Harrison Hills ^{Baptist Church}

There was much that could have been elaborated upon in Sunday’s sermon; for instance:

1. Did the healed man miss the grace of God, by dismissing the real impact of his healing (to call his attention to his sin)?
2. What could we draw from the text to help us understand God-honoring activity on Sundays?  (the believer’s “Sabbath”)
3. And, what about the dual-resurrection that is referred to in vs 28 & 29?  

For your encouragement, I thought I’d unpack vs 24 a little.  The verse reads like this:      

Truly, truly, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life.     
He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 

How marvelously inviting and hopeful are the words of King Jesus!  Though the perfect fulfillment of salvation will not be fully known until the believer reaches a glorified state in heaven, I was moved to consider the present realities of salvation.  Here are 11 “right-now” truths that should encourage every genuine believer: 

1. Pardon from sin (Rom 8.1) 
2. Access to the throne of God (Heb 10.19-20; Heb 4.16) 
3. A divine intercessor (Rom 8.34; Heb 7.25 & 9.24) 
4. Immunity from Satan’s accusations (Rom 8.1 & 8.37) 
5. Peace with God (Jn 14.27; Jn 16.33; Rom 5.1)  
6. Constant presence of God (Jn 14 & Jn 16; Rom 8.15,16; Eph 1.13) 
7. Power to say no to sin (Rom 6.12-14; Gal 5.1; Gal 5.16; 2 Pet 1.3-4) 
8. All things necessary to live a godly life (2 Pet 1.3) 
9. Assurance of eternity with Jesus (John 10.29-30; Rom 8.16-17, 29-30, 38-39) 
10. Confidence in the “last day” (1 Jn 5.11-13) 
11. An irrevocable inheritance (1 Pet 1.4) 

There are more present blessings than the ones I’ve noted.  I pray the 11 I’ve listed will encourage you.  I invite you to go to the referenced texts to see how they speak about what I’ve abbreviated; spend 10-15 minutes reading and meditating on those truths and you will have 11 encouraging ways to praise God for His goodness to His children.   

One more thing to encourage you and equip you from Sunday’s message. 

Grace and peace to you.  

 Pastor