Have You been Converted

         We hear a lot  about being converted now days just exactly what is conversion? A Bible dictionary says this; a turning which may be literal or figurative, ethnical or religious, either from God or more frequently, to God. It implies a turning from and a turning to something, and is therefore associated with repentance. (Acts 3:19) "REPENT YE THEREFORE AND BE CONVERTED THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT". Yes friends it has two sides. On the negative side it is a turning from sin, and on the positive side it is a faith in Christ, although it is an act of man, it is done by the power of God (John 6:44) say, ”NO MAN CAN COME TO ME, EXCEPT THE FATHER WHICH HATH SENT ME DRAWS HIM".

         Let’s take a look at these two elements that are important to the act of conversion. First, a person needs to repent, God says we must repent of our sins. Repenting means to turn away from your sins, change from the way you are headed in a life of sin, and start seeking after the things of God. Friends this is the first step of conversion. If we are to do the first step we must have the second step as part of our lives, which is faith, God says we must have faith without it, we can not please Him. When faith is put with repentance the results is conversion you see friends our faith in God’s Word will bring us new life in Christ Jesus. Halluah.

         Friends these two elements are very important to a Christian so I think we need to take a little better look at them.

         The first elements of conversion we want to consider in order to understand faith is that of repentance. God said we must repent of our sins, to repent means to turn from one way of living and direct your ways in another. All through the Old Testament we are told to repent of sin. This is very important to God. God is a Holy God  thus being Holy, he can not stand sin. If we want to be united with God we must take the first step in conversion and repent, because sin keeps us apart from God. Now in the New Testament we still have repentance. Jesus tells us through His Word, that we must repent to be born again we as people we are the ones which do the repenting but God is the one who draws us ( by the Holy Spirit) to know our sins without repentance, means there is no remission of sin. Next we want to look at the second elements of conversion.

         :"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". This is what the Bible teaches faith is God also says without faith it is impossible to please God. God says if man has enough faith so as to move mountains, and have not repentance iit is of no value to anyone. To God the most important thing we possess is “faith”. Faith like repentance is something we have, but it is also something that comes from God. Without God we would have no faith, without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that He rewards them that diligently seek Him, (Heb 11:6) if we are lacking in faith we are to look to Jesus Christ because He is the author and finisher of our faith.

         A Sunday school teacher asked one of the young boys in class to give a definition of faith, the young man thought a while and finally replied that faith is believing what you know is not true. Friends we know that this is opposite of the faith for a believer. So if you find your self weak in faith have a little talk with Jesus who will add to your faith. As we have already seen faith, real your faith is action. Putting to work what you know

         If you have faith that God answers prayer and you never pray, your faith won’t do you much good. You must put your faith to work. If you have faith that God will save your soul from hell and you never put faith to work through repentance, then your faith would be in vain. You must put your faith to work.

         A Man’s life is governed by what he believes and in what he has faith in. His religion is determined by the object in which he places his faith. Yes, faith is about the most important thing for a Christian to have. Everybody that was healed in the Bible was healed because of Faith.

         The most important elements of faith which the Bible declares is that we are saved by faith ( Acts 16:31; Rom 5:1,9,30,32; and Eph 2:8). To a Christian these are the greatest verses in the Bible, because these are the scriptures which form the basis for our salvation. We are enriched with the Spirit by faith, and healed by faith kept by faith, established by faith, and sanctified by faith. Yes, when we as Christians are looking at faith, we find our only reason as Christian to exist is through our faith in God and His Word. Everything we do should be by faith. Our every need, desire, hope, or blessing comes to us through our faith in God. Our faith is very important to God. Without it, we couldn’t get God to work in our lives, because all we do as Christians is done by faith that God is going to work for us. That is how we pray, believing in faith that God is going to give us what we ask of Him. Our love, joy, peace, and all our happiness comes from God. According to God’s Word the reason God doesn’t always answer our prayers is because we don’t believe that He is going to give us what we ask of Him. (James 1:6,7) BUT LET HIM ASK IN FAITH, NOTHING WAVERING. FOR HE THAT WAVERETH IS LIKE A WAVE OF THE SEA DRIVEN WITH THE WIND AND TOSSED.

