LUKE 2:52
Pastor Rick
Jackson
One of the
great questions in life is “when?”. When should I go to school? When should I
get a job? Get Married? Buy a house? Ad nauseum. Here are 3 of the most important
“when” questions answered from the Book of Books, the Bible.
I. WHEN
SHOULD SOMEBODY GET SAVED?
1. Get Saved
as a Child [Mt. 19:14, 2 Tm. 3:15]
- But Jesus said, Suffer little
children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of
heaven.
- And that from a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2. Get Saved
as an Adult [Acts 8:35-37, 16:30-31]
- Then Philip opened his mouth, and
began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on
their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is
water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
-And brought
them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
3. Get Saved
as a Senior Citizen [2 Chron. 33:1-2, 10-13]
-Manasseh
was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five
years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like
unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the
children of Israel.
-And the
LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.
Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of
Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and
carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his
God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto
him: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him
again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was
God.
In short,
get saved now! [2 Cor. 6:2] behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is
the day of salvation.
II. WHEN
SHOULD SOMEBODY TAKE A STAND FOR GOD?
1. Take a
Stand as a Child [Dan. 1:8]
- But Daniel purposed in his heart that
he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the
wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that
he might not defile himself.
2. Take a
Stand as an Adult [Heb. 11:24]
By faith
Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter;
3. Take a
Stand as a Senior Citizen [Josh. 23:1, 24:15]
- And it came to pass a long time after
that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about,
that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.
- And if it seem evil unto you to serve
the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your
fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the
Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the
LORD
In short,
take a stand for God now! [Eph. 6:13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour
of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand.
III. WHEN
SHOULD SOMEBODY BE A WITNESS FOR GOD?
1. Be a
Witness as a Child [2 Kings 5:1-4, Mt. 21:16]
- Now
Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his
master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto
Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. And the Syrians
had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of
Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. And she said unto her
mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he
would recover him of his leprosy. And one went in, and told his lord, saying,
Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
- And said unto him, Hearest thou what
these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read , Out of the
mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
2. Be a
Witness as an Adult [John 1:6-8, 15]
-There was a
man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that
Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
- John bare
witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh
after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
3. Be a
Witness as a Senior Citizen [Lk. 2:25-38, Phile. 1:9]
- Yet for love's sake I rather beseech
thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus
Christ.
In short,
be a witness for God now! [Ps. 107:2] Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom
he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;