Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

What We Believe Part 4 What we believe: Resurrection, Judgement, Destiny

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth

.I welcome you to our teaching series “What we believe”

We begin today with a question: Is this all there is?

Do you ever find yourself reflecting on the pain and challenges of life, or maybe scrolling, or watching the nightly news on television, asking a similar question?

At the risk of being too dramatic, your answer to this question is influencing your life decisions today and your outlook on tomorrow.

As we finish up our teaching series examining what we believe as Nazarenes, I think we will see that for the follower of Jesus, the answer to the question “is this all there is?” is a compassionate and hope-filled NO

Church of the Nazarene Article of Faith 1616. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, that the bodies both of the just and of the unjust shall be raised to life and united with their spirits— “they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”16.1 We believe in future judgment in which every person shall appear before God to be judged according to his or her deeds in this life.16.2 We believe that glorious and everlasting life is assured to all who savingly believe in, and obediently follow, Jesus Christ our Lord; and that the finally impenitent shall suffer eternally in hell.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the central point of the Christian Faith, we celebrate this every year at Easter. It’s like Superbowl Sunday in the Church.

We believe that part of the story of God is that all people will experience resurrection too. Both the just and the un-just.‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭16‬-‭23‬‬For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

We believe that those who have lived justly, lived for Christ, will be resurrected to eternal life, with a new and incorruptible body. Existentially more alive, more whole, more pure, free from the ailments and pains that we know now.

Judgement- everyone’s favorite topic… or maybe not…To begin, as we discuss judgement, we must not allow our human tendency towards vindictive judgement pass over onto God.

The reality is, if we believe that God is going to put all things right, that there is coming a new heaven and a new earth, we NEED God’s righteous and holy judgement to be true, for it to take place.

We believe that the results of judgement are eternal.

For those condemned- it will mean eternity separated from God’s presence.

And for those in Christ there awaits a great hope of eternity spent in the presence of God and all the saints.

We believe there is an eternal destiny for every person, and we also believe that how we live and what we believe now will affect our live forever.‭‭

John‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬-‭29‬‬

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.

For some when you hear about resurrection and judgement, you might wonder about Christ’s return.

We believe that Christ will return, and that his return fits into this narrative of resurrection and judgement as Christ returns.

Article of Faith 15 in the Church of the Nazarene.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will come again; that we who are alive at His coming shall not precede them that are asleep in Christ Jesus; but that, if we are abiding in Him, we shall be caught up with the risen saints to meet the Lord in the air, so that we shall ever be with the Lord.

This doctrine has picked up in intensity and diversity in recent years, but For the Church of the Nazarene, the key truth is that he will return. He will appear in the fullness of who he is and those in Christ shall be with Him forever.So, is this all there is? We don’t believe so!

We are called to live now as people of hope now! We are agents in this story!

That’s our mission! “Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ”

Let’s get busy living!

https://www.bible.com/events/48984274

What We Believe Part 3

What we believe: Entire Sanctification

Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church.

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

Welcome to our teaching series “What we believe”.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭15‬-‭19

‬‬I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭24

‬‬What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

-Paul is describing a tension to which many of us can relate: we battle with sin even when we desire to do good.

-Many people stop reading after verse 24. They believe that living a daily battle with sin is inevitable.

-It’s not the end of Paul’s words and it’s not the final word on sin in our lives. Keep reading to verse 25.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭25‬‬

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Through Jesus there is deliverance. Through Jesus there is hope. Sin does not have the final word.

The doctrine of Entire Sanctification is defined as “the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ” (Manual, Church of the Nazarene).

Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭4‬‬

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭14

‬‬In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭4‬‬

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

What Paul describes throughout this letter is the power of God to overcome sin in our lives

Consider these reminders in Romans 6-8:

-“We have died to sin” (Romans 6:2)

-“Sin is no longer our master” (Romans 6:)

-“We are rescued from sin and death” (Romans 7:25)

-“We are set free from sin” (Romans 8:2)

-“We no longer live according to sin” (Romans 8:4)

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬-‭24

‬‬May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

God’s Word describes sin in two different ways:

1. The acts of sin – the things that we have done, and choices we have made.

2. The nature of sin – our corrupted nature, which is bent towards selfishness.

Jesus came to be my Savior, and to forgive my acts of sin (the wrong things I have done).

But Jesus also came to be my Lord, to purify my heart and cleanse me from a nature bent towards sin. Jesus desires to be both Savior and Lord.

