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Sunday, March 31, 2019

Pondering Over A Sermon

Last night I listened to Costi Hinn,
The strange nephew of Benny Hinn.
Benny Hinn, a filthy rich heretic,
Costi Hinn moved away, not a lunatic.
Surely, the riches of Christ unfurled
Surpass the pleasures of the world!

 Oh, what a great sermon!
Oh, what a conviction!
Preaching with authority
From the word of God accurately;
Faithfulness of an under-shepherd,
Not worldly-success must be our effort!

50 years of Macarthur shield
Resonating never to yield
To the call of worldly pleasure,
For indeed we have a greater treasure
Of God to dispense relentlessly,
That’s the real pleasure endlessly.

Attitude of a shepherd in the morn
Could be a horn or a thorn,
Rewards or Judgment from the Lord.
Distraction and laziness we can’t afford!
Shouldn’t the first hour of the day
We delight to devote our time to pray?

Indeed, Twitter, WhatsApp, news,
On the phone, we are to refuse.
The true condition of the flock
Only known when to God we talk.
May the Lord in the morn be our priority!
Would that be your unwavering integrity?

-         S. R. Senxer (March 29, 2019)

Monday, March 25, 2019

A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel – Part 3.


24th March 2019 Sunday Worship Service
10:30-12:00 AM, Grace Derabassi Church
Text: John 1: 14
Title: A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel – Part 3.

If you bring your Bible, would you turn your Bible to the book of Gospel John, chapter 1 verse 14? If you do not have a Bible would you just raise your hand and receive it from the usher? We are continuing our series on “A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel” from John 1:10-14, which we have started 2 Sundays ago.
I have uploaded those sermon notes on the blog for you to look up again. Actually, I uploaded on the blog because some people were asking me to record my sermon and give to them. We do not have volunteers or the technology to be recording and editing the sermons, so I have decided to upload just the notes for them to read. It usually took me 40-45 minutes to preach, because I cannot speak fast because my pronunciation and enunciation often go horrible if I speak more than 70 words per minutes.
The fastest speaker I have ever listened to is Albert Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He speaks 173 words per minutes. One of the slowest preachers I have ever heard is John Piper, the founder of DesiringGod.org. He speaks 60-70 words per minutes. John MacArthur, founder of gty.org speaks 140 words per minute. And my former pastor Sammy Williams of Cornerstone Community Church Goa speaks 120 words per minutes. What I mean by this analysis is that though I speak 40-45 minutes here, reading the sermon on the blog will take you quite less of time, maybe 20-25 minutes only. What to do! I neither was born nor grew up in America or England. So take time to read the blog posts. The blog address is senxer.blogspot.com.
I want to tell you again that the message of John is for us to believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the son of God who came into the world to save sinners, and by believing we may have life in Him (John 20:31). The book of John is interesting. It recorded the 7“I am” statements of Christ, declaring himself the eternal God; it recorded 7 miracles/sign of Christ to prove that He is God, and also it recorded the 7 witnesses of Christ, declaring that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, the giver of eternal life. The number 7 is important because it is the symbol of perfection; for God created the heaven and the earth, and everything on it and rested on the 7th day.
The context of our passage is the account of one of the seven witnesses of Christ. Look at verse 6-7. John 1:6-7 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.This man is not the John who wrote this Gospel, but the John who baptized Jesus at Jordan River, known to us as John the Baptist.
Then, Apostle John quickly drew us back to the main topic in v8, which he has begun from verse 1, and talk about the eternal God. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
And by the time we reached to today’s verse, he said that Jesus is not only the eternal God, but that He is God in flesh. That the eternal God chose to become man to reveal who He is to the world. Last 2 Sundays we have seen from verse 10-11, how the Jews and the world respond to this coming of eternal God in the form of man. They rejected Him by ignoring Him. The indictment John used was “they did not know him,” and the first implication we have learned from this is that a Genuine Christian’s response to the Gospel is to Know the Jesus Christ of the Gospel.
And in verse 12-13 we see the response of another group, they received Christ and therefore He gave them the right to become the children of God. The second implication we have learned from this is that a Genuine Christian’s response to the Gospel is To Believe the Jesus Christ of the Gospel. Today, we want to study verse 14 and get the implication of how a genuine Christian Response to the Gospel, and that is, A Genuine Christian Lives Christ. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

