Faith for Salvation

The only thing that works real good all the time is my forgetter. The following is the text of the adult Sunday School Bible study and provides an excellent review of a particular aspect of our faith. Different voice, different approach, same old story. Let's talk about it...

“Faith For Salvation”

Golden Text: John 3:16God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life
Focus: to recap Christ’s message of salvation and be grateful for forgiveness
Objectives:

1. consider where we are in regards to our salvation

2. reflect on the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ

3. become grateful for the gift of God’s forgiveness of sin
Tell me the old, old story

Of unseen things above

Of Jesus and His glory

Of Jesus and His love

Tell me the story simply

As to a little child

For I am weak and weary

And helpless and defiled
It is a simple, yet vastly complex salvation that we have.Simple from the fact that if a person chooses to

A-dmit they are a sinner

B-elieve that Jesus is the Son of God

C-onfess Jesus as Savior and Lord , they will be saved.
It is complex in that we live in a world that was created perfect, without sin. Sin-missing the mark, falling short of the goal, resulted in alienation from God. The punishment or result of sin is seen in the calamities that we experience in life including sickness, pain, and death of the physical body as well as eternal damnation. You may recall Sister Ruthies' message before Christmas, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” wherein she explained the predicament that we were in until Christ Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the grave and ascended back to heaven. This was the only way that this vicious cycle, this grip of sin on our lives, could be broken. We have no power of “turning over a new leaf” and hitting the mark of perfection. We have no ability to live in such a way that we can be acceptable to God without the forgiveness of sin.

Years ago in England, a convicted burglar who had served a seven year sentence, and his Judge who sat on the Supreme Court of England "coincidentally" attended the same evangelistic crusade. When the minister gave his appeal to those who would follow Christ, both the burglar and the judge found themselves side by side at the altar. The minister did not think that they were aware of one another’s presence as they were kneeling. Later, the Judge inquired of the minister. "Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the communion rail this morning?" The pastor replied, "Yes, but I didn't know that you noticed." The two walked along in silence for a moment, and then the judge said, "What a miracle of grace." The pastor nodded in agreement. "Yes, what a miracle of grace." Then the judge said, "But to whom do you refer?" And the pastor said, "Why, to the conversion of that convict." The judge said, "But I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself." The pastor, surprised, replied, "You were thinking of yourself? I don't understand?" "Yes," said the judge, "It did not cost that burglar much to get converted when he came out of jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew that there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help. But look at me. I was taught from my earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that my word was to be my bond; that I was to go to church, say my prayers, take Communion and so on. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused ME to admit that I was a sinner on the same level as that burglar. It took much more grace to forgive ME for all my pride and self-deception, to get me to admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than that convict I sent to prison.

Luke 7:36-48

When we read about an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees in the gospels, we usually see the Pharisees either accusing Him of false teaching or some form of law-breaking. And we usually see Jesus setting them straight by pointing out their ignorance of their ways in regards to the law and the things of God. We are prone to lump all the Pharisees together and think that they were all antagonistic towards Jesus. That is not the case. Here is a Pharisee that invited Jesus to his home for a meal. The custom was that a guest would take off his sandals upon arrival at someone’s home and a servant would wash their feet. This was not done. However, a certain uninvited guest shows up. Her name is not given, but she must have been known as a woman of questionable moral character. She comes with an express purpose as evidenced by the fact that she brought a box of expensive perfume with her. She has to be bold to enter the house but is also seen as humble and repentant as she kneels to wash Jesus feet with her tears and anoint them with the perfume. Can you imagine the fragrance filling the room. This was the good stuff costing a years wages. As she performs this act of love, the Pharisee is thinking to himself that if Jesus were a prophet, he would know what kind of a woman she was and refuse to let her touch him.
Jesus says to Simon, “I have a question”. Simon’s answer reveals something about how he views Jesus. “teacher, ask it”. He does not indicate that he sees Jesus as a prophet, certainly not as the Son of God. Jesus goes on to tell the story of two men with debts that they could not pay. Both were forgiven of the debt. The question Jesus asked Simon was, “which of them will love the creditor most?”To the world, the answer seems obvious. The one who was forgive most.
Charles Allen said, “the hardest people to reach with the love of God are not the bad people. Bad people know they are bad. They have no defense. The hardest ones to win for God are the self righteous people. Why is that so?It boils down to our lack of understanding or willingness to accept that All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The human soul is eternal.
If the soul is not eternal, then there is no need for concern over salvation. If death means the annihilation of the individual, then there is no cause to be concerned about one’s eternal destiny. Before realizing the need for salvation, a person must admit the eternality of the soul. Heaven and Hell are inescapable realities.
Without the hope of spending eternity in the presence of God or the threat of being punished with eternal separation and condemnation, there is little reason to consider the need for salvation. Jesus taught the doctrines of Heaven and Hell more than any other Bible voice. If Jesus Christ is to be believed, then so are the doctrines of Heaven and Hell. Every person will give account for his life before God - The Judge.
The wicked and the righteous will be forever separated. Thereafter, each will face either eternal damnation and separation from God or eternal salvation in the presence of God and the holy angels. The scriptures have repeatedly demonstrated that when men do only what is right in their own eyes, and neglect the call of God unto a higher way of living, they are destined for a tragic ending. Whatever prevents a man from admitting his need for salvation, whether it be foolish pride, blasphemous mockery, or ignorant denial, only the truth can make him free. Remember last weeks summary statement: when a person obediently follows Christ, he is able to see.. (able to understand the truth) Anyone of us should appreciate any efforts another person might show to save, preserve, rescue or deliver us from any danger or jeopardy. When a fireman rescues someone from a burning building, he is considered a hero. Salvation is a deliverance from sure eternal death.

My dad loved John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. If the gospel does not condemn a person, why do people feel so offended when confronted with it? In part, it is because many (if not most) people have successfully been able to push the feelings of guilt resultant from being a sinner. Most of our vices are things that help with that suppression. The gospel confronts the suppression of the truth. Similarly, there is a struggle with the concept of being born again. We live in a physical world and often find it difficult to grasp spiritual truths. Again, when we obediently follow Christ, we gain the ability to see. If you are familiar with the account of the children of Israel in the desert, you remember the illustration that Jesus used of the serpent being lifted up. When the people began to complain against God provided leadership, He sent poisonous snakes into the camp. When people started dying, they began to confess their sin and asked Moses to pray for the snakes to be removed. God instructed Moses to fashion a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. All who looked on it would be healed from the poisonous bite. Now folks, in the natural this does not make any sense. What can looking at a bronze serpent on a pole do for the physical body just bitten by a snake? Yet, when they obediently responded to what God had said to do, they were healed. In many hospitals you still see today the symbol of healing as a serpent on a cross. In like manner, with the poison of sin dominating human life, those who simply look to the cross of Christ will be healed from its bite. Salvation rests completely upon God’s love for His creation. He willingly made the sacrifice, taking on sin and death so the curse of sin and death could be broken. Genuine love is anchored in action, not emotion. 1 Corinthians defines love in concrete action. The world often portrays God as a tyrant waiting to pounce on anyone as soon as they sin. But the reality is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Hope is available to all who will respond. My testimony is one of God’s amazing grace. If you have been born again, so is yours. We don’t deserve it, we receive it. From that moment on, as you choose to follow obediently in His footsteps, God’s light is shed on your path and you begin to see life more clearly. All the blessings of life in Christ rest upon the foundation of our salvation.