you must be born again. Nicodemus thinks for a while,

and they talk for a while, and he says, now

being born again, how is this that you become a

little baby in your mommy again? You're born? And Jesus said, no, no,

you need to be born from above. Later on, as

they keep on discussing, Jesus brings this up and he says,

are you a ruler in Israel and don't know this? Yeah.

Position doesn't necessarily say that you're going to know it.

Position does not say that you have it together. But

when you connect with the spirit of God and you

connect with a forgiveness of sins, you'll be understanding some

things about salvation. Right fast. It doesn't work in there,

and we can't explain it. Jesus said this. You know

the wind, it blows and it goes kind of wherever

it wants to. We can't see it. We can hear

the sound thereof, and we can see what happened, you.

Know the blind man.

How did that happen? Well, there was this man. He

spit on the ground. He puts some clay in my

eyes and he went down. I washed, and now I see.

Well you think that that was you think he's from God?

Man says, well, I know that we can't do it. Well,

tell us exactly how it was it. You know how

that works. So they talked to the parents how did

this work? And the parents said, go ask him. He

knows how it worked, finding the young man or the

blind man. He says, what exactly how it all worked?

I don't know, but one thing I know. Once I

was blind, now I can see good enough. How does

salvation work? I don't know, but I know what it

felt like. The next morning, after I received Jesus into

my heart, I went washed my face and looked in

the mirror and had to smile at myself. Not because

I was pretty, not because I was handsome, but as

I felt good. Okay, how did it happen? I'm not sure.

Where did the sins go?

I don't know.

I couldn't find him. Yeah, that's salvation. What stirs the conscience?

Was it the letter in the dust that stirred the

consciences of those men?

I don't know.

You know the story of Peter. Peter went and denied Jesus,

and Jesus said, tonight before the rooster crows, you're going

to deny me. Three times in the morning the rooster crow.

Peter went through that thing? Is that I don't know it? Hey,

you were with it? No, I wasn't Peter. You were

with him, It says he cursed, and he swore before God,

I will know this man. All of a sudden, the rooster.

What'd that have to do with it? Does it take

a rooster to crow to wake us up? Donkey turns around,

talks to bailim. I don't know. How about the policeman glare?

Is that what stirs conscience?

Is that what it takes.

There's some things you wouldn't do if the preacher stood

beside you, right, what if Jesus diod beside you? It

takes the carpenter's level to make things straight. Right, Just remember,

the good old plumb line is never going to change,

and you're gonna get stuck. So happens. I inherited my

father's plumb line.

He was a carpenter.

You can hang that thing there and when it stops,

it will be exactly straight. Let me say what you

want today they use a level. They bring out a level,

the carpenter's level. But that plumb line is going to

be straight. What's the plumb line today? We will look

at it from the scripture. But the scripture is the

plumb line. And God's laws will never change. The Law

of God, the truth of God's word does not change.

You can carry it in your pocket if you want to.

But if the law of God is not written upon

your heart, this little thing in the pocket won't do

any good. Because as we had this morning, we can

walk around it. The conscience, the holy spirit of God.

What takes place in salvation we're born again. It's the

change to become a part of the family of God.

The results are clearly felt and known. The blind man

said I was lost. I was blind, but now I

see the man who was prodigal son was referred to.

This morning. His father said, this is my son found

the lost, and now he's found. You can't argue with that.

The description of how it happens, I'm not sure do

we understand the word delivered. Colossians, chapter twelve and verse

seventeen says that we've been delivered set free. You know

the story of being ransomed. Jesus was sent for a

ransom for many. You have a book reading thing going on,

Take a little time and read Deliver the Ransom alone.

Story out of Central America. The man, the preacher is

kidnapped and the instructions are deliver the ransom alone. Ernesto

had to go back and take it. He had to

take the ransom back so his father could go free.

Jesus delivered the ransom alone. Why to save my soul?

When we were in belief, some of our friends were

kidnapped in Spanish lookout. They were gone for several days.