3.     Live Christ (14) (why and how)
We are not only to Know Christ, and to Believe Christ, we must also Live Christ. Because 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, the eternal God in the form of a child was born conceived by the Spirit for our spiritual birth and He lived for our life and died our death, that we might live for Him and die for Him. Listen to Paul, Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
In verse 14, John unfolds his theology. This is one of the most profound verses in the whole Bible. This is the cornerstone of Christianity: “God becoming Man.” This is the verse of which theologians call Incarnation, from a Latin word Incarnate, which simply mean “in flesh.” The doctrine of incarnation means ‘God in Flesh.’ Jesus is not a man that became God at the age of 30. Jesus is not a man that attained the status of deity. Jesus even at His infancy even before He was born, in the womb of Mary is God. Jesus is God in human flesh. That’s what this verse is talking about.
“The Word became flesh,” Jesus did not descend into the earth like a superman, He was born like all of us. He lived like all of us. He is a man like any one of us. That’s what it means by ‘becoming flesh.’ And John recorded further, “and dwelt among us,” he said Jesus is not only just like anyone of us in His humanity, But He also was not secluded. He was not born and brought up in a secret place, where nobody sees. He lived his life among them. Jesus is a historical man, not mythology, nor a legend. He is a historical figure.
And John used a personal plural pronoun “us”. By that what he meant to say is, I know him, I have seen Him, I have lived with me, not just me, but many of us who are still alive, just go and ask the other guys! Btw, that’s how he introduced his letter in 1John 1:1 ​That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life–”
But then John says, “and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,” what he meant to say is this: Jesus is a man like any one of us, a real human, truly man; but He is not just a man, He is more, He has the Glory of God. And there is an adverb of comparison “as,” compared to God the Father, meaning He is God too. That’s the humanity and divinity of Christ. Jesus is truly man and truly God. Truly man to represent Man before God; truly God to bring Salvation.
          And then, John used an attributive adjective, “full” of what? “Grace and truth.” God becoming Man is not to damn us, is not to judge us, is not to punish us. That is not He. He is full of grace and truth! How many of us do not want grace? What is grace? Grace is something given when we don’t deserve it. Man doesn’t deserve to be loved. We do not deserve a second chance. We cannot become children of God, but because of His Grace, we become when we believe in His name – the person and His works to accomplish our Salvation.
And this grace is an effectual grace. It is not a partial grace, it is “full;” it is not a limited grace, it is “full.” It can forgive all your sins of all time! It can forgive all the sins of all people of all times. Christ grace is greater than anything you can ever think or imagine of. I am a great sinner, but Christ is a greater Saviour, says Charles Spurgeon.
Now let’s briefly find two incarnational implications that tell us how to Live Christ. Firstly and quickly, we must live as Righteous Children of God
a.     Christ become man to make you son (atonement – man’s sin – God’s wrath)
As John succinctly said in v12, we become the children of God when we believe in His name. What does the Bible tell who we are? We often say, all of us are the children of God, we must respect one another; we all are children of God, we must not tolerate racism, caste, and discrimination. Well, that’s a noble confession, but theologically deficient at best and erroneous at worst. Look at who we are in 1John 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
Not all are children of God. In fact, all of us were children of wrath. Eph 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” And that’s why we v12 of John 1 says, we become. Jesus made us become the Children of God because He has become the man of wrath.
Well, all of us are children of God, and all of us are brother in sister, no matter of color, community, or creeds in a sense that all of us are created by God. Just like Abdul Kalam is known as the father of India’s missile program, or just as Charles Babbage is known as the father of Computer. But there is a distinction spiritually, either we are the children of Adam or children of God.
Jesus became the son of man for us to become the children of God. He came down that we might go up, He became poor that we might become rich. Look at 2Cor 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” He died that we might live. He was bruised that we might be wholesome.
Should we not live like the Children of God? Should we not live like the children of light? Are we not the children of righteousness? How do we become like that? It is the work of God through Christ. 2Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He was not a sinner but God treated him like a sinner. Likewise, you are not righteous, but God treats you as righteous when you identified your death and life in Christ through faith.  Christ bore the wrath of God which was mine!
By the way that’s theologically known as “propitiation,” 1John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God’s anger is satisfied. The demand for the justice of God is satisfied. Jesus death is not a sacrifice to sin or to Satan. It’s to the Father.
Once I heard somebody saying of a criminal, I would be satisfied only if cut him into pieces. That’s likely the picture here. The full wrath of God against sin is unleashed. And Christ bore it all. He could bore it all because He is an infinite God. The preciousness and righteousness, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ is far, far greater than all the sins of the world at all time. Cross is where the Justice of God is shown the brightest because He did not even spare His own Son when he decided to bear the sins of the world; it is also where the Grace and Mercy of God is shown brightest because He forgives the vile sinners and declares them righteous in Christ.
So what must we do? Live as righteous children of God, not as children of the devil. Repent from sins. Start doing right! Come confidently before God knowing He has forgiven your sins! 1Cor 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.1Cor 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
b.    Christ lived victoriously (to fulfill and to identify with us)
Secondly and lastly, the incarnation teaches us to live victoriously. Have you ever wondered why Christ lived for 33 years, why did he not just come from heaven and die within 1 day? He lived to fulfill all the requirement of the law. Matt 3:15 “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” He lived for us to follow – a righteous, blameless and holy – that’s Christian calling. Eph. 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” 2Tim. 1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” Titus 2:12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
Christ lived a perfect, righteous life, His righteousness is credited to all who would believe in Him. He has lived the life that we could not live. We live righteously, in holiness and in purity, not for our Salvation, but because of our Salvation. That’s the evidence of Salvation. If you are truly saved, you will live as children of righteousness. You will repent of your sins, and you will overcome sins. We can overcome sins because He has gone through all temptations and difficulties of the world. And He said, “I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And a genuine Christian has truly overcome the world and sins too. 1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 1John 2:13 I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.
How does one overcome the world and the sins? Because we are now posse non pecarre. That’s a theological jargon about the nature of man. A Latin phrase to mean “able not to sin.’ Adam the first man was posse peccare and posse non pecarre; able to sin, and able not to sin. After the fall of Adam, the nature of man is non posse non pecarre, not able not to sin. We can’t stop falling into sin. And btw, Jesus is non posse pecarre, not able to sin. I am throwing these Latin phrases to drive into your head and heart, that because we are a new man in Christ we can choose to stop sinning. Just stop sinning! 1John 2:14 I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” 1John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Do you overcome sins and temptations? Do you just go along the sins and the trends of the world? God is faithful! He always provides a way out from temptation. 1Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
The incarnation teaches us to live as righteous children of God and to live victoriously with confidence to appear before God. Jesus is our Captain who has gone before us. He has given us hope to live in this world because He lives (John 14:19). And we have peace because He has overcome the world. Should we not live confidently?
S. Baring-Gould wrote this great hymn:
1 Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle, see his banner go!
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!
2 At the sign of triumph, Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise!

