Posted by: Shirley Smith on Mon, Jun 4, 2018
"FIRST FRUIT"
Pastor Johnson’s message came from 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, James 3:17-18, Romans 10:9-13,Revelation 14:1-12, and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. The topic was “First Fruit” with the following sub topics:
“First of Many”
But the fact is that Christ did actually rise from the dead and has become the first of millions who will come back to life again someday. Death came into the world because of what Adam did, and it is because of what Christ has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again. After that the end will come when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. For Christ will be King until he has defeated all his enemies, including the last enemy - death. This too must be defeated and ended. For the rule and authority over all things has been given to Christ by his Father; except, of course, Christ does not rule over the Father himself, who gave him this power to rule. When Christ has finally won the battle against all his enemies, then be, the Son of God, will put himself also under his Father’s orders, so that God who has given him the victory over everything else will be utterly supreme.
“The Fruits of Wisdom”
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.
“Sharing the Fruit”
For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation. For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed. Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect: they all have the same Lord who generously gives his riches to all those who ask him for them. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
“Heavenly Fruit”
Then I saw a Lamb standing on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and with him were 144,000 who had his Name and his Father’s Name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the raring of a great waterfall or the rolling of mighty thunder. It was the singing of a choir accompanied by harps. This tremendous choir – 144,000 strong sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four Living Beings and the twenty-four Elders; and no one could sing this song except those 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. For they are spiritually undefiled, pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the men on the earth as a consecrated offering to God and the Lamb. No falsehood can be charged against them; they are blameless. And I saw another angel flying through the heavens, carrying the everlasting Good News to preach to those on earth to every nation, tribe, language, and people. Fear God, he shouted, and extol his greatness. For the time has come when he will sit as Judge. Worship him who made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all its sources. Then another angel followed him through the skies, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen that great city because she seduced the nations of the world and made them share the wine of her intense impurity and sin. Then a third angel followed them shouting, Anyone worshiping the Creature from the sea and his statue, and accepting his mark on the forehead or the hand must drink the wine of the anger of God; it is poured out undiluted into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and Lamb. The smoke of their torture rises forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the Creature and his statue, and have been tattooed with the code of his name. Let this encourage God’s people to endure patiently every trail and persecution, for they are his saints who remain firm to the end in obedience to his commands and trust in Jesus.
“You Are the Fruit”
Therefore if anyone is in Christ that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior, he is a new creature reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit; the old things the previous moral and spiritual condition have passed away. Behold, new things have come because spiritual awakenings brings a new life. But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ making us acceptable to Him and gave us the ministry of reconciliation so that by our example we might bring others to Him, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them but canceling them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation that is restoration to favor with God. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us, we as Christ’s representatives plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. He made Christ who knew no sin to judicially be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness.
Read the scriptures and be blessed!
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