THE LORD OFFERS US SALVATION AND HOW TO RECEIVE IT!

DILEMMA – GOD OFFERED ME SALVATION. (Or He didn’t).

At nine years old I accepted God’s gift of forgiveness. I accepted God’s gift of Jesus  and my young life was filled with joy, acceptance, peace and excitement about the future.

At ten years old the youth pastor molested me and I thought God had lied to me and didn’t care for me and I couldn’t trust Him, so I rewrapped His gift to me and tried to give it back to Him.

Over the next eleven years my life and every dream turned into a nightmare and preparing to take my life I asked God to help me open His gift to me again.

I. WHY WE NEED A SAVIOR.

  1. God started working through everyone (me) at CREATION:
    • Genesis 1:26-28. 26) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27) God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
  2. God started working in me individually at PROCREATION:
    • Psalm 139:13-18 – 13) “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15) My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16) Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17) How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18) Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you”.
  3. When I chose to sin I was SEPARATED from God.
    • Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned”. From Adam and Eve to everyone living today sins.
    • Ephesians 2:1-30 –1) “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2) in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3) All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
  4. God made it possible for me to have RECREATION! 
    • Understanding what the Lord has done for us and wants to do in and through us.
    • EPHESIANS 2:4-10 – 4) But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5) made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6) And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7) in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9) not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 ) For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”

II. A SIMPLE WAY TO REMEMBER WHAT GOD OFFERS SINNERS:

III. A USEFUL WAY TO PREPARE YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU:

  1. Tell about your life BEFORE Jesus saved you.
  2. Tell about THE DAY YOU ACCEPTED Jesus.
  3. Tell WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE SINCE you became a Christian.

Consider this project :

 

IV. REVIEW WHY JESUS IS QUALIFIED TO SAVE US:

  1. He has all authority and gets so establish if we are saved: MATTHEW 28:18, “All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth”.
  2. He has proven, by miracles, He is God and must be believed. John 20:30.
  3. He is the only way to the Father. John 14:16.
  4. What does God say about Him and His authority? Acts 2:36.
  5. He has proven that He is God come in the flesh.
    1. His pre-existence. (He is THE WORD). John 1:1-14.
    2. He is the creator. John 1:1-14.
    3. He is Immanuel, God in the flesh. John 1:1-14.
    4. His birth, life and ministry. Acts 2:22.
    5. His vicarious death on the cross. Acts 2:23.
    6. His being raised from the dead. Acts 2:24.
    7. His being exalted to heaven. Acts 2:32.
    8. God has made Him Lord. Acts 2:36.

V. REVIEW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST’S COMMANDS:

  1. He gives commands to those who submit to His authority. Matthew 28:18-20
    1. “Go and make disciples”.
    2. “Baptizing the believers in the Name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
    3. “And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”.
  2. He promises to join them in fulfilling His commands.
    1. “And I will be with you unto the end of the age”.
  3. The first Christians obeyed the Lord’s commands.
    1. They waited until the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to empower them. Acts 1:1-5; Acts 2:1-3.
    2. They went from meeting in secret to publically proclaim the Gospel. Acts 2:1-14.
    3. They proclaimed Jesus. Acts 2:15-35.
    4. When the people asked what they should do.
      1. “What should I do?” Acts 2:37
      2. “Repent”. Acts 2:38.
        • Having a change of mind that leads to a change of action.
        • Being sorry enough for your sin to be willing to quit it.
      3. “Be Baptized”. Acts 2:38; Matthew 28:18.
        • Who needs to be baptized? “every one of you”
        • In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for the remission of sin and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”.
    5. Who is offered the promise of salvation?
      1. “To you and your Children”. Acts 2:39. Matthew 28:19.
      2. “To all who are far off whom the Lord will call”.
    6. Who received the promise of salvation? Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19.
      1. “Those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls”. Acts 2:41.

VI. REVIEW HOW THE FIRST CHRISTIANS OBEYED THE LORD’S COMMAND:

  1. What did the new Christians devote themselves to? Acts 2:42-47.
    1. “To the Apostles teachings”.
    2. “To fellowship”.
    3. “To breaking of bread”. (Communion).
    4. “To prayers”.
  2. What were the results of their devotion?
    1. “Everyone was filled with awe”. (Wonder and amazement”).
    2. “Many wonders and miracles were done by the apostles”.
    3. “They cared for each other’s needs”.
    4. “They continued to meet together in the temple and at each other’s homes”.
    5. “They continued to break bread together”.
    6. “They were “glad” and had “sincere hearts”.
    7. “They ‘praised’ God”.
    8. “They had “favor” (acceptance) from the people”.
    9. “The Lord added to their number daily.
    10. “Those who accepted his message”.

VII. VISUALIZING HOW OBEYING THE LORD AND HIS COMMANDS WILL GROW UP DISCIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES TO REACH THE WHOLE WORLD FOR JESUS ONE PERSON AT A TIME:

  1. God has a tremendous investment in your life. JOHN 3:16; ROMANS 5:8.
  2. The Holy Spirit lives IN you. 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20.
  3. The Holy Spirit begins to place His Fruit in your life and you become a prepared person for a prepared purpose and a prepared place. GALATIANS 5:22-25.
  4. Consider this visual and circle which one best describes you.

IMAGE (there wasn’t an image in the document…)

VIII. CONSIDER THESE TWO METHODS:

  1. Using the Key Chain:  
  1. Consider placing this visual in your Bible:

IX. LEARN HOW TO EARN THE RIGHT TO SHARE JESUS WITH OTHERS.

  1. A project to help you enter into a relationship with people by asking questions leading to your sharing Jesus with them.
  2. You do this by asking questions about them that move from questions everyone are willing to answer to questions leading to your finding out about their present spiritual needs:
  3. Think of having a GUIDED CONVERSATION by asking questions. ( F O R M):