THE REQUIREMENTS

MICAH 6:8

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

So, what does God require of us in order to for us to be acceptable or approved by Him? Micah 6:8 has the answer, but what does it mean?

 

I. DO JUSTLY

1. A Bible Question [Job 25:4, Dt. 10:12]

- How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

- And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul

2. A Bible Answer [Ps. 143:1-4, Lk. 12:48]

- Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

-But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

3. A Bible Solution [Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38]

-Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

-For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written , The just shall live by faith.

-But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

-Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

 

II. LOVE MERCY (in loving it we must…)

1. Embrace it Personally [Titus 3:5-7]

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

2. Rejoice in the Saviour [Luke 1:46-47]

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

3. Share the Message [2 Cor. 4:1-7]

- Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

 

III. WALK HUMBLY WITH THY GOD

1. Walk to Him (salvation) [2 Cor. 5:7, 17, 21]

-For we walk by faith, not by sight

-Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

-For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2. Walk with Him (submission)

[1 Cor. 4:2; Rm. 6:4, 1 Jn. 1:6-7]

-It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

- Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

- If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

3. Walk for Him (service) [Eph. 2:8-10, 4:1]

- For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

- I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

A MAN’S LIFE IN 3 STATEMENTS

ACTS 9:1-6

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. “LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO?”

1. It Was an Expression of Faith in Christ’s Person

[v. 6, Joel 2:32]

2. It Was an Expression of Faith in Christ’s Power

[v. 6, Rm. 10:9-13]

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

3. It Was an Expression of Faith in Christ’s Purpose [v. 6-9]

 

II. “I BELIEVE GOD” [Acts 27:25]

1. I Believe God [Acts 27:25, Heb.11:6]

- Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

-But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

2. I Believe God and Serve Him [Acts 27:21-23]

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs , ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

3. I Believe God and His Word [Acts 27:23-25]

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

 

III. “I AM READY”

1. I Am Ready to Preach [Rm. 1:15-17]

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

2. I Am Ready to Die

[Acts 21:12-14, 28:30-31, 1 Cor. 15:31]

- And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.

- And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

-I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

3. I am ready to be Offered [2 Tm. 4:6-8]

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Luke 2:8-14

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. GLORY TO GOD

1. Christ’s Person, the Glory of Israel in His Incarnation [Luke 2:32] A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

2. Christ’s Passion, the Glory of Redemption

[Luke 24:26, 1 Cor. 2:8, Gal. 6:14]

-Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

- Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

- But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

3. Christ’s Presence, the Glory of the World

[Luke 21:27, Jude 25, Rev. 1:6]

-And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

- To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for  ever. Amen.

-And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 

II. AND ON EARTH PEACE

1. The Presence of the God of Peace

[Rm. 15:33, 16:20, 2 Cor. 13:11, Phil. 4:9]

-Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

-And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

-Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

- Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

2. Peace with God [Romans 5:1, 8-9]

-Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

- But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

3. Peace of God [Phil. 4:7, Col. 3:15]  

-And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

-And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

III. GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN

1. God’s Will is Salvation [2 Peter 3:9]

-The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2. God’s Will is Submission [Jm. 4:13-17]

- Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

3. God’s Will is Transformation [Rm. 12:2, Heb. 13:21]

-And be not conformed to this world: but be ye trans-formed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

-Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

THINGS CHRIST BORROWED...

MT. 8:19-20, 2 COR. 8:9

-And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

-For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. HE BORROWED ORDINARY THINGS

1. He Borrowed a Donkey [Mk. 11:1-7]

And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus

2. He Borrowed a Coin [Mk. 12:14-17]

And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

3. He Borrowed a Boat [Luke 5:1-8]

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God , he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

 

II. HE BORROWED EXTRAORDINARY THINGS

1. He Borrowed a Manger [Lk. 2:7, 12, 16]

-And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

-And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

-And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

2. He Borrowed a Cross and Made It His Own [1 Peter 3:18, 1 Cor. 1:17-18]

-For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

-For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

3. He Borrowed a Tomb [Mt. 27:59-60, 28:5-6]

-And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

-And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 

III. HE DID NOT BORROW THESE THINGS- HE OWNS THEM

1. Mary’s Womb [Lk. 1:38]

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

2. His Kingdom [Mt. 16:28]

Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

3. His Earthly Home- the Heart of His People [1 Cor. 6:20, Col. 1:27]

-For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

-To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

WONDERFUL MARY

LUKE 1:26-34

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

The title of this message does not mean Mary is a wonderful person though in human terms she probably was. The title refers to the fact that Mary was full of wonder- hence, she was wonderful.

