A Witness of Salvation
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Tonight we come to the final message in our Christian Life Study. This message is the culmination of all that we have been studying for the last year. All the doctrines of the bible are beneficial to the believer for our own spiritual growth, but all those doctrines are to be put into practice as “A Witness of Salvation” in Christ to the lost who are still wandering in the darkness of their sin.
Tonight as we look at being and effective witness of the salvation we have in Christ, we need to go through the process of sharing our faith with others.
Text; Acts 4:12
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Prayer
There are various ways and methods of sharing salvation with others.
Romans Road, FAITH plan, ABC’s of salvation, Share Jesus Without Fear, etc..
Everyone of these plans are good to use because they focus on one thing, “you can’t be saved without Jesus!”
Let me give you seven steps to help in sharing your faith using anyone of these methods.
1. Share Your Testimony of Salvation;
1. Share Your Testimony of Salvation;
Take just a few minutes to share your personal testimony;
[Give my testimony briefly]
As you come to the close of your testimony, ask the person you are speaking with if you could share God’s plan of salvation that changed your life with them. [Have a Bible handy/gospel tract]
2. God Loves You;
2. God Loves You;
The best place to start with John 3:16
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.
You are reaffirming to the person that the very love God gave you in Christ can be theirs also!
3. All have Sinned;
3. All have Sinned;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The bible calls sin lawlessness, unbelief, and rebellion against God. All unrighteousness is sin.
The best illustration to use for sin is the Ten Commandments [Ex. 20]
Explain that no one is capable of keeping them all. So if you break one commandment you have sinned against God. Therefore we fall short and cannot be in fellowship with Him. Sin separates us!
It is good to help them see and admit we are all sinners!
4. Sinners are Dead;
4. Sinners are Dead;
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sin separates and destroys just like death does.
Wages are the payment one receives for work that has been done. If we are to get paid for our sin, that payment is death!
Death is spiritual separation from God.
Death is a physical separation from the body
Death is eternal separation from God in heaven
If we remain in our sin we will be paid for them at the judgment and be separated from God forever and be cast into hell.
But remember that “God so loves you” that he gave you the free gift of salvation in HIs Son Jesus Christ!
5. Christ Died for You;
5. Christ Died for You;
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Because we are not able to save ourselves, Christ died for us that we can be saved in Him. The reason Christ saves is because He is holy and sinless, the perfect sacrifice!
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
This is a great place to really impress the fact of the amazing love God has for the sinner. God doesn’t want anyone to die and go to hell, that’s why he sent His Son to die for us so we can be forgiven and live for Him now and with Him forever in heaven!
Then you can ask this question of them; “Wouldn’t you like to be forgiven of your sin and live forever?”
If they say no, you should ask “why not?” Let them explain why and encourage them to reconsider based upon what you have shared with them in the scriptures.
If they still say no, then ask them if you could pray with them and let it go. Pray a prayer asking God to help them understand His love for them.
If they say yes, then move to the next step.
6. Pray for Salvation;
6. Pray for Salvation;
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.”
This is not a magical prayer but belief in all the scriptures you had shared with them.
“Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus”- you are acknowledging you are a sinner in need of salvation and God sent His Son to die in your place to save you.
“Believe in your heart”- you believe that what you read in the Bible is true about Jesus [death, burial, resurrection] you will be saved, ransomed from your sin, found not guilty, pardoned by God.
God’s promise to all mankind is this, if you will put your trust in Him, He will save you in Christ, regardless of your race, gender, where you live, where you come from or how bad your past is!
The gospel is the power of God for salvation only when you believe. Your faith in Jesus Christ releases the power of God that saves your soul!
7. Live for Him;
7. Live for Him;
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
We need to remember that salvation begins with a prayer but it continues with a life lived in Christ.
The love that we have been shown by God and experienced in Christ should compel us to live for Him and be a witness of this great love to others who need to know.
Close;
There are many ways and methods of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. But the only effective way to be a “Witness of Salvation” is to have experienced that salvation for yourself and that you are not ashamed of it!
Witnessing for Christ is not something we turn on and off, like a TV set. Every believer is a witness at all times—either a good one or a bad one.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Witnessing is not something we do; it is something we are.
Anonymous
