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Great Expectations
Great Expectations
January 19, 2014
Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations is on my Kindle. I must confess that I have read...and stopped reading the story several times through the years. It is a strange book....
Two Things to Do With the Gift
byScott Pauley
(Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace is the gift of God. It is a gift to be received and to be shared! Rejoice today in God’s grace to you and pass the truth on to someone else. (0958250306) —-more—-
Salvation by Grace
We’re discussing day by day what the Bible says about great truths, a great Bible doctrine, and I know that normally today we would move on to. Yet another doctrinal section, but I can’t, I’m sorry. Forgive me. The last time we met, we talked about so great salvation. Lemme just tell you, it’s so great that there’s more to talk about.
In fact, we’re not even scratching the surface. We really aren’t on any of these doctrinal sections, but I feel like I can’t move on yet. You see what the Bible says about salvation is so rich and so full that we must press it just a little more. We’ve talked about the greatness of this salvation. Let’s consider today the grace of this salvation.
Ephesians chapter two and verse number eight and nine says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” God’s perfect salvation is all of grace. You don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. You don’t get to the place where you’re worthy of it.
Instead, it is just the free gift of eternal life. That’s what grace is. Let me read another scripture to you from two Timothy chapter one. The Apostle Paul, who is a great sinner, but he met a great savior, testified and said in second Timothy chapter one, verse nine, “Who have saved us and called us with an holy calling. Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace.” There’s that word again, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ, who have abolished death and have brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
In other words, it’s all of grace. Every good thing in my life is because of God, not because of me, and everything connected to salvation is the gift of grace in my life. In the same chapter in two Timothy chapter one. He goes on to say this in verse number twelve, “for the which calls, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I’m not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and then persuaded that he is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto him against that day.”
Past, Present, and Future of Salvation
Did you know that there’s a past, present and future tense to your salvation? There’s a past transaction. It’s done, it’s already paid for. It’s been already settled and dealt with on the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ paid for your sin in full. I. When Jesus went to the cross, all of your sins were future. You weren’t alive when Christ died. When He died on that cross, he paid for all of mankind, sin for all time, past, present, and future that settled. And the moment you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and receive him as your personal savior, all of your sins are dealt with at that moment.
In a moment of time, Isaiah chapter one, verse number 18. Jesus said come now. Let us reason together though your sins be a scarlet. They should be white as snow, though. There’ll be a red light, crimson. They should be as wool. In other words, salvation is instantaneous. My sin was nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ.
He paid for my sin, debt in full, all of it. And the moment I come and acknowledge that and accept the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, I’m delivered from the penalty of my sin and the guilt of my sin, P.P. Bliss, one of my favorite hymn writers, he died as a very young man in his thirties, but he wrote these words, “My sin, all the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole. It is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Even so it is well with my soul.” I wonder, can you say it’s well with your soul today? That’s done. That’s cared for in my life. I trust it’s cared for in your life. If not, it needs to be at this moment. Today’s the day of salvation.
Now is the accepted time. Would you receive the free gift of eternal life through God’s wonderful grace? That’s what salvation is all about.
The Assurance of Eternal Life
But then not only is there a past transaction. There’s a present possession. Salvation is not an event that happened to me years ago. Salvation is my present possession.
I’m not even waiting till I die to get eternal life. I receive eternal life the moment I receive Jesus Christ. Salvation is a present tense thing because God, the God of salvation is a present tense. God, remember his name is I am. If you’re a believer, he’s with you right now and you are his child right now.
You don’t get any more of God. You got it all the moment you got saved. First John chapter three, verse number two says, beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know when he shall appear. We shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is now. We’re coming to the future in just a moment.
There are coming some changes, but friend, you’re never gonna get any more of Jesus than you have at this moment. You have him right now. One John five says, verse 13, these things have I written to you? That you may know that you have eternal life. You can have a no so salvation. You can be assured for heaven as if you were already there, because salvation is not about a place, it’s about a person.
It’s not simply about you going to heaven. Rather, it’s about you having him in your heart. That’s what salvation is all about. John, chapter five in verse number twenty-four, describes it this way, when you’re saved, you pass from death unto life, so you have. Changed kingdoms. You’ve changed worlds. You’ve come into a new relationship with Jesus Christ, and salvation is your present possession.
The Free Gift of Salvation
The grace of salvation is not only a past transaction and a present possession, it’s a future hope. I do have hope for the future. First John chapter three talks about this hope. Lemme clear this up. When we usually use the word hope, we think of something that we are crossing our fingers and wishing for.
Maybe it’ll happen and maybe it won’t, but the Bible word hope is a word of calm assurance. It’s confidence in an absolute promise, an absolute truth. I’m not hoping that Christ is coming in the way that we use the word hope today. No. My hope is in the fact that he is coming. There’s no doubt in this only confidence and assurance.
One John three in verse number one says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father half bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God.” Do you hear the past tense half? Therefore the world knoweth us, not because it knew him, not beloved. Now are we the sons of God? Do you see the present possession?
And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. This is my future. Hope Jesus Christ is coming and I’m going to be with him for all of eternity. It’s wonderful to know that the grace of salvation is the free gift of salvation to me.
It is the free gift of eternal life. When someone offers you a gift, what do you do? Do you work for it? If I say, you gotta get out of your car, that’s where you are right now, and run around the car ten times to get it, I’ve just made it work. If I say to you, you’ve gotta leave your house, if that’s where you are right now and you’ve gotta go across town and do something, no matter how insignificant it is, I’ve just made it a work.
But the Lord Jesus added nothing to it. He simply said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. We repent of our sin. Repentance is not mere emotion. It’s not reformation. It’s not some work. What is repentance? It is looking away from yourself and your sin to God and God alone, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
And believing on the Lord Jesus and Christ alone for your soul, salvation. And the moment that you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he comes to live in you, and he brings within this wonderful salvation. Oh, it is so great. It is so gracious, and it is the free gift of eternal life.
What to do With the Gift of Salvation
I’d like to ask you to do one of two things today. Number one, if you’ve never received the gift, receive him now. Receive Jesus. Now by faith as your savior. Tell him right now I’ll receive that free gift. And if you have received the gift, would you share it with somebody else? Would you pass it along? Would you offer the free gift of God’s grace and eternal life to someone else today?
Take what we’ve just discussed, even one verse of it, and pass it along to someone else. Tell someone else what the Bible says about salvation. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough.
Outro and Resources
We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our Library of Bible teaching resources, including book by book studies of Scripture. You’ll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you’ll join us next time on enjoying the Journey.
