Deliverance: From the Temporal World to the Eternal Kingdom B

1 Very Good Way to understand who was a true Christian is to understand this great truth of deliverance. If you understand deliverance will understand this, you can know what true Christian is because they been delivered a greater commitment to your family a renewed focus on making a positive difference with your life will of your Christian you have been saved from death you been saved from eternal death delivered from the consequences of your own sin.

Question is, how should your deliverance affect the way you live right now consider that as John MacArthur continues an important series called delivered by God and now here's the lesson evangelicalism is in a desperate situation and that desperation is made manifest by its inability to distinguish who is a true Christian. We have abandoned any clear understanding of what it means to really be saved.

We in the sense of broad evangelicalism. This kind of evangelicalism pervades today and it's being systematically developed and spread, and people are reluctant to call it what it is because we reviewed his unloving have to ask the question, is the gospel that unclear is that fuzzy is it that hard to understand the gospel is the New Testament not clear on the subject's visit not give us enough light to know who is a Christian and what it means to be in the body of Christ and what is necessary to go to heaven. I mean, doesn't the Bible say go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Doesn't the Bible say that if anybody doesn't love the Lord Jesus Christ is cursed.

Doesn't the Bible say that salvation is by faith and common faith comes by hearing the word of God and hearing the word about Christ and how are they going to hear without a preacher and how they can have a preacher unless somebody goes, we really supposed to call the missionaries home. We really supposed to stop evangelizing because anybody anywhere who thinks good thoughts about God and tries to be a little different than his society is going to be in heaven cutting the heart out of the church year and out of our ministry. If the New Testament on the other hand does settle the issue and we have no right to ignore the New Testament we have no right to redefine it on our own terms. In order to be popular in order to be accepted. True and historic Christianity has never been confused about what it means to be a Christian. Never true and historic Christianity has always known that the New Testament is crystal clear on this issue.

The New Testament tells us everything we need to know so as to be unmistakably certain as to what it is that a person must believe to be saved. There is no lack of information in order to discern. There is no lack of information.

Truth in order to distinguish between true and false nominal and real Christians and we have said that 1 Very Good Way to understand who was a true Christian is to understand this great truth of deliverance.

If you understand deliverance, you will understand this issue. You can know who. A true Christian is because they been delivered. They've been delivered and first of all, they been delivered from error to what the truth. Nobody is a Christian who doesn't believe the truth about Christ. Muslims don't believe the truth about Christ, Buddha stone nonbelievers. Note Mormon stone pagans and tribes don't.

If they have a heart that seeks God of the spirits prompting their heart.

Believe me, God will deliver that truth about Christ to them so they can believe, but apart from that there is no salvation. There isn't salvation in any other name is anybody who's a believer has come to know the truth understand the truth believe the truth embrace the truth and love that truth and reject everything else as a means of salvation. One thing can be said about a Christian knows the truth. He loves the truth he worships the God of truth exalts the Christ of truth is indwelt by the Spirit of truth and obeys the word of truth. Truth is the heart and soul of the gospel that saves transformation begins with the transformation out of darkness into light. Darkness is a metaphor in Colossians 112 and 13 for Erin light is the metaphor for truth telling. True Christian true Christian knows the truth understands the truths loves the truth lives for the truth. Nobody is saved who doesn't. That's the truth about who God is a Trinity holy the eternal sovereign of the universe who Christ is God incarnate in human flesh, lived a sinless life that his substitutionary death, though he was innocent of any sin rose the third day in a physical resurrection, having conquered death ascended to heaven, from where he sent the Holy Spirit now interceding for us someday to return and establish his eternal glory and kingdom and to believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone, apart from any works. Doesn't matter that you're trying to be a little better than the people around you.

That's the truth and apart from that truth. Nobody saved somebody's a Christian. They know that truth, they understand that truth. They believe that truth embrace that. Secondly, Christians not only been delivered from error to truth, but from sin to righteousness.

