Sermon Central
-
The Believers Catechism Series
Contributed by James Banks on Jul 22, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: We have all been taught about Jesus and His healing ministry, working of miracles and casting out demons. But the Church( the Body of Christ) as a whole knows very little about Jesus and the power left to the Church. The average believer has been saved fo
What did I do to be saved? You are saved when you do two things outlined in the Scriptures;
(a) Exercise to God in repentance(acts 17:30-31; 2 Corinthians 7:10) and (b) Exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ( Romans 10:9-10) The two points were originally outlined by the Apostle Paul when he met with the Ephesians elders in Miletus: I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in outr Lord Jesus ( Acts 20:21). Salvation is not a religion but a person: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way to God ( John 14:6). The Apostle Peter told the Sanhedrin Council.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved ( Acts 4:12). Can you define the assurance of salvation? The assurance of salvation is the inner witness from the Holy Spirit ( Romans 8:16). When you have done what God commands. It means that you know that you have received what God has promised. God loves you and want you to be assured of your relationship with Him. He does not want you to fear or doubt the reality of your salvation. Even if He disciplines you., it is out of a love for you and desire for your growth and blessing. ( Hebrews 12:5-7)
(Repentance) How do I "Turn to God in repentance"?
To repent means to change. When you are sorry for sin( 2 Corinthians 7:10), you determine, as an act of your will, to change your lifestyle, to change your behavior.( Notice the Scripture, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ( 2 Cor.7:10)
Notice, godly sorrow is contrasted with worldly sorrow. The first produces life. It brings repentance that leads to salvation which leaves no regret. In other words, it creates change that results in deliverance, and that deliverance will fill you with joy and opens you to faith and the blessings of God.
The second, worldly sorrow produces death. In other words, it gives a false sense of a relationship with God, but you are really separated from God. In worldly sorrow, you are probably sorry because you are caught in sin or its consequences, but you are not sorry enough to quit your sins and change. On the outside, the two godly sorrow and worldly sorrow, look the same, but the commitment to change is different. You will ultimatelt know the difference between the two by the results that are produced. In summary, repentance includes asking God to forgive you for the wrong that you have done, and deciding to live a clean life. You cannot be saved withoput repentance. The Scripture plainly teach that God has commanded mankind to repent.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed, He has given proof of this to all men by rasing Him from the dead. ( Acts 17:30-31) Repentance is possible because God will supply you with the grace and strength. God would never command you to do something without giving you the strength and the grace to do it. Remember, to repent means to determine to change. This concludes the first lesson on Salvation Assurance. I will teach on Faith in my next lesson.
