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Pastor Ed Pruitt
Are You Being Saved?
Sunday June 11, 2000 A.M.
This Morning we are going to take our text from,
Romans 1:16-30
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Often the question is asked,
"Are you saved?" We may answer, "Yes,
I have been saved?"
I notice the word "saved" in both the question and the answer is in past tense.
It leaves the impression salvation is over and done with. Salvation is something I have already done and now I can get on with my life.
Theology often reduces salvation to a theological formula to be adhered to, which leaves lives devoid of God’s living presence and power.
The question this morning is,
Are you being saved?
Try to imagine trying to sustain your interest in baseball by merely reading the rulebook.
You have a very specific knowledge of how the game is to be played, but you have never observed a game being played.
Or maybe you have never played the game.
Many learn and obey the rules to be saved, but they are not experiencing salvation as an ongoing event.
They have read the Bible, have knowledge of the rules, they have obeyed the gospel in the past tense, but they are not experiencing the joy of God’s presence and power.
Why do you think this is?
The main reason is, that there is no ACTION on your part.
You have the form of Godliness but you deny the power of God in your life!
Without God in your life, you are but a mere vapor!
Salvation becomes an open and shut case.
We have been saved.
Now we are depending upon human reasoning to make our lives what we want them to be.
Too often we come to the Bible to discover the rules to receive salvation and turn to the world for direction for our lives.
We may subconsciously and unconsciously accept the view the Bible is irrelevant to how we live.
We may turn to books on the bestseller list to discover how to live fulfilled lives.
We look to those who have accomplished to learn how to succeed.
We may see many of the principles expounded in those books in harmony with the teaching of the Bible.
But making those principles work without knowing God is hopeless, even though they may be right out of the Bible.
Life Will Fail Without God!
It’s like I said in the sermon last Sunday, Life without God will cause a person to always need to find ones self.
It will cause a person to always want just a little space!
Trying to live by Biblical principles without totally relying on God’s power to salvage our lives is hopeless.
You cannot just go to church on Sunday morning and sit there on the pew and listen to the preacher and then get up and go home and that be the end to it.
There has to be some action on your part!
The world often encourages us to use principles in harmony with Bible teaching to discover our own potential.
But the Bible encourages us to use those same Bible principles to discover God’s potential for our lives.
There is a difference!
God has the ultimate plan for our lives.
God guarantees us that he will use his power to make his plan for our lives work.
God’s plan is not a recipe formula for us to comprehend and follow so we can make life come out right.
It is a plan, which allows God to take responsibility for our lives coming out right as we follow his directions.
In fact, life will not work without God!
It never has worked and it will not work in the future!
Let’s look just a little at what is required to make God’s plan for us work!
John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
So the first thing that we need to do is be born again!
And now what does the Bible have to say?
Let’s look at
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
So we see here that we can only be saved by the grace of God, it is His gift to you, it cannot be purchased, there is not a priest in the world that can give it to you, good works don’t do it, it is a free gift from God!
I know that these are scriptures that you have no doubt heard many times before, but I just feel that there might be someone here this morning that might need to hear them one more time.
Let’s look at
John 3:15-21
15 “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Let’s look at these scriptures one at a time.
15 That tells us that the first thing that we need to do is to
Believe!
16 Tells us that God gave His Son, His only Begotton Son, not a son that He adopted but His own Son!
Here again we just need to believe.
17 His Son came this time just to die for us so that if we believe in His name we will be saved. There is no condemnation in this coming.
18 He who believes in Him will be saved, he who doesn’t in Him is already condemned.
19 The closer that we get to God the more that we like light.
Look at what go’s on in the dark,
20 Everyone that go’s out in this world to practice evil doesn’t like the light, why? Because people can see what’s going on in the light.
21 Do you know if you are truly a child of God you don’t have to hide from other people what you do in your daily walk with the Lord.
Romans 10:8-13
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
8 Do you know it is not a hard job to receive Salvation, just speak with your lips what you feel in your heart.
9 We have to be proud to be a child of God, we need to always put God first no matter what others say or think.
10 Feeling comes from the heart
11 We will not be put to shame for our feelings or thoughts.
12 It doesn’t matter who we are or from where we came red or yellow black or white we are all the same in the eye’s of God!
13 Is telling us that all we have to do is to believe with our heart!
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
There is not a one of us that is born perfect, we all fall short and we all need to ask God into our hearts!
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Just look around at the condition of the world today. Sin is everywhere you look. The only to come out of that mess and be assured of eternal life is to give our hearts to God!
1 John 5:10-13
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
10 Tells us all that we have to do is to believe, and let me tell you this morning actions speak louder than words. You need to know that God is looking out of His window.
11 God has already proved what He can do. Look at the way Jesus Christ rose up from the grave, Life Eternal!
12 You either have it or you don’t
13 Just as sure as you pay the price for a new car or truck or house here on earth, you get the title to what you bought.
So when we ask Jesus into our lives, God gives us the title to Eternal Life!
John 1:12
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
When you receive Jesus Christ into your heart, you also receive the power of God.
Not that you might receive, but you have it the moment that you believe!
I learn this truth in the first twelve chapters of the Bible.
Adam and Eve are banished from Eden through the rejection of God’s plan.
Cain’s sinful descendants die in the flood; meanwhile the flood saves Seth’s righteous descendants.
Noah’s descendants, after the flood sought to take control of their lives and make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4), as they endeavored to build a tower to heaven, but their lives ended with the confusion of babbling fools.
What we have here is a perfect case of man tying to make it on his own!
And like I have said before
No God in our lives, No peace or happiness!
