Which turned back to second Timothy
chapter one. If the Lord helps me. I would like to give the most simple
message that I can. Regarding salvation. I've entitled this message. Saved. saved. The text is the first
phrase of verse nine. God, who has saved us. Doesn't say that he made salvation
possible. It doesn't say that he made salvation
available. It says he saved us. Saved. If I say I will finish the job,
that's my intention. I'll finish the job. Lynn can
testify that quite often that doesn't come to pass. I've intended
to. I really have. But something
has prevented me, either lack of ability or whatever, you know,
it hadn't happened. But if I say, I have finished
the job, means something altogether different, doesn't it? The suffix
ed, ed, finished, as opposed to I will finish. If I finish the job, that means
it is done. If I am saved, that means I am
saved. My salvation is historical. It's already taken place and
history can't be changed. Saved. What does it mean to be saved? He hath saved us. What does it mean to be saved? Religious people use that language
all the time. I've heard people, I don't know
how many times, say, I got saved. I got saved, or I've been saved. That language is not scriptural.
You know, when you, I got a cold. I caught a cold. That's not the
way to use that language. Saved. Saved. What does the Bible
mean by saved? Most people believe that it means
when you die, you'll avoid hell and you'll go to heaven. It does mean that. I'm thankful. But it means a whole lot more
than that. Turn with me for a moment to
Matthew chapter 1, verse 21. And she, Mary, shall bring forth
a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. Joshua, Savior, for he shall
save his people from their sins. Now, notice, it doesn't say that
he shall make salvation available. He doesn't say he will make forgiveness
something you might have if you only receive it. It says he shall
save. Not he shall make salvation possible,
but he shall save. Who is it he shall save? It says
he shall save his people. Not everybody. Not every son
of Adam, but his people. In John, chapter 17, verse nine,
he said, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which you've given me, for they are thine. And what is it that he will do
for them? He shall save his people from
their sins. Sins. Sins of thought. Willful sin. Sins of action. Sin against light. Sin against
love, sins, the transgression of God's holy law, evil, perversity,
the grotesqueness of sin. None of us have much idea of
what it really means. But oh, the evil of sin. He shall save his people from
their sins. That's what I mean, save from.
Yes, I want to be saved from hell. I don't want to go to hell.
I want to be saved from the consequences of my sins, all the problems
that I bring about to myself. I want to be saved from my sins.
I want to be saved, first of all, from the penalty of sin.
I don't want to be held accountable for my sin. I don't want to be
condemned for my sin. I want to be saved from that.
That's what justification is. That means You're just before
God, that means you have no guilt before God when you're justified.
You've been saved from the penalty of sin. There's therefore now
no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. I want to
be saved from the penalty of my sin. We have this promise.
He shall save his people from their sins. But not only do I
need to be saved from the penalty of my sin, I need to be saved
from the power of my sin. where sin does not reign and
rule me. Now, what does that mean to be
saved from the power of your sin? I can tell you exactly what
it means. There was a time when I could
not believe. I couldn't. I didn't even know
what it meant. I tried. I can now. Because I've been
saved from the power of sin. There was a time when I couldn't
love God. I couldn't. As a matter of fact,
I couldn't. That's what scared me to death when I saw that I
couldn't. But I do now. I've been saved from the power
of sin. There was a time when I could
not repent. I couldn't change my mind. I didn't
even know what it meant. I do now. I've been saved from the
power of sin. That doesn't mean I don't sin
anymore. I've got power over that sin.
It doesn't mean that at all. But it does mean I can now do what
I could not do because sin doesn't have dominion over me. It doesn't
have dominion over any believer. Sin shall not have dominion over
you for you're not under law. Here's why. But under grace. And I need to be saved from the
presence of sin, where I do not sin anymore. Now, salvation from
sin in the past, I was saved from sin before I had any personal
experience. I wasn't even born when Christ
saved me. Salvation from the condemnation
of sin in the past, salvation from the power of sin in the
present, I'm believing right now. Salvation from the very
presence of sin in the future. You know, Paul did say now is
our salvation nearer than when we believed. I tell you, when
I'll be saved is when I don't sin anymore, when I don't even
have any consciousness of sin. And that's salvation, isn't it?
To actually not even have any consciousness of sin, to be just
like Christ. That is salvation. Now, Paul
tells us, He saved us. He saved us. Not He made salvation possible,
but He saved us. Now, who is He? He is God the Father. He is God
the Son. And He is God the Spirit. He saved us. God the Father saved us in eternal
election. Paul said we're bound to thank
God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. You were chosen from the
very beginning. Before time began to be saved
and beloved, when Christ agreed to be our surety, we were saved. Our salvation became historical
even at that time. He saved us, God the Son saved
us. When we were yet without strength
in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. He saved us. If, as Paul said, when we were
enemies. We were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son. When were we reconciled? When
we were enemies. When He died, He saved us. If when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled
will be saved by His life. He, God the Holy Spirit, Saved
us not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according
to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and
the renewal of the Holy Ghost. He saved us. There was an old preacher, I
don't remember what his name was, but he was in his garden.
Weeding his garden and a neighbor woman came up to him. True story
and said to this man, I like said, I don't remember what his
name was, but says I'm having a hard time understanding election. I see it in the Bible, but I'm
having a hard time understanding it. Can you give me any help?
And he looked at her and he said. Are you saved? And she said, I believe I am. And he said. Did you save yourself or did
God save you? She said, God saved me. He then said, did he do it all
or did you help out? She said, oh, he did it all. He said, well, was it an accident
or did he do it on purpose? And she said, I see. He. Saved. Us. And it wasn't by accident. It was on purpose. Now, who is the us that he saved? Obviously, all who are saved.
But the us is clearly identified in our text. Look in Second Timothy,
Chapter one. And you can know whether you're
one of the us that he saved. And if he saved you, that means
you're saved right now. Right now. Now, in Second Timothy,
chapter one, verse nine. He saved us and called us. With an holy calling. Now, have you been called? If
he saved you, that means he's called you. Has God called you? Now, there's a way you can know.
Hold your finger there and turn to second or first Corinthians. Chapter one. And you can know whether or not
he has called you. