The Gospel is the good news of God’s sovereign saving work in our lives
Over the last few weeks we have learnt about
Man’s (Mankind) need of salvation – good news
God’s sovereignty in our salvation – God’s sovereign
Today we continue to learn about how God saves us – His saving work
When Jesus died on the cross for us He paid the ‘ransom’ to set us free from the power of Sin and death
Matthew 20: 28 ‘…the Son of Man came…to give his life as a ransom for many.’
So, how do we receive the benefits of the cross – how do we receive our salvation and become one of the ‘many’?
Firstly, we must fully surrender to the truth that we cannot save ourselves
As Sinners, our ‘nature’ has made us ‘prisoners’ of Sin – we are both unable (Ephesians 2: 1) and unwilling (Romans 8: 7) to turn to Jesus and be saved
To receive salvation we must fully surrender to the saving grace of God
Ephesians 2: 5b ‘It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved’
1/ God’s grace saves us by breaking down our resistance to Jesus
Saul/Paul’s salvation experience: Acts 9: 1-9, 17-19
Paul’s Testimony: Acts 26: 14 ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will’.
God does His saving work in you the same way – By His grace He breaks down our resistance to Jesus
2 Corinthians 4: 5-6 ‘…For God, who commanded, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ’
2/ God’s grace saves us by opening our heart to the Gospel’s Message of salvation
Lydia’s salvation experience: Acts 16: 11-15
14b ‘…as she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying.’
God does His saving work in you the same way – By His grace He opens our heart to the Gospel’s Message of salvation
1 John 3: 20 ‘God is greater than our heart’
3/ God’s grace saves us by revealing Jesus as Savior
Roman Jailer’s salvation experience: Acts 16: 25-34
29-31 ‘The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”.
God does His saving work in you the same way – By His grace He reveals Jesus as Savior
Romans 10: 9-10 ‘if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation’.
4/ God’s grace saves us by providing us with the faith, repentance, and power to be saved
Faith is a gift from God that enables us to confess our belief in Jesus to be saved
Ephesians 2: 8 ‘For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God’
Repentance is a gift from God that enables us to turn away from sin and turn to God to be saved
Acts 11: 18 “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
The power to be saved is a gift from God that produces new life within us
John 3: 3, 6 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God… Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life”.
John 1: 13 ‘They are reborn — not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God’.
revdotdavid 