But when we truly Know God, we truly will Know peace and happiness!
God calls Abraham and God promises to make his name great. Notice this is in contrast to making a name for himself, as those building the tower were seeking to do.
See the difference, God promises to make Abraham’s name great!
You must catch this as you read Genesis chapters 11 &12 --- God makes names great.
It is amazing to read the revealing stories of the Old Testament as God’s will is wrought in the direst of circumstances in the lives those who believe.
In every one of these Old Testament stories it seems as though Satan is in charge of the circumstances, but God’s power is directing the lives of the faithful determining the ultimate outcome.
The bulk of the book of Genesis reveals what God did in the lives of just four people, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
No story is more heart warming than the story of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers at age 17 and spent seven years in an Egyptian prison for refusing to sin against God.
The Egyptians considered Joseph’s race so despicable they would not even be caught eating a meal with him. The irony is that God placed Joseph a slave and ex-con in charge of all of Egypt.
It seemed as though Satan was in charge of Joseph’s circumstances, but God was fully in charge of his circumstances and the outcome.
There is one lesson we must learn from Genesis, there are many others, but this one is absolutely essential.
God is sovereign; this means God is in control and has a plan to salvage our lives. He desires to do that through the salvation our Lord offers.
Joseph’s brothers, after their father’s death, were afraid Joseph would seek retribution for selling him into slavery. However, Joseph saw God providing for others through what God allowed happened to him.
Let’s read what is says in,
Genesis 50:18-21
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him.
"We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph said to them, "Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
May God help us realize God’s continued plan in our daily lives. Really this is the message, not only of Genesis but also of the entire Bible. God intends life to work out for good.
Now let us look at,
(Romans 8:27-28)
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God is the only one who can make it happen.
Life Will Fail Without Christ!
We see this happening everyday of the week in different peoples lives!
Just look at what happened at our work place this last week, that will give you a shinning example of what living without God in your life will do for you!
The New Testament wants us to understand in the very outset Christ is part of God’s sovereign plan.
The first five books of the New Testament open using the stories of the Old Testament for a foundation for the good news about Jesus Christ.
The book of Matthew opens tracing Christ to the fulfillment to the seed of Abraham, Mark opens his book declaring Christ as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy,
(Isaiah 40:3),Let’s read it.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Luke opens his book up the story of salvation from Malachi and in the third chapter he traces the genealogy of Christ to Adam,
John opens his book declaring how Christ was involved in creation and Luke also opens the book of Acts, showing how Christ is sitting on the throne of David in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
It is no accident that Paul opens the book of Romans declaring the gospel as God’s powerful message to save.
It is not coincidental that the first five books of the New Testament proclaim Christ reigning as Lord and Christ through the power of God.
You can hardly read 25 verses of Paul’s epistles without running across a reference to the risen Christ.
The writers of the New Testament want us to know who is in charge. It is the same one who has always been in charge.
It is Christ who is preeminent. The miracles of the gospels proclaim Christ’s power to save.
When Peter places Christ on David’s throne, he proclaims his powerful authority to save as he connects Jesus with the promise God made to David in the Old Testament.
As the apostles travel through the New Testament world working miracles, they wanted the people to understand who was in charge. It is absolutely essential that we understand Christ’s power to save. We may not have first century miracles but we have God’s power.
The only reason that we don’t make it on our own is because we don’t have God’s power in our lives.
Paul portrays the whole creation groaning to be reborn.
Romans 8:19-24
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
Paul tells us that no matter how impossible a rebirth of creation may seem to be that it is within God’s power to make it happen.
Romans 8:31-39
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-- more than that, who was raised to life-- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is amazing at how many times the New Testament reminds us of the sovereignty of Christ.
Matthew 28:18-19
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
It tell’s us that He has all authority, He is always with us always
Acts 2:37-38
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Notice Christ position and power in the following verses.
Ephesians 1:18-23
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (NIV)
Colossians 1:14-18
In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (NIV)
God’s new creation begins in Christ. Paul wants us to know that Christ has the wisdom, power and right to call the shots in our lives.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)
Who Is In Charge of Your Life?
Christ came preaching the gospel of his kingdom (Matthew 4:17), which came in the lifetime of his disciples. (Matthew 16:28; Acts 2:21-40) Christ kingdom cannot be shaken.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." (NIV)
I notice the Hebrew writer says, " . . . we are receiving a kingdom . . ." It is in present tense; it is something happening right now in our lives as we allow Christ to rule our hearts.
Those who are saved are in his kingdom but they are ever receiving his kingdom.
Salvation is not a thing of the past, it is happening in the lives of the saved as we speak.
God continues to be at work salvaging our lives.
It is appalling how the religious world is trying to get people to adhere to a man made doctrine, while leaving lives void of God.
Come and join our church, we have greater entertainment.
Come join our church we have more activities.
Come join our church we have contemporary worship.
Come and join our church we have contemporary and traditional worship.
Come to our church we have a greater performance each Sunday.
We focus people on everything but God.
The reason many churches are focusing their people less and less on Bible is because they do not believe the ancient book is relevant.
Deep down it maybe because we are afraid to focus our lives on God.
Maybe we are afraid of the challenge of seeking God face to face.
I would like to invite you to the alter this morning if you have never given your heart to God, or if you would just like to come and talk to God, you need to know this morning that we have a contemporary God who is the same God who led Noah to build the ark, who called Abraham to step into the unknown, who worked Joseph’s life out for the good of all.
We invite you to focus your life on God who can handle your problems and enable you to accomplish His will in your life.