 

I. MARY WONDERED ABOUT THE ANGEL’S DECLARATION

1. She Wondered “How” [v. 34] she did not express doubt

2. She Received Information [v. 35-37]

3. She Expressed Submission [v. 38]

 

II. MARY’S WONDER ABOUT HERSELF

1. She Wondered Who Would Understand [v. 39-40, 36-37]

2. She Wondered about the God Who Saves Sinners [v. 41-47, Ps. 8:4]

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

 3. She Wondered about the God Who Uses Humble Saints [v. 48-55]

 

III. MARY’S WONDER OF WONDERS

1. The Wonderful Name [v. 31, Is. 9:6]

The Name “Jesus” refers to His Office - Saviour

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

2. The Wonderful Birth [v. 35, 38, Is. 7:14]

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The Name “Immanuel” refers to His Divine Nature

3. The Wonderful Saviour [v. 31, 33, 35, 42, 68-79, Psalm 72:18]

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

IS YOUR CHRISTMAS WORSHIP “LEGAL”?

JOHN 4:20-23

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. IT IS “LEGAL” TO WORSHIP GOD

1. So Says the Law & the Prophets [Ex.34:14, 2 K. 17:36, Ps. 96:9]

- For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

- But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.

-O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

2. So Says Jesus [Luke 4:8, Jn. 4:23-24]

-it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

-But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

-God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

3. So Says the Angels [Rev. 14:6-7, 22:9]

- And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

- worship God.

 

II. IT IS “ILLEGAL” TO WORSHIP:

1. Men [Acts 10:25-26, 14:15]

- And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man

- And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein :

2. Angels [Mt. 4:8-10, Col. 2:18, Rev. 19:10]

- Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

- Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels,

- And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

3. Anything Else [Rm. 1:25, Rev. 9:20, 19:20]

- Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

- And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

- And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

 

III. IT IS “LEGAL” TO WORSHIP JESUS

1. The Christ Child [Mt. 2:2, 11, Heb. 1:1, 6, 8]

- Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

-God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets

-And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

- But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

2. The God-Man [Mt. 8:2, 9:18, 14:33]

- And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

- While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him

- Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

3. The Risen Lord [Mt. 28:9, Lk. 24:51-52]

- And as they went to tell his disciples , behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

- And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

WHAT IF IT IS “THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS”?

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. THE GIVER- there has to be a giver to have a gift, who he is, his status or rank can make a difference

II. THE MOTIVE- Free pens in the mail to get my business, why is someone giving you something?

III. THE RECIPENT- yourself

IV. THE ACTION- the action is important, it's the thought that counts, almost as much as the gift

V. THE GIFT ITSELF- What is being given? Could be important (depends on motive, giver, etc.)

VI. THE RECEPTION- Must be accepted, insult to reject, does the recipient no good if not accepted

VII. THE RESULT- Is it useful, is it

What's all that got to do with Christmas?

 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I. THE GIVER- "For God", no greater Giver than God, no king, no movie star, no president compares

II. THE MOTIVE- "so loved", God's motive was purely love, no "angle" involved. "You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving."

III. THE RECIPENT- "the world", not the planet, but the people on the planet

IV. THE ACTION- "that He gave", His love is not a passive love, it is an active love

V. THE GIFT- "His only begotten Son", the darling of Heaven, the Unique One, virgin birth, eternal Son

VI. THE RECEPTION- "that whosoever believeth in Him", the transaction is not complete until the person receives the gift, a pardon refused is worthless

VII. THE RESULT- "should not perish but have everlasting life." The most powerful result in the universe.

When you get a great gift, you naturally want to share it with others.