How Are We Saved

The controversy was long and bitter. Martin Luther insisted on a real presence of the body and blood of the Lord.

But Zwingli held the blood and body to be present only in emblems, and that the words, "This is my body," were to be interpreted like those similar words, "I am the door," "I am the vine," or that strikingly similar phrase used of the Paschal Lamb, "This is the Lord's Passover," where, Zwingli pointed out the word "is" means represents.

This word "is" was the rock on which the Reformation split. Agreement being impossible, Zwingli turned to Luther and said:

"Martin Luther, let us confess our union in all things in which we agree, and, as for the rest, let us remember that we are brothers, with the same cause at heart. While we all hold the grand doctrine of salvation by faith, we differ on minor points."

There was an anxious pause, waiting for Luther's response, and great tears rolled down Zwingli's face as he reached out the hand of brotherly love to Luther.

But, alas! the great reformer of Saxony refused that outstretched hand, and the opportunity for a new and mighty illustration of Augustine's motto, "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity," was forever lost.The Swiss reformers and the German reformers parted in sadness, and even yet the breach is not healed.

If any of you have been around churches for very long, you are well aware that there are occasionally disagreements that arise. This is not just a Baptist thing, but is a problem that crosses denominational lines. The early church had disagreements. The first was the treatment of Hellenistic Jews by the Jewish converts, particularly in the distribution of goods and provision of food. After prayer and seeking the Holy Spirit, it was decided to seek deacons to care for these matters. Some of those deacons were Hellenistic Jews.

That may seem like a minor matter, but I assure you, denominations as well as churches have been divided and even split over much minor issues.

However, in Acts 15, we find a disagreement which could have shipwrecked the early church and brought to a sudden end the precious work of Jesus Christ.

We find that certain men have come down from Judea and were teaching the believers at First Baptist of Antioch that to be truly saved you must be circumcised. To these devout Jews who had come to Christ, the idea of Gentiles being equal to them through Christ was just as controversial as if I were to announce at invitation time:

• “Folks, you have the privilege today of being saved just like the drunks, adulterers, harlots, liars & cheats!”

The idea of grace is foreign to most people.

Our world has made the word grace impossible to comprehend:

• There is no such thing as a free lunch.
• You get what you deserve
• You want something-work for it.
• Do unto others before they do unto you

Here was a defining moment in the early church. What they decided at this first Jerusalem Council would set the course for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the centuries to come.

Now you may be sitting there saying, Pastor this is a no-brainer. Of course you don’t have to be circumcised to be a born again Christian. That is ridiculous. But what if it they had said something else like:

• Be Baptized
• Have Communion
  
• Join a Church
  
• Stop Smoking
• Stop Drinking
  
• Stop Dancing
• Stop Going to Movies
  
• Divorce your unsaved spouse
  
• Stop Gambling
  
• Stop Listening to Ungodly Music (however you define that)
• Start Tithing
  
• Start Witnessing
  
• Start reading your Bible
  
• Get a Hair Cut
• Any other do’s and don'ts

In actuality, that is exactly the point. For when the matter got down to Jerusalem, it not only was circumcision, but the believer’s who used to be Pharisees said they also need to follow the laws of Moses.

So the Question before this early church was:

Does anything you do or stop doing have any bearing on whether you are a truly born again Christian?

Paul and Barnabus, zealous for the Gospel of GRACE and filled with the Holy Spirit, got into heated discussions with these Judaizers. But they would not change their mind. The believer’s in Antioch realized that there was a problem, and wanted advice on what the truth was from the Apostles in Jerusalem (The Mother Church). Paul and Barnabus were chosen to make the journey. As they travelled south, Paul and Barnabus gave testimony to the conversion of the Gentiles. This was a source of Great Joy to all the brethren. When they got to Jerusalem, they shared the same news with the apostles and elders. Here again in Jerusalem, some converted Pharisees stood up and said that these gentile Christians, in order to be really saved, must be circumcised and follow the law of Moses. This was a serious problem. If the Pharisees had their way, salvation would no longer be because of faith in what Jesus did on the cross, but salvation would rest on your WORKS.

You have to remember, there was no New Testament at this time. Everything the Apostles preached was a result of divine revelation based upon Old Testament writings and Direct Revelation. Some of what Paul preached was based upon his BDU degree (Backside Desert University). So these Pharisees were pointing to the Scriptures and rabbinical writing that they had studied all their life. It made sense to them. After all, Jesus was a Jew. Jesus was circumcised and followed the Law of Moses.