Remember in Romans six go back there for a moment. Romans 617 and 18 is a very critical verse because it captures the essence of this deliverance doctrine. Romans 617, middle verse, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered is what the Greek says you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching that body of doctrine that body of truth to which you were delivered. That was your salvation you went out of the darkness into the light out of error into truth you from the depth of your heart. Obeyed that doctrine that body of teaching regarding Jesus Christ and the gospel. You believe that you were delivered into that now go back to the beginning of the verse, so thanks be to God that, though you were slaves of sin drop down to verse 18 you have been freed from sin become slaves of righteousness.

The second thing from which you were delivered not just from error to truth, but from sin to righteous is another element of the deliverance.

Christian has been delivered from the temporal world to the eternal kingdom. The Christian has been delivered from the temporal world to the eternal kingdom was in the Galatians 1 verse three Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, I stole the name of a radio program from Paul Grace to you.

Verse four who gave himself for our sins. Here comes that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and father, to whom be the glory forever more. Amen at the great it's a great doxology is we have been delivered how this present evil age into the eternal kingdom. By the way, this is what we call a Greek subjunctive which indicates purpose. The purpose for which Jesus died was to deliver us out of this present evil. I own.

That's what is inherent in his salvation. The very purpose of our salvation was to deliver us out of this present evil age word ages I own doesn't refer to time, but it refers to a system and era in the present evil age started at the fall and it will go on until Jesus comes back and establishes his kingdom of righteousness in between the fall and the establishment of the kingdom of Christ is this present evil age. It is characterized by lies is characterized by deception is characterized by Satan's agenda is characterized by what is temporal what is for time only what is physical what is passing what ultimately will be destroyed. Lord rescued us from that. Another way to say it is over and the sixth chapter of Galatians. Look at that six verse 14. It is sort of talking here about how the Pharisees boasted in their works were proud about their self righteousness. And Paul is not like the circumcised to boast about their fast video's attention to the law. Verse 14 he says, may it never be that I should boast a negative boast about anything in me you don't have anything worthy in me but if I do boasted, I will boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and what did that cross accomplished through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. What is me to be crucified to be dead.

It's just a dramatic way to express the thought of death. Paul says Jesus Christ went to the cross and through his work on the cross. The world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world. What does it mean it simply means that the world has no relation to the believer and the believer has no real relation to the world and what we mean by world here is not food and sunshine and and and just the normal matters of life which God has given us what he's talking here about ideas and ideologies and thought patterns, and values and honors and achievements and accomplishments and all the stuff that everybody is into the pleasures the treasures the honors the values the ideas go back to second Corinthians 10 five very important passage he talks about the the in the ideologies. The log is Moss. Paul says we are destroying ideologies and any further describes them as every lofty thing lifted up or exalted against the knowledge of God Indiana.

I got idea any anti-God idea with the Colossians 2. Just a thought. In verse 20. Since you have died with Christ to be a better way to translate since you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world stop right there. Hate when you died with Christ you died today. It's the elementary and I love that because what he saying is anything the world comes up with.

Compared to the truth of God's elementary it's baby talk, where the truly profound people. We have transcendent truth. The most literate, PhD, is the most brilliant philosophers and thinkers of our time elementary school compared to what we know we know the origin of the universe we know how it came into existence. We know who made it. Why made. We know how it's all going to end.

We know what true understanding is we we died to that baby talk that elementary staff.

One other passage in all close. First John two. This would be the last text will look at first John two in its brief, well, one more brief when added to that, but it only take a commenter to first John two verse 15 world is the word because Maas it's the opposite of the word chaos.

Chaos means disorder in Greek as it is in English because Maas means order is why we call them cosmetics they sort of take the chaos and put it in order. I didn't get the word that's the word, but because Maas is the order. It's the present evil age system it's a system and exalted system of ideas and theories and viewpoints and values and honors and treasuring pleasures that have been designed by Satan and appeal to the sinful verse 15 he says do not love the world.

This cosmos, this present evil. I own nor the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world a lot of the fathers what if you love it you not a Christian, you can't. You can't love the world and love got. I enjoy God's creation.

I see it as his handiwork don't you. I don't look at the mountains and say is an evolution amazing.

I don't look at a baby and say thank God for that amoeba one day in a pool of something or other that decided to split.

Thank God for natural selection.

I heard a person say that. Thank God for natural selection but when I see a person I see a creation of God. I see person made in the image of God.

When I see a mountain to see the handiwork of God. Heavens declare his glory. Don't they firmament shows his handiwork. And I enjoy the world. I enjoy what is made in nine enjoy the wonderful rich pleasures that is placed in the world but it's all him to me. Told him he's in every flower. He's in every pill he's in every pleasure he's in every everything his hand is there. I love him and I love this world because as the hymn writer said this is my father's world, but if you love the world love the fathers and you if your love is this passing world.

You're not a Christian for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes. The boastful pride of life is not from the father but is from the world and the world is passing away, and also with lust, but the one or does the will of God abides forever. You two different people or give the people of God live forever and you have the people of the world which is gonna burn little of the world we been delivered from my my life is not consumed what happens in this world.

Frankly, my life is consumed with what happens in the next Colossians 3 upset my affection on things were above and not on things on the earth. Things on the earth are simply things which for this time and place, give glory to God and I can enjoy them and thank them for them, but they have no lasting value their temporal expressions of his common grace and his love.

We don't love the world. First of all because of what it is. It is the world it is Satan system.

We don't love it because of what it does it incites to sin. Satan uses the world to pander to our flesh, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, it passes its material pleasures its sexual pleasures.

Its educational achievements. It's honors its accolades, its power its philosophies in front of us. It enamored is us and it draws out our sensuality, our covetousness in our pride was our ascending categories of temptation.

Sensuality is the corruption of the lower being abuse of the body. Covetousness is the corruption of the higher being abuse of beauty turns to covetousness. Pride is the corruption of the highest being and that is self exaltation where we become God in the world panders to that we don't love it because it is the world we don't love it because of what it is and we don't love it because of what it does, it just panders to our fallenness. We don't love it. Also, because words going verse 17's passing away.

It's in the process of target tie disintegration system is in the process of dissolution.

It will self-destruct. It is self-destructing and the death principle is already operative unit. It is smitten by the fatal disease of sin that is killing it, and people always say it seemed like things are getting worse and worse. We gotta reclaim America look, folks, things are getting worse and worse and they will continue to get worse and worse. That's the cumulative impact of sin. It is smitten by a fatal disease that is killing it fly.

First Corinthians 731 Paul writes that the form of this world is passing away, but we are part of the kingdom and the verse 17 that abides how long forever. Our affections are set on things above so you can tell a Christian one last look at first John 54% 544 whatever or whoever is born of God. I love this overcomes what the world the world no longer has that attraction and what is the victory that has overcome the world.

Our faith you put your faith in Jesus Christ and he delivered you from this present evil age this world a delivered you from this temporal world, into the eternal kingdom you have overcome the world and who is the one verse five. It overcomes the world, one who believes that Jesus is the son of God, look folk you can overcome the world, which is the mark of a Christian unless you believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God you can't believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God unless somebody tells you about Jesus.

Nobody is a Christian who doesn't know the truth because the only way that you can never be delivered from this world, into the eternal kingdom is to believe the truth about Jesus Christ. If you don't believe the truth about Jesus Christ, you can't be delivered right back to where we started. That's why we have to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature because it is the only way of salvation, we are the over comers. We are that the word is Nikkei from which the word Nike comes it's the Greek word for overcome her Victor conqueror and one of the things that our faith conquers is the system of evil dominated by lust and pride, sensuality, covetousness and egotism. We are not sensual in practice. We are not covetous.

In practice, you know greed is good in the world. Sensuality is good in the world and and egotism is really good to us.

Those are sins are the society running in a mad dash for every sexual fulfillment with materialistic passion coveting and clinging to everything they can see turning beauty into self-indulgence and in the midst of it all, doing everything they can to elevate their self-esteem.

