Intro: In this portion of scripture the Apostle Paul expresses his concern to the Corinthian believers. He points to the fact that Satan is in the business of confusing people about the simplicity of salvation that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it clear that God has a plain and simple plan of salvation for lost sinners even a child could understand it.
1. Salvation Is Like Taking A Long Vacation
A vacation is a time when people QUIT WORKING and start resting. Read Matt. 11:28-29. Salvation cannot be obtained by human works. The lost are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not by works (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5; Rom. 4:5). No one can do enough works to be saved, for our righteousness is no good (Isa. 64:6). We must STOP working for our salvation and START RESTING in the finished work of Christ! Jesus said in John 19:30 that IT IS FINISHED. There is absolutely no more salvation work to be done. Christ completed it all! Stop working and come to Jesus to find rest for your weary soul!
2. Salvation Is Like Being Healed From A Disease
Read Matt. 9:12-13. Then we read in places like Rom. 6:23, Rom. 5:12, and Jas. 1:15 that sin brings forth DEATH. So sin is a DEADLY disease. In fact, it is the most deadly disease of all, for it affects everyone. Rom. 3:23 says everyone has been plagued by the SIN DISEASE, and everyone needs to be cured by our Lord Jesus – the Great Physician.
3. Salvation Is Like Quenching Your Thirst
Receiving Christ as your Saviour is like taking a refreshing drink of water when you are thirsty (John 4:14). You aren’t satisfied until you’ve quenched your thirst. The longer you wait, the worse your condition becomes! (Prov. 25:25) The far country is Heaven, and the good news is that Jesus Christ has shed His blood and died for your sins, was buried, and then rose again the third day for your justification (I Cor. 15:1-4). Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ can QUENCH your spiritual thirst!
4. Salvation Is Like Taking A Bath
Read Rev. 1:5. Jesus had already WASHED Christians in His own blood. Thus, in the sight of God’s, an unsaved person is like a person who has never had a bath! On the outside he look all nice and clean, but God isn’t looking on the outside (I Sam. 16:7 Prov. 30:12). Friend, if you’ve never been really born-again, then you are a sinner and you need to be washed and cleansed from your sins by the precious blood of Christ.
5. Salvation Is Like Restoring A Broken Relationship
Read Col. 1:21. A Christian is a person who was once God’s enemy (Jas 4:4), but is now in good standing for his relationship is restored. Every person born since the fall of Adam (Gen. 3) has been born into this present evil world with a fallen nature – a sinful nature which separates him from God. We are all natural-born sinners, so there is a need for us to be RECONCILED to God (II Cor. 5:17-21; Rom. 5:8). So being saved is like being reconciled or restored in a good relationship.
6. Salvation Is Like Making A Fresh New Start
Have you ever made a real mess of things and wished you could start all over? Salvation is like that (II Cor. 5:17). To be saved is to be BORN AGAIN which starts a whole new life in Christ! Would you not like to throw away all the sins of your life and start all over with a clean life? You can do it if only you’ll repent and ask God to cleanse you with the blood of Christ!
7. Salvation Is Like Getting Out Of Trouble
A sinner is not only an enemy of God, he is a CRIMINAL against God, and criminals must be punished. Justice demands it! The God of the Bible is a God of JUSTICE. He always does the right thing all the time. This seriously means that you, as a sinner, cannot go unpunished. The Bible clearly warns us that unrepentant sinners will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15). In fact, John 3:18 says you are CONDEMNED ALREADY, if you have never been born again! Like a criminal on death row, you are awaiting your penalty. Your only hope is a PARDON. You can only be pardoned by calling upon the God of the Bible and asking the Lord Jesus Christ to save you now!
CONCLUSION: Friend, would you like to be saved? Read Rom. 10:9, 13. Why not repent of all your sins right now, confess them to the Lord, and turn to Jesus Christ trusting Him to save you now? Ask and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour.
