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Salvation (Life in The Spirit Seminar message)
Song:
1. Pass me not, O gentle Saviour, 2. Let me at Thy throne of mercy Refrain Saviour, Saviour, 3. Trusting only in Thy merit, 4. Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
What is salvation? In Christian religion is the state of being saved from the power and effect of evil (SIN). Secular definition: - saving or preservation from loss, ruin, or failure. The cup of tea was your salvation while hungry. Six major steps towards salvation i. Acknowledgement – act of agreeing to the truth or recognising the fact that Jesus died for you and you are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 3:23). “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21). “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.” (Isaiah 53:6). “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25). “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8). ii. Repentance :- turning away, you should be sorry and remorseful for wrongdoing. This was said of John the Baptist: 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Matthew 3:8-11). 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: 7John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.(Luke 3:3-8). Jesus preached repentance: From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matthew 4:17). "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15). “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32). St. Paul also preached repentance: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31). iii. Confession:- Act of making one’s faults know to a priest or God – it makes you to be at peace with God and man. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector confessed his sins to the Lord 1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " 8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:1-10). We should never cherish sin and never cover it up: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;” (Psalm 66:18). “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13). iv. Forsaking – act of, to desert, leave for ever, give up completely Jn. 5: 14 ( stop sinning ) . Go and sin no more Jn. 8- 11 Isa. 55: 7. Later Jesus found him (the man healed at the pool of Bethesda) at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (John 5:14). "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:11). “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. (Isaiah 55:7). v. Faith- Strong belief, Heb. 11: 1-6, 2 Cor. 18;19. By Faith 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:1-6). “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). vi. Acceptance – to take or receive something offered or given, accept both salvation and Christ as your personal lord and saviour. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). To get salvation: Not by works (morality), “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Work out your salvation, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12). Consciously desire to get saved like Zaccheaus in Luke 19:1-12 above. You can also make the same effort like the Prodigal son. He dropped shame and ego, and returned back to his home and father. 17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. 21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' (Luke 15:17-21). Be violent against sin and the devil. Set yourself free. You do not have to wait to be arrested like Saul while on his way to Damascus “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” (Matthew 11:12). When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Conclusion: Jesus has finished the work salvation and it is just there for you to receive it. He has saved all long ago but many just refuse to appreciate it. “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22). “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).
God bless you Evang. John B. Oseh |