What Does It Take To Be Saved?

Do you know what Salvation is? Do you think you know?

Well, a lot of people have their own idea of what salvation is.

• Some think that salvation means being saved from ourselves.

• Others think salvation means being saved from the devil.

But neither is the case.

All who have sinned against God are under the judgment of God. This judgment is known as damnation. This damnation is where God condemns to eternal Hell all those who have offended Him by breaking His Law.

Sounds harsh doesn’t it? Sounds like we all have a problem. Why, because we all have sinned and came short of the Glory of God.

But don’t get in your head that God is unfair. He’s just the opposite, he loves us. Just as parents today punish their kids, God must punish the sinner.

Punishment should teach you to not travel that path again. Punishment should help you learn from your mistakes. But if you do happen to travel down that road of mistakes again, He has provided a way of escape so that we will not face His righteous judgment.

Brothers and sisters, God is both holy and loving. He must show each quality equally. So, being saved from the wrath of God is called salvation.

Salvation is found in Jesus and only in Jesus, who is God in flesh and who died for our sins and rose from the dead.

Acts 4:12 states: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

In order to understand what it means to be saved, we need to understand what we need to be saved from.

The Bible teaches that because all men have sinned, they have fallen short of God’s glory. It’s these sins that separate us from God, putting us into a state of needing to be reconciled with God. It’s these sins that propel God to pick us up, if only we ask and believe.

We all need salvation. When we are born again into the family of God, we become children of God and heirs according to God’s promise.

My sermon today is ------------What does it take to be saved?

Now…..What does it take to be saved? And are you?

• Saved means that the Christian has been taken out of darkness and into light.

• It means that the Christian has been forgiven of his past sins, and become a child of God.

• It means that the Christian may now call upon God as Father and ask for ongoing forgiveness of sins committed after baptism.

• But it doesn’t mean that the Christian can abandon that relationship and return to darkness.

Those who come to God decide to leave behind sin, and that’s repentance. It’s the reversal of life from sin and darkness to a life towards righteousness and light.

• This doesn't mean that a Christian is perfect.

• But it does mean that a Christian is trying to do God's will and live righteously.

• It also means that the Christian has God’s promise that one day he will be saved from the sorrows, pains, and temptations of this life into a place where no evil shall dwell and Father and child may be together throughout eternity.

1 Cor. 15:1-2 says "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

So, Are you saved? “Have you taken the necessary steps to be saved.”

Well, the Bible teaches us that there are some people who think they’re saved, but in actuality they are not. In fact, did you know that Jesus himself said that there were going to be some people who think they are saved, yet will be eternally lost?

Go with me if you will to Matthew 7:21-23,which says: “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Lord, Lord…….

So, I ask you again, Do you “think” you are saved?

Maybe at this point you’re thinking about what you did in order to be saved. This is good. However, what did you do to be saved? And….How do you know you are saved?

Perhaps your answer is like many in the religious world today who say: