The only people that God will save are those who believe. All can believe if they choose, but only those who choose to believe will be saved. All others go to hell, having rejected the opportunity to believe, and thus, following their own way. Note: The report this week from the Church of England that we have been wrong to describe hell like we have, it will just mean we cease to exist.
Prov. 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
To be saved means that the person believes the gospel and receives the truth concerning the gospel of Christ. To believe without receiving is to remain lost and unsaved.
The word “Saved” has synonymous names like “Redeemed” - “Justified” - “Forgiven”. Each of these are three fold in nature: 1) Past. 2) Present. 3) Future.
So if you are saved, or justified, or redeemed, or forgiven, that means all of your sins from the past are dealt with. It also meant that your sins of the present are being dealt with as you commit them, and it further means that the sins you will commit in the future will also be dealt with.
When Christ died He took ALL my sins upon His body, and each and all my sins, past, present, and future were individually forgiven. Now, if He didn’t take all our sins, then each time we sin He would have to die all over again.
Heb. 10:10,12, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
It matters not whether you believe the Scripture, the truth is still just the same. Our sins have been eternally forgiven and forgotten. Because those truths are there we have certain promises that happen to us when we get saved. I want to discuss these with you this morning.
I. We Become a New Creature.
2 Cor. 5:17 tells us, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
A. Old Things Pass Away.
1. Our old way of thinking.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Pr. 23:7a
2. Our old way of seeing things: we now see everything from a different perspective.
3. Our old habits: victory over the flesh is now possible.
4. Our old desires: we now long to serve Christ.
5. Our old conversations:
a. Our jokes are now different.
b. Our swearing becomes praise.
c. Our gossip becomes constructive encouragement rather than being negative and damaging.
B. New Things Take Over.
1. The way that we do business in the public.
2. The way that we dress.
3. The way that we look at life.
4. The way we see ourselves.
“I must decrease, He must increase.” Jn 3:30.
5. The way we see others.
Gal. 6:2, “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
6. The “Me First” attitude departs.
Luke 9:59-61, “And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
II. The Holy Spirit Moves into Our Body and Dwells Within Us.
Rom. 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
1 John 4:13, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”
A. We cannot remain the same after we get saved.
B. It is impossible to stay the same.
C. We will be a new person.
1. The Holy Spirit comes into our life and we become His body in which He lives.
2. He directs, instructs, teaches, and guides us.
3. Paul said, “You are not your own. You are bought with a price.”
4. Now I belong to the Jesus...Not for the years of time alone, but for eternity!
III. We Become a Child of God.
John 1:12, “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:”
Rom. 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
1 John 5:2-3, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
A. His commandments are not grievous.
B. A child of God enjoys keeping the laws and rules established by the Lord.
C. I do not understand how a person could ever say, intelligently, “I just don’t know if I am saved or not.”
1. That is about the same as saying, “I don’t know if I am alive or not.”
2. Or the same as, “I don’t know if I am breathing or not.”
3. It just doesn’t make much sense.
IV. It Means that Our Past is Removed.
Psa. 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Isa. 43:25, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
Isa. 44:22, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.”
A. Our past doesn’t exist anymore with God.
B. It has been erased.
C. We can look in the index of our past and all that is there is the cleansing evidence of His blood.
Conslusion: What happens if we don’t get saved?
Then we are not redeemed, forgiven, or justified. It means that we new creatures. · It means that we are not children of God. · It means that we are condemned in our sins. Note: Rev. 20:11-15
If you are not saved right now, then you have rejected Him this far in your life. To continue to reject Him is to play with your future which could quite possibly be an eternity in hell. How tragic. There must be more than profession. There must also be possession. Won’t you come and be saved today? Take Christ. Receive Him into your heart and life. Allow Him to come in and wash your sins in His precious blood. That fountain of blood will cleanse you from all sin. It will permit your entrance into heaven. Come to Him today.