Shall we pray?

Lord, we thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ for us. We thank You for saving us. We thank You for making us righteous. And therefore now, we come before You clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, our Lord, even as we have nailed our sins upon that cross where He died. Thank You, Lord, for receiving us as your children.
Just as You have redeemed us to be pure, holy, and blameless before You and the world, Oh! Lord, help us to overcome every day’s temptation and trials of life – the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Lord may whatever we eat or drink or anything and everything we do be in the consciousness of Your justice, mercy, and grace, and Your holiness, Lord. We know Lord this is Your will, and therefore we all say, Amen!

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel – Part 2.


17th March 2019 Sunday Worship Service
10:30-12:30 AM, Grace Derabassi Church
Text: John 1: 12-13
Title: A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel – Part 2.

Would you turn your bible to John1:12-14? We are continuing our series on “A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel” from John 1:10-14, which we have started last Sunday. Apostle John presented Jesus in his book as the Son of God, the giver of eternal life. His main purpose in writing this book is for the reader to believe in Christ. John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Everybody will die one day but will be resurrected again on the Judgement Day of Christ. Some will be raised to eternal life, where there will be no more sin, no more pain, no more sorrows, and no more evils. Some will be raised to eternal death, which means separation from God to a place where they will bear the wrath of God for eternity. Gospel John is written that we may have eternal life. Are you not tired of sins in your life? We kept on doing what we don’t want to do, and we don’t do what we want to do. We are bound to sin and live a miserable life. Eternal life in Christ is a sinless, blameless, and faultless life; a life of holiness, purity, and righteousness; a life of joyfulness and true worship!
Eternal life is offered to all in Christ, and you have to receive it. If you have this eternal life through Christ, you are a genuine Christian. Therefore, it is how we respond to this offer. Our response should not be the rejection of the message of the Gospel like the Jews and the rest of the world written in verses 10-11. They ignored the truth, they opposed the truth. And Apostle John described them in a very sad way, “they did not know Him.” That’s the indictment! And what we learn from that is TO KNOW CHRIST. Who is Christ? Last time we talk from verses 10-11 that He is the Creator, Sustainer of Universe and everything in it. He is the God who revealed Himself to the world in the best possible way by coming to the world as a man to bear the sins of the world.
And then in verse 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name He is the Author of Salvation. He is the One that births Christian. He is the cause of Christian, the source and the perfector, the security and the guarantee of Christian! So, the question we want to ask ourselves now is what do we do with this person Jesus Christ? Our responsibility is not only to Know Christ but we must Believe Him.

