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This is the fifth sermon in a series of messages about the theme of redemption. This message focuses on the conditions for faith that are described in the Scriptures.
Written Excerpts:
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.
Introduction:
We’ve been doing a series of sermons on the topic of
redemption. This is a topic that is woven through the entire Bible from front
to back. Every single person is in need of redemption and our
wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, has provided a perfect plan.
John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace and many
other hymns said this when he had reached the later years of his life, "My memory is nearly gone, but I
remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great
Savior!" (Today's Best Illustrations)
(R. L. Wheeler – Draper's Book of Quotations) If I had the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the meekness of
Moses, the strength of Samson, the obedience of Abraham, the compassion of
Joseph, the tears of Jeremiah, the poetic skill of David, the prophetic voice
of Elijah, the courage of Daniel, the greatness of John the Baptist, the
endurance and love of Paul, I would still need redemption through Christ's
blood, the forgiveness of sin.
Last week we talked about the plan of redemption
being a wise plan designed by God exactly the way that matched our great need. That plan was fulfilled in the life and sacrifice of
God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He was truly God and truly man, who freely laid down
His life as a perfect sacrifice and He rose again in victory over the Devil and
the curse of death upon the human race. Salvation
and redemption is a free gift offered to everyone. That is, it cannot be earned
or deserved by effort.
But,
it is not automatic. God has clearly outlined the choices and decisions that a
person must make in order to acquire the gift for themselves.
As
we consider the topic of redemption being “The Sinners’ Smartest Option” we are
going to break it down into two parts. The
first part will focus on man’s decisions
or choices. The
second part will focus on God’s
provisions.
I. Man’s
Decisions
It
is certainly important to talk about how desperately humanity needs redeemed,
and to talk about how effectively Christ provided it. But, even if a person understands those vital
truths, he still isn’t enjoying the personal experience of being redeemed until
he follows the instructions that God has laid out in order to receive it.
The
word of God teaches that there are several conditions that must be met for any
person to personally experience redemption in his own life.
A. Confession
“Confess”
– to say the same thing.
The
Bible speaks about two kinds of confession.
1. Confession
about ourselves.
1 John 1:8-10 (NKJV) 8 If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not
sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
We
must admit & say the same about ourselves as God says about us. (i.e. we
are sinners. We have violated God’s standards of righteousness and we are under
the judgment of death.) This
is the same point we made a few weeks ago when we talked about man’s greatest
need.
2. Confession about Christ
Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) 9 that if you confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus [or Jesus is Lord] 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.
We
must say the same thing about Jesus Christ that God says about Him.
· He alone is the atoning sacrifice for our sins
· He alone has accepted our consequences
· He is the only way to the Father/heaven
B. Repentance
“Repent”
– to experience a complete change of mind or thinking, resulting in a turning
away from former beliefs and practices.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV) 6 Seek ye the LORD while
he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and
let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to
our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Matthew 21:28-29 (NKJV) 28 “But what do you think? A
man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my
vineyard.' 29 He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he
regretted it and went.
Repentance
results from true godly sorrow for sin.
2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (NKJV)
8 For even if I made you sorry
with my letter, I do not regret it [now]; though I did regret it. For I
perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now
I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to
repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might
suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces
repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the
sorrow of the world produces death.
C. Faith
(Believe)
“Faith”
– A conscious choice to trust everything that is said about Christ (His identity
and His sacrifice).
Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) 9 that if you confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus [or Jesus is Lord] 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.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV) 8 For by grace you
have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The Cross, Not the Scales (John Stott in Authentic Christianity) The repeated promises
in the Qur'an of the forgiveness of a compassionate and merciful Allah are all
made to the meritorious, whose merits have been weighed in Allah's scales,
whereas the gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the
religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales. (Today's Best Illustrations)
D. Receive
John 1:11-12 (KJV) 11 He came unto his own, and
his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name:
Don’t
know if “receiving” is actually different than believing, except to say…
Believing
with just a mental agreement, but not a true confidence and trust is not really
“faith.” But faith that is real and genuine will “reach out and accept/receive”
God’s gift of grace, trusting that God will keep His promise.
Take It, It's
Free! — Debbie Brumley, Concord,
NC. Christian Reader,
"Lite Fare."
To emphasize
the point of salvation being free and a gift from the Lord, our pastor held up
a dollar bill and said, "You see this dollar bill? It is a gift to whoever
will receive it. Now if you really wanted it, you would have to come and accept
it."
If the pastor
was still in possession of the dollar bill when he concluded his sermon, he
could have made a strong point of how many souls are lost because they hesitate
to accept the gift of salvation until it is too late. Any such plan to bring
across that point, however, was foiled when our three-year-old son ran out of
his seat to the front of the church and took the dollar from Rev. Massey!
Rev. Massey
capitalized on the situation, however, and made and equally impressive point
after the roar of the congregation had settled down. With our little son now
back in the pew and proudly holding his newly acquired gift, an obviously
pleased pastor changed his object lesson to: "If only folks could see the
value of God's great gift, Jesus, they would be running to him also!" (Today's
Best Illustrations)
E. Obey
Obedience
is not something we do to gain God’s approval so that He will save us. It
is not something that we must do to earn His favor. Obedience is the visible sign that we do
actually believe what we say we believe.
Acts 5:32 (NKJV) 32 And we are His witnesses to
these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has
given to those who obey Him."
Hebrews 5:9 (KJV) 9 And being made perfect, he
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV) 8 For by grace you have
been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of
God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Conclusion:
Today
I have tried to explain what the Bible says about the conditions for being a
recipient of redemption. We
do believe that the sacrifice Jesus made is available to the entire human race,
however only those who meet Him on His conditions will be awarded the benefits
of His sacrifice.
Remember
that these decisions are conditions that God has defined as the
path to receive His saving grace, but never forget this… THE CONDITIONS DO NOT EARN ANYTHING.
Salvation
is totally by the grace of God and it is totally through faith in Christ. By
following the path He has defined, you merely show your faith in what He has said. You’re
here this morning with the privilege of hearing how you can know you are
redeemed or saved.
If
you do not know you are redeemed, come and pray this morning to settle the
matter for certain.
We're going to close the service by singing: Jesus Is Calling
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