Ø      Salvation

o       What is it?

§         According to MSN Encarta dictionary salvation is the saving of someone from harm, or deliverance from sin through Jesus Christ.

§         Webster defines salvation as deliverance from the power and effects of sin, preservation from destruction or failure or deliverance from danger or difficulty.

§         According to Easton’s Bible dictionary salvation is used of the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians (Exodus 14:13) and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ, "the great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3)

§         Zondervan Handbook to the Bible says salvation is God’s rescue of mankind from sin and death to ‘eternal life’, a new quality and dimension of existence

§         The Bible says

·        John 3:16-17 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’

·        Romans 5:9 ‘Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!’

·        Galatians 1:4 ‘who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,’

·        Galatians 3:13 ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."’

·        Galatians 4:4-5 ‘But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.’

·        Ephesians 1:7 ‘In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace’

·        1 John 3:5 ‘But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.  And in him is no sin.’

§         In summary, salvation is the redemption of mankind by God.  God has redeemed, or saved us from wrath and eternal death through Jesus Christ, ‘his one and only son.’ God has rescued mankind by forgiving our sins and adopting us into his family.

o       Why do we need salvation?

§         Because God is holy

·        Leviticus 11:44a ‘I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.’

·        Joshua 24:19 ‘Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord.  He is a holy God; he is a jealous God.  He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.

·        1 Samuel 2:2 ‘There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.’

·        Psalm 71:19 ‘Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?’

·        Psalm 89:14 ‘Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.’

·        Psalm 111:3 ‘Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.’

·        Psalm 116:137 ‘Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right.’

·        Psalm 145:17 ‘The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.’

·        Isaiah 6:3 ‘And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”’

·        Isaiah 57:15 ‘For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’

·        Habakkuk 1:13 ‘Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?’

·        Luke 1:49 ‘for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.’

§         Because we are unrighteous

·        Genesis 6:5 ‘The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.’

·        Ecclesiastes 7:20 ‘There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.’

·        Romans 1:29-32 ‘They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.’

·        Romans 3:10-18 ‘As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ¹²All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." ¹³"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." ¹⁴"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." ¹⁵"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ruin and misery mark their ways, ¹⁷and the way of peace they do not know." ¹⁸"There is no fear of God before their eyes."’

·        Romans 3:23 ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’

·        Romans 7:14 ‘We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.’

·        Romans 7:17-20 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

·        1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

·        Colossians 3:5-8 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

·        Revelation 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

§         What is the result of our unrighteousness?

·        Exodus 34:7 ‘maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."’

·        Psalm 38:3-4 ‘Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. ⁴My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.

·        Matthew 24:12 ‘Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,’

·        Romans 6:23 ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

·        Galatians 5:19-21 ‘The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.’

·        Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

o       If the penalty for sin is death, is there any hope for eternal life?

§         YES!  God has provided a way for us to become righteous

·        Psalm 119:9 ‘He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.’

·        Psalm 130:4 ‘But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared.’

·        John 3:16-17 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’

·        John 10:10 ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’

·        John 14:6 ‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me.”’

·        Acts 4:12 ‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’

·        Acts 10:43 ‘All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

·        Acts 13:38-39 ‘Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sin is proclaimed to you. ³⁹Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.’

·        Romans 4:25 ‘He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.’

·        Romans 5:8 ‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’

·        Galatians 1:4 ‘who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according the will of our God and father.’

·        Ephesians 1:7 ‘In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace’

·        Ephesians 2:8-9 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.’

·        Colossians 1:13-14 ‘For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’

·        Titus 3:5 ‘he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,’

·        Hebrews 9:22 ‘In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.’

·        1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’

o       God provided the way… what do we need to do now?

§         Believe that Jesus came to take away our sin, and that he died for us, was buried and resurrected

·        Mark 16:16 ‘Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’

·        John 20:31 ‘But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.’

·        Acts 2:21 ‘and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

·        1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ‘Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ²By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  ³For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,’

§         Confess that Jesus is Lord

·        Matthew 10:32-33 ‘"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven’

·        Romans 10:9-13 ‘That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." ¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."’

·        Philippians 2:11 ‘11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’

·        1 John 4:15 ‘If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.’

§         Repent of our sins and ask God for forgiveness

·        1 Chronicles 21:8 ‘Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."’

·        Psalm 38:18 ‘I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.’

·        Psalms 80:3 ‘Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.’

·        Proverbs 28:13 ‘He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.’

·        Ezekiel 18:30-32 ‘"Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. ³¹ Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!’

·        Matthew 3:1-2 ‘1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea ²and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."’

·        Mathew 3:6 ‘Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.’

·        2 Corinthians 7:9-11 ‘yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.’

·        1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’

 

 

Ø      How Do We Know that Jesus is the Messiah?

o       Fulfilled Prophecies (This list is no where near exhaustive!)

§         Messiah to Shed Blood as Sacrifice

·        Exodus 24:8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

·        Hebrews 9:11-28 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. ¹²He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!  ¹⁵For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.  ¹⁶In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. ¹⁸This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. ¹⁹When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. ²⁰He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." ²¹In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. ²²In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  ²³It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. ²⁵Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

§         Death by Crucifixion

·        Deuteronomy 21:22-23 If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, ²³ you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

·        Matthew 27:35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots

§         Messiah to be God’s Son

·        2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.

·        1 Chronicles 17:13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor

·        Hebrews 1:5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"?

§         Scorned and Mocked

·        Psalm 22:7-8 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:  ⁸ "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."

·        Matthew 27:31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

·        Luke 23:35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

§         Messiah to Suffer Thirst

·        Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.

·        John 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

§         Bones not Broken

·        Psalm 34:20 He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

·        John 19:32-33, 36  The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁶These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"

§         Born of a Virgin

·        Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

·        Mathew 1:18, 24-25 ¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

·        Luke 1:26-35 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." ³⁴"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"  ³⁵The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

§         Not Believed upon by People

·        Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

·        John 12:37-38 Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

§         Wounded for our Transgressions

·        Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

·        Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

·        John 19:34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

·        1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

§         His Soul an Offering for Sin

·        Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

·        2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

§         Messiah to Rise Up on the Third Day

·        Hosea 6:2 ‘After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence’

·        Matthew 28:6 ‘He is not here; he is risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’

·        Acts 2:31 ‘Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grace, nor did his body see decay.’

§         Born at Bethlehem

·        Micah 5:2 ‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, our of you will come for me one who will be rules over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

·        Matthew 2:1 ‘After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of king Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem’

·        John 7:42 ‘Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?

Ø      What does it mean to be Born Again?

o       Jesus told Nicodemus (in John 3:3) ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’

§         ‘Born Again’ is the Christian term for coming into God’s family.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior we are adopted into God’s family.  Thus, ‘Born Again’ is being born spiritually.

·        John 1:12-13 ‘Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.’

·        John 3:6 ‘Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit give birth to spirit.’

·        Romans 8:16-17 ‘The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.’

·        Philippians 3:20 ‘But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.’

·        1 John 3:1 ‘How great is the Love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.’

Ø      After Salvation

o       What happens after we are saved?

§         We become a new person

·        Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

·        2 Corinthians 5:17 ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’

·        Colossians 3:12-17 ‘Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.’

·        2 Timothy 2:22-26 ‘Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.’

§         We are set free from the bondage of sin

·        John 8:32 ‘Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’

·        John 8:34 ‘Jesus replied, ‘”I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”’

·        Romans 6:6-7 ‘For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- ⁷because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.’

§         We need to Grow in Christ Jesus (these are ideas, not an exhaustive list!)

·        Reading the Scriptures

o       Psalm 119:105 ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.’

o       Acts 17:11b ‘…for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.’

o       2 Timothy 2:15 ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.’

o       2 Timothy 3:16-17 ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’

·        Memorize and Mediate on Scripture

o       Psalm 1:1-3 ‘Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. ²But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates day and night. ³He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose lead foes not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.’

o       Psalm 119:11 ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.’

·        Praying

o       Proverbs 15:8 ‘The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.’

o       Romans 12:12 ‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.’

o       1 Thessalonians 5:17 ‘pray continually;’

·        Produce Fruit/ Good Works

o       John 15:16 ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last.  Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.’

o       Galatians 5:22-23 ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.’

o       Colossians 1:10b ‘bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

o       James 2:17-18 ‘In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ¹⁸but someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.’

Ø      Baptism

o       What is Baptism?

§         Baptism is the dipping of a person under water.  It symbolizes three things: 1) Death, 2) Burial, 3) Resurrection.  Baptism is a symbol of the death of the sinful nature of man.  Baptism is an outward act of an internal change.

·        Mathew 3:6 ‘Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.’

·        Mathew 28:19 ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’

·        Mark 1:4b ‘…preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.’

·        Mark 16:16 ‘Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’

·        Luke 3:16 ‘John answered them all; “I baptize you with water.  But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”’

·        Romans 6:1-4 ‘What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  ²By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  ³Or don’t you know that al of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.’

·        Colossians 2:12 ‘having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.’

o       Do you have to be baptized to be saved?

§         This is in debate!  Different denominations have their opinions about baptism, including, how and when it should be done, and if it is necessary etc.

·        Probably most people would agree that you should be baptized.  We are commanded too.

o       Acts 2:38 ‘Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”’

Ø      Predestination/ Election

o       What is it?

§         Predestination- Predetermined by God, called by God

§         Election- Chosen by God for his purpose, his right to single people out for blessing

o       How does it relate to salvation?

§         Mark 13:20 ‘If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive.  But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.’

§         Romans 8:28-30 ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  ²⁹for those God foreknew he also predestines to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  ³⁰And those he predestines, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.’

§         Ephesians 1:4-5 ‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love ⁵he predestines us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will’

§         Ephesians 1:11 ‘In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.’

§         1 Peter 1:2 ‘who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:  Grace and peace be yours in abundance.’

§         1 Peter 2:9 ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’

o       So did some people get chose for forgiveness and others for punishment?

§         No!  Predestination is God’s knowledge of what is going to happen.  God gave us a choice: to accept his son, Jesus Christ, as Savior, or to reject his son. God called us to himself, and unfortunately, some will reject him.

·        Romans 10:13 ‘for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."’

·        2 Peter 3:9 ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understands slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’