MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY 

            God realizing that man was powerless to save himself from sin, made provision for man's forgiveness by sending His son Jesus to die for the sin's of the world (Romans 5:6-8, I Peter 3:18).  It is God's will that all men be saved (I Timothy 2:4).  However, man has always had the choice of whether or not to obey God and to yield to His will (Genesis 2:15-17, Deut. 30:15-20).  God continues to reach out His hand to man (Romans 10:21).  But the responsibility to respond to God is on man. 

 I.  God is calling.

            A.  He invites all to come.

                  1.  Matt. 12:28-30 - When Jesus walked the earth He                       invited all to come.  The salvation He offered was not                       for those who believed themselves to be already                       righteous, but for those who were willing to see                                   themselves as sinners (Matt.9:10-13, Matt. 22:1-14).

                  2.  Rev. 22:17 - Jesus ends His last written words to man by again inviting us to come that we might freely drink the water of life. 

            B.  God draws man to Jesus.

                  1.  John 6:44 - In order for a man to come to Christ he           must be drawn by God. However the Spirit of God is           always at work trying to draw men to God (I Cor.             12:3, John 12:32).  Where ever and whenever you see           Jesus being lifted up and glorified, you see God's           attempt to draw men unto Him.

                  2.  Rev. 3:20 - Jesus stands at the door of man's heart           knocking, asking for permission to come in.  He will not           force His way in; nor will he stand and knock forever           (Romans 1:21-32). He promises to come in and           fellowship with the man who invites Him. 

II.  Man Must Respond

            A.  Do not turn away

                  1.  Heb. 3:15-19 - Do not harden your heart against God.                         It was for that reason that  many of the Children of                        Israel did not enter into the promise land.   Their                        unbelief and continual sinning grieved God and He                        allowed them to die in the wilderness, never seeing the                        promise fulfilled.  On the day that you hear His voice                        you should not harden your heart.   Just as those                        Israelites who would not put their trust in God did not                        enter in, those who refuse to trust and obey Him now                        will not enter into Heaven.

                2.  God has set a standard and those who will enter in must                      meet the standard.

                      a.  John 3:5 -  There must be a rebirth of the human                            spirit.  The old nature must be put off and a new                            nature that seeks the righteousness of God must be                            put on (Eph. 4:20-24).

                      b.  I Cor 6:9-10 - Do not be deceived into believing that                            any who continue to live in their sins will inherit the                            Kingdom of God.  It does not matter how much                            good a man has done, if he dies in his sin his good                            will be lost along with his soul.

                      c.  Heb. 12:14 - A basic definition of holiness is                            conformance to God will.  No man who refuses to                            conform to the will of God will make it into Heaven.

                3.  The standard will not change -Heb. 13:8, I Pet. 4:18         

            B.  Call on God - Romans 10:13-16

                   Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.      However, this is not a mere calling as you would call     someone on the telephone.  This is a call of faith,  where     one puts his trust in Jesus.  Anyone who chooses can call.     The responsibility  is on man to call. But God has     promised to answer whenever a person calls.

            C.  Confess Christ as Lord and Savior - Rom. 10:9-10

                  God has finished His work of salvation.  It is now the      responsibility of man to take advantage of that which      Christ has done.  Salvation is obtained by believing in and      committing oneself to obeying Jesus Christ.  One must      believe in their heart, and make a heart felt confession of      Jesus as Lord.

 It is man's responsibility to accept the Gift of God.  If you reject His gift, you condemn yourself to eternal damnation (John 3:16-21).  By rejecting the gift you also are saying that you do not love God (John 14:23-24).  Each man must choose for himself.  What will you choose?