Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/church4u/sermons/87242/salvation-unveiled-discover-the-key-to-eternal-life/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] Salvation, what is it? Salvation. It's God saving us from sin and its consequences. It's consequences! It's consequences of sin, of hell. And salvation is the wonderful truth that God gives life, forever! And we can know relationship with Him. Salvation is God's plan. And there is only one plan. We're going to go to Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2, really it's a fundamental anchor verse that we're going to go back to as we talk through today. We're going to come back and revisit this as we unpack this very important subject. Salvation. Salvation is God's plan. There is only one plan. Ephesians 2, 8 through 9, it says, For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Salvation.

[1:05] What a subject that is. We want to get that right, don't we? Biblical. Biblically and know it. Salvation. And share it. Salvation. What a word. It's the rescue of the human soul from sin and death and hell and Satan. Man is guilty of sin. He's headed for eternal judgment. To spend eternity in the torment of hell. We've got to get salvation right. All men are guilty and man is under the sentence of death. So this is really a salvation message, a message about the doctrine of salvation in a nutshell. There's so much more we could say. But really some key thoughts about salvation. How to be saved. Because it matters. It matters. Because there might be some here or under the sound of my voice who are not yet saved. Not saved. That would be a sad thing, wouldn't it? As the Bible talks about, the harvest is passed and we are not saved. Harvest time is coming when there'll be no more opportunity to be saved. And so salvation.

[2:26] We're going to go through some verses. There's so many that will just display them. You're not going to probably have time to look all of them up. But Romans 5 tells us that man is under the sentence of death. Romans 5.12 tells us, Wherefore as by one man, Adam, sin entered into the world and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. All men are guilty. Adam's disobedience brought sin into the world. And now sin, it infects every human heart, yours and mine. And sin separates us from the holy God. Man desperately needs to be rescued, saved, delivered, and he cannot, cannot save himself. He cannot save himself from his own efforts, his own deeds, his own works. But while man cannot save himself from eternal torment, God can, God can, God can, and will save him. Sin entered, death by sin, all have sinned.

[3:37] Titus 3 tells us, Titus 3 verse 5 of salvation, how he saved us, not by works of righteousness, righteousness, which we have done. But according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. So really the first point is for by grace, for by grace. Salvation is by grace, by grace. It's by grace based on God's mercy. It's not based on works of righteousness, not based on works of righteousness, which we have done. Following on really from much of the sentiment that Michael covered in the earlier devotion, not based on works of righteousness, which we have done, not based on any burden or burdensome laws or ritual or effort. This is an important point to grasp.

[4:33] Again, there is only one plan, one plan. We need God's grace. What is grace? God's grace. Grace is a word that essentially it means a gift, a gift. A gift is something that becomes ours without our doing anything for it. I know like when Brother Peter, Gregorick and others are witnessing, I know Peter uses the illustration of, if I was to give you my Bible, you know, and he's got a lovely Bible, kind of like his Bible, especially his waterproof Bible. What's it called? A waterproof Bible.

[5:14] So we can go rain, hail, sleet or shine with the waterproof Bible. And he says, if I was to give you my Bible and I was to say, well, just give me $5 for it, would that be a gift? No. Or what if I said, oh, you know, you wash my car for me and you can have my Bible. Is that a gift? No. Because a gift is a gift.

[5:35] It's given. It's given with no expectation, nothing that you have to do to get it. Simply take it, take it. And so grace is a word that means a gift. Something becomes ours without our doing anything for it.

[5:54] This is kind of, wow, it blows your mind when you actually think about that. Why? For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

[6:07] We give nothing for a gift. We need only to receive it. It is totally free. To be saved, it must be a gift of God. A gift. Salvation is given to us, not earned by us, not merited, not deserved. Salvation by grace through faith, it is not of us in the sense of it being the result of our own power. It is the gift of God.