“We believe there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character.” (Manual, Church of the Nazarene)

God purifies our hearts, but we continue the lifelong journey to grow in grace and maturity.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Ezekiel 36:25-27

Malachi 3:2–3

Matthew 3:11–12

Luke 3:16–17

John 7:37–39

John 14:15–23

John 17:6–20

Acts 1:5

Acts 2:1–4

Acts 15:8–9;

Romans 12:1–2

2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1

Galatians 2:20

Galatians 5:16–25

Ephesians 3:14–21

Ephesians 5:17–18, 25–27

Philippians 3:10–15

Colossians 3:1–17

Hebrews 4:9–11

Hebrews 10:10–17

Hebrews12:1–2

Hebrews 13:12

1 John 1:7-9

1 John 2:1-12

From our Articles of Faith

We believe that sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration (simultaneous with justification), entire sanctification, and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son.

We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect.

It is wrought by the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit, and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service. Entire sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by grace through faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.

This experience is also known by various terms representing its different phases, such as “Christian perfection,” “perfect love,” “heart unity,” “the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit,” “the fullness of the blessing,” and “Christian holiness.”

We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an instant, the result of entire sanctification; the latter is the result of growth in grace.

We believe that the grace of entire sanctification includes the divine impulse to grow in grace as a Christlike disciple. However, this impulse must be consciously nurtured, and careful attention given to the requisites and processes of spiritual development and improvement in Christlikeness of character and personality. Without such purposeful endeavor, one’s witness may be impaired and the grace itself frustrated and ultimately lost.

Participating in the means of grace, especially the fellowship, disciplines, and sacraments of the Church, believers grow in grace and in wholehearted love to God and neighbor.

What We Believe Part 3What we believe: Entire Sanctification

Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church.

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

I welcome you to our new teaching series “What we believe”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭10

‬‬If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬‬My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Can I just say emphatically today that we believe this?

And not only do we believe it’s true, we believe we are called to experience it as a part of our walk with Christ.Today in part 3 of our series we will see that we believe in the power of God’s grace to enable us to live lives free from the power of sin.

Or put more simply, we believe in what’s known as Entire Sanctification.

From our Articles of Faith

We believe that sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration (simultaneous with justification), entire sanctification, and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son.

We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect.

It is wrought by the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit, and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service. Entire sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by grace through faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.This experience is also known by various terms representing its different phases, such as “Christian perfection,” “perfect love,” “heart unity,” “the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit,” “the fullness of the blessing,” and “Christian holiness.”We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an instant, the result of entire sanctification; the latter is the result of growth in grace.We believe that the grace of entire sanctification includes the divine impulse to grow in grace as a Christlike disciple. However, this impulse must be consciously nurtured, and careful attention given to the requisites and processes of spiritual development and improvement in Christlikeness of character and personality. Without such purposeful endeavor, one’s witness may be impaired and the grace itself frustrated and ultimately lost.Participating in the means of grace, especially the fellowship, disciplines, and sacraments of the Church, believers grow in grace and in wholehearted love to God and neighbor.let’s pause to clarify some terms.First, what on earth is that thing in our hearts, those desires that sabotage our walk with the Lord?That friends, is our sinful or carnal nature, inherited from our first parents in the garden. It’s always opposed to God’s will, it’s always focused on fulfilling our own desires. It’s the motivator or the source of all the sins we commit.Next, what is mean by Sanctification?By definition it is the action of making or declaring something holy. The action or process of being freed from sin or purified.So, for entire sanctification, we believe that by grace, we are purified, and entirely freed from sin.It is in entire sanctification that the carnal nature in our hearts is dealt with by Christ’s atoning work on the Cross.We believe that Entire Sanctification is the work of God’s grace in our lives that deals with the deep heart condition.In purifying our hearts, we are freed from the power of that nature we have struggled with for so long.‭‭

Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭14‬‬

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

God’s grace is leading us to offer all of ourselves to Him, to allow him to purify our hearts, and full us with his holy spirit.

In our surrender and his infilling and cleansing presence, we are free from the power of sin.

When we finally get to the end of ourselves, tired of the struggle, and we throw our arms up in surrender- That’s when God’s grace can do his deep work, his filling us to overflowing…Our life, our relationship with Christ will never be the same.

You are free from those inward heart desires pulling you away. Free to obey God fully…To be free from there power does not mean we will never make a mistake again.It doesn’t mean we live in some state of constant joy or ecstasy, we will still face suffering and challenges.It doesn’t eliminate our personality or who we are- in fact, I would argue that fully devoted to God is when we can TRULY be who we are.This experience doesn’t automatically make you a mature Christian.- There is a difference between a pure heart and a mature character.- God gives us purity, in an instant- we still have to learn how to live it out.Entire sanctification is a continuing journey.Our surrender is a definite moment in time, but it’s also lifestyle of YES to Jesus.The bottom line is this: Yes, you can sin if you want to. But why not choose freedom?

http://bible.com/events/48982006

What We Believe (2)”

Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which, briefly stated, means that before a man can seek God, God must have first sought the man.”

