The Chance to Be Saved
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Experience Is Change
Experience Is Change
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.”
In his class, he was a troublemaker. He would not study. He annoyed other students. No teacher wanted him. He seemed hopeless. Then a new teacher arrived. She saw his possibilities and challenged his unused talents. When the boy realized someone cared about him, the change was dramatic. He tried to do better. His work and papers greatly improved.
On the parent-teacher conference day, he was panicky—he remembered the past conferences. They had not gone well. He so much wanted this one to be different, but he remembered his work and actions from the first part of the year. However just before his parents left, they complimented him. He didn’t see how they could do that. He wondered why they didn't mention his earlier failing papers?
As soon as he could, he rushed to his desk and took out his notebook. Much to his surprise, he found the reason for his parents' compliments. His kind teacher had taken out of his notebook all of the earlier failing papers and left only the more recent good ones.
The story reminds us about what Jesus does for us. When we come to Him with our failures, our sins and mistakes, He washes them clean and replaces them with the record of the good and obedient life that He lived. He want to and does change our hearts if we let Him so that we do not continue the failures and mistakes. This is what salvation is all about.
Preview
Preview
The experience of salvation is for everyone who believes and accepts Jesus as a personal Savior. Christ, the Son of God, became a human being to bring us salvation. Sinless, He lived as a gracious, loving kind, and righteous person. To save us, He took upon Himself our guilt and died as our Substitute on the cross. Thus He ransomed us. If we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He forgives our sins. The Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us power to obey Him. He changes our likes and dislikes so that we become kind and loving, putting others before self.
Points to Ponder
Points to Ponder
1. All of us are sinners.
1. All of us are sinners.
From the time Adam and Eve sinned, sin has reigned in the world. "All have sinned" (Romans 3:23). We can find peace and forgiveness only by confessing and forsaking our sins and accepting Jesus as our Saviour. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit as He brings conviction of sin and leads us to repent.
Without a change of heart, we cannot love God or His way of life.
2. How can we change?
2. How can we change?
Only as we come to the cross and feel truly sorry for sins will we receive the new birth.
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4587 Change of Heart
Change Of Heart
One day a lady was giving her little nephew a lesson. He was generally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, “Auntie, may I kneel down and ask God to help me to find my marble?” His aunt having given her consent, the little boy knelt by his chair, closed his eyes, and prayed silently. Then he rose and went on with his lesson contentedly.
Next day, almost afraid of asking the question, lest the child had not found his toy, and so might lose his simple faith, she said, “Well, dear, have you found your marble?” “No, Auntie,” was the reply, “but God had made me not want to.”
How do we change? To ask for forgiveness on a daily basis by prayer and spending time with the person that chose the cross for our sakes and gave us the chance for a new birth.
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
3. How can we daily experience this new birth?
3. How can we daily experience this new birth?
By prayer and Bible study, our faith in Jesus will grow. He will become our friend and companion. He will guide us through the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit enabled Christ to accomplish God's will, so will He enable us.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Nuts and Bolts
Nuts and Bolts
1. Some Christians are confused about how the Scriptures describe the experience of salvation.
1. Some Christians are confused about how the Scriptures describe the experience of salvation.
To better understand how God brings about our salvation we need to think of our (1) past (already accomplished) the fact that we are sinful, (2) present (realized now)a realization that we need to be changed. and (3) the future at the second coming ( if the Lord doesn’t change us we won’t be able to have a part in this).
When we realize we are lost in sin, what is the first step toward salvation?
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2. In Christ the sinner is not only pardoned but declared righteous.
2. In Christ the sinner is not only pardoned but declared righteous.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
How many times do we stop to contemplate this. Jesus was not sinful, but willingly accept the results of sin upon Himself. Because He became sin for us and willingly let this happen, He lost His connection with the Father and laid down His life with weight of the whole worlds sins upon Him. Because of this act, we can become righteous, because His act blots out or hides our sins. Then being connected with Jesus, gives us a place with God Himself.