[6:33] Simply take it. Salvation is God's gift, the unspeakable gift of God. And what's more, this gift, it's free. Salvation is the free gift of God to all that believe. It is free. The Lord gives it to the believer without works, without not of works, without works. We see that further, Romans 4 verse 5, So, Paul's unpacking it there to Romans, the Romans in Romans 4 verse 5, So salvation by grace is saved, not of works.

[7:25] Now, this is a fundamental point, not dependent on works. It's a clear point of our opening text, not of works. Now, let me just detour a little to talk about salvation by works. Salvation by works.

[7:43] Now, we were talking, Joy and I, yesterday, and there was a guy working, and he was doing a good work. He was doing something out of the kindness of his heart, looking after some older person's garden, and he was saying, he was talking about works, and we were saying, well, it's a free gift.

[7:59] Well, I just won't bother about the works then. You know, it's kind of that kind of attitude. It's almost like there's this mentality that's in all of us, salvation by works.

[8:10] It goes right back to Cain in the garden, doesn't it, in the beginning. Salvation by works. It seems right in the eyes of man. Now, we've got to have a burden. We've got to put a burden on someone else, that they've got to deserve their salvation.

[8:27] Works salvation, it appeals to the pride of men. Some type of salvation by works, by human merit. We're not saved because of works, but for works.

[8:40] Ephesians 2, of course, it talks about not of works, lest any man should boast. It goes down to say we are his workmanship. We're created unto good works. They follow later. So, I do not work for salvation, nor do I work to keep it.

[8:56] Some think of that. People mistakenly think this. Again, it appeals to the eyes of men, the pride of men. It is grace that we must have, God's gift.

[9:08] It's unmerited favour. Do we appreciate the blessing of God's gift, God's grace? Sometimes we miss that. Get this, salvation is completely a gift of God.

[9:20] We see Jonah came to that realisation just before the big fish spat him out on the beach. He came to that confession, salvation is of the Lord.

[9:31] He was still in the fish's belly then, and then the fish spat him out on the beach. Salvation is of the Lord. He saw that essential truth. Salvation is the work of God.

[9:42] It's of the Lord. It's from God. The Lord Jesus is the author and the finisher of it, of our faith. At no time is a person's performance a requirement for receiving the free gift of eternal life, not for retaining it or proving it either.

[9:58] At the heart of it, the work of salvation is the work of God. It is of the Lord, God's grace. And God has fully provided the righteousness that we could never attain to on our own.

[10:09] This is called what doctrinally is termed the substitutionary atonement. In other words, we had to have a substitute to take our place. We see that in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21.

[10:21] For he, God, hath made him Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So the Lord Jesus, sinless and perfect, he took our sins upon himself.

[10:34] He gave himself up as the sacrifice to satisfy God's justice and reconcile us to him. When you think about the wonder of it all, the great purchase of salvation, at great cost to our Lord, yet free to us, a free gift.

[10:52] And we receive this free gift simply by believing of his death, burial and resurrection, that he is sufficient as the saviour. You know, God wrote the book on salvation.

[11:04] It's here in our hands. The message of the gospel, the good news. The gospel is the good news that God has made a way of salvation through the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[11:17] The Lord Jesus has done all of the work for us. And again, following on from what Michael shared too, the Lord Jesus has done all that had to be done.

[11:28] It's simple, free and easy to be saved. Some would teach otherwise. Friends, let me tell you again, let me emphasise this. It is simple, free and easy to be saved.

[11:40] It is not difficult. You don't work to get saved. We have no work to do to receive everlasting life and the forgiveness of our sin. It is a gift. The grace, free gift.

[11:52] It's called the finished work. That's another theological term. That Christ completed everything back then at Calvary's cross. The finished work. It was there that everything was done.

[12:03] It was completed by Christ on the cross. Everything that had to be done to save your soul. God shows us how to have eternal life. And it's important to note that it is especially revealed in the repeated themes of the book of John.

[12:19] We see what is the key message of John? What is the key message? He says this, of the purpose of his gospel. John 20, 31, he says, But these are written, the writings of John, the gospel of John, these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name.