Praise God His Holy Spirit was still in charge of the early church. The Holy Spirit used Peter once again to set the matter straight:

⁷ And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:7-11 (ESV)

• The multitude was silent, for they knew that God had just spoken through His servant Peter.

The Holy Spirit Revealed these Truth's through Peter's Sermon:

1. Salvation is of Your Heart.

When Peter was preaching Jesus to Cornelius and his household, God knew what was going on in their hearts. He could see that they were opening their hearts to the truth of Jesus being their Risen Savior. He could see that their hearts longed for His forgiveness, and that they were turning from their sinful ways and wanted to follow after God. When God saw what was happening in their hearts, He bore witness to it by sending the Holy Spirit to them, before Peter had a chance to give the invitation.
2. The Holy Spirit is Proof of Your Salvation

The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is the evidence that you are a child of God. Does He give you a desire to read God’s Word? Does He open the Word to you, does He teach you? Does He work in your heart to change the wrong things you do-friends, music, movies, television? The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God. (Romans 8)

3. You Are Saved by Faith

Peter said that their hearts were cleansed by their faith. While Peter was preaching, their eyes were opened to the amazing truth that Jesus had bore their sins on the cross, and that his sacrifice was the perfect sacrifice for their sins. By faith they believed and entrusted their sins to Jesus. Their evil hearts were cleansed and made new by faith in Jesus.

Saved by My 'Good Looks'

evangelist preach on While an English farmer was walking through his field one day with a friend, he suddenly remarked, "You know, I was saved by my good looks." He explained that he had attended a gospel meeting where he heard anIsaiah 45:22. The farmer said, "He pictured Jesus on the cross in a general way as the divine substitute bearing the sin of the world. Then the preacher pointed us to Hebrews 12:2 and told us to look again unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who saves to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25) all that come to Him. He said that everyone has to accept this personally. When I saw the Lord in this way, I received Him as MY Savior." The farmer's friend was impressed. "Now I know what you mean," he said. "It was your good looks at Christ and His cross that resulted in your conversion."

Does your faith cause you to keep looking at Christ and His righteousness, or do you have your eyes only on yourself?

DO YOU HAVE FAITH TO SEE JESUS?

• Faith opens our eyes to the Light of Jesus Christ.
• Faith enables us to see Jesus as Lord.
• Faith enables the blinders to come off our eyes

4. Salvation is Not a Burden

Peter declared: “why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? Everyone knew what Peter was talking about.” Vivid in their memories were the occasions when Jesus lambasted the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and the way they had made the law burdensome to the people.

⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' " Matthew 15:7-9

Jesus Calls Everyone to Come

God never wanted His people to be under a yoke.

⁶ “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6 (ESV)

5. SALVATION IS BY THE GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST ALONE!

Salvation in the heart of God has always been a free gift. This free gift was made possible by the death burial and resurrection of God’s holy son, Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. Romans 5:15-18 (NKJV)

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 (KJV)

Faith and Door Knockers

Back in the old days answering a knock at the door was never a cause for alarm unless you are Clark Griswold and your Cousin Eddie is showing up at Christmas Time.

Nowadays we have to be careful answering the door, because there are a lot of dangerous people out there. Now our nightly news carries stories of deadly “Home Invasions”, even in broad daylight.

Personally I keep waiting for that knock that means the Publisher’s Clearing House Prize Patrol is outside my home.

In Acts 12 we find a funny story of Peter Knocking on the door. It is funny because the disciples were praying in faith that God would free Peter from prison and certain execution. But when Rhoda ran into the room saying Peter was at the door, they didn’t believe her. Their FAITH was knocking on the Door in the shape of Peter and they refused to believe.

A Boston mother said to her little daughter: "If you had my faith, darling, you would have no toothache." The child replied: "Well, mother, if you had my toothache you wouldn't have any faith."

One day an eleven-year-old boy came home from Sunday School and told his mother what he learned. "Well," the boy said, "our teacher told us about how God sent Moses behind the enemy lines to rescue the Israelites from the Egyptians. Moses led them to the Red Sea, and then ordered his engineers to build a bridge. After they all crossed to the other side, they saw the Egyptian tanks coming after them. Moses then radioed the air force to send jet fighters to bomb the bridge and save the Israelites."
"Johnny: Did your teacher really tell you the story in that way?"
"Not really," Johnny admitted. "But if I told it her way, you'd never believe it.

