RoparnaSalvation – How to receive Jesus into your heart
Purpose: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, to the glory of God alone.
Focus: How to receive Jesus and become a Christian.
Introduction
Today we will study about salvation. Salvation = saved. Saved from what? Good news is only as good as the bad news is bad. IE: Drowning in Jacuzzi vs. ocean.
To understand that we need to go back to the beginning…
Gen 1:31
How was man’s relationship with God in the beginning?
But something happened…
Gen 3:1-8
Whose word and goodness did Eve begin to doubt? Did Eve stop believing in God’s existence? Did she stop trusting Him? IE: Parent, child.
How does sin affect our relationship with God?
Isa 59:2
IE: Push against the wall. God doesn’t draw back when we sin. We draw back! If God feels farther away from you, ask yourself who moved. IE: Adam hid
Since Adam’s fall all his descendants have run from God…
Rom 3:23
How many have sinned? What have they fallen short of?
What are the wages of sin?
Rom 6:23
How many deserve death? IE: Trade – black stone. (Rom 1:29-32) Problem: Death. Is that too harsh? Why are the wages of sin death? God is the source of life (John 14:6, Ps 36:10) IE: Lamp. If we separate from life, we die.
To make things worse, there is nothing good that we can do to make up for our sins.
Rom 3:20
Can a man’s good works make up for his sin? IE: Doctor, kills one person. (Ezek 33:13) Bad news: Collision course with death.
But God’s heart was moved from love. He had devised a plan – the plan of salvation!
John 3:16-17
What did God do to save us from sin? What motivated Him?
How could Jesus’ coming to the earth save us from sin? This was predicted in an OT prophecy…
Isa 53:5
Whose sins did he bare? Whose penalty did Jesus take?
We see the same thought in the New Testament…
1 Pet 1:18-19
What did Jesus give His life as? (Matt 20:28) IE: Exchange stone for white. IE: Millionaire club IE: Terrorist. How much does that make you worth in His eyes? Priceless! IE: Rather die, than live forever without you.
This sounds good, you say! What must I do to receive salvation? This question was asked by the audience at Pentecost…
Acts 2:37-38, 3:19
What must we do to receive remission for our sins? Conversion = four things: Repentance, Confession, Consecration and Acceptance. 1. Repentance = Sorrow for sin. This comes from God (Acts 5:31, Ezek 36:26). IE: “I’m so sorry”.
The next step is Confession…
1 John 1:9
2. Confession. IE: Open hand to show black stone, don’t deny you have it.
The third step is Consecration…
Prov 23:26
3. Consecration = Surrender of your heart to Jesus. It’s a decision. IE: Give black stone to Jesus.
The last step is Acceptance…
Rev 3:20
Receive Jesus into your heart (John 1:12). Invite Him in through prayer (Hos 14:2). Accept Him by faith. IE: Receive white stone from Jesus. Believe that you have received Him and praise Him for it. Don’t wait to feel born again, it happens by faith. It is true if you believe it. IE: Personal testimony. IE: Give Steps to Christ
APPEAL
May I ask you a personal question? Have you received Jesus into your heart? If not, is there anything that would keep you from inviting Him in to your heart right now?