[12:39] What is the key message of John? Believe. Believe. Have faith. An important doctrine, again, is the truth that salvation is by faith. Salvation is by faith over and over again throughout the writings of John.

[12:52] This is his message. Believe. Believe. To believe is the way to have eternal life. And everything comes down to this. And we see this repeated through the gospel of John. It's a very clear theme.

[13:04] A very clear message that underlines, that defines salvation. We see the fundamental, the familiar one, John 3, 16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

[13:23] At salvation, we receive eternal life. Life that goes on forever. And the world needs this message as the fundamental, isn't it? You can't get any clearer than John 3, 16.

[13:34] The world needs this message. The whole world. God so loved the world. That is the extent of it. That is the offer of salvation. Christ died for the sins of the whole world. I love it how God shows us this truth too, that salvation is, note that word, whosoever.

[13:49] That whosoever believeth anybody and everybody. It's a recurring theme, whosoever. Whosoever will may come. Whosoever shall call on his name shall be saved.

[14:00] God has made the provision, the whole world. We see that in John 1, when John the Baptist saw him in the distance, he says, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

[14:13] Notice this universal provision there. Christ is sufficient. He is sufficient. And he is sufficient to save to the uttermost, to the uttermost. So every requirement.

[14:24] We simply have to meet the requirements that God has laid out for us. And that is to believe. We see John 6, 47. And if you've got, other than the King James Bible, you'll have to note these words, On me is very important there.

[14:39] If it's not in your Bible, then get a King James Bible. We see John 6, 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, that's important, on Christ.

[14:50] He that believeth on me, he says, hath everlasting life. Biblical grace teaches that a person is saved the moment, the moment that they understand and believe the gospel.

[15:00] Salvation, friends, I tell you, and I underline this today, salvation is instant. It's instant. It's a one-time act of hearing and understanding the gospel, believing it, that causes an irreversible change in your final destiny.

[15:17] That's called justification. Justification. The Bible refers to that as being justified by faith. We see that in Romans 5, verse 1. For example, therefore, being justified, how?

[15:29] By faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The condition is simply by faith. God's word teaches that all that believe are already justified before God, past tense.

[15:44] Justified, past tense, by faith, we have. We do not and cannot maintain our own just standing before God. But the Bible teaches us that the Lord Jesus saves to the uttermost.

[15:59] That's forever. So, friends, if you've trusted Christ and you might have been a young child, a young person like we talked about in the testimony before, some would discount a childhood profession of faith.

[16:12] If it was a real profession of faith, then you're saved. It doesn't matter how young you were. You don't have to go and live a life of sin to then justify that God saved you from yourself.

[16:23] You can be saved as a little child who simply believes like babes. Hebrews 7, 25. Wherefore, he is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

[16:38] He's able to save you. Isn't that a relief? I don't have to save myself. He is able to save me. Amen. Don't you just love it that our Lord is able? He's able to save you.

[16:49] Friend, if you're outside of Christ today, he is able to save you. And he's able to save you to the uttermost. He's able. And by faith we simply come unto him, the saviour, the justifier.

[17:03] He's able to save you. And he does. Friends, again, let me underline Jesus alone is our justification and our sanctification. There's nothing we could ever do to be good enough to meet God's perfect and holy demands.

[17:18] Some have got the idea, well, I've got to kind of deserve it before I get it. No. You can never deserve it before you get it or after you've got it. He must save.

[17:29] Again, there is only one plan. One plan. What is it? It says, not of yourselves.

[17:43] I think this is important to get this because every other religion talks about of yourself. You know, believe in yourself is what some actually think, don't they?

[17:54] It's not of yourself. It's not of works. And friends, I've got to be honest with you today. Sadly, there's many folk being misled by various teachers and schools of thought, which when you analyse them and compare what they teach versus the scriptures, they're effectively promoting a works-based salvation.

[18:14] Works-based salvation ideas. Talking about such concepts as lordship salvation, as they call it. Some would try and add something as if faith is not enough. They won't accept someone too.

[18:27] You know, someone might make a profession of faith. They won't accept that person as a new brother or sister in Christ before they prove it. By doing right. By adopting proper standards.

[18:39] By reading a proper Bible. By attending a proper church. Whatever yoke of legalism, the burdens, the heavy burdensome burdens, whatever they can put on that person.

[18:50] Oh, they're not good enough so they can't be saved. As if the one who calls on the name of the Lord by faith must be constantly verified by some scrutiny of men as to whether they're good enough to meet the subjective standards that they set.

[19:08] It's wrong. It's not how it is. Some teach that faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, is not enough. Unless it's accompanied by outward visible works.

[19:20] Some false teachers would say to you that you must persevere or work to be saved. Trusting Jesus to save you is not enough, they would say.

[19:33] Now, some critics would scorn easy believism, as it's termed. But what is the alternative? In its place, they would preach a salvation that's hard to obtain. A hard believism.

[19:46] A faith plus message. Plus, plus, plus, plus, plus, plus for some. Where they have to contribute something. They have to show their salvation by works.

[20:01] Now, let me counter how they would see it, how they might say it. They would say, well, the devils believe and tremble. But what, how do the devils believe?

[20:14] Devils merely believe about God. They believe there is a God. That's an evident fact. Yes, they have that mental assent, that obvious truth that everybody knows there's a God.

[20:29] That's obvious. They believe there's a God. But they don't believe on Christ. They don't believe in Christ. Some would see what James says in James 2.14, about some who claim a faith, but it's not, their works don't measure up.

[20:51] Whilst I believe salvation is easy, simple, basic, we've got to make sure the faith is true. There can be a false faith, which is a mere intellectual assent, like the devils believe.

[21:07] Some would say, yeah, I believe. They have a faith, a false faith, a faith that cannot save. And so I am conscious there are some that we could describe as false converts.

[21:22] They have some kind of a superficial profession of faith, but they don't have saving faith. We've got to be sure that it's true faith.

[21:33] It's truly faith in Christ, Christ alone. Now, that said, salvation is simple. Again, following on from what Michael said, salvation is simple.

[21:44] It's clear. It's straightforward. And even a little child can receive the Saviour. We can come with simple childlike faith and simply receive Him.

[21:56] And there's a promise here in John 1.12. It says, but as many as received Him, Christ, to them gave you the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Some would falsely teach that we must have faith in Christ plus human effort to get salvation.

[22:13] They would say true saving faith is accompanied by a lifetime of strong commitment to God. Now, people like Paul Washer, John MacArthur, they say that faith has got to be evidenced by this host of visible good works.

[22:26] It's got to be faith, but there's got to be more. Faith is not enough. You've got to have works. When they say that, they're teaching a works-based salvation. I mean, how many good works must be done?

[22:37] How many good works must you do? For how many years? What if you have moments of backsliding? Are they permitted? If visible good works must accompany true saving faith, how can one know whether they are even saved?

[22:53] If we must trust in our works in some measure, how can we actually have assurance of salvation? It's not there. Some popular teachers these days, honestly, I'm telling you the truth here today, they're teaching a works-based salvation.

[23:08] They would say things like, a person cannot be saved without making changes to their lifestyle. It's about what you do. Yeah, believe, but you must change.

[23:19] You must change your lifestyle. You must have this. You must do that. You must stop this or stop doing this or start doing this. It's a yoke of bondage. It's a burdensome, man-centered kind of thinking.

[23:34] It's a works-based thinking. I mean, what would you say with many occasions in the Word of God? There's many backslidden believers in the Bible. Lot was called a just man, but he had a lot of hang-ups.

[23:44] He did a lot of things wrong, made a lot of unwise, foolish decisions. We see the Corinthian church, they were called brothers in the Lord, and yet there's much to be ashamed of in the Corinthian church.

