• Causes of an acceptable church

  • Faith, foundation of service

    • Hebrews 1:6; Romans 5:1; John 8:24; Romans 10:17

    • II Peter 1:5-11

  • Love, the motivation for service

    • Matthew 22:37-39

    • I Corinthians 13:1-8

    • I John 4:1-5:1 – This love for God is what motivates us to worship Him.

  • Hope, the inspiration of service

    • Romans 8:24; 5:5; 12:12; Hebrews 6:19

• Effects of an acceptable church

  • People who follow Christ

    • I Corinthians 11:1

    • Luke 6:46

    • Matthew 7:21

    • Matthew 15:9

  • People who are examples to others

    • I Thessalonians 1:6-7

    • Matthew 5:16 – How concerned am I about being a good example?

  • People who sound forth the word of God

• This is what is takes to make an acceptable church anywhere.

• Deuteronomy 10:12

• Mark 10:45

• Allegorical

  • Metaphor using known term for broader message

  • Price of releasing someone

    • From punishment or obligation

    • From being captive

  • Must be careful

    • Understand the broader message

    • Take care not to exceed the message

  • Other terms used

    • Redeemed

    • Debt cancelled

    • Purchased/bought

    • Reconciled

  • Included: Jesus died on the cross for us

    • It has lessons for our learning

    • It has great meaning for us.

  • Not included:

    • Who kidnapped us?

    • To whom was the ransom paid?

• Ransom was part of the law of Moses

  • Exodus 21:28-30 is an example

  • Ransom paid to save from capital punishment

  • Amount agreed upon at conviction

  • Other examples

    • Ransom of firstborn in Numbers 3

    • Psalms 49:5-9, 15

• Nature of ransom

  • Measure of perceived worth or ability to pay

  • Sometimes fixed or formulated amount

  • Often negotiated

• All of us are under similar condemnation

  • Romans 3:23; 6:23

• Ransom can remove our sentence of death

  • Just as in the law of Moses

  • Jesus is the ransom – I Timothy 2:1-6

  • That ransom frees us from sentence of death

• Our ransom set by God

• No negotiating

• Ability and willingness to pay

• Establishes what we are worth to God

  • What is your soul worth? Mark 8:34-36

  • Jesus’ temptation – Matthew 4:8-10

  • The price God paid for us – Mark 10:45

  • WHY?

• What are we to God?

  • His creation – Genesis 1:26-27

    • He made us

    • We are made in His image

    • All that He made, He gave to us – I Corinthians 3:21-23

  • Combined work of the Godhead – Genesis 1:26

  • We are loved of God

    • Love so great as to offer His Sin for us

    • Ephesians 5:1-2

  • We are desired to be friends – John 15:12-13

• God’s love for us runs deep

  • Blesses the just and the unjust – Matthew 5:44-45

  • Deeply desires to ransom us – Isaiah 30:18; Romans 5:8

• How is His ransom received?

  • Hear God’s Word – Romans 10:17

  • Believe His Word – John 20:30-31

  • Repent of sin – II Corinthians 7:10

  • Confess faith in Christ – Matthew 10:29-33

  • Be baptized into Christ – Romans 6:3-4

  • Walk the new life in Christ – Matthew 28:19-20

• II Peter 1:1-7

• II Peter 1:4

  • “partakers of the divine nature”
    • See Galatians 4:19
  • “escape”
    • God provides a means of escape for us.
  • “corruption”
    • See Romans 8:21

• II Peter 1:5

  • “diligence”
    • Work to grow towards God like a tree growing roots toward water. Jeremiah 12:5
  • “virtue”
    • Compare II Peter 2:9; Philippians 4:8. Virtue is also translated “moral excellence.”
  • “knowledge”
    • See II Peter 1:3; Romans 1:28; 11:33; I Corinthians 8:1; II Corinthians 10:4

• Sources of boldness, continued:

Philippians 1:12-21

See II Corinthians 11:23. Inspiration to boldly speak the gospel can be drawn from the examples of others. From the confident expectation (hope) that Christ will be exalted, further promoted, further spread, in whatever circumstances I face.

I Thessalonians 2:3-13

Being focused on pleasing God rather than men. Loving other people

Romans 1:11-17

See Romans 3:24. Realizing the gospel is important. Acts 18:24-28 – Apollos was fervent in his teaching.

• Boldness and accuracy

  • Boldness alone results in false teaching.

  • Accuracy alone is not fully effective. It is unconvincing because it shows lack of faith.

  • Both boldness and accuracy are needed for effective teaching.