INTRODUCTION:

A. God - - creator

1. Genesis 1:1, 26 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth." "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

B. God -- eternal

1. Romans 16:26 - “But now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith.”

C. My and I are personal pronouns.

D. Notice some things in both of these areas.

A. He has given proof of His love.

1. John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

2. Galatians 4:4 - “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”

3. Romans 5:8 - “But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

B. He has communicated strongly His desire that I be saved.

1. I Timothy 2:3-5 - “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, Himself man, Christ Jesus.”

2. II Corinthians 5:20 - “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us; we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God.”

C. He has given His saving grace to all --

1. Titus 2:11-12 - “For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world.”

2. Ephesians 2:8-10 - “For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.”

D. He planned the church from eternity as a place of salvation.

1. Ephesians 3:9-11 - “And to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things; to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2. Matthew 16:18 - “And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

3. Acts 2:47 - “Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.”

E. He has provided for us easily understood examples of conversion.

1. I Timothy 1:11-17 and all cases of conversion in Acts.

F. He has provided us a way to be forgiven even after becoming Christians.

1. Acts 8:13, 18-24 - Simon the sorcerer.

2. I John 1:7-10 - “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

G. He has given us a plan in his word so we can live as he wants us to.

H. He has told me where I can be in eternity.

I. Many more things...

A. I should love Him back.

1. Matthew 22:37 - “And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

2. I John 4:19 - “We love, because he first loved us.”

B. I should obey Him fully from the heart.

1. Romans 6:16-18 - “Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.”

C. I should live for Him faithfully in daily life.

1. Romans 12:1-3 - “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

2. Romans 6:11-13 - “Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof: Neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

3. Ephesians 3:21 - “Unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.”

D. I should treasure and defend His truth without compromise.

1. Philippians 1:15-17 - “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: the one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel; but the others proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.”

2. Jude 3 - “Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.”

3. I Peter 3:15 - “But sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear.”

E. I should share His message of truth with others.

1. Romans 1:14-17 - “I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians both to the wise and to the foolish. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel: 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 revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, but the righteous shall live by faith.”

2. Acts 8:4 - “They therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word.”

3. I Corinthians 9:16-23

F. I should present to the world a convincing demonstration of joy and hope.

1. Philippians 2:12-16 - “So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and questionings: that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain.”

2. Romans 8:28, 31-39

A. God does for us and then rewards us for doing for Him.

1. Hebrews 11:6 - “And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him.”

B. God wants us to be obedient unto him and to live for him every day. We should--“must be”--faithful to Him.