[23:57] Then we see the Laodicean church of Revelation 3. They were clearly believers whom the Lord Jesus loved, rebuked, and disciplined. Friends, it is possible to be a believer and to not really live up to what we should be.

[24:12] That's a reality. But thank God our salvation is not based in any measure on what we do, on what our righteous works are. Our righteousnesses are nothing in terms of what we can contribute.

[24:28] What we must have is His righteousness. I'm hoping I'm making this clear enough. Please don't take what I'm saying that we should just, you know, live like the devil and not do any good works.

[24:39] I'm not saying that. But I'm saying don't base your salvation on that. The salvation must rest entirely upon the finished work of Christ. It must rest entirely on what He has done to save you.

[24:50] Because it's the righteousness of God we need. And that's by faith. We see that in Romans 3.22. Even the righteousness of God. It's by faith it says, unto all and upon all them that believe.

[25:01] For there is no difference. So when we think of it, as someone has put it, anyone that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. That is Bible. If someone is trusting the blood of Jesus as the only payment for their sins, we can call that man brother.

[25:19] I'm quoting here, MacArthur foolishly teaches that it is hard to become a Christian because he says it will cost your life of worldliness, sinful, bad habits, and selfish ambitions to make your faith valid.

[25:33] Add works. That's the devil. Add works to salvation. It's heresy. Ask the baby Christian if they believe Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose again. If they confess the blood of Christ as payment for their sins, then they are saved.

[25:48] They are saved. They need to grow. Yes. They need to walk right. They need sanctification. That's afterwards. But their salvation is secure because they've trusted.

[25:58] In an instant, in a moment, they're saved for time and for eternity. Friends, salvation is simple. Salvation is simple.

[26:09] Some would complicate it. They would make it complex. How easy is it to be saved? It's like walking through a door. The Lord Jesus says, I am the door. He says, you shall be saved.

[26:21] Go in and out and find pasture. How easy is it to be saved? It's like drinking a cup of water. The Lord Jesus, to the woman at the well, if thou knewest the gift of God, salvation, he says, who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink.

[26:36] Thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. It's like having a drink of water. Notice in our text, it says, by grace are ye saved. Paul says, ye are saved.

[26:48] Ye are saved. Salvation is often talked about in this terms of this past tense. So you can know, assuredly know today, brother, sister, if you've trusted Christ, ye are saved.

[27:01] Are, present time, saved. Past tense, have been saved. It's accomplished, it's completed for every one of you that trusts in the person and work of Christ.

[27:12] We are saved. That's an assurance that you can have. You can assuredly have. You're saved. Saved. Saved now. Saved now for time and for eternity. Saved, born again.

[27:24] Saved from sin's penalty and spiritual death. Born again. And the new birth, it's irreversible. It's immediate. It's not a process. But some teach, and they change the Bible to teach this, that salvation is some kind of a process thing.

[27:39] Now, salvation is present. It's present time. We're saved. S-A-V-E-D. Past, present. You cannot be unborn physically. Neither can you spiritually.

[27:52] If saved, always saved. Of course, you've got to make sure you are saved. It's not some token parenting of prayer, some empty profession, some going along with some routine, or you might be the most faithful church attender here and still be a lost man or woman.

[28:15] It must be that you're in Christ. You must have your faith, must be in Christ, on Christ alone, Christ alone. And if that is so, you're a believer. You're permanently saved.

[28:25] And you're safe forever. Look at some of the terms that John puts here. John 5. He says, You passed from, at the bottom there, John 5, 24, if you believe on him that sent me, he says, You have everlasting life.

[28:40] You shall not come into condemnation. But it's saying, You passed from death unto life. There's a transition. You're no longer on that side. Death. You've transferred over unto life.