They came back. The men let them come back with

the understanding that they would pay the ransom. Friend of mine,

who is no longer living, he went home. When they

got home next morning, a young man, a young married man,

came to him and said what do you think? He said,

you know what I think. But he said, I can't

do it. He knew that the ransom had to he delivered,

but he said, I can't do it. I have my family.

The young man said, okay, turned around and walked down.

The young man took the money for the ransom, walked

to where he was going to go, and as he

was crossing the bridge, he saw a man in front

of him, and he turned around and he saw the

man behind him. He delivered the ransom, went home free.

It was a tough thing. My understanding is the young

man didn't tell his wife where he was going. He

had to cut the ties and be willing to die.

If that's what it took, Jesus was the ransom for

my soul so I can live in peace. It's not

just a matter that I don't want to go to Hell.

I don't want to go to Hell. I don't want

to suffer eternally. No, I don't, but you know, I'd

like to live in peace. And that's part of the ransom,

is that we can live in peace today a propitiation

for our sins and advocate. You know that the little

boy has something to do something to do out in

the dark. You know what he does. He comes back

and he says, dead, Can you go with me? Can

you understand that? And when you do something that is

wrong and you know that God Almighty is so angry,

and you go to the Lord Jesus and you say,

could you go with me? That's propitiation to be an advocate.

Sins are forgiven, they're taken away. How far are sins

taken away? Can you figure that?

One?

Do it with me? Psalm one hundred and three says,

as far as the east is from the west, can

tell me how far that is? Tell me how far

the north pole is from the south pole. You can

measure it. Measure the east pole from the west pole.

There isn't such a thing. They're gone forever. You can

go east until you're sick. You'll never reach west pole.

You can turn around and start going west if you

want to. As far as the east is from the west.

So God hath taken our sins away?

Remember no more.

Colossians one says that we're washed light versus darkness born

from above. What is the change in your life? I'm

not sure. Living in the lordship of Christ when Jesus

comes into our hearts. Now we have to start showing

that we really mean business God. This is what it's done,

This is how it affects me. I want to read

you a passage from first second Peter. If you'd like to,

you could turn there tewod Peter Chapter one. Simon Peter,

a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. To them

have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness

of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace

be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and

our and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine

power hath given us all things that pertain to life

and Godliness through the knowledge of Him that hath called

us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us

exceeding great and precious promises, that by these he might

be made might be partakers of the Divine nature, having

escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And besides this giving all diligence. Add to your faith,

virtue and to virtue, knowledge and to knowledge, temperance and

to temperance, patience and to patience, Godliness and to Godliness

brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these

things be in you and abound, they make you, that

ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge

of the Lord Jesus Christ. If these things are evident,

then there's going to be fruit in your life, and

people are going to know it. Verse nine. But he

that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off,

and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

He forgot he was saved. If this person is not

living in the fruit of God's spirit, these people are

not acting like they're saved, there's something wrong. We need

to remember that we're washed. If we would read the

Book of Jude. Jude told them that he was writing

to those Christians, and he said, you know, I want

to talk to you about salvation, but he said, there's

some other things I need to say, and I want

to just tell you earnestly contend for the faith and

be built up in Christ, be built up in the

knowledge of Jesus Christ. Grow, and then we have the

conclusion of Jude. You know, the benediction that we like

to say sometimes. Now him that is able to keep

you from falling, Take you and present you faulls before

the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy to the

only wise God, our Savior. Be glory, majesty, dominion, power,

both Now for amen, Jude said, that's what That's what

Jesus will do, contend for the faith. Don't just say, well,

God save me. I can do what I want.

No, you can't.

It's that that we want to do. Worship is important.

Singing together and saying how do you praise the Lord?

Is very important. But my friend, we need that fruit

in our life. Kindness, charity. What is the plumb line?

How do we side? You know what it says in

the Book of Acts. There were some people there. Look

at Peter and John said, they took knowledge of them.