2. Believe Christ (12-13) (how?)
One cannot only know Christ. It doesn’t do any good. Knowing is the intellectual aspect. Believing is the volitional aspect. You must commit yourself to Him. You must put your trust in Christ. Verse 12-13.But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Apostle John describes Christian in four different words; those who have received Christ, those who believe in the person and work of Christ, those who are born of God, and children of God. The first two descriptions show the Responsibility of man, and the last two show the Sovereign work of God. And in v13, he strongly asserts how one is not saved, how one does not become a Christian.

i.                   Your responsibility
While verse 10-11 is between Christ and the world, and the response is a Rejection of Christ; verse 12-13 is between Christ and Christian, and the response is a Reception of Christ. Verse 12 begins with a contrasting word “but,” and that makes all the difference.  And here is the blessed contrast. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” The world rejects Christ, but anyone in this world, irrespective of geography, skin color, language, culture, tribes, or communities, whoever receives Jesus Christ becomes a child of God – a Christian.
See! Christ did not come into the world to condemn us (John 3:16-20). He did not even come to ask us to do something. He just came to save us. He is a loving saving God. Our response is just to receive. How do we receive Christ? (He is back in Heaven now.) Obviously, not as we receive a material object, that we can touch, see and feel it. ESV and NIV help us to understand this verse better. They translated in this way, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” To receive Him is to believe Him. Believing Him demonstrates reception of Christ.
This belief is “in His name” – in the person and His work - what He has done for you for your salvation. The name Jesus means, Saviour, Matthew 1:21 “He shall save His people from their sins!” The name Christ means “anointed one” to deliver sinners from the wrath of God. It is believing that Jesus came to save sinners. The Scripture is consistent throughout the Bible.
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Acts 4:12 “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 5:7-8 “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 “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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
See! Numbers of Scripture says what to believe, why to believe, and how to believe. Again, 1 Pet 1:8-9 “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
By the way, many people used to say, “Do not judge someone’s faith. It is by one’s faith that one is saved!” That’s a lie from the pit of hell! You are not saved by your faith, (the subjective faith); you are save by the object of your faith. Let’s take for an illustration. Suppose, someone keeps poison in a Coca-Cola bottle, and you come along and drink that thinking and believing sincerely that it is a Coke, would that sincere faith saves you? No! No matter whether your faith is sincere or not; you are dead if you drink it. You see, it is the object that matters. You need to believe in the Biblical Christ, not the Christ of your imagination or your ideas!
How wonderful is that we are saved when we just believe in Him! That’s the difference between Christianity and all other religions. Other religions teach man to do good works to get into heaven. Bible says, No! You can never enter heaven by any good works. You enter heaven, not because of any good works done by you, the good, perfect, righteous work done by Christ. 2 Timothy 1:9 “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Believing is trusting. Based on your trust you enjoy. Doubt is not “believing” How many of you doubted that those chairs could support you before you sat on it? You didn’t! You just sat on it. That’s how you must trust Christ for your Salvation! I am telling you, those chairs will be broken someday, but Christ will never be moved. He says in John 10:28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
And the Bible says even Belief, Faith is, in fact, a gift (Eph.2:8-9). Also 2 pet 1:1. “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.We can’t even believe it. God must give us that faith to believe. And that is the reason why though many of us “believe” the Gospel but are not saved. True Faith or Saving Faith comes from God. Do you have saving Faith? And this reality leads us to the Sovereignty of God in Salvation.

ii.                God’s Sovereignty
Ephesians 2:1 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,Ephesians 2:5even when we were dead in trespasses.” The Bible diagnoses us that we are dead people. Can a dead man believe? No man seeks God (Rom 3:11). Scripture says natural man is hostile to the spiritual thing. Can a natural man believe? Thus Salvation is of God alone. That’s what it means when verse 12 says, He gave the right to become children of God.” It is God that made one a Christian.

a.     How one does not get saved
Last Sunday I mentioned about four common misconceptions about becoming a Christian: Some people think they are Christian because they grow up in a Christian family. And some people do not care because they think they are going to heaven because God should be good enough to let them in. There are other groups of people who think they can become Christian sometime later. And unfortunately, there are also people who think God is responsible for all our sins and destiny to hell
This magnificent verse 13 refutes all such thoughts and arguments in verse v.12-13.But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Apostle John describes who Christian really is and how one becomes. He refutes the common misconception of most of the professing Christians. No one is Christian by birth, he must become – become by spiritual birth. You were not, you are not, the text says you must “become.” As Christ said to Nicodemus in Jn 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” A Christian is he who is born of God by the Spirit.