We nervously laugh at such stories about faith because for many of us our FAITH in the Power of God is weak and even non-existent. The cry of the man “I believe Lord, Help Thou my Unbelief” is our cry as well. I read biographies of great men of God such as George Mueller and I wonder if I could ever have faith like them. Accounts of the faith of Hudson Taylor challenge my heart:

When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it was in a sailing vessel. Very close to the shore of cannibal islands the ship was becalmed, and it was slowly drifting shoreward unable to go about and the savages were eagerly anticipating a feast. The captain came to Mr. Taylor and besought him to pray for the help of God. "I will," said Taylor, "provided you set your sails to catch the breeze." The captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by unfurling in a dead calm. Taylor said, "I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails." And it was done. While engaged in prayer, there was a knock at the door of his stateroom. "Who is there?" The captain's voice responded, "Are you still praying for wind?" "Yes." "Well," said the captain, "you'd better stop praying, for we have more wind than we can manage."

If someone asks you to explain your faith in Jesus Christ, how would you answer them?Do You See your Faith as Simply Your Belief in Jesus?

Opinion Dynamics Corporation conducted the national poll for Fox News Channel. The research shows that 92 percent of Americans claimed to believe in God, while 85 percent claimed to believe in heaven, and 82 percent in miracles.. The study found that belief in God has remained the about the same, belief in the devil has increased slightly in the past few years, from 63 percent in 1997 to 71 percent today.

FAITH IS BELIEF IN ACTION

Many people believe in Jesus Christ and Many More Believe in GOD, but does it affect their lives? Does it affect their daily walk?

If there is no affect upon their lives, if there is no affect upon their behavior, then I contend their belief is in vain and will not remove God’s Wrath from their soul.

• James 2:19 (NKJV) You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!
• Luke 8:12 (KJV) Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Belief should produce change. The Devil doesn’t want the Word of God in your hearts, lest you believe it and be saved. Belief is of no value unless it produces a change!

Suppose the heavens were opened and you could see into the future. You could see Israel and Iran going to war. You could see a nuclear war that destroys half of the world’s oil supply. You see the world thrown into utter chaos because all of a sudden there is no reliable power. Then you see a man step forth with an invention for cheap energy and a plan to restore economic order into the world. A plan that brings peace to the Middle East because Israel is allowed to rebuild her Temple, and yet allows the Muslims to maintain their sovereignty. And then you see that in a matter of days Jesus is coming to rapture His church.

Would you all of a sudden believe in this Bible? Would you say I’ve got to get my life in order, I’ve got to tell my kids, I’ve got to get busy and tell my friends.

What you see and believe should affect your actions. Faith is Never Static. FAITH is the MEANS OF ACTION, an ACTION that Changes and Governs the way we Live!!!

An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for passengers. One day, a passenger noticed that the old man had carved on one oar "Faith" and the other oar "Works." Curious, he asked the reason.The old man, being a Christian, said, "I will show you." So, he dropped one oar and used the other "Works"—and the boat went in circles. Then he dropped that oar and use "Faith" only, and the little boat went in circles—other way around, but still circles. Then he used both oars, and the boat swiftly sailed over the waters.

He explained: "One without other will get you nowhere. But faith and works pulling together makes for progress." (James 2:20, 26).

It is one thing to Believe. It is another thing to have a Faith that Empowers your Belief to Change your Life!

FAITH AFFECTS YOUR WALK

• Habakkuk 2:4 (KJV) Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
• Romans 1:17 (KJV) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
• Galatians 3:11 (KJV) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
• 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

FAITH SEES THE INVISIBLE

Faith enables us to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.

• Hebrews 11:1-3 (KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
• Hebrews 11:27 (KJV) By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Faith apprehends as a real… fact which is not revealed to the senses. It rests on that fact, acts upon it, and is upheld by it in the face of all that seems to contradict it. Faith is real seeing."

The word "substance" deserves careful treatment. It is hupostasis, made up of stasis "to stand," and hupo "under," thus "that which stands under, a foundation." Thus it speaks of the ground on which one builds a hope. (Wuest)

Faith is that assurance deep down in the darkest crevices of your soul that God is Real, Jesus is Real, God’s Word is Real. And One day you will stand before a Holy Righteous God and be Judged by His Son, the one who Died upon the Cross for You. Faith enables you to know without a shadow of doubt that Jesus lives in your life by the Power of His Holy Spirit. Jesus is so real that you don’t need to see Him to know He is with you.

Faith enables you to face the deepest darkest fears and know that God is holding your hand every step of the way. How is your Faith in the Loving Presence and Power of Jesus Christ?

