The Path Of Salvation

Intro

Open your Bible’s to Romans chapter 3, that is where we are going to be today.

Last week PJ preached on the first twenty verses of the chapter. The focus was on the subject of our complete and utter brokenness

Highlighting the fact that we need Who?

Jesus

Jesus is the only way for us to escape our sinful natures.

Yet we often treat it that heaven is the goal of salvation. Like we were saved and now we get heaven.

But that’s a misunderstanding of what salvation is.

BI: The Point of Salvation is Not a Ticket to Heaven, it’s a Reversal of Our Curse

We can live our lives in a manner that we believe that because we are saved we can do whatever we want.

We can still entertain our habitual sins, as long as we feel a little bit guilty about it afterwards

We can withhold forgiveness from those around us because we’re just not ready yet

It’s not like getting your passport stamped and that’s it

No, it’s a reversal of our curse, that means we are stepping into new life

Of course, you are not going to do it perfectly, but the point is chasing after godliness

and when you fall, and you will, you seek repentance, you turn from your ways, and you go back to following God again

I think that part of this comes from a faulty idea of what eternal life is.

Because it’s not just heaven. Heaven is the least of what eternal life has to offer

John 17:1–3 ESV

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

What is eternal life?

To know God.

That is what we have inherited, heaven pales in comparison without God being there.

We are saved and chase then after Christ.

Our curse has been reversed

But we did not always live in that way, for we at one time were filled with sin.

Romans 3:23

I. Apart From God I Am Filled With Sin (21-23)

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

PJ preached on this heavily last week, we’re going to touch on it today again

So, who has sinned?

All of us!

I need to be reminded of this because I need to be reminded of where I have come from, and from where the Lord has redeemed me from!

Without God we are entirely without virtue

We have no goodness

We have no righteousness

We have nothing that we can boast about before the Lord

We were slaves to sin!

That’s how Paul describes us in Romans chapter 6!

What choice do we have? Or do we think that sin is a kind enough master to loosen its grip that we may chase after goodness for a little while?

No, when I was a slave to sin there was nothing redeemable within me!

Apart from God I am filled with sin!

But now… the apostle writes

Read Romans 3:21-22

This righteousness has been manifested without the Law

What Paul is talking about here is the righteousness that we are clothed with as children of the King

God imparts righteousness to the believer through the Spirit, how?

Through our faith in Jesus Christ

That’s what Paul is writing about in verse 22!

II. Through Jesus Christ I Am Called Righteous (24-26)

It is only through Jesus that we are called righteous!

It was also only ever going to be through Jesus that we were called righteous!

Romans 3:21 ESV

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—

The law and the prophets bear witness to it

Even in the times of the Old Testament the law is not what saved

The Law demonstrates for us how broken we all are, and encourages us to chase after grace

We chase after Christ

When we then believe in Him our sins have been buried where He was buried and they remain there.

The gift of Christ was offered freely, and it must have been because we had nothing to offer in exchange for it.

We were utterly and totally broken

But now this passage starts out with saying

But now righteousness can be imparted to us because Jesus paid the price and we can be clothed in what the Lord is

Because of Jesus our curse is broken, we are no longer slaves to sin, we who believe are free to chase after the Lord.

Read 3:23-26

Jesus was given as a propitiation for our sins

That’s a big word today, and it means that Christ satisfied the holiness of God by taking our place on the cross where God is now able to extend grace to sinners because the perfect Son died for our sins.

He was the perfect sacrifice

He was the propitiation for our sins

It is through the blood of Christ that we are able to be saved.

Christ was put forward, why?

To be received by faith

He died so that we could have faith in Him

He died so that our curse would be wiped away

He died so that we could have a relationship with Him

And He was the only One Who could do it, it is only through Christ that we can be saved

Read 3:27-31

So, none of us can boast in our righteousness, none of us can boast in our works, it is all coming forth through Christ!

You were not the agent of your own salvation, it is entirely due to the Lord. There is nothing that you could have done to place yourself in right standing with God

But that is not the end of your life, you were not saved, got your ticket to heaven, and then free to live in whatever manner you choose

That is not the point of salvation

It’s to know God

and in knowing God, in receiving His grace what happens to us?

We become more like Him!

III. In Following Jesus I Live Like Him (27-31)

Paul, in verse 31, tells us what we are to do with the law now that we have been set free from our curse

Romans 3:31 ESV

Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

How do we uphold the Law? We now follow it!