They had been with Jesus. Oh, this man came out

of revival meetings. Now you know this guy. He came

from his little closet where he had worked with God,

and God made a difference in his life. If it

happened at revival meetings, blessings be. But it can happen

in your own little closet when you meet God, and

it makes a difference when you go out. What do

you do when you see this little plumb line? There

were some people in the Book of Jeremiah. They went

and pulled the scrolls out, and they went and read it.

And they looked at it, and they said, you know something,

we ought to tell the king that. So Barrett Jeremiah,

they go and tell the king. Here's what it says.

They started reading. That king listened about two stripes down there.

He said, okay, that's enough. It was called winter day,

fire is burning on the hearth. That's enough of that.

He read a little bit more, did it again, until

the scroll was all gone, What do you do with it? Well?

What me?

But me? Oh, what do we do with the plumb line?

What would do we do with the gospel? What would

what do we do with God's work? The plumb line

is going to be there. The law needs to be

written on our hearts, not in the law of God.

It's good that the policeman has the law. It's good

that Halsey Mennonite Church has rules and rigs. That's very important.

But unless the Law of God has written upon your heart,

those things they just bounce off. You said, well, I

know better than that. No, there's a reason for those things,

But that's not what controls our life. Living in the

lordship of Christ, learning to say what would es we

don't stop and ask the question. We're just conscious of that.

So here's a man. We see him in need. First John,

and you say that you love God and you see

a man in need. And he closeth up the bowels

of compassion within him, and he goes his way and says,

God bless you, but doesn't do anything. How dwelleth the

love of God in him? Compassion? You know the story

Matthew chapter eighteen. You should go to jail. You haven't

paid your debt. Please have mercy on me, have mercy

on me. Sure you're forgiving. And the man goes out

and he says his buddy, and he says, you owe me.

He said, well, have mercy on me. He grabbed him

by the throat and said, looky me, but everything you

owe me, you're going to jail. And he threw him

in jail. Jesus says, you know something. That man is

going to jail. He's condemned. If God has forgiven you,

can you have compassion? Can you and I have love?

Can we have forgiveness? What about the growth in our character. Honesty, integrity, respect,

Those are fruit of Christ in our heart. We do

not win Christ in our heart by doing these things.

We have Christ in our hearts that helps us to

do these things. If these things are not in you,

oh I forgot. I know. That's what Peter said. If

they're not in you, you forgot. We need to be

appreciative of our salvation and keep it always in mind

as we go about living in hope. How deep is

your commitment? How deep is mine? Lovest thou me? Jesus

said to Peter. Peter said, you know I love you.

Peter.

Feed my lambs, Peter, do you love me? Yes, Lord,

you know I love you.

Feed my sheep, Peter, Do you love me? Lord?

You know everything? You know? I love you, Jesus said,

feed my sheep. Then what does he do? What about him?

Jesus said, Peter.

He might have things to do, he might live a

long time, but you.

Have this.

This is God's call in your life, in my life.

On the scale of one to ten, how deep is

your love to God? My unbelieving neighbor could probably tell

me more about that than what I can tell myself,

because that's where that's the people who watch fruit so often.

I go about my work and I don't worry about

the fruit so much. And the next guy he looks

at he worries about fruit. Well, I do worry about fruit. Yeah,

what is the measurement to be used? Ask someone to

help you, Ask the Lord to show you developing your

Christian life. Appreciate what God has done for you. What

have you been saved from? Does it take a real

rough life to really appreciate salvation? Now, a heart that's

turned to God can appreciate salvation even though you weren't

in the depths of sin. But if you were in

the depths of sin, he can just love a little bit.

If they've suffered an accident, they understand just a little

bit more. Someone walks up to someone else and they say,

I know exactly what you're going through in my heart.

I say, no, you don't. Sorry, I know you can

understand a little bit more, but you can't understand everything.

I am me.

I have to walk that road. Jesus paid the ransom

he gave forgiveness. He set me free. God bless you

this morning.