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Salvation: Plain and Simple
"But God..."
Ephesians 2:1-7
Quote John 3:16—It really is that easy!
Salvation plain and simple!
But Eph. 2 is a helpful passage…still simple, but with more
eye-opening detail.
v. 1-3
Past Guilt
4-6
Present Grace
7-10
Future Glory
H.A. Ironside followed R.A. Torrey as pastor of the Moody Church in
Chicago. One day he rode a passenger train/gypsy woman sat down beside him,
and said, sir, if you cross my palm w/ some silver, I’ll tell you your
future!/he said, before you do that, let me show you what God says about my
future…opened Bible/she said, that’s ok, I’ve had quite enough/he grabbed
her arm: no, I want you to see this/showed her past guilt/she said, that’s
quite enough/present grace/quite enough/future glory/quite enough!!…and she
ran down the train crying out, “I picked the wrong man!”
You can call Madame Zonga, Miss Cleo, or
Dionne Warwitch and the Psychotic Friends Network if you want to, but when
it comes to my future, I prefer the Word of God!
Salvation exists in the past, present, and
future.
(past-penalty / present-power and
pollution / future-presence)
Being “saved” is not a Baptist
thing/Pentecostal…not a term we’ve made up…it’s a Bible term!
No other Name given under heaven among men
whereby we must be _________ (saved!)
Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the
Lord shall be _______
Have you been saved? How do you know? Put
it into words…what’s the answer (predominantly I or God?)
Salvation is of the Lord…too many people are
trying to save themselves/trying to earn it/be good enough/save themselves!
It’s not about us…it’s about God!
2 of the most precious words in scripture,
v. 4: “but God”
Ps 49:15
-
But
God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave:
for he shall receive me. Selah.
Mr 2:7
- … who can forgive sins
but
God only?
Lu 16:15
-
And he said unto them,
Ye are they
which justify yourselves before men;
but
God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly
esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of
God.
Ro 5:8
-
But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1Co 3:6
-
I have planted, Apollos watered;
but
God
gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth any thing,
neither he that watereth;
but
God that giveth the increase.
Eph 2:4
-
But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us…
It doesn’t say “but you”, it says, “but
God!”
Ill.—garden of Eden/Adam and Eve sinned…lost
innocency, realized they were naked / tried to cover it w/ fig leaves (a
picture of man trying to cover his own sinfulness) / but God came along and
shed the blood of an innocent animal and clothed them w/ the skin of it
(first demonstration of blood being shed for sin/innocent dying for guilty)
Are you trying to cover yourself?
You cannot do it. Our righteousness is as filthy rags.
Are you wearing fig leaves?
Baptism/confirmation/church
attendance/offerings/good works/keeping 10 commandments/mommy told me I’m
saved/asked Him in my heart??
“but I’m a good person”… “no, but
God”
Not but baptism (etc.)
Salvation is of the Lord…you cannot save
yourself
(may as well try to blow back a
hurricane w/ an electric fan/dam up Niagara falls w/ toothpicks)
1. Who Saves? God alone!
2.
Why
does God save us?
v. 4 love and mercy!
Hard to understand the depths of His love!
(easy to love someone who’s
lovable/loving/lovely…but God loved us while we were yet sinners!)
May not understand it, but let’s thank God
for it!
Ill.—P.P. Bliss wrote many hymns including
“O How I Love Jesus”… “because He first loved me”
(this he wrote at a young age, later in life
he wrote:
I am so glad that my Father in Heaven tells
of His love in the book He has given…(etc.)…now he’s impressed w/ God’s
love!)
Ill.—great theologian teaching at a
seminary/students came to him and said, we’d like to know the most profound
truth that’s ever occupied your mind? (expecting some deep doctrine)/he
said, it was on my mother’s knee as she sang: Jesus loves me this I know…!
Why
does God save us? Because of Love!
Why
does God love us? I don’t know!
Also because of His mercy (v. 4)
Mercy is not receiving the
punishment you rightfully deserve!
Ill.—Kimberly getting out of a ticket in PB
Joke—lady went to photographer/do me
justice!/you need mercy!
Mercy is not receiving the punishment you
rightfully deserve!
What is it that we rightfully deserve?
Death and hell!…if you only
committed 1 sin, God could not allow you into heaven! We’re all painfully
aware of what sinners we are! Some don’t believe they CAN be saved from all
they’ve done:
Ill.—poor woman from slums of London/taken
on holiday by friends to the ocean/arrived…just gazed out…started
crying/they wondered why on such a nice day/she said, “it’s the first thing
I’ve ever seen that there’s enough of!”