[28:52] In St. John 10, it says, Our Lord says, I give unto them eternal life of the saved. They have eternal life. They shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

[29:03] We see 1 Peter 1 talks about how the saved have been begotten again, born again unto this lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

[29:15] John 1 Peter 1, verse 3. It reads on, verse 4, We've got an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. For you that are saved, it says, You are kept, kept, kept, By the hand of God.

[29:32] Held in His grip. Kept. Guarded. Garrisoned. Held. Secure. Kept. By the power of God. Through faith unto salvation. Ready to be revealed in the last time.

[29:45] Believer, here this morning, you can know that you're kept by the power of God. Under His control and in His will. God works His salvation in us. Of course, there's a time where it's in the present sense, that in our own salvation, work it out, work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling.

[30:03] It's not work for your salvation, but work out, let it work out, let it be evident, let it live out, work it out, for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

[30:15] So friends, here this morning, hopefully I'm making it clear enough, and when you look at Ephesians 2, 8 through 9, it is very, very clear what salvation is. And Paul says, work out your own salvation.

[30:28] He says that there's a good work that God is doing. He's begun the good work, and He's going to complete it. He'll perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Of course, once we are saved, God wants us to grow.

[30:40] It's sad when you see some profess Christ, they trust Christ, they are saved, according to all the biblical understanding of what they're professing, and yet it seems like there's no progress there.

[30:50] That's a very sad thing to see. God wants you to grow. Brother, sister, don't stop growing. Don't think you know it all. Keep coming to the Bible study. Keep coming to fellowship.

[31:01] Come morning and night. Come whenever you can make it, so you can grow. You can grow your faith. Get in the Word. God wants you to progress to spiritual maturity. That's a separate issue from salvation, though.

[31:13] The Lord Jesus delivers us from the power of sin. He helps us overcome the carnal nature. God will complete His work in us. I'm hoping I'll talk further about sanctification in a future message.

[31:24] But we see Philippians 1, verse 6, God has begun a good work. He will see it through. The fundamental here to underline again is that salvation is a free gift from God.

[31:35] I had some that have the sentiment that you've got to add to it. No, it's not. It's not something we add to to be saved. Sure, add to your faith, but we can't add to our salvation.

[31:47] Sure, grow in your faith, but you can't add to your salvation. God's begun the good work. He will see it through. And salvation is a free gift. We see that here. Another fundamental, verse Romans 6, 23, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[32:05] Friends, believers, there's a great assurance for you there that it is a gift. Salvation was bought, paid for by the blood of our Saviour. And you are no longer your own, it says.

[32:17] You're bought with a price. What a price. We're his purchased possession, bought with a price, not a payment of our own. There's nothing we could pay. He had to pay it. He must pay for your salvation.

[32:30] It's all of grace too, we see. But we see Jesus. Think of it. One day we'll see him face to face, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour that he, by the grace of God, should taste death, death for every, every man.

[32:50] The pure spotless lamb was the sacrifice given to provide our salvation. And when we see that, we get that rest in Christ. You know, come unto me, all you that labour, I'll give you rest, rest unto your souls.

[33:02] When we find that rest in Christ, we see the finished work of his salvation. Wow! He's done everything that had to be done.

[33:14] Everyone needs salvation. Everyone under the sound of my voice. Again, there's only one plan. One plan. And back to our text again, to labour it, for by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

[33:30] There's a great assurance here that you can know. We can know. Paul says, ye are saved. He doesn't say you shall be. He doesn't say you may be. He says, ye are, are saved.

[33:42] He doesn't say you're partly saved, or that you're in the process of being saved, or that you one day you can hope to be saved. At this moment, each and every one of us here is either saved or unsaved.

[33:57] There's no middle road. There's no middle group. You're either saved or you're unsaved. That is a fact. Which category do you belong to? I hope by the witness of the Holy Spirit that all of us can say, the Lord is my strength and my song.

[34:13] He has become my salvation. If we can say about any person, you are saved, we'd have to add the words, by grace, by grace.

[34:24] There's no salvation today which doesn't begin and end with grace. We must have God's grace. We must have God's grace to be saved. To have God's grace, to have salvation, we must believe that salvation is all of grace.

[34:38] Now, some would say, well, I believe, but I've got to do this. I've got to be baptised. There's some people, there's churches that are saying, down the road here, you've got to be, you've got to do this, do that, you've got to repent, be baptised, and you've got to have the gift of the Holy Spirit.

[34:52] You've got to speak in tongues to be saved. That's works. That's wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, red flag, no, wrong answer. No, it's not of works, even if that was true, that God wants us to have tongues.

[35:07] And of course, it's not. It's a lie. But we see that it's not of works. You can't add anything. Even the baptism, don't count on that for your salvation. That's afterwards.

[35:18] We believe in believers' baptism. Salvation, then you get baptised. And we've got openings for the next baptism. If you've trusted Christ, you want to be baptised, we love you to be, and we'll help you to be.

[35:30] But can I address to you that are yet doubting about salvation? For some of you, you believe that you will be saved when you die. You know, when you talk to people, I say that, oh, I hope to be, I'm hoping I'll be saved.

[35:45] For some of you, you believe that, well, it's going to take years of dedication, of commitment, of works, of faithfulness. So perhaps, at the end of it, and we've got the sum, you know, reputable or well-renowned Bible teachers that have had this right to their deathbed when they believe in the Calvinistic idea, well, ultimately, I will be saved.

[36:10] I've just got to keep persevering, persevering, persevering, to my last breath. then I'll be saved. That I'll be saved at last. But you don't have any hope of being saved now.

[36:23] It's wrong. Brother, sister, it's wrong. You can't add baptism or some other manifestation. No works. Even all your persevering, it's not of that.

[36:34] Sure, you should, you should persevere. You should be faithful. You should be obedient. You should live holy. But it's not of works. And you can be saved right now, right here, right now, today, and you can know it.

[36:47] I can assure you that based on the authority of the Word of God, you can know for sure. It's by faith. That's it. Look at this verse here.

[36:58] It's an obvious one where the direct question was asked and the direct answer was given. What must I do to be saved? Believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house.

[37:11] At the present time there can be no salvation unless it stands upon this foundation by grace are you saved. Only by grace, the kindness of God.

[37:22] And if he saves you now through faith, you are saved. You don't have to measure up to some standards and measurement of others, some burdens that they would put upon you to say, oh, we've got to measure it.

[37:34] We've got to check it. We've got to, we've got to analyze it. You've got to qualify. You've got standards you've got to meet. Oh, he or she is doing this or that. Drinking alcohol or smoking or you name it, whatever they want to put on their list.

[37:48] Oh, they can't be saved then. That's not how it works. You're saved. God wants you to stop drinking. God wants you to stop smoking. But your salvation is not in that.

[37:59] It's in the faith. It's in Christ. You can be saved right here, right now. The Bible says this is the record God has given to us eternal life. Present tense possession and this life is in his Son.

[38:10] He that has the Son has life. He that has not the Son of God has not life. John says, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know, no, no, no.

[38:21] You can know it today. You can know it. Assuredly know it. Here, right now, right here, right now. You can know that you have present tense possession that you've got it and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

[38:34] You can know that you have eternal life. You don't have to live in some kind of state where I've got to persevere and then maybe it's going to say, yes, you believed enough, you worked enough, you did enough, you didn't do enough to lose it or prove that you didn't have it.

[38:48] It's not about proving whether you have it. It's simply believing in his name. You can be saved and you can know it. You can be so saved that you shall never perish.

[38:58] You can be so saved that no man's going to pluck you out of his hand. Nothing can take you from the love of Christ. You can know the truth of justification by faith. It says, therefore being justified, how?

[39:10] By faith. By faith. Justified how? By faith, not by works. Justified not by measuring up to some human standard of this or that. Justified by faith that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[39:23] So friends, I pray I've been clear enough and I trust that you understand where I'm coming from. It's not to discount that believer. You should be working. You should be serving.

