OUTLINE:

Helping the Helpless
As an extension of Jesus, we reach out to spiritual orphans, and literal orphans. Both are noble activities because they involve helping the helpless, the very thing God loves to do.

1Th 4:8
So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Need Must Be Recognized
God gives man the ability to choose to believe in Jesus for his salvation, or not. The first great question to be answered is, “Do I really need a savior?” The impetus for answering rightly is an understanding/acceptance of his own need. (Ala Jas 4:6)

Ro 5:6
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Need Must Be Recognized
The simple fact of the matter is that man is born so utterly depraved and NEEDY that he must be 100% dependent on the Holy God of the Universe to pluck him out of his inherent despair.

A Greater Grace
There are inescapable truths in the Bible regarding God’s grace. For starters, EVERY aspect of conversion is furnished by God’s grace and completed by God’s power. This “greater grace” that James refers to includes repentance, saving faith, and any evidence thereof. Man cannot produce any of it.

A Lesser Grace
A person who says “I don’t need this or that part of God’s grace” does not yet recognize their NEED. In their arrogance, their only option is to assume the work of man, which is antithetical to grace. All conditions for salvation MUST be met by God!

Jn 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
AND:
Jn 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Losing the Adolescent Perspective
God desires us to obey Him for OUR sakes; so that we might enjoy His peace, joy, and life eternal in time.

Heb 11:25b – Broken Promises!
- [NASB] ...the passing pleasures of sin.
- [Amplified Classic] the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life.
- [NLT] the fleeting pleasures of sin.

There's no better day to obey God than TODAY!