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church.

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

Welcome to our series “What We Believe”

Today we are looking at:

PREVENIENT GRACE

This belief based upon the Scriptures sets Christianity apart from other world religions.

Christianity = God has moved first towards us, longing for our response

World Religions = We must move first towards god (the gods) + hopefully they will respond in a gracious way

Enabling

Universal

Resistible

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭5‬‬

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

G.R.A.C.E

Gods Riches At Christ Expense

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬‬

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬‬

John Arnold

“Wesleyans are utterly pessimistic about human nature and outrageously optimistic about God’s grace. We must never confuse the two. Optimism about grace is not optimism about man. Without God’s grace, we are helpless to make any move towards God. Any desire or ability to do what is right comes from God as a free gift. From beginning to end, the Wesleyan watchword is grace, grace, grace. Nothing is man-centered. God gets all the glory for our salvation.”

By grace you are saved, through faith.

Because God sought you first.

CHARLES SPURGEON

“Remember, that God is not the God of uniformity, though he is of union and peace. He may lead you at once into joy and peace, as Nathanael, who said as soon as he saw Christ, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” God may, and doubtless has been blessing you through his grace from your birth; but he needs not to plunge you many days in the cold, dark waters of conviction, to wash away your sin: the blood of Christ at once can cleanse from all sin, if you confide your soul to him. Believe, therefore, and you are at once justified and at peace with God.”

WHAT WILL YOUR RESPONSE BE TO HIS COMPASSIONATE PURSUING GRACE TODAY?

Titus 3:4-7

John 6:44

2 Peter 3:9

John 1:9

John 12:32

Titus 2:11

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

What We Believe

What we believe: Prevenient Grace

Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church.

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

I welcome you to our new teaching series “What we believe”‭‭

Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3

‬‬Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

Just before this encounter, God had said they could eat from any tree in the garden, all the trees in the garden except one.

God had warned Adam that if they ate from this one prohibited tree, they would die.‭‭

Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭7‬‬

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

When they disobeyed God, the truth is, they did die, just like God said. but it was not in the sense they expected. What died was their spiritual life, their connection with God, their sensitivity to Him.

They became the original walking dead, and today we continue to live out that death. Dead to the things of God, insensitive to the things of the spirit, unable to resuscitate ourselves, unable to bring life back to our soul.

As we look at What We Believe, we will see that God has made the first move.

The beautiful truth of what we believe is that God has already made a way for us to have life, to know him, and he is calling you to life today.We believe in God’s prevenient Grace.

Prevenient grace takes on so many forms, coming through so many different avenues, but it all has one single purpose: To call you to Christ. To awaken you, to make it possible for you to go from death to life in Jesus.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3

‬‬As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

The reality of being spiritually dead has with it some of the same implications that being physically dead might.

When we are spiritually dead, our senses are not quickened to the things of the spirit.

We do not discern right from wrong as we should

We are not responding as we should to the things of God, or to the world.

We were both deaf and dead to God, focused often on ourselves.

And we are essentially doomed

In our sin-dead state we are influenced by or own desires and spurred on by the ruler of the kingdom of the air, and that’s the swindler from the Garden- satan himself.

Paul doesn’t mince words, he says in our dead state of sin, we are deserving of God’s anger and judgment. It’s a clear fact of God’s Holiness, that sin will be judged.

And that’s where we all start, living in death.

It would be a tragic and hopeless story if this were the end- it would be tragic if it were not for Prevenient Grace.‭‭

Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬‬

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

The point of prevenient grace is to make us alive with Christ, to be awaked from our spiritual death to new life in Christ through repentance and faith in him.- Our senses are quickened to things of the spirit.- Our discernment of right and wrong is quickened- We have a sense of a need to change- to do different. Perhaps even an awareness of our need for Christ.

We believe that God extends this grace to everyone! He enables all who will to choose him.

You know, there’s another important thing about this Grace- We believe you must respond to it.The Article of Faith for Prevenient Grace says it this way:

We also believe that the human race’s creation in Godlikeness included the ability to choose between right and wrong, and that thus human beings were made morally responsible.

The Lord doesn’t want anyone to live spiritually dead. He is pouring out his prevenient grace on everyone, desiring that nobody miss out on life with him.But we have to choose.

God has made the first move thousands of times, will you respond this time?