[39:34] You should be faithful. You should be obedient. You should let the sinful things drop off you. You should crucify the flesh. You should nail it to the cross day by day. Die daily. And stop doing the things that you know are fleshly and unpleasing to our God.

[39:48] But your salvation is not in that. The salvation is through faith. And you're justified. justified in His presence. Declared righteous.

[39:59] And the salvation offer is very simple and easy to grasp. It's free to you. Costly to Him. He's paid it all. All the cost. And friends, you can come.

[40:10] Friends, you can come. Come freely. Come, He says. Come. If you're thirsty, He says. If you're thirsty, He says. Come. Whosoever will.

[40:20] Whosoever will. Let Him take of the water of life freely. Whosoever. Whosoever will. That's God's plan. Salvation. And to wrap it up again to repeat, there's only one plan.

[40:31] There is no other plan. There is no other way. It's not faith plus all the things that you've got to do. All the things you've got to measure up to. Or even to prove that you've got the faith. Or prove that you've got salvation.

[40:43] It's by grace. You are. Are saved. Through faith. Not of yourselves. It is the gift. The gift of God. Not of works. Lest any man should boast. I urge your friends today. Lay hold of Christ today.

[40:55] Lay hold of Christ today. Let go of religion. Let go of burdensome. Burdens of men. Of trappings. Of religion. Of law. Of law keeping. Of legalistic measuring up by man's standards.

[41:08] And lay hold of Christ today by faith. Trust Him. Only Christ. And His so great salvation. So great salvation. His so great salvation can be yours today.

[41:20] It's His gift. Simply receive it. And you that have it. Cherish it. Don't take it lightly. Cherish it. Live it. And once you have it.

[41:31] The gospel. The message of salvation. Once you have the gospel. What are you meant to do with it? Preach the gospel. To every creature. You're His voice. You're His messenger.

[41:41] You're the one that He wants to tell others about. His saving grace. To take that message of blessed faith in Christ. The gospel of your salvation. Salvation by faith.

[41:52] Salvation by grace. Salvation in Christ. Only Christ. Christ alone. You must be His voice. You must be His messenger. To take His message to others.

[42:05] Let us pray. Lord we thank you for your word. It's clear. Salvation is clear. It's not complex. It's not onerous of our own doings.

[42:19] It's simple. It's easy. It's clear. Lord we pray. Each one might know what it is to say. Jesus my Lord. I trust you. I trust you.

[42:29] Trust in you. Alone. Trust in you and your righteousness alone. Trust in you and your finished work alone. Not my works. Not any of my doings. They don't measure up.

[42:40] They never will. Lord we pray. Each one might have that heart's trust today. To have that secure. That sure salvation. That present tense salvation. That we can say. I am saved. By the grace of God.

[42:51] I am saved. By faith in you. My Lord. My God. We pray. Each one might have that heart. Pray if there's any searching yet to trust you. Or some that might be confused about this subject.

[43:02] Such that they think they have to measure up. To some checklist. Some performance. Or some subjective measure of man. That they'll see. No.

[43:12] It's simply Christ. Simply trusting. Simply trusting you. Lord Jesus. Christ is sufficient. Christ is sufficient. For my salvation. And you are the author and finisher of my faith.

[43:26] You'll keep me till the end. You'll complete that good work. Lord we pray for some that are struggling in their faith. We all do. They've got sin to battle. We'll talk more about that tonight.

[43:37] Lord we pray that you'd help us to get the victory. That we'll know that you assuredly are our saviour for the main thing. And then you'll help us to grow. That's such that you'll be not only our salvation.

[43:48] But our sanctification. You'll help us to live holy and right. And do your will. Lord help each one. We pray if there's any yet to trust you. They'll seek out prayer. To settle it once and for all.

[44:00]  That Christ is sufficient. For their salvation. And we thank you Lord in Jesus precious name. Amen.