 |
| Preacher, Proclaim Salvation’s Story! |
There are numerous topics that a preacher can speak about, but none so precious and important as the doctrine of salvation. What the Bible says about sin, the sinner, Heaven and Hell is very serious. The ramifications of one’s knowledge about these particular issues has eternal consequences. This post seeks to point out some essential precepts that must be proclaimed by God’s men concerning salvation!
The following outline was taken from a Sunday School Series taught by Pastor Roger Luiken of Liberty Baptist Church of Fremont, Nebraska.
Listed below are nine very important truths about salvation!
#1 – You Can Know That You Are Saved
(1 John 5:12-13) “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (KJV)
Salvation is very important in the eyes of God and He has made it very plain that He wants people to know they have it!
#2 – A Minority Of People Are Truly Saved
(Matthew 7:13-14) “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (KJV)
Just because it is very clear that few get saved does not give us the right to give up on people.
#3 – Some People Will Deceive Themselves Into Thinking That They Are Saved
(Matthew 7:21-23) “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (KJV)
These verses are some of the saddest ones in the Bible. In view of this, it is apparent that what people believe about how one is saved has a direct influence upon their soul’s destination. This is a fearful passage! One must remember that salvation is built upon Christ and not works!
#4 – There Will Be Carnal Christians… This Is A Reality
(1 Corinthians 3:1-3) “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” (KJV)
We must remember that some, who get saved, will not grow up in Christ. If the Apostle Paul had this problem, then what does that say for us?
#5 – Sometimes It Is Hard To Distinguish Between The Saved And The Lost
(2 Peter 2:4-8) “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)” (KJV)
It is not hard to grasp the fact that Noah was a saved man in the Bible. Lot, however, is a horse of a different color. If it were not for the verses shown above, nobody would say that Lot was saved. Thus we can conclude that some people… well… only God knows they are saved!
#6 – Every Christian Should Be Growing
(2 Peter 3:16-18) “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (KJV)
Everyone, who is saved, should be following RIGHT teaching. They should be GROWING in Christ!
#7 – There Is An Important Relationship Between Faith And Works
What salvation looks like before you get saved…
(Ephesians 2:8-10) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (KJV)
What salvation looks like after you are saved…
(James 2:14-20) “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (KJV)
Many think the scriptures contradict each other here in these two passages, but we must understand that faith in Jesus’ shed blood alone is what saves a person. That same individual, who is truly saved, will produce works… to some degree!
#8 – You Cannot Lose Your Salvation
(John 3:36) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (KJV)
There are numerous verse that prove this truth about salvation. This one is very clear!
#9 – There Will Be Rewards At The Judgment Seat Of Christ
(Romans 14:12) “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (KJV)
(1 Corinthians 3:11-15) “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (KJV)
(2 Corinthians 5:6-10) “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (KJV)
Every saved person will be rewarded for their good works. These same works are not what saves them. These people perform good works because they are saved!
Conclusion
So much can be said about salvation. Ask 100 people how to get to Heaven and you will get 102 different answers. The fact of the matter is that we must stick with the Bible and what it says about the subject of salvation. Preacher, Proclaim It!
Preaching is explicitly ordained of God to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to help the subsequent disciples mature in their faith. Though other methods can be employed, God has made it absolutely clear that preaching and the pulpit ministry should be preeminent! Since it is so important, every pastor should seek to better get the message across so as to be more effective.
