Three Stages Of Salvation Series

But church was extremely boring to him. He just didn’t “get it.” He couldn’t figure out why anyone would actually WANT to go to church VOLUNTARILY! And reading the Bible was a CHORE. It was like reading Shakespeare, which he hated! Finally, he gave up in despair and before long, he was back into his old life of drunkenness, partying and wicked living.

But then several months later he came to faith in Christ. And when he was saved, it was not a reformation on the OUTSIDE, but a complete transformation on the INSIDE that only the Spirit of God can accomplish. It completely altered him for the rest of his life. He stopped his drunkenness and swearing and evil living. He became a loving father. He attended church and now he LOVED it. He couldn’t wait until church services when he could be around God’s people again and hear God’s Word preached and taught. And now, whenever he picked up the Bible, it was not dead, ancient literature to him: it was ALIVE; it spoke to his heart; it guided his life; it taught him everything he needed to know to live for God.

What was the difference between his first attempts to change and the permanent alteration that occurred later?—His eyes were opened—he was illuminated. So, illumination is the first step in finding a relationship with God.

But what exactly is illumination? Illumination is when God reveals to you the truth of His Word. It’s when you hear something from the Bible or in preaching or teaching from the Bible or in a conversation about the Bible, and God helps you to understand it and God confirms in your heart that: “This is truth. This is right. This is what you need. This is better than what you’ve got. Believe it. Accept it. Embrace it.” It’s when God opens your eyes to the glorious Gospel, or to any scriptural truth.

Listen, I want you to know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and He wants to take your guilt away. – He loves you; He wants to make you His child; He wants to give you a life worth living; He wants to give you power over sin. Now that’s God’s truth; that’s the “Good News” of the Gospel. And this morning, God is whispering to your heart: “This is the truth. This is right. This is what you need. Go for it. Believe it. Accept it. Embrace it.”

II. THE SECOND STAGE OF SALVATION IS REPENTANCE – verse 18b – “…and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God…”

You see, it’s not enough just to know that Jesus died for your sins, that He loves you, that He wants to save you. You must also confront the thing that separates you from God in the first place. The Bible teaches that we are separated from God, and what has separated us from God is a thing called sin.

Well, what is sin? The average person thinks that sins are things like robbing a bank or killing someone—you know, really BAD deeds done in one’s life. They think, Well, thieves and killers are sinners, but certainly I’M not a sinner! I’m afraid the Bible disagrees because Romans 3:23 tells us “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”