10 Salvation for all

Just As I Am

The Freeness of Salvation

Text:  1 John 1:9-2:2

Introduction:

1.      Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested for the mass murder of 17 young men.

a.      He tortured and abused them before murdering them.

b.       He cannibalized them storing their body parts in his refridgerator.

2.      In an interview Jeffrey was asked how he could do the things he was accused of.

a.      He didn’t believe in God at the time and felt accountable to no one.

b.       He began with petty crimes, experimented with acts of cruelty and then just kept going. Nothing restrained him.

c.       Dahmer then told of his religious conversion in prison.

d.       The prison chaplain also told how Dahmer had been baptized and was one of his most faithful worshippers.

3.      In November of 1994 Jeffrey Dahmer was himself murdered by fellow prisoners.

a.      The victims’ relatives regretted he did not live longer to suffer more for his crimes.

b.       There was much discussion about the effectiveness of Dahmer’s confession and forgiveness.

c.       Someone said, “Crimes that bad can never be forgiven. He couldn’t be sincere.”

d.       Is anyone ever beyond forgiveness?

4.      Foundational Doctrine re: The Freeness of Salvation

“We believe in God's electing grace; that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent and an obedient faith; and nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel; which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.”

5.      Of particular importance in our scripture passage is verse 2.

1 John 2:2 (KJV)
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

a.      The Advocate offered is for believers, but the “propitiation” is for the whole world.

b.       Propitiation: an atoning sacrifice that “satisfies” a Holy God.

i.        Notice the propitiation or atoning sacrifice is clearly for believers.

ii.     But not only… it is “also for the sins of the whole world.”

6.      It is important to remember why Jesus Christ came into this world.

7.      POWER POINT

a.      Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

b.      John 1:29 (NKJV)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

c.       John 7:37 (NKJV)
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

d.      Galatians 3:22 (NKJV)
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

e.       1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)
15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

f.        1 Timothy 2:4-6 (NKJV)
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

g.       1 Timothy 4:10 (NKJV)
10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

h.      John 3:13-18 (NKJV)
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
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. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

i.        John 3:36 (NKJV)
36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

j.         Romans 3:21-23 (NKJV)
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

k.      Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

8.      Some common bariers to salvation are addressed by God in the scriptures.

9.      In addition to theology other barriers must be overcome.

I.       The Barrier of Race (Acts 10)

A.      Peter is shown the love of God for non-Jews.

1.      The is a most difficult lesson.

2.      Now “dirty” gentiles are the same as the chosen people – the Jews.

B.      Race is an issue today.

1.      Jesus saved the whole world – all races.

2.      No room for racism in Christianity.

II.    The Barrier of Culture (John 4)

A.      Jesus met the Samaritan women despite the restriction of cultural mores.

1.      She was immoral – He a respected teacher.

2.      He was a Jew and she a Samaritan

3.      He was a man and she was a woman.

B.      Jesus took the time to dismantle the barrier of culture.

1.      He did so without offending her.

2.      He brought her to the place of faith in Jesus Christ.

III. The Barrier of History

A.      Think of the sinful history of some people recorded in scripture.

1.      Rahab the harlot – have you noticed how often prostitutes are examples of salvation?

2.      Apostle Paul – murderer and torturer of Christians.

B.      Consider wicked people whom God has wonderfully saved.

1.      George Mueller.

a.       began stealing money from his father’s work funds when he was only ten years old. 

b.       George was playing cards with friends the night his mother died and spent the next day in a tavern. 

c.       For years before being saved, he drank heavily, forged letters from his parents for permission to travel, stole money and lived a life contrary to God. 

d.       Finally, in November 1825, the 20-year old “unstable pagan” accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, the One who could forgive his terrible past. 

e.       By the time he died at the age of 92 on March 10, 1898, Mueller “had obtained from God more than any one else who ever lived – seven and a half million dollars" (Ed Reese, A Great Cloud of Witnesses, p. 103)

2.      C.I. Scofield was an alcoholic, though he served as an enlisted man in the Confederate Army. 

a.       He passed his bar examination at age 26 and served in the Kansas legislature before being appointed U.S. Attorney for the State of Kansas by President Grant. 

b.       He came to Christ in September 1879, led to salvation by a fellow attorney, Thomas S. McPheeters. 

c.       He grew in his walk with the Lord and became the editor of the most famous study Bible in the English language, the Scofield Study Bible (Warren Wiersbe, Living With the Giants, p. 134-135).

IV. The Barrier of Status (Luke 16:19-31)

A.      A persons wealth ans social status are no indicationsof their eternal destiny.

According to a recent Associated Press news report. a wealthy farmer in Italy left over a million dollars to the Roman Catholic Church. When asked, befgore he died, why he was planning to make such a generous contribution, he replied, “to atone for my sins.”

B.      The only need for salvation is a consciousness of need.

Isaiah 55:1 (KJV)
1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Conclusion:

1.      Charlotte Elliott

a.      seemed to have everything going for her as a young woman. She was gifted as a portrait artist and also as a writer of humorous verse.

b.       Then in her early thirties she suffered a serious illness that left her weak and depressed.

c.       During her illness a preacher, Caesar Malan of Switzerland, came to visit her. Noticing her depression, he asked if she had peace with God.

d.       But a few days later she went to apologize. She said that she wanted to clean up some things in her life before becoming a Christian.

e.      He looked at her and said, "Come just as you are." That was enough, and Charlotte Elliott yielded herself to the Lord that day.

f.        Fourteen years later, remembering those words spoken to her by Caesar Malan in Brighton, England, she wrote this simple hymn that God has used to touch millions to respond to Christ's invitation to come just as they are.

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, tho' tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings and fears within, without,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind–

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need in Thee to find–

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

Because Thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!