How to be Saved
Romans 10:1
By: JB Hall
Introduction: Paul’s desire for Israel here is God’s desire for every person.
In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
So, the reason that Jesus came into this world, died on the cross, resurrected from the dead, and ascended back into Heaven was for the express purpose of saving lost people.
To understand how to be saved, we must first understand what it means to be lost.
1. What does it mean to be lost?
A. Ephesians 2:12 says, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”
B. Being lost means to be without Christ; strangers (or non-recipients) of God’s promises; without hope; and without God.
C. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
D. It is your sins that have come between you and God so that you are separated from Him; and they are keeping Him from hearing you.
E. So, to be lost means you are cut off from God; there is a barrier between you and God – your sins.
F. Therefore, you are incomplete.
G. Speaking of Jesus, Colossians 2:9 & 10 say, “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
H. So, when you are lost you are without Christ and without God, and are therefore, incomplete.
I. You are only part of what God designed you to be.
J. A sense of emptiness, lack of fulfillment, purposelessness, incompleteness, confirms the truth of this scripture.
K. What does it mean to be lost? It means you are cut off from God.
2. What are the consequences of being lost?
A. Romans 6:23a says, “For the wages of sin is death…”
B. Since God is the Source of life, being lost or cut off from God, means you are spiritually dead.
C. Ephesians 2:1 tells us that when you are lost, you are “…dead in trespasses and sins;”
D. The Bible teaches that when you come into existence, you will never cease to exist; but will exist forever; so death doesn’t mean that you will cease to exist.
E. It means that when you die physically, your spirit (the living part of you) will simply separate from your body and will go to 1 of only 2 places.
F. All of humanity will go to either heaven or hell.
G. If you are lost, you will go to a place called hell.
H. This happens instantaneously.
I. In Luke 16:22b & 23a Jesus tells of a lost rich man who died; here is what He said, “…the rich man also died, and was buried;” “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…”
J. When he died, his spirit was still conscious; he still existed; and he immediately found himself in this place called hell.
K. In Luke 16:24 the lost rich man begs that Lazarus be sent; he pleads, “…that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
L. In Mark 9:45 Jesus talks about being “…cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:”
M. The Bible also teaches that one day your body will be resurrected and changed into one that will exist forever; and your spirit will be reunited with your body; and then spirit and body will placed into an eternal lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever.
N. Revelation 20:14 & 15 say, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
O. The consequences of being lost are that you are spiritually dead, and will be separated from God and His goodness, in a lake of fire and brimstone to be consciously tormented forever and ever; and will never be able to escape.
3. How do I know if I’m a sinner; if I am lost?
A. First, you know you’re a sinner because the Bible tells you, you are.
B. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
C. Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
D. So, it’s very clear that every one of us have sinned, including you.
E. Some are great sinners; some are not as great sinners; but all have sinned; and all have come short of God’s glory, or His perfection.
F. So, first, you know you’re a sinner because the Bible tells you, you are.
G. But second, you know you’re a sinner because the law defines righteousness, and you know that if you break even one law, you are a law breaker, and therefore, a sinner.
H. Have you ever dishonored your father or mother? Then according to Exodus 20:12 you’re a law breaker, and therefore, a sinner.
I. Have you ever stolen something? Then according to Exodus 20:15 you’re a law breaker, and therefore, a sinner.
J. Have you ever told a lie? Then according to Exodus 20:16 you’re a law breaker, and therefore, a sinner.
K. Have you ever coveted something someone else had? Then according to Exodus 20:17 you’re a law breaker, and therefore, a sinner.
L. Have you ever placed something or someone else before God? Then according to Exodus 20:3 you’re a law breaker, and therefore, a sinner.
M. Have you ever used God’s name in a vain or dishonoring way? Then according to Exodus 20:7 you’re a law breaker, and therefore, a sinner.
N. James 2:10 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
O. So second, you know you have broken God’s law and are therefore a sinner.
P. How do I know if I’m a sinner; if I’m lost?
Q. First, you know because the Bible tells us that we all are sinners, and that includes you; and second, you know because you have broken God’s law and are therefore a lawbreaker, and a sinner.
4. How then, can I be saved from this sin in my life; from being lost?
A. Romans 6:23a, that I read earlier, states, “For the wages of sin is death…”
B. However, Romans 5:8 says, “But commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
C. I Corinthians 15:3 says, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
D. So, the wages, or price that must be paid for sin, is death; but Jesus paid that price for you by dying on the cross in your place.
E. He paid the price of death so you would not have to.
F. Thus, having paid the price for your sin in full, Jesus now offers you deliverance from your sin, your lost condition, as a free gift.
G. Romans 6:23a says, “For the wages of sin is death…” but the last part of the verse says, “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
H. How then, can you receive the FREE gift of forgiveness and eternal life?
I. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
J. Two words describe how to obtain this gift: believe and receive.
K. Let’s look at each of these words.
L. Most people believe in God; meaning they believe He exists.
M. However, the kind of belief that will allow Jesus to remove your sins and give you eternal life is belief that submits to God’s righteousness instead of trying to establish your own righteousness.
N. Romans 10:3 says, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
O. You see, you are going to have to have greater righteousness than your own to escape hell and go to heaven instead.
P. The only way you can get that kind of righteousness is to have God’s righteousness instead of your own.
Q. You get God’s righteousness by believing to the point you are willing to give up trying to establish your own righteousness; and instead just submit yourself to God for Him to put His righteousness in you.
R. This belief is not only acknowledging that God exists; it is placing your trust in the Lord Jesus.
S. In other words, you must believe (trust) Him to be your Savior, your Deliverer from your sin, from your lost condition.
T. Ephesians 1:12 says, “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”
U. You will be to the praise of God’s glory in heaven; a trophy, showing off what great mercy and grace He extended to such a sinful, lost individual as you; but you can only be so by first trusting in Christ.
V. Now let’s look at the word receive.
W. How does one receive Jesus into his/her life?
X. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Y. You receive Jesus into your life simply by verbally inviting Him to come into your life – calling upon Him.
Z. Notice, this verse says whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord.
AA. You see, when you invite Jesus into your life, you are surrendering to His Lordship.
BB. The word Lord means A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor. king,
CC. When you receive Jesus as your Savior, you automatically receive Him as your Lord – the One who rules your life.
DD. So, being saved means submitting to Jesus’ Lordship and inviting Him into your life.
EE. The prayer of invitation is simply an expression of saving faith.
FF. You see, it is by faith – simply trusting Jesus to be your very own personal Savior – that you are saved.
GG. Your prayer inviting Him into your life then, is simply an expression of your submission and your trust, or faith, in Him.
HH. Please remember, to submit means to surrender; to give up your own efforts to clean your life up; and to give up resisting His urging you to let Him come in.
II. When you are willing to give up, give in, surrender, and submit, and allow Jesus into your life, in Romans 10:13 He says you shall be saved; meaning He does the saving when He comes in.
5. What happens when I receive Jesus into my life?
A. First, He purges, or removes, your sins,
B. Hebrews 1:3b says, “…when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
C. His Spirit comes into your body and removes all your sins that have cut you off from God.
D. What happens when you receive Jesus into your life?
E. First, He purges, or removes, your sins.
F. Second, He makes you alive spiritually for the first time in your life.
G. Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you hath he quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins;”
H. At the moment Jesus’ Spirit enters your body, He makes you alive spiritually for the first time in your life.
I. What happens when you receive Jesus into your life?
J. You are made alive spiritually for the first time in your life; making you a complete person for the first time.
K. Third, your eternal destination has changed.
L. You, being lost, were on your way to hell forever.
M. Now, though, you are on your way to heaven to live with Jesus forever!
N. What happens when you receive Jesus into your life?
O. Your eternal destination has changed.
P. But fourth, a permanent change has occurred in you.
Q. In John, Chapter 3 Jesus calls this great change being born again.
R. Just as you were born physically, you have now been born spiritually.
S. In John 3:6 Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
T. In the same way that it is not possible to be become unborn physically and have to be born the second time, so it is not possible to become unborn spiritually and have to be born spiritually the second time.
U. In John 5:24 Jesus said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
V. When you are saved (born again) an immediate change occurs; and you can sense that something is different.
W. In the days and weeks and months and years ahead, the change will become much more noticeable.
X. Things that once were important to you; now will begin to seem less important.
Y. Things that once were unimportant to you will become more important.
Z. You will notice a love for, and a desire to be with, other Christians.
AA. Going to church, which made little sense to you before, will now become an important part of your life.
BB. As the Holy Spirit begins to clean up your old patterns of living, change will be slow and gradual, but you will begin noticing some key changes immediately.
CC. When you receive Jesus into your life, He cleanses you, makes you alive, gives you a new eternal destination, establishes a permanent change in you, and begins changing your patterns of living.
In Summary:
We’ve looked at:
(1) What it means to be lost.
(2) What the consequences are for being lost.
(3) How to know if you’re lost.
(4) How to be saved if you are lost.
(5) What happens when you receive Jesus into your life and are saved.
The Question:
Are you lost; are you still in your sins? If so, will you surrender to Jesus and allow Him to come into your life and be your Lord, your Ruler, right now?