There’s enough mercy in God’s
little finger to wipe away every sin you’ve ever committed!
Who saves? God alone!
Why? Love and Mercy
3.
How
does God save?
v. 5 grace (not by love “I believe in
a God of love that would never send anyone to hell”…Jn. 3:16—God so loved
that he saved or gave [then we have to choose])
v. 8 grace
It’s the opposite of mercy…grace is
receiving something good that you don’t deserve
GRACE=God’s Redemption at Christ’s
Expense
What does God give us that we don’t deserve?
Heaven (yes, but what now that makes
it possible?)
The righteousness of Christ!
We’re not only saved FROM something but TO
something…not only are we saved from sin (forgiven), but we become the
recipients of Christ’s righteousness!…clothed in His righteousness!!
(imputed righteousness [“I don’t
live very righteous sometimes”…not imparted—that’s
sanctification] /positional righteousness [justification…a legal
standing)
God looks at the saved, born-again Christian
and sees: not just a forgiven sinner, but a justified one
[just as if I’d never sinned!] That’s Grace!
Who saves? God alone!
Why? Love and Mercy
How does God save? By Grace!
4.
When
does God Save?
v. 8 When true Biblical faith occurs
Notice it doesn’t say we are saved BY faith,
but THRU faith…we’re saved by Grace, and Faith is the vehicle that gets us
there!
FAITH=Forsaking All I Trust Him
Too many people have missed salvation
because they trust in Christ + something else…true Biblical faith is Jesus
Christ + nothing – nothing.
Ill.—pew/put one leg on it (am I trusting
it?) No, part of my faith is in the pew but part is in the floor [picture of
one trusting Christ + themselves, baptism, good works, etc.]
True Biblical Faith is in Christ alone…
Forsaking All I Trust Him
Don’t think you’ll make it there on your own
Not How Great I Am, but How Great
Thou Art!
You have to trust in Jesus alone and His
death in your place, His blood in your stead!
In and of yourself, you cannot make
it to heaven…realize you NEED to be saved/CAN be saved only because of
Jesus!
Who saves? God alone!
Why? Love and Mercy
How does God save? By Grace!
When does God Save?
When true Biblical faith occurs
5.
Where
does that leave us?
v. 6 I’m not the smartest in the world,
but not the dumbest either! “has raised” … is that future or has it already
taken place?
If I’m saved, then in the mind of God, I’m as sure of heaven as if I’d
already been there a million years!
Eph. 1:3 (read)
We’re already there! “do you know
you’re going to heaven” most say, “I hope so”…well, if you’re saved, you’re
already there!
That’s good to know, because it means I can
view every circumstance of life from a heavenly perspective.
“How you doin’?”… “well, ok, under
the circumstances”
God doesn’t want us to live
under there! He wants us to view it all from a higher perspective!!
What does it matter next to eternity?
Your salvation has a present tense…you
might have hard circumstances…but God…!/down in the dumps but you’re in the
heavenlies/may think you’re pretty low/it may appear Satan has you by the
throat sometimes…but God has you somewhere else!…in the heavenlies!
Ge 31:7
-
And your father hath deceived me, and changed my
wages ten times;
but
God suffered him not to hurt me.
Ge 48:21
-
And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die:
but
God
shall be with you…
Ge 50:20
-
But as for you, ye thought evil against me;
but
God
meant it unto good…
1Sa 23:14
-
And David abode in the wilderness in strong
holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought
him every day,
but
God delivered him not into his hand.
2Ch 20:15
-
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD
unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for
the battle is not yours,
but
God's.
Ps 64:7
-
But
God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly
shall they be wounded.
Ps 73:26
-
My flesh and my heart faileth:
but
God
is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
1Co 10:13
-
There hath no temptation taken you
but
such as is common to man:
but
God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear it.
Php 2:27
-
For indeed he was sick nigh unto death:
but
God
had mercy on him; and not on him only,
but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
Who saves? God alone!
Why? Love and Mercy
How does God save? By Grace!
When does God Save?
When true Biblical faith occurs
Where does that leave us? In
heavenly places!
Lord, thank you for the simplicity of
salvation…
You cannot face God someday w/ anything less than Jesus as your Savior…you
cannot save yourself…no ifs, ands, or buts… “but God!”
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