Do you have a Faith that empowers your belief's to See the Presence of God in every situation you encounter in life?

Do You Have Ears to Hear Jesus?

I am always amazed at how difficult communication is sometimes. Sometimes something I say will trigger a person’s mind, and they imagine they hear me say something that I didn’t. Or I will say something and someone will take it the wrong way. If you are married, you know how difficult communication is. The wife says something, the husband hears something entirely different, or doesn’t hear at all.

Justice Bramwell, when attempting to be clear, said the following:

"My good woman," said the learned judge, "you must give an answer in the fewest possible words of which you are capable, to the plain and simple question whether, when you were crossing the street with the baby on your arm, and the omnibus was coming down on the right side and the cab on the left and the brougham was trying to pass the omnibus, you saw the plaintiff between the brougham and the cab, or whether, and when you saw him at all, and whether or not near the brougham, cab and omnibus, or either, or any two, and which of them respectively, or how it was?

In the movie Cool Hand Luke, we see the Captain of Road Prison 36 beat runaway Paul Newman, and then to his men says this famous line:

“What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men.”

In Acts 9 we find Jesus communicating with someone infamous, by the name of Saul.

Acts 9:3-7 (NKJV) As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

Now the reason God spoke to me about this being a lesson in communication is because of Acts 22:9, when Paul is personally telling the account of his conversion. He says: And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me .

In Acts 9 it says the men with Saul heard a voice, while Paul says they did not hear a voice. Now what is it. Is this a failure to communicate?

In the Greek language, the word “akouo” is used in both of these accounts. Like many other words, this word has different meanings that vary depending on the context in which it is used. It can mean to both understand and to hear. According to Vine’s, because of a difference in case, Acts 9 akouo indicates a "hearing" of the sound, while Acts 22 indicates the meaning or message of the voice. I Corinthians 14:2, shows how this works: “For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands [Greek: akouo] him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” Although they heard a voice, they did not understand. This is what happened to Paul and those with him while traveling to Damascus. While the men with him heard Christ’s voice—they did not understand what was said. However, Paul both heard and understood!

This gives us an insight into God and His communication with man.

God communicates with man in a variety of ways. In their heart, though Nature, through the skies, through disasters, through other people, through authorities and through His Word.

Yet most people just don’t get it. There is a real communication problem. The men with Saul on the Damascus Road just didn’t get it. None of them were converted. Only Saul.

At the funeral service for Fern Hampton, I preached a gospel message just as clear and simple as I could from God’s Word. A man who was a Catholic came up afterwards and said, “I really enjoyed that sermon, we just don’t get clear and plain messages about Jesus Christ in the Catholic church I attend”. He said it was refreshing to hear the Word of God. But he still is going to go to his Catholic Church that doesn’t preach and teach the Word of God. I sensed that he is really religious, but I don’t know if he has a personal relationship with Jesus. It was interesting though, because he commented on the family sitting in front of him. He knew them to be Jewish, and he could not believe how closely they paid attention while I was preaching about Jesus Christ being the Son of God. But no matter how closely Jews pay attention, if they don’t come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, they will die separated from God and suffer for all eternity.

Sometimes I wonder why people don’t get it, even when it seems like God is SHOUTING at them.

It’s like this whole world is full of teenagers.

I even got a shock to learn that some people in this church, who have been listening to me preach still don’t understand how you get to heaven. I have started asking people, even people I know have made a profession of faith, “If you died and appeared before God, why would He let you into His heaven”. Even with people I believe to be Christians, I get, well I go to church faithfully, I do good to other people. Either I have explained the gospel wrong, or there has been a failure to communicate.

There is nothing you or I can do that will ever be good enough to get us into heaven. God does not owe us eternal live because of what we do for Him. Every work of our flesh is as stinking filthy rags to a Holy Righteous God. The only one who ever satisfied God’s demands for perfection and holiness is His Son, Jesus Christ. When Jesus rose from the grave and ascended on high, he gave us the gift of eternal life. How do you get this gift? You see your sins, and you see Jesus as your Savior, the Son of God. You then give your life to Him by FAITH. You trust in Jesus Christ and God’s Word. That Faith that enabled you to SEE Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, enables you to be born again. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

When you die what should you tell God when He asks you why He should let you into His heaven? You simply say, "I have Your Seal on my heart. By FAITH I am in Jesus Christ your Son. Jesus and your Holy Spirit have made me Your Child."

It is not a matter of what you have done, are doing or will do. It is a matter of what Christ has done for you and whether your understanding has empowered you to trust Him by FAITH.