3. Many wrongly believe that their standing before God depends on their good or bad deeds.
3. Many wrongly believe that their standing before God depends on their good or bad deeds.
The Bible teaches that our salvation is by faith in God's grace alone.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
We are not saved by our good deeds. Our salvation is a gift of God that we receive through faith in Jesus Christ. But that does not mean that obedience is not needed. Indeed, a saved person will lead a godly life. Genuine faith will produce good works. Says James:
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
4. What is Justification?
4. What is Justification?
Justification is what God does for us. It is the act by which God declares a repentant righteous on the basis of what Christ did on the cross (Romans 5:18, 19). Justification brings joy now, knowing that we are accepted by Christ.
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
5. What is Sanctification?
5. What is Sanctification?
Sanctification is what God does in us. By His grace we are to lead a holy and sanctified life (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 6, 7). Daily, our characters are being strengthened.
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
and then
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
6. As we grow in the sanctified life, the Holy Spirit will produce in us the “fruits of the Spirit”.
6. As we grow in the sanctified life, the Holy Spirit will produce in us the “fruits of the Spirit”.
Let’s get our Bibles out and look up Galatians 5:22-23. Lets look for the fruits of the Spirit and will put them up her on the screen.
7. What did Paul call the converts who were being sanctified?
7. What did Paul call the converts who were being sanctified?
1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
God calls us "saints," not because we are sinless, but because we are saved from sin and because He has accepted us and empowered us to walk with Jesus. Further, He has adopted us into His family as His children!
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
8. These two aspects of salvation - justification and sanctification - cannot be separated.
8. These two aspects of salvation - justification and sanctification - cannot be separated.
They go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.
9. The final experience, glorification, comes at the second coming of Christ.
9. The final experience, glorification, comes at the second coming of Christ.
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Look at the end of the verse again. We rejoice in the hope and the glory of God.
The joyful and triumphant confidence of Paul’s faith stands in contrast to the doctrine of those who believe that “faith” necessarily implies that one must constantly be in a state of hopeful anxiety and uncertainty regarding justification. God wishes us to know whether we have been accepted, so that we may actually have the peace that comes from such an experience. Faith does not mean merely believing that God can pardon and restore us. Christian faith means believing that God through Christ has pardoned us and that He has created a new heart within us.
Words to Remember
Words to Remember
Justification: What Jesus does for us. God's declaration that we are righteous on the basis of our acceptance, by faith, of what Jesus has done. Sanctification: What Jesus does in us. Living a life in accordance with the will of God, by His power. Repentance: Feeling sorry for our sins and turning away from them.
The Difference Between
The Difference Between
Biblical Perfection. The term does not denote sinlessness, but maturity, growth, and commitment to walk with God. The Bible describes Noah, Abraham, Job, and others as perfect blameless, yet each had imperfections. The New Testament applies the term perfect to persons living up to all the light received, constantly growing in divine knowledge, and rejoicing in a life of victory.
I Truly Believe
I Truly Believe
We cannot understand the marvelous power of God's Holy spirit. But we do know that if we ask, the Holy Spirit will keep us safe from Satan's temptations and power. He will transform our hearts and minds so that we will want to do His will. Then, no matter what our circumstances, we with Him, eager to do His service.
Will you choose to answer Jesus' prayer to the Father for you?
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
If you feel your need of Jesus and want Him to be your Saviour, place a check by each statement that reflects your decision:
As a sinner, I need repentance, forgiveness, and a change of heart and life.
I believe that Jesus is My Saviour and that He died for me and will give me forgiveness and a new heart if I ask Him.
I am ready to give Jesus my life. I ask for the power to obey His Word, so that He may transform my character into His divine likeness.
I plan to pray daily for the Holy Spirit and to study the Bible, so that I may grow spiritually.
Time for testimonies form audience.
Prayer