That's the world and that's sin, but we have overcome the world so that we see that for what it is. Our passion is that which honors God and our self-assessment is that of humility when we see something beautiful.

We give him praise for we are the over comers.

In fact, in relation to in three letters to the churches seven times. Believers are referred to as over comers well how can there be so much confusion about who is a Christian. Christians have been delivered from ear to truth that come to the full understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ from sin to righteousness. They live in obedience to the word of God is a practice and they been delivered from this present evil age. This system of Satan into the eternal kingdom there affections are heavenly. Their desires for that which is eternal, not for the passing things of this world. This is God's truth and this must be proclaimed that he may be glorified and people may come to true salvation and to the praise of God for that gift but spray we close these thoughts with the plea father first that you would extend the truth and that it would conquer the lies that you would extend the truth and it would conquer the error they would unmask the deception that is leaving so many souls confused and hindering the true work of evangelism and father that you would raise up many faithful proclaimers of the truth that you would call away from error. All those who fallen victim to it, may people have the truth and med have the courage to speak the truth because it honors you. The God of truth and our Savior, the Christ is the way the truth and the life in the blessed Spirit of truth who inspired for us the word of truth. Truth be exalted. Your word may be exalted even to your own name may deception be exposed.

People might indeed be delivered from error from sin and from this passing we will thank you and praise you for your glory. Christ, that's John MacArthur on grace to you thanking God for overcoming this present age and delivering believers to his eternal kingdom. It's part of John's study called delivered by God. John you talk today about the world system and how it's ruled over by Satan, so I've a question along that line. In areas where we might see evil things. Satanic influence maybe in the academic world or in the government or the entertainment industry in those areas is Satan exercising direct control.

Should we think of him as calling the shots in all the evil that we see in the world today. Well, if you mean by that that he is speaking to people in some supernatural way and telling them what to do. No, I think him.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness that basically manipulate the world. I don't think they do it by some form of communication they do it with spiritual control.

A better way to understand that might be to say this, everyone who is unconverted is under Satan's control. There there a child of the devil. There are child of wrath there father is the devil Jesus said so in some way. They are completely subject to his domination that can be ways in which she excites them to temptation.

It can be ways in which she lures them and seduces them into evil.

That's the it's all around them in the world system or all of the above. I just think that what we have to understand is the God of this world rules. All of it.

All of the complex of corruption in the world is somehow connected to Satan and his demonic forces, but it doesn't mean that he's communicating to somebody directly and that person is doing what the devil tells them to do will have an indication of that we have an indication, for example, when the Lord dealt with demon possessed people. It it it wasn't that those people were being spoken to by Satan or spoken to by demons, but that they were being controlled by them almost overpowering their own will save everything from demon possession to a much more benign approach where you would see Satan as an angel of light dressed up in a false religion or whatever, so all possibilities would still reflect the influence of Satan. And I don't think you can narrow it down to any kind of one point of communication. Thank you John and friend to help you understand what Satan and his demons can and cannot do. Let me suggest John's book standing strong. It will show you how to resist the enemy of your soul effectively and biblically, you can order a copy of standing strong when you contact us today. The book costs $10.50 and shipping is free. Call 855 grace or go to GT Y.org to order again the title to ask for standing strong.

Take a look at the origins of spiritual warfare and how it's being waged today. What role you play in the battle. Our order number again 855 grace and our web address GT Y.friend.

If John's verse by verse teaching like today's lesson from delivered by God has helped you better understand the true nature of salvation, or if you've seen your family. Spiritually, strengthened, or if the Lord has used this ministry to draw someone you know to faith in Christ. We love to hear from you mail your letter to Grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412. You can also email us at letters@gty.org letters@tty.org and thanks for contacting this radio station when you're able let them know that you appreciate hearing Bible teaching programs like grace to you now for John MacArthur and the entire staff. I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for tuning in today and be here tomorrow when John continues unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you