God's Great Salvage Mission

Intro: So many people today have lives that are shipwrecked. So many today have lives that are at the bottom of life’s ocean. Why have people come to the bottom of life’s ocean? Because they have been sunk by the weight of sin! Oh beloved today realize that God sent His only Son for a great salvage Mission! It is for your salvation that Jesus came on His great mission.

In Dr. Luke’s Gospel Jesus told a wee little man that His mission was to salvage souls.

Luke 19.10 “For the son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.”

Jesus came for search and rescue!!

Oh dear soul today realize that the beloved Son of God stepped out of Heaven’s glory to stand in mans gore to salvage your soul. Mans sin sentenced Him to a devil’s hell; God’s Savior will salvage you for heaven!!

What we will see in just one verse of the Bible today is that some will be salvaged and some will not. What is the difference between those that are salvaged and those that are not? The only difference is a choice. Life is a choice. It was God’s choice that you were born; it will be your choice if you are reborn.

Salvation it is what has been called the scarlet thread that runs through the entire Bible.

In Daniel twelve we see that some grab the thread of salvation. We also see that others never even see the thread.

Daniel 12.2

Daniel tells us that when the books are opened there will be two different groups of people.

· Some to everlasting Life

· Others to shame (disgrace) and everlasting contempt (comes from Hebrew root to repulse; picture Jesus spewing people out of His mouth)

The word everlasting appears in both of the groups. What then does it mean?

Everlasting: comes from a Hebrew word that means forever, unending, always, continuous existence, everlasting, unending future.

If you die before the returning of the Lord Jesus Christ, mark it down, you will awake to an everlasting, unending, always, continuous existence of either life, or shame and contempt (death in hell separated from the love of God).

So what is it that will determine whether or not you awake from death into unending life, or unending death?

It is God’s Great Salvage Mission that will make the difference. The surprising note of God’s Salvage Mission He only salvages those who call on Him.

2 Corinthians 4.7 tells us we have this treasure in earthen vessels.

But unless we ask God to salvage or save us, God will allow us to stay lost for all of eternity.

I. Man is sunk by Sin

A) All are sunk – Romans 3.23

1) No one has escaped the storm of Sin

a) Everyone is born a sinner

Psalm 51.5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.”

b) Everyone is a slave to sin that has not been salvaged.

Romans 6.16 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting to death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”

1) Sin controls

John 8.34 “Jesus answered them, Truly, Truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave to sin.”

a) Your Present

b) Your Future

2) Sin condemns

John 3.18 “Those who believe in Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

a) Condemnation is a present fact

If you have not turned from sin, and accepted Jesus’ Salvage Mission, you stand before God condemned.

b) Condemnation is a future truth

If you die in this world sunk in you sin you will be condemned to Hell.

A building that stands condemned even though demolition crews have not knocked it down is still condemned. It is only a matter of when the building will ultimately be destroyed.

Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman told of a distinguished minister, Dr. Howard, from Australia who preached very strongly on the subject of sin. After the service, one of the church officers came to counsel with him in the study. "Dr. Howard," he said, "we don’t want you to talk as openly as you do about man’s guilt and corruption, because if our boys and girls hear you discussing that subject they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin. "The minister took down a small bottle and showing it to the visitor said, "You see that label? It says strychnine -- and underneath in bold, red letters the word ’Poison!’ Do you know, man, what you are asking me to do? You are suggesting that I change the label. Suppose I do, and paste over it the words, ’Essence of Peppermint’; don’t you see what might happen? Someone would use it, not knowing the danger involved, and would certainly die. So it is, too, with the matter of sin. The milder you make your label, the more dangerous you make your poison!"