“The Law was given, in order that we might seek after grace. Grace was given, in order that we might fulfill the Law. It was not the fault of the Law that it was not fulfilled, but the fault was man’s carnal mind. This guilt the Law must make manifest, in order that we may be healed by divine grace.” - St. Augustine

Those who are of grace now uphold the Law

And under the New Covenant that comes with Christ we are upholding the moral law. No longer do we practice the Mosaic ceremonies. That’s why I have a tattoo, and why I can eat shrimp, or we don’t get after you all for wearing different kinds of fabrics at the same time today, because we are no longer practicing the Mosaic Ceremonies.

And if you have more questions on that, Pastor Kyle would be a great person to talk to

Why do we do that? Why do we now uphold the Law? Because that’s what Christ did!

Matthew 5:17 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus did not seek to destroy the Law, He was going to fulfill it, and He did!

So, how can I fulfill it?

Well, before we answer that we need to define what the Law is

Thankfully for us, Jesus did that too

Matthew 22:36–40 ESV

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

How can I uphold the Law? By loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind. AND by loving my neighbor as myself

On these two commandments depend what Church?

When Jesus says the Law and the Prophets here what He is saying is that the entire Old Testament hangs on these two commandments.

That’s this much of your Bible.

Then He also tells us that He has come to fulfill the Law, which is summed up in these two commands, that’s now this much.

Then the rest of the New Testament is instruction on Who Jesus is, how we can live like Him, and what He is going to continue to do. Which includes the rest of your Bible.

How well are we doing at loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength? And how good are we at loving our neighbors as ourselves?

I’m going to focus on the latter commandment today, because the series that we are in currently is asking who your one is.

What is the best way that you can love your one?

Sharing Jesus with them

BI: To Live Like Jesus Means I Help Those Around Me Find And Follow Jesus

If I want to live like Jesus did then I need to share Him with all those around me, because that’s exactly what He did

Why are we waiting? Why do we not leap at the opportunities?

Because we are scared? We’re nervous they might not like us? They might laugh at you? The stakes couldn’t be higher for their soul.

And when we do not, that missed opportunity will haunt us for the rest of our lives

And if it doesn’t, then we must have a shallow view of the eternal punishment that was awaiting us when we were in their state.

Ezekiel 33:1–6 ESV

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

?

Let me share my greatest regret with you:

Ashleigh at Logans

How then can I share the gospel with the people around me? What do I say when they are ready and willing to listen? “Megan can you come help me?”

Well, there are a couple different ways that you can do it. One of the methods is called the bridge illustration, and it only takes a piece of paper. (Megan, begin drawing the cliffs)

There are two cliffs here, we are over on the right, and God is on the left

The chasm that separates us is called sin. It is too far for us to jump across, though each of us will fall into it in death.

Romans 6:23a ESV

For the wages of sin is death

This chasm was created in the Garden, when Adam and Eve sinned against God

It is why there is so much brokenness in the world today, it is why we are often stuck within ourselves.

Our path leads to death, it’s the only way that we can go, but God sent Christ to save us (Draw the cross)

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus came and died in our place. Through Christ’s sacrifice a bridge between us and God was formed.

All we must do is believe in Christ, that He died for our sins, and seek forgiveness from them.

That is all that it takes to step onto the bridge and live life with God

“Thank you Megan, I really appreciate the help. (clap)”

You don’t have to do it this way, there are a number of different methods that you can use. But this is an easy method that is adaptable to your specific one that you have been praying for.

Share your story, I promise you have one. You’re opening your heart to those around you.

The point is that we are going out and sharing the Name of Christ to the people that we love, because we want them to come into eternity and know God. We want to worship the Lord in heaven with the people that we love and whatever way that we can do that we should be

The point of salvation is not a ticket to heaven, it’s a reversal of our curse.

Yet after we have received the grace of God we now seek to uphold the Law, that is, to live like Christ. And what other way can we do that, than by loving those around us and sharing Christ with them?

If you’re here today and you don’t know Jesus but would like to cross the gap, I would love to lead you in a prayer right now...

If you made a decision for Christ today, I would love to talk to you and hear about it. If you’re a first time guest I would love to meet with you through those doors and to the left. And if I could have some of our guys stack the chairs in the room to help get us ready for Maverick Men. Thank you all, go now in the Grace of the Father, the love of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.