Bro Bill Sunday Night bible study 4/3/11
What must I do to be saved?
How do we get salvation?
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
You and I have visited with people that may have never read the word of God yet they have a concept of their own on how to be saved and make it to heaven. If we do according to what the Word of God says, we can be assured that we will make it to heaven.
I like having things simple so that I can understand it; I’m a visual person. To give you a little background, Adam and Eve walked with God and God loved them, but there came a time when they sinned before God. When they sinned, they lost that divine image and gained a carnal or fleshly image. All mankind that came after them inherited this same carnal nature from Adam that causes them to fall into sin.
Romans 5:12. Because of one man, Adam, sin entered the world and death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.
We’ve all visited with people; I visited with one that I worked with at the sawmill. I was trying to help him see that he was lost unless he got to God. He felt like he was a pretty good person, yet the bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
To help me see this, I picture people at an amusement park; children must be of a certain height to get on the ride. If they don’t quite reach a certain line in height then they cannot ride. (All have come short of the glory of God.) We all came short of the measuring line of being acceptable to God.
All have sinned therefore all need a savior. None will make it because of who they are or where they came from. Being related to wealthy or prominent people will not get you to heaven. Before salvation we are all on the same level of coming short of the measuring line of God.
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Sin brings death. This illustration is how it works: When a person is born as a little baby, they are innocent before God so if they were to die they would go to heaven. (There must be knowledge of right and wrong before there can be sin. There is no sin in heaven.) When a child chooses wrong after they know right from wrong then it brings forth sin. Sin brings a spiritual death.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
You he has made alive. You were once dead in trespasses and sins. This death is a separation of the soul from God. The innocence of a child unifies the child with God, but after they do that which is wrong then it causes a spiritual separation between the individual and God. They are now guilty before God.
Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Your iniquities and your sins have separated you from God and made it where God will not hear your prayers. How can you get saved then if God will not hear your prayers?
Joh 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
When you turn to God and repent then you are doing the will of God; He will hear the prayer of a repentant sinner. He has made a way that all our sins can be washed away.
1Ti 5:6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
The death, while being alive, is a spiritual death. Not living for God and living for sinful pleasures creates an individual that is dead, separated from God.
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
We’ve all had our conversation, (this often translates as behavior), in times past among the children of disobedience. You might be a good person, man will make allowance for people but God is no respecter of persons. He is even. The wealthiest person in the world must go through the same steps as the one that doesn’t have a house to sleep in and is sleeping on the streets. They both must go through the same steps to get salvation.
Anyone can have the wonderful wealth of salvation. Riches will not profit you in the day of wrath. (Proverbs 11:4)
He loved us even when we were sinners and unlovely, hateful, and terrible; even when we were in that state God loved us.
It is not of any merit in yourself that you can be saved. It is not because of what kind of person you are. It is not of works; none can boast. Doing charitable works, giving your money to feed the poor, selling your house to give to a needy cause none of these things will bring salvation. Salvation comes by the mercy of God and not by works where we may merit it of ourselves or have something to boast of.
There is a way to get to heaven but it is not of your own works. After you get saved there needs to be works, but before you get saved there must be the proper steps.
A key point in how to get saved is acknowledgment:
Psa 51:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
David was asking God to take away his sins. He said, “I acknowledge my transgressions…” In order to get saved, people must acknowledge that they are sinners and have a need for a savior. All mankind have been under sin; all mankind need to repent and be born again.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
He commands all men everywhere to repent, all men Everywhere. We were all in the same boat, every single one of us.
2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2Co 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Now is the day of salvation. People may think that in the future God will make it available that people can be saved. The Bible says that now is the day of salvation.
Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
When God is dealing with your heart is when it is time to get saved.
Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Jesus was sent to heal the broken hearted. People are broken hearted from sin. Their hearts are marred because there is sin in there. Jesus was sent to heal the broken heart, the heart that is unwhole, unsound. When a person is unsaved they have a damaged heart.
I had sin in my heart and one day God healed my unsound heart. This is why He came; He came to preach deliverance to the captives. Why would God send Jesus to preach deliverance to the captives unless there was deliverance available? There is a freedom from your sins. You can experience this in this present world.
These things are made available now, “This day.” Jesus bore his cross and died on his cross and made available all these things to us now. Not in some future time, now.
Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Peter and the other disciples had expressed to the people about God and Jesus and they felt guilty.
Remission means freedom, pardon, deliverance, forgiveness and liberty.
To get forgiveness of your sins you need to repent.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The thought of confessing your sins is not that you go to an altar and tell all the wrong that you have done. You come and tell God that you are sorry and that you see that you are in the same boat as everyone else is. You realize that ‘no matter who or what I am, I am going to come short of the Glory of God. God, please forgive me of my sins.’
Psa 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psa 34:12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
Psa 34:13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Psa 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
The Psalmist may have been trying to tell us “come to me and I will teach you how to love God, ‘the fear of the Lord.’”
What man is there that desires eternal life and to be saved? Keep thy tongue, depart from evil, seek peace and pursue it.
After repenting of your sins, you must depart from evil. You must have an attitude of heart that you are done with all you know is wrong and an attitude of heart to seek God and do all you know is right.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
I wasn’t raised around the church. I was 16 years old when I moved here from New Jersey, and I was pretty ignorant of the things of God. When someone invited me to church, I told them that I didn’t want anything to do with God.
I was a troubled boy and was a mad boy. My nickname in New Jersey was ‘Mad dog’. They sent me to a psychiatrist as a boy because of my meanness. As young as the 4th grade they thought of sending me to reform school. There came a time when God started talking to my heart.
To help you recognize the voice of God: when there is something that comes to your conscience and your heart and says, “You know, you need to get right before God. You need to get ready to meet your creator.” That is the Holy Spirit of God talking to your heart. What a blessing it is to have the Holy Spirit of God come down and draw you to salvation.
I didn’t know much about God, I wasn’t raised up to know the right things. I started coming to young people’s services and I didn’t tell anyone that God was drawing on my heart. On March 5th a Friday night after young people’s service, I told them that I wanted to get saved. We went to Bro and Sis Kelly’s house and I knelt down to pray. I was ignorant but ‘With the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made.’
Joh 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:
In the Acts of the Apostles, it speaks of “I was witness of these things.” All that are saved are witnesses of the power of God to save.
Before I got saved, I tried to clean up my life. I tried to get myself in shape for salvation. I remember the day that I gave my heart to God; a week or two after I got saved, I came to a realization that I was no longer doing what I had been doing before. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.”
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
I witnessed this; I was not the same person after I got saved that I was before.
When people get saved and still sin, in all kindness, they did not really get saved. When we meet the proper conditions God will come down and give us power to live as sons of God.
Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
You cannot put the east and the west together. “As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
In order to get saved you must have an attitude of heart that you are done with all you know is wrong and that you’ll live according to all that God shows you. When you mean it from your heart, God will wash you from your sins.
Another scripture speaks of God casting your sins into the sea of forgetfulness. Right then as you repent, He makes you his child. He makes you as a little baby, innocent before Him. He then will help you to live as a child of God.
After you get saved, God desires for you to read your Bible and pray every day and to walk in the light that He sheds on your pathway. If you will do that then God will keep you and lead you.
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