Salvation Sermon Blake Jennings

Transcription

1 Salvation Sermon Blake Jennings Turn to Ephesians 2 What is salvation? o What does the word save / salvation mean when you see it in your Bible? o Most people assume = escape hell and get to heaven o No in Hebrew or Greek, it is not a technical term for going to heaven Very ordinary word that means simply to deliver someone from something You must ask, What are we being delivered from? We want to focus on just those last few uses of the word: salvation from sin and from wrath = SalvationwithacapitalS Not about getting healed from a disease About our eternal destiny and our relationship with God. What does the Bible tell us about salvationwithacapitals? Many people have a very small view of salvation: just a getoutofhell card SalvationwithacapitalS includes: o An EVENT that happens in an instant when a person believes the gospel o A PROCESS called Sanctification God grows a believer to be like Jesus o A DESTINY in the future called Glorification When Jesus returns, resurrects us and remakes the world perfect The Event of Salvation 1

2 1) Goes by many names This is one of the challenges in studying salvation: so big that one word just won t suffice Event of salvation is so big that God had to use many names to describe it o Each name describes salvation from a different perspective 1] Read 1:7 FORGIVENESS o Forgive means literally to let go o = God does not hold your trespasses / sins against you He lets go of them o All our sins past, present, future are washed away and forgotten o = PERSONAL perspective on salvation We sinned against a Person who has the right to hold our sins against us Instead, He forgives us the instant we believe 2] Romans 3:2324 JUSTIFICATION o = LEGAL aspect of salvation looks at salvation like a court case o We are guilty party on trial we ve sinned / broken the law deserve conviction o But God justifies us = declares to be in the right not guilty acquitted Our crimes are not held against us o Same concept as forgiveness but legal rather than personal aspect 3] Back to 1:7a REDEMPTION o = Bought out of slavery o We belonged to sin and to Satan we were their slaves o Jesus purchased us with His blood out of kingdom of sin & Satan o = ECONOMIC aspect of salvation looks at salvation like a transaction Jesus bought you so you now belong to Him Exchange happened the moment you believed 4] Read 2:1 2

3 o Describes person before salvation = powerless against sin You could not help but sin because you were spiritually dead o But now Read 2:45 REGENERATION Made us alive = reborn, regenerated o The day you were saved is like a second birthday for you! Day of birth: became physically alive; day of salvation: spiritually alive o Regeneration is the SPIRITUAL aspect of salvation 5] Read Col 1:21 o Before salvation we were alienated from God; hostile = God s enemies o But Read Col 1:22 RECONCILIATION Reconciled = at peace with God Jesus made peace b/w you and God the Father from enemy to friend o Ill: what s going on in our nation hostility along racial and political lines Feels like we re separated from one another; yelling at one another Reconciliation is the opposite of that join hands and become one End of hostility and separation beginning of perfect peace o Reconciliation between you and God happens the instant you believe 6] But there s something even bigger that happens Read 1:5 ADOPTION o We were God s enemies now we re God s children we re part of His family o A complete reversal of our relationship with God from enemy to child o Think about what this means We sinned against God disrespected Him, grieved Him Our sin hurt God on an emotional level Luke 19 Jesus wept over Jerusalem Incredibly gracious for God to forgive us and send us on our way But He did something so much harder adopted us! ADOPTION harder than FORGIVENESS must see the person every day! Lot of words so God gave us a summary term: ETERNAL LIFE 3

4 o John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. o Not = heaven though it includes heaven when you die 2) Is both FREE and COSTLY Absolutely free: o Read 2:49 o Grace = getting something good you don t deserve o Clarify: If salvation is by grace, then salvation is Not a Reward you do something good to get something good Not a Bargain you get something at a reduced price Not a Loan you get something now but pay for it later o Salvation is by grace alone Read Rom 3:28 All we must do is believe There are no strings attached to the gift of salvation Staggeringly costly: o Not for us but for God Read Ephesians 1:7 again o It cost the life of His Son Jesus had to die for us to be saved 3) Is both ANCIENT and INSTANT 4

5 ANCIENT Read 1:45 o 1) God chose particular people by name in eternity past to be saved o 2) He chose you based on love, not based on your merit o 3) His choice is meant to give you PEACE Meant to give you peace because: If our salvation was already decided in eternity past, then there s nothing we can do in the present to take it away Your salvation did not start the day you believed it began infinite ages ago There s nothing in the present that is going to shock God, or change His mind; there s security in that truth So salvation is ancient, but it s also INSTANT you are saved the instant you believe o Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith = your faith = your choice to believe o The MYSTERY: Are you saved because God chose you or because you chose to believe? BOTH!! o I can t reconcile predestination & free will o I just know they re both true because the Bible teaches both Ephesians 1:34 preaches predestination God s choice Ephesians 1:13 preaches faith our choice to believe Read Ephesians 1:13 They heard the message of truth, the gospel of salvation Gospel = good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose The moment you believe = persuaded that the gospel is true you are saved o While salvation was planned by God in eternity past, it happens the instant you believe So, let me ask you have you believed? 5

6 Let s talk about some reasons people choose not to believe: Too hard to believe Too good to be true Too many hypocrites Too exclusive If you have believed who are you sharing this good news with? 6