3 Walking in This Salvation

Talk three – Walking in Salvation

So here we are in week three of the course, so thank you for coming and persevering and therefore perhaps a quick review would be in order. We have looked at the historical archaeological and documentary evidence for Christ and at the sources for the bible and we have looked at the bible itself. We have looked at the concept of sin and how that relates to and effects our society and our lives and how we can never come up to Gods standard and the only solution is to accept Christ as our personal saviour by asking for him to forgive us our sins and to walk away from those things we know to be wrong and be willing with his help to choose to live his way. This then means we can know peace with God through Christ and the effects of sin in our lives can be removed and we can have a relationship with God through Christ and begin a process of restoration.

So we have looked at “Who needs Salvation”, and “What is this Salvation”, so if we were to accept this and act on it, how we can maintain? It in other words it that poses the question which is the title of this weeks subject how do we Walk in this Salvation?

So there are some key factors to be considered

1. It is a free gift

We cannot achieve our own salvation by any methods, if we being by very nature selfish this means that no matter what we do as selfless, as it may seem, it will always be tinted by some selfish motive, as acceptable as it may sound for us to find fulfilment in doing the right reasons that doesn’t mean we are doing it for the right motive. In other words outwardly we may be being seen to do the right things but inwardly they may be for the wrong reasons. Whether they are charitable acts of love, or religious or pious acts.

And even if we were managing to keep our hearts pure and be motivated by selflessness and to act appropriately we can not maintain this for our whole lives and neither can we make up for our own sins, our own sins and shortcomings.

So how can we receive forgiveness, do we not have to earn our way into Gods good books doing the right thing, do we not have to become better people to earn our forgiveness. Well if that was the case how would we achieve it for it is impossible for man to make up there own gap between ourselves and God. There would not be enough time or things we could do or be to become like Christ and since people have been trying for two thousand years and there has only ever been one Jesus who changed the world for ever, how was this possible. Well this is because as the bible tells us in

Colossians 1:15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

John 14:8-10
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

So where does that leave us if Jesus was in fact God and therefore we cannot become like him then how do we make up for the gap between ourselves and God

Like any gift we need to receive it via a decision just like at Christmas something can be meant for us and brought for us but until we actually pick it up and open it, it isn’t ours to own or use.

Ephesians 2:1-10
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in 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. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For 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. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

For we are “dead in your transgressions and sins”
“Gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts”
“Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath”
“Because of His great love for us, who is rich in mercy”
“Made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions”
“Show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus”
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith”
“And this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”
“Not by works, so that no one can boast”
“For we are God's workmanship.”
“Created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Therefore it the work of Christ on the cross has to be applied individually and significantly in order to receive salvation it is a free gift and as with any free gift it has to be asked for in order to receive it like anything else in life we have to see our need of it initially, and thereby desire it, and ask for it in order to receive it. Just like a Christmas gift which may have our name on it under the tree it isn’t truly ours until we have asked for it, received it and opened it and are thereby own it, it is no longer the givers it is the recipients and they can therefore use it, and apply it. We are given salvation as a gift. So how do we ask for it?

2. Repentance and Faith

Repentance means not only saying you are sorry but being sorry, and not only sorry you got caught but genuinely accepting you wrong doing and being sorry and then deciding to turn from those things we know are wrong and choosing to walk in Gods ways and not our own in a sense it is agreeing with God and choosing to live his way not our own. Coming to our senses just like the prodigal son, so it does mean being willing to make a change, but with Gods strength.

Faith is choosing to believe in other words making the choice to believe in what Jesus said and did and acting upon it.

However it is faith and repentance that is needed for repentance without faith leads to despair and gives no hope or fruit, but faith without repentance leads to false hope and no salvation however asking for forgiveness and then acting on it by faith is the key and how we receive salvation. Despite our feelings we act in faith.

3. The strength to follow

We may argue and be concerned well I could never live like that, I would mess up etc, if so then we need to understand two things the first being that when we become Christians we recive Gods Holy Spirit to be with us to give us the strength and ability to follow Jesus so he goves us the power to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

4. Grace

The second is that we are saved by grace and we will make mistakes along the way of our journey as we follow Christ for we are not perfect so we nee to understand that is a free gift beyond all we can ask or imagine that we do not deserve and when we do get it wrong we can come back to God and receive forgiveness in a sense when we become Christians we are bathed in the blood of Jesus and cleansed from our sins once for all, and as we walk with him we don’t need a bath again but we just need to wash out feet as we walk with him and they get dusty, when we come to Christ we come into the future God has for us and can become the people that we where meant to be and become whole and the god shaped hole is filled. It is then that we can receive the healing and forgiveness and peace and fulfillment in life that we all hunger for. Grace means that we are accepted and forgiven by God even with our weaknesses and mistakes.

5. Perseverance

There may also be times and circumstances which we struggle with and times in our lives when we need to persevere as we encounter pain or hardship however when one is a true believer and a Christian then we have Christ to help us and to turn those circumstances around and use them for our good, and also God can be a comfort and help in times of trouble, and we can give him our burdens and worries knowing that one far greater than ourselves and any circumstance is in charge and control of our lives and if we can receive strength and healing in and for any situation.

6. Old for new

2 Corinthians 5:16-18
16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Galatians 5:16-26
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature? They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19The 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.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
7. Trusting in God for our Salvation

We have to trust that the work of Jesus on the cross is enough to get us all the way on the journey. We cannot add anything to our salvation

? We need to stay focused, but not obsessed

Galatians 3:1-5

1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Galatians 3: 24-25

24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

So what about doing good?

James 2:14-19

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In 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.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery

Peace

With God which produces peace with ourselves which produces fruit in our lives.

Ernie Butler, 09/03/2008