Choosing Salvation Lesson 2 Series

“You have obeyed from the heart that doctrine which was given you” (Rom. 6:17).

1. Salvation is a choice that gives you eternal life.

a. Your choice puts Christ at the center of your life.

b. Your choice to put Christ first in everything.

c. Your choice gives you eternal life.

d. You choose to focus everything on Christ.

2. You cannot manage your life for Christ if you haven’t chosen to accept Christ and His plans for your life. You cannot manage what you don’t have.

WRONG DECISIONS ABOUT SALVATION

• Decide to add Christ into my religious life.

• Decide to get better to get saved.

• Decide to do my best (WWJD).

• Decide to give Christ the best part of my life.

3. Decoys (remember the fake ducks).

a. Satan destroys your confidence in biblical authority. He takes away part of all of the Bible, or he adds a book of false teaching.

b. Satan gives you wrong role models or advisors.

c. Satan confuses you with problems or distractions.

4. Lures (remember the hungry fish).

a. Satan fills your life with sports, work, or family.

b. Satan gets you addicted or hungry for sin.

5. Watch out for two extremes.

a. Easy Believeism. All you must do is believe, repentance is “dead” works. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

b. Lordship salvation. You must give up everything to be a Christian. “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me’” (Luke 9:23). Christ said this to His disciples who already were following Him.

6. RAM (Reject, Add, Manage)

REJECT:

a. You must decide all other salvations are false. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

b. You must recognize you are a sinner, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

c. You must know you will be punished. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

ADD:

a. You must know Christ died for your sins. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

b. You must believe (make a choice) to invite Christ into your heart. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

BELIEF IS YOUR TOTAL RESPONSE

• You know (intellect) the gospel.

• You feel (emotions) the conviction of sin.

• You choose (will) Christ to save you.

c. When you turn to Christ, you turn from your sins. “For they themselves declare . . . how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9).

MANAGE:

a. You won’t manage the Christian life until you make a decision to invite Christ into your life who will give you power to manage your life.

Yesterday – I am a product of past decisions.

Tomorrow – I get energy from future dreams.

Today counts – I must manage my decisions.

b. Managing involves recommitting myself every day to the past decisions. The Christian life is one big YES followed by a daily yes. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6).

c. Managing means to grow and learn about the decisions I have made.

d. Managing means to protect my decisions for salvation from all decoys and lures.

7. My choice: “I choose You Jesus. I give You my sin and accept Your forgiveness. But more importantly, I give You my life. Come live in my heart. I will manage my life for You.”

8. What you get? Forgiveness and peace.

9. Now, I have Christ at the center of my life to give me focus and purpose. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2).

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart: