DO YOU HAVE SALVATION?
ACTS 4:12
What’s the meaning of Salvation??
In the Webster it says salvation is preservation!
Or Deliverance from destruction, danger
or great calamity.
Like a Man who’s drowning and going down
the last time.
And someone reaches in and pulls him out
and saves Him!
This is one type of salvation!
Or a child in a burning building and
the flames are engulfing the child
and a brave firefighter runs in and
rescues this child!
Or a businessman who is about to face
bankruptcy and lose everything he has
and, A Friend comes to his rescue with
the money he needs and his
business is saved!!!
But the Salvation which Jesus Christ offers to
all sinners is much, much more than this!!
A Man who’s lost and headed for eternal death
in hell cries out in faith to Jesus Christ.
Then Jesus reaches down and lifts him up
and saves his soul from hell and eternal
punishment.
But there’s still more to it!
This thing called Salvation involves all that happens
to a man, from the time he trusts Christ, until the time
He meets him face to face in glory.
And even down throughout the years of eternity!
People listen Salvation is such an experience!!
In the old days the preachers spoke of
an experience of Grace.
They meant something had happened
between God and the sinner!
They met each other and the sinner repented
of His sins, and put his faith in Jesus
and God had forgiven him.
If you haven’t had this experience then
guess what??
You ain’t never been saved!!!
John 1:12 says:
But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God,
And even to them that believe on His name.
AMEN
John 3:36 says:
He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting
life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not
see life; but the wrath of God abideth in him!
John 3:18 says:
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he
that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God!!
Listen folks
God takes the first step for you in salvation
He calls You!!!! AMEN
See You don’t seek God - God seeks You!!!
Way back in the Garden of Eden in the Book
of Genesis 3:9 - when man first sinned
We heard God cry out;
Where art thou?
When Jesus came into the world,
He said in Luke 19:10:
The Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.
And again in John 6:44 He said:
No man can come to me except the Father which
hath sent me draw him.
And I will raise him up at the last day
and in the Book of Romans we’re told
That God calls those who
are to be saved, then he justifies them
then He glorifies them.
Do you know what these Scriptures are
telling us??
Its very simple
God is the initiator in the experience
of salvation!!!
God is the one who sends the Holy Spirit
to convict us.
He points it right out to us just how lost we are.
He draws us right to Him!!!
Jesus said in John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto me!
We get saved when we respond to that
drawing power!
And we remain lost when we refuse
the knocking on our hearts door!!
God is the one who draws
God is the one who knocks
God is the one who calls
And God’s the one who saves!
He stood at my hearts door mid sunshine
and rain
and patiently waited an entreated
in vain, For He is precious to me!!!
When I Was little and had done something
bad my mom would usually say
you wait till your daddy gets home!!
How many of us have heard this growing up???
And remember the waiting, how it was so much
worse than that whopping!!!!!
And then when daddy got home OOOHHH
the pain of that whoppin
But when Jesus is calling that sinner,
He’s not callin him to punish him,
but he’s callin to forgive him,
and he’s callin to bless him,
and He’s callin to save him!!!
You see God don’t want to any of us to
go to that terrible place where there’s
weeping and gnashing of teeth
He wants to save us from that place called hell!!
AAAHHHH people listen
when your car won’t run you take
it to a mechanic!
When you’re sick you go to a doctor
when you need legal advice you
go see a lawyer!!
But when you need to get saved you run to
your local altar, to the salvation expert,
Our Lord Jesus Christ!!!
You turn everything over to Him
and He’ll save you.
And in the book of John 6:37
He says to all sinners,
Him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out!!!! AMEN
Your faith is committing to this wonderful
life with Christ!!
When you want to travel somewhere far away
you get on an airplane
and you trust yourself to the pilot of that plane
You have to have the faith that he will carry you
through the clouds and the storms, and the
darkness to where ever it is your going!!
And this is exactly what you do when you
trust Christ!!
You have to trust everything to him!!
You have to say,
Lord I’m a sinner, but you died for me.
You have to say Lord, you told me in your
word that you’ll save me, if I come to you.
Lord I come now,
trusting you to save me from my sins,
and to carefully lead me through the storms
of this life!!
And bring me home safely to that beautiful
place called Heaven!!
I heard a story about a forest fire that had
many firefighters trapped in the mountains!
And an airplane came over and the pilot
sent them a note, telling them that
he can see only one way out for them
and if they’ll just follow him he will
lead them through to safety!!
They followed him and he led them out to
safety that day!!!
It was their faith in that pilot, that he
would lead them to safety, and save them!!
Right now there’s lost people in every direction,
and Christ has already sent them the note,
telling them that there’s but one way out!!
He’s telling you tonight, follow me and
I will save you!!
John 14:6 Jesus said
I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father but by me!
People listen to me tonight
Jesus is the only way out
Have you had this experience of being
saved by Jesus Christ, Tonight???
Salvation is an expression as the bible tells us!
It says to give expression to the thing that’s
happened, in our hearts by making a public
profession of faith!!!!
And if you truly have accepted the Lord
You don’t have to try to make a public
profession of faith!!!
When I got saved I was running around all over
telling everybody that I got saved.
I told everybody that I accepted Jesus
into my life!!!
I was so proud of myself I couldn’t hardly
stand it!!!
Do you know what the bible says about
this expression thing???
Turn with me to Romans 10:9-10
So you see this salvation experience is in the
heart and its confessed with the mouth!!
on down in VS. 11 it says
For the Scripture saith, whosoever believeth
on Him shall not be ashamed!!!!!
Now turn with me to Matthew 10:32 & 33:
People when we get to the end of our journey
and life here on this earth is done
I’m gonna need somebody to stand up for me.
Jesus promised us that if We confess him
here he will confess us there.
OOOOOHHHHHHH
I’m waitin for that day when he stands up
for me and he says!!!
Father he wasn’t perfect!
And he wasn’t always good!
But Father He stood up for me
and witnessed for me, and he led
souls to me,
And Father I will stand for him now!!!
And when My Jesus says that to the Father
I know He’s gonna say
Welcome my child, enter into the
joys of thy Lord!!!
But if I refuse to confess Him here
and I deny him down here
then He will deny me there
And I don’t want to hear them awful words
Depart from me ye worker of iniquity
I never knew you.
So you see how important this confession
of faith is???
And if you’re wholeheartedly saved,
This will be your desire,
you won’t just Confess Christ to others
but you’ll follow him in everything his
word has instructed us to do!!!!
Like follow Him in baptism and become
an active member of His Church!!!
We have to give this outward expression
to this inner experience!!!
And Salvation is Exercise,
If we don’t exercise our bodies, and we just lay
around we would eventually die wouldn’t we???
It’s the same with being born again
if we don’t exercise spiritually then we
will remain a spiritual weakling!!!
There’s several types of spiritual exercise
First the exercise of prayer and bible study
Jesus said in John 15:5 I am the vine
Ye are the branches!!
People if we ain’t bearing fruit
then guess what???
We are gathered and cast into the fire!!!
Most people think that if you can’t sing
a solo or sing in the choir, or conduct study
or preach
then what must I do???
There’s all kinds of stuff that you can do for
the Lord!!!
You could volunteer at the nursing home,
or the clothing and food pantry.
You could be a greeter or hand out bulletins!
Or check on the sick in the hospital or at home!!!
There’s no excuse.
Because there’s plenty to do!!!
We’re all moved by God in different ways
but the greatest of all is to show your LOVE!!
Exercise your spirit!!!!!!
Salvation is Exaltation
To exalt means to lift up, AMEN
So this part of our salvation is us lifting
up Jesus Christ!!!
Why is it that Christianity don’t advance
any faster than it does?
Is it because so many people around us never
go to church??
Or is it because so many people seem to have
no thought for spiritualness??
Or could it be that you and I are not what
We ought to be??
Or could it be that people don’t see
Christ in us??
Or Could it be that they don’t see any
difference between us and them??
If we exalted Christ the way we should
the sinners would be questioning us
as to what it is that we have that they don’t!!!
They’d be saying I wish I could be like him or her!
I wonder if anyone has ever looked at me
and said
WOW He’s such a wonderful Christian Man!!!
People we have to remember that we gotta
keep our lights shining
you never know who’s reading you.
You might be the only bible some people read!
Always remember somebody is always watching!
Some want to see you do something wrong.
We just have to remember to remain on the
spiritual side of this life and not carnal.
Always try to let God be in control!!! AMEN
Salvation is an Expectation
I’ve heard people say
I haven’t got anything to live for!!
This is so true for someone who
don’t have Jesus living in their hearts.
A Christian on the other hand, really has
something to live for!!
He’s looking forward to something that’s
more awesome than words can describe.
The Apostle Paul said in 1st Corinth 15:19
If in this life only we have hope in Christ
we are of all men most miserable
We have to thank God for this hope
And this anticipation is the greatest thing
in this world!!!
We are expecting something that’s Gonna be
no disappointment!!!
Again the Apostle said
To be absent from the body is to
be present with the Lord.
For me to live is Christ
and to die is gain
if you live for Christ you gain everything
when you die!!!
And the Bible tells us that there’s a generation
that will not face death!!
Lets turn quickly and I’ll close
to 1st Thess 4:16 & 17
So what does Salvation mean?
Its an experience between a sinner and God
Its an expression of Faith in Jesus Christ
Its exercising Christianity
It’s the exaltation of Christ
And the expectation of such better things to come
