Where do we stand – Today ? Author: Praveen Raj Kumar. Y Date: 18/01/2012 Place: Houthalen, Belgium Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? God’s amazing grace & mercy has been with each and every one of us. Thanks to the almighty for he has been such a loving father to every one. Remember this verse, every now & then: Lamentations 3:22  “Because of Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Today we are going discuss about the following points: Creation of the world & mankind How we were created? Special Features…. What was the relationship between God & Man? What happened to that relationship later? What is our relationship with God, today? Where do we stand – Today? Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Creation of World & Mankind: Genesis 1:1  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” Later on, he further created, Light, Darkness, Day & Night Trees, plants Sun, stars, moon Sea creatures, birds Animals Man Kind {Genesis 1:26-28} God blessed the mankind and said to them, to rule all over the world. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Man’s Authority over the World: Psalms 8:5-8  “5.You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour. 6.You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7.all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8.the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” And then we all know what happened in the Garden of Eden, with Eve & Adam. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? After Adam & Eve, left the garden, later on the generation of the people increased more and more, in number. But not many of them stayed with God. Most of them slowly moved away from God and his righteous ways. Ecclesiastes 7:29  “God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes/ inventions” Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Genesis 6:5-6  ”The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6.The Lord was grieved that he had made man in the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” So what God decided to do: Genesis 6:7  ”So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them’” Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? God completely destroyed the entire world with Water. Except Noah, and his family, everything were swipped off from the face of the earth. God once again blessed Noah and his family/ children in order to rule this world and increase in number. God blessed Noah {Genesis 9:1} – “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? But even after that disastrous event still people didn’t wanted to get aligned with the God God always wanted his children to come back to him and serve him and enjoy his blessings. But not many of the people realized about God. We will read few verses, where God expresses his love towards his children Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Jeremiah 2:32  “Does a maiden forget her jewellery, or a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number” Jeremiah 3:1  “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers – would you now return to me? declares the Lord”. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Jeremiah 3:4  “Have you not just called to me: My Father, my friend from my youth, 5.will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue for ever?. This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.” Jeremiah 3:19,20  “…I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. 20.But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord.”   God desperately wanted the house of Israel, his children to return back to him.   Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? God sent his only begotten Son to this world – to accomplish this task. Matthew 15:9 “He answered ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel’.” Who are we? What was our situation then? We are not Israelites. We are gentiles, who do not have any relationship with the God. Ephesians 2:12  “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? During the ancient times, Gentiles were prohibited from entering into the God’s Temple in Jerusalem. But from where did we get the opportunity to have a relationship with God? The Parable of the Tenants: Matthew 21:33 – 43  “43. Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce his fruits” Through Jesus Christ, we the gentiles, got a chance to become the children of God. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Ephesians 2:13  “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ”. Ephesians 2:18  “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit”. This is doctrine we follow and this is the one we preach to everyone. So a NON-CHRISTIAN, who wants to become a Christian/children of God, has to undergo 5 steps in this process. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? The 5 steps are: HEAR  Hear the word BELIEVE  Believe in the word REPENT  Repent for your sins CONFESS  Confess your sins to the Lord BAPTIZE  Get baptized to become the child of the Lord. Once you have undergone this operation, you are a new being, as the old man/soul inside has died to the sin. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Romans 6:4  “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” After we are baptized, do we have sin along with us? The Bible says NO… Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Romans 6:6-7  “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – 7.because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” So a person, who has undergone all these 5 steps and has been baptized, has been freed from all the sins. All his sins have been forgiven to him, as he has repented for them and confessed them. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Now we come to an important discussion of our today’s sermon: After we were Baptized, do we still commit & live in sin? If we commit sin, then we are once again slaves to the sin, which will rule over us. Just now we read in the book of Romans, that after Baptism, we are freed from sin. So, how to be freed from sin once again? Can we be baptized again? Think about this for a while…. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? What happens when we commit sin, after we are Baptized? Any thoughts about it? Bible helps us with an answer for this question. Hebrews 6:4-6  “4.It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5. who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6.if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Bible doesn’t say that it is possible to return back to the holy state, of how we were when we were baptized. It just states that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to be brought back to repentance. But what do we actually do? We just keep committing those sins again and again, daily. Sometimes unknowingly and many times knowingly. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? So what is our current status. Where do we stand today? What are our plans now, to still to be considered as children of God? We will see 3 references in Bible of what can be done now, at this point of time. Acts 8: 22 Revelation 2:5 1 John 1:9 Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Simon the Sorcerer, committed sin after he was baptized. He thought he can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with his money. Acts 8: 22  “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.” Church in Ephesus: Revelation 2:5 ”Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place” Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? Wonderful Saviour: 1 John 1:9  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” Conclusion: We were in Sin {as a slave}, but then we were Baptized into Jesus Christ & freed from sins forever. But if we still keep sinning, it is impossible for us to turn back. So confess your sins and pray to the Lord, for he is faithful and will forgive us our since and will purify us from all the unrighteousness. Where do we stand - Today?

Where do we stand - Today? !!!! AMEN !!!! Where do we stand - Today?