SF248 - The Simple Facts of Salvation (Acts 4 12)
SF248
THE SIMPLE FACTS OF SALVATION
Acts 4:12
INTRODUCTION
Have you noticed that everyone seems to have some idea of what it means to be "saved"?
1A. THE EXCLUSIVE SOURCE OF SALVATION
1B. PERSON OF THE SAVIOR
JOH 14:6 <R>Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1TI 2:5<R>For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
2B. PLAN OF SALVATION
HEB 2:3<R>how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
THE ONE UNCHANGING REMEDY
Years ago men prescribed very unusual treatments for illnesses. The great reformer John Wesley recorded a few of them in his journal: "I twice tried to stop the violent bleeding from a cut by applying a brier leaf, but I found no change for the better. On another occasion I ordered some brimstone to be powdered, mixed with the white of an egg, and spread on a brown paper which I then used as a poultice." He also told of a friend who "had just been taken ill with all the symptoms of pleurisy." She was given "an easy, cheap remedy consisting of a handful of nettles boiled a few minutes and applied warm to the side." Because of the outstanding progress in pharmacology, we seriously question the effectiveness of some of these practices and even find them a bit amusing.
Unlike our changing remedies for physical ailments, God's prescription for sin remains the same! He has one time‑tested cure that needs no improving. The malady of human depravity has been effectively conquered, for salvation has been provided through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2A. THE INCLUSIVE SCOPE OF SALVATION
1B. PERSON TO BE SAVED
JOH 3:16<R>"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
From the guttermost to the uttermost.
2B. PLAN OF SALVATION
ACT 20:21<R>I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
The gospel is the same for everyone.
The ground at the foot of the cross is level.
FOR PAUPER AND KING
In 1915 in Stockholm, Sweden, in a prison hospital a man lay dying who had spent most of his life in crime. At his bedside a chaplain kept vigil all through the night. While wiping the forehead of the sufferer and moistening his lips, he whispered repeatedly in his ear, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." At last a wonderful look of peace came upon the face of the dying man, for he comprehended what was being said and trusted the Savior. Then he closed his eyes and went into the presence of the One who had saved him.
When the Christian worker left the hospital and walked out into the chill of the early morning, he heard a newsboy shouting, "Extra! Extra!" He bought a paper and opened it in the cafe where he went for breakfast. The headlines announced that the King of Sweden had just died. The account told how the queen had sat at the bedside of her husband, comforting him from the Scriptures and reading the precious promises of Divine forgiveness through Christ. The same sacrifice on Calvary that brought pardon to a prisoner had procured peace for a king.
3A. THE SUCCESSIVE STEPS OF SALVATION
1B. GOD'S PURPOSE
1C. We receive eternal life as a free gift
ROM 6:23<R>...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2C. We can have a full and meaningful life right now
JOH 10:10<R>The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
3C. We will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.
JOH 14:3<R>And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
2B. Our Need
1C. We are all sinners by nature and by choice
ROM 3:23<R>for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
2C. We cannot save ourselves
EPH 2:9<R>not by works, so that no one can boast.
3C. We deserve death and hell
ROM 6:23<R>For the wages of sin is death...
2B. God's Provision
1C. Jesus is God and became man
JOH 1:1,4<R>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.<R>The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
2C. Jesus died for us on the cross
1PE 3:18<R>For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
ISA 53:6<R>We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
BOOK OF SIN
Let my left hand represent me and my right hand represent Jesus . (Hold up a book or other object with the left.) This book rep resents my imperfections, my shortcomings, my sin. God loves me (point to the left fingers) but hates my sin (point to the book or other object) and must punish it. Because of his love, God s ent Jesus into the world (lift up the right hand parallel to the left hand). The Bible says "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isa 53:6) (As you say the words , "laid on him" transfer the bo0ok in one destinct motion from t he left to the right hand and leave it there.) When Jesus died on the cross, God laid on him all my sin and guilt.
3C. Jesus was resurrected from the dead
ROM 4:25<R>He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
4B. Our Response
1C. We must repent of our sins
ACT 3:19<R>Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Ø Not just feeling sorry for our sin
ACT 26:20<R>First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
Ø Turning away from our sin and turning to God through Jesus
MILITARY COMMAND
Repentance is similar to what happens in the military when all t he soldiers are marching in one direction and the command is giv en, "To the rear march," everyone turns immediately and marches in the opposite direction. When we repent, we turn from our sin and turn to Jesus.
2C. We must place our faith in Jesus
EPH 2:8<R>For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith‑‑and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God‑‑
Ø Faith is not just believing facts about Jesus
JAM 2:19<R>You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that‑‑and shudder.
Ø Faith is trusting Jesus
AIRPLANE ILLUSTRATION
Have you ever made a trip on an airplane or know someone who has ? We compare placing our faith in Jesus to making a trip on an airplane. There are several things involved: You must have a ti cket, you must get to the airport on time and youmust believe th eplane will take you where you want to go. Finally, you must tr ust the plane enough to board it. That is how you must respond to Jesus. The only way Jesus can make a differencd in your life is for you to totally trust him.
3C. We must surrender to Jesus as Lord
ROM 10:9‑10<R>That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.<R>For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Ø Surrendering to Jesus is not just saying we give our lives to Jesus
MAT 7:21<R>"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Ø Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is giving Jesus control of our lives
DRIVING THE CAR
Let me illustrate what it means to give Jesus control of our liv es. It's like driving down the highway with another person. As long as you are driving, you are in control and can determine h ow to get where you are going. If at some point you realize you don't know the way, but the other person does and you say, "OK, you take the wheel and drive," then the other person will be in control and the two of you will take the route he chooses. In the same manner we must turn the control of our lives over to Je sus by saying, "Jesus, you take control of my life and I will go where you want me to go." We have to turn our lives over to hi m and learn to go where he wants us to go
CONCLUSION
Gospel Invitation
DRINK DEEPLY!
A little girl from a very poor family was in the hospital. The nurse brought her a glass filled to the brim with milk. This was the first time the girl had a whole glass of her own because at home she always had to share with her brothers and sisters. When the nurse returned to her room, she found the glass still full. "Why didn't you drink it?" she asked. "Do you need some help?" "No, ma'am," replied the girl. "You didn't tell me how deep I could drink." The nurse, knowing of her poverty, fought back the tears. "Drink all of it," she said tenderly, "I brought this whole glass just for you."