And then the text says, “not of blood.” Christian is not a birthright. Sin is (Ps 51:5). You may have born to a godliest family in a godliest church in a godliest society, but, you are not a Christian – not of blood. By the way, friends, God is really good, better than you have or can ever imagine. But, that is why He would not let sinner enter heaven. Even the Justice of this world punish the criminals, God the Justice of Universe has to punish sinner much more. The only way to heaven is to believe that Christ received your punishment, and you receive the garment of His righteousness to cover yourself before the throne of God!
For those of you who blame God for sins and evils, and hell. John 3:17 says, you shall die in your sins. For Christ came to the world not to damn you but to save you. Yet you love sins and darkness and therefore shall die in darkness!
And then the text further says, “nor of the will of the flesh.” You cannot convert yourself. You cannot make yourself Christian. There are some people who say, “I’ll become Christian next year.” You cannot; “nor of the will of the flesh!” It’s not your ability. Can dead man decide to spring up from the grave? Does a dead man havewill?”
And then the text further says, refuting all arguments, nor of the will of man.” Not even other can make you Christian. No man can convert you, nor can anyone decide for you. I cannot pronounce you a Christian. Your pastor cannot make you Christian. Then how does one become a Christian? The text says, “born but of God.” You must be born of God. It’s a passive voice. Somebody, God must birth you.
That’s the reason why Christian must obey the Scripture when it says you must not marry a non-Christian. Some people have a very brilliant idea that they can convert their spouse. This idea is from the pit of hell. You cannot convert anyone. Conversion is the Holy Spirit’s Job. Your job is to obey. No compromise! Period. Don’t try to have a better idea than God your creator.
b.    How one gets saved
Then we may ask, how do I believe then? Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” It is through Hearing the true Biblical Jesus from the Bible or Biblical preaching. It is Hearing the gospel. When you are hearing the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works in your heart, mind, and soul. That’s why we need gospel preaching. Gospel is the only means to salvation (Romans 1:16-17). Without hearing the Gospel, nobody is saved! And that’s why God has started the work for your Salvation from before you were born! He sent His Son to the Cross. Jesus sent His Apostle to the ends of the Earth. And today we are hearing the Gospel again. This is how saving faith, true belief is received from the gospel.
When we believe, God has “given” us the right. We do not earn, we just receive what is given. God offers to all. He continues to offer us till today. Will you receive Him? Will you commit yourself and trust the Lord saying, Lord, I believe you have died for a wretched sinner like me. Thank you for saving me! Thank you for making me your own now! I am crucified with Christ in the Cross. All my sins of past, present, and even my future sins are all crucified in the cross! I am free. I am forgiven! I have become the child of God. If you confess that with your mouth and believe in your heart, my friend, you are a born-again Christian, you are a genuine Christian. Is not that simple? I plead you to receive Christ! Apostle Paul says, “Behold now is the favorable time; Behold now is the day of Salvation!” Would you believe in Jesus, the Christ?
Hymn writer Augustus Toplady writes:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

Shall we pray?
Lord, we thank you for this glorious truth you have given us through your servant John! You the eternal God came to this world to save wretched sinners that we may become the children of God. The world did not know you, nor do they know the privilege we have in you. Lord, I pray you to grant repentance and faith to my brothers and sister here through the hearing of the gospel today, that they may be saved and receive eternal life. For we cannot convert anyone nor ourselves to you. For Lord Salvation belongs to you. Glory and Honor belong to you forever and ever.
Oh! Lord, we rejoice in this truth that you have justified us when we believe in you. Oh! That we are your children, who can snatch us from your eternal love, care, and blessings. Oh! Now that we are covered by the garments of Christ’s righteousness, as our filthy sinful rags are nailed to the cross, we have this confidence to approach you as Father and receive all the spiritual blessing that you have poured out on us! even then, Lord, we pray you again, that you will help us to live worthy of your Gospel, for your fame and glory and honor we pray, Amen!