Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28
Although it was sweltering inside the chapel, even with the blades of our fans all spinning at full-speed, the service went well. I was pleased...
but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28
Although it was sweltering inside the chapel, even with the blades of our fans all spinning at full-speed, the service went well. I was pleased...
As is often the case, when it comes to having church in the prison environment, one never knows what to expect. Just this morning, I learned that the volunteer minister who was scheduled to come had to cancel at the last minute due to a death in the family. So according to the arrangement I had worked out with the other two leaders of the congregation, which was shortly after our chaplain retired in December of last year, whenever a scheduled minister doesn't show up, one of us will do the preaching.
As we have it, I would preach first, then Philip our assistant pastor the next time, followed by our choir director and senior elder, Michael. And today was Michael's turn, however the day before he came down with a stomach virus. Although he was in church this morning, he was still feeling ill. So the responsibility to bring forth a message from the Word of God fell upon me. I had about one hour to pray, and to prepare a sermon. And I believe the Lord did indeed come to my rescue. The message which came to me was, "Why Jesus Came." My text was Matthew 20:25-28, with the main Scripture being verse 28. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many.
It was a simple message about sin and what it is, and how the Lord Jesus came to earth to pay the price for our sins with His own blood as the payment. I asked the congregation to give me a definition of the world ransom. Several men raised their hands and each one took a turn at trying to define what the word meant. I then gave them the dictionary definition: "Something paid for or demanded for the freedom of a captured person. The release of a captive for a price. To set a captive free by paying a price."
I then read the following Scriptures to the congregation:
Romans 3:10; 3:23 and 6:23. I also gave the definition of sin. That sin is "Missing the mark." More precisely, it is "Anything short of what God expects."
Next, I broke down sin into four basic parts:
1) Sin is doing anything that is not right.
2) It is not obeying God's laws.
3) It's not doing what should be done (and we looked at James 4:17).
4) Sin is not believing and trusting in Jesus Christ (John 16:8-9).
I went on to explain that sin was introduced into the world by Satan via temptation. Then it entered into the world through Adam's transgression (Romans 5:12). Lastly, as a result of man's sin, death came upon all humanity (Romans 5:12-14).
Finally, I ended by saying that sin is really rebellion and hatred toward both God and man. Every sin is an act of selfishness, but the remedy for sin and the victory over the power of sin is repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. By accepting Christ as our Savior, we immediately enter into a personal relationship with Him, and we receive the Holy Spirit to live in us and help us to live godly.
D.B.
As we have it, I would preach first, then Philip our assistant pastor the next time, followed by our choir director and senior elder, Michael. And today was Michael's turn, however the day before he came down with a stomach virus. Although he was in church this morning, he was still feeling ill. So the responsibility to bring forth a message from the Word of God fell upon me. I had about one hour to pray, and to prepare a sermon. And I believe the Lord did indeed come to my rescue. The message which came to me was, "Why Jesus Came." My text was Matthew 20:25-28, with the main Scripture being verse 28. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many.
It was a simple message about sin and what it is, and how the Lord Jesus came to earth to pay the price for our sins with His own blood as the payment. I asked the congregation to give me a definition of the world ransom. Several men raised their hands and each one took a turn at trying to define what the word meant. I then gave them the dictionary definition: "Something paid for or demanded for the freedom of a captured person. The release of a captive for a price. To set a captive free by paying a price."
I then read the following Scriptures to the congregation:
Romans 3:10; 3:23 and 6:23. I also gave the definition of sin. That sin is "Missing the mark." More precisely, it is "Anything short of what God expects."
Next, I broke down sin into four basic parts:
1) Sin is doing anything that is not right.
2) It is not obeying God's laws.
3) It's not doing what should be done (and we looked at James 4:17).
4) Sin is not believing and trusting in Jesus Christ (John 16:8-9).
I went on to explain that sin was introduced into the world by Satan via temptation. Then it entered into the world through Adam's transgression (Romans 5:12). Lastly, as a result of man's sin, death came upon all humanity (Romans 5:12-14).
Finally, I ended by saying that sin is really rebellion and hatred toward both God and man. Every sin is an act of selfishness, but the remedy for sin and the victory over the power of sin is repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. By accepting Christ as our Savior, we immediately enter into a personal relationship with Him, and we receive the Holy Spirit to live in us and help us to live godly.
D.B.
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