         FOR LET NOT THAT MAN THINK THAT HE SHALL RECEIVE ANYTHING OF THE LORD.

         Now we need to understand some words that are connected with faith, such as “believe”

illus  Are you a true believer? What is a true believer? There are doubtless as many answers to this question as there are people in the world. You could be a believer in an airplane or TV, or electricity, but that is not the kind of believer I am talking about, of course to find the answers to this we as believers would not even think of looking anywhere other than in the Bible for this answer, only the Bible can give correct and complete answers to our spiritual question First friends I want you to know that it is possible for a person to be true believer, because I am one, and all my friends are one and many of you that are reading this message are true believers. This word implies “commit” and “surrender”,so faith is commitment. Belief also involves the intellect. Desire involves the emotion. Commitment involves the will. Now we find faith is what we know, how we feel, and what we do about Jesus Christ. Thus faith becomes action, and the action is faith seen in our commitment.

         Now we find some people have great emotion when they are converted. Some cry, some laugh, and some don’t show any emotion. Conversion is sometimes quite and tender, sometimes uprooting, or rearranging of the life under great emotional status.

         Faith  also has an element such as the act of a person will. To the person who cries and the one who laughs upon conversion, it is all void unless there is an act of the will. A person must act and accept and make a commitment before this conversion can or will take place. A person must act in accepting God’s Son as their Savior and then make a commitment to do God’s will. Now we have looked at some of the elements in faith, emotions, commitment, and the act of a person’s will.

         Now we need to look at the source of faith. It can be broken down into two parts. First, we will look at the divine side. In the book of Hebrews we find that Jesus is the author and perfects our faith. Our faith is a gift of God, given by His sovereign will. Next we see the human side of faith. Faith can only come be the Word of God. Take away God’s Word and the Bible says in (Rom 10:17). There would be no faith in God. There is one thing about our faith; it is not a fixed amount. We find the disciples asking Jesus to increase their faith. I believe as we pray, read, and Study God’s Word, our faith will increase.

         The last thing we will take up is the end result of Faith. This is what salvation is based on, our faith.

Do you have faith? Will you exercise your faith now, by following Jesus Christ? Your faith will be the essences of your relationship to Him. Your faith will be the best education you ever received. Friends faith obeys the call. Faith considers life here as temporal. Faith looks upward to heaven. Can it be said of you as it was of Abraham, that you believed God and it was counted to you for righteousness. Are you going to obey the call of God on your life. Do you consider that your stay here on earth is nothing besides a short journey. Does your faith look beyond this life to a home in heaven, the city of God. If so then put you faith to work, and you to can say that you are justified, sanctified, and have become the adopted child of God, through your faith. And lastly we will have good work for Jesus as we walk a Spirit-filled life. All this begins with God dealing with our hearts. Friends we are saved by Faith.

         Friends (Eph 2:10) tells us that “we are His workmanship creation in Christ Jesus. Friends we who are saved are the product of God’s marvelous grace. We are not what we are because of works, it is no labor or merit on our part. We are the workmanship of God, we are the product of God’s work. Today thousand of preachers are substituting education for regeneration; religion for repentance; works for God wonderful grace; but “except a man be born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The natural man must be created in Christ Jesus, there by becoming a new creation. Friends this happens by the provision and the operation of the grace of our God.

         The first man (Adam) because a dead sinner because of disobedience. The second Adam (Christ Jesus) became flesh, and in the flesh did what the first Adam failed to do. He conquered the world, the flesh and the devil death, hell and the grave. Therefore “if any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature,” ( II Cor 5:17) A person who is truly born of the spirit regenerated by power of God, saved by the grace of God is the Master piece of all Gods creative Acts.

         Friends salvation isn’t of works, but salvation is unto good works. By our good works we prove to ourselves and to our fellowman that we are saved. A blood bought born-again child of the king. 

Friends if you have never been born again come to Jesus today. Come to Him the way you are He will accept you the way you are. He will create in you a new heart and a new desire to live that new life. Friends He in the Messiah do you want to meet Him today.

 

 
HOME  PAGE  

SERMONS

 
 
   
HOME  PAGE   SERMONS