Are You Saved? # 8

Some people misunderstand God’s way of salvation and mistakenly think they are saved when actually they are not saved

As the Great Apostle Paul said

Romans 10: 3a ‘They don’t understand God’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God’

Here’s a summary of the 7 Messages we have already done in this Series:

Some people mistakenly believe they are saved because...

They believe that Jesus is Savior but have never submitted to Him as Lord

They believe that they are good

They do good things

They once prayed the sinner’s prayer

They feel saved

They go to Church

They believe in a God

None of these false beliefs can save us – we can only be saved by God’s sovereign mercy upon us

Ephesians 2: 4-5 ‘But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)’

Jesus described God’s sovereign mercy like this

John 6: 44 ‘For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me, and at the last day I will raise them up’.

John 6: 37 ‘Those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them’.

So, if our salvation is an act of God’s sovereign mercy upon us, then what is our responsibility?

Our responsibility is to respond to the Father when He calls to come to Christ

Romans 10: 9-10 ‘If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved’. ESV

Now let me say this, our responsibility doesn’t end there - we have a continuing responsibility to prove that our salvation is real

Ephesians 4: 1 ‘I encourage you to live the kind of life which proves that God has called you’

So, let me ask you this, can you prove that your salvation is real; are you leading a life that is worthy of your calling?

Over the next few weeks, I want to give you 5 pieces of evidence that will prove your salvation is real

1/ Our Salvation Testimony

The word ‘testimony’ means telling the truth about what we have experienced

Example:

Acts 4:33 ‘And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony (‘eyewitness reports’ VOICE TM) to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus’.

The Apostles were telling the truth about what they had experienced concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus – they were telling their testimony (they were giving their eyewitness report)

Here are 3 powerful things that happen when we tell our salvation testimony

Firstly, our salvation testimony persuades others to believe in Jesus

The Apostle John referred 3 times to his testimony about Jesus so that others would believe and be saved

John 19: 35 (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe).

John 20:30-31 ‘The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name’.

John 21: 24 ‘This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate’

Here’s my salvation Testimony:

In late 1982 (40 years ago!) Jennifer and I were invited to a large Church meeting in our hometown on a Sunday night

The guest speaker was an Australian Pastor by the name of Clarke Taylor, and he told his salvation testimony, that when he was young, he was almost killed by a bull in the outback of Australia and how he cried out to God to save him. God did save him from the bull and Clarke gave his life to Christ

Then, Pastor Taylor preached the Gospel about Jesus walking on the water and calling Peter out of the boat to join Him on the water

Matthew 14: 28 ‘Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”’

And then, Pastor Taylor invited people to ‘step out of the boat’ and come to Christ

Matthew 14: 29 ‘So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus’.

That night, Jennifer and I were persuaded to believe in Jesus through Pastor Taylor’s salvation testimony and the preaching of the Gospel

I’m also reminded of what the Apostle Paul said about the power of his own salvation testimony

1 Timothy 1: 15-16 ‘This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Jesus Christ could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life’.

Did you know that your salvation testimony has the power to persuade others to believe in Jesus?

Secondly, our salvation testimony motivates us to fulfil our ministry

Acts 9: 1-8 is the record of Paul’s salvation

After that, the Lord revealed to a man called Annanias what Paul’s ministry would be and sent him to pray for Paul

Acts 9: 15 “Go, for Saul (that is Paul) is My chosen instrument to take My message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel”.

Acts 9: 20 ‘And immediately he (Paul) began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues’

For the next 30 years Paul was motivated to fulfil his ministry and testified several times about his salvation following his arrest in Jerusalem

Acts 26: 19-20 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from Heaven. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God”

(Acts 22: 1-23 Paul testified to the Jewish Religious Leaders, Acts 24: 14a Paul testified to Felix the Roman Governor, Acts 26: 9-20 Paul testified to Agrippa the King)

Is your salvation testimony motivating you to fulfil your ministry?

Thirdly, our salvation testimony gives us victory over the accusations of the devil

Revelation 12: 10b-11a ‘For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony’.

Please notice here that the Author of the Book of Revelation (The Apostle John) calls the devil ‘the accuser of our brothers and sisters’

Have you noticed that over the last few years the number of accusations against God’s people and the Churches are increasing?

Sadly, some of the accusations the devil makes against God’s people and the Churches are TRUE – this brings trouble for the people of God and scandal into the Churches, and worst of all dishonors the Name of the Lord!

Also, if the devil cannot bring a TRUE accusation against God’s people and the Churches, he will lie and ‘make up’ FALSE accusations

Examples:

Matthew 26: 59 ‘the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death’

Acts 6: 11-12 ‘So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen...so, they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.’

There’s nothing we can do to stop the devil ‘making up’ false accusations against us, but we can make sure that the devil cannot bring a TRUE accusation against us - this is what gives us victory over the devil

Finally, the first proof that our salvation is real is:

1/ Our Salvation Testimony

Firstly, our salvation testimony persuades others to believe in Jesus

Secondly, our salvation testimony motivates us to fulfil our ministry

Thirdly, our salvation testimony gives us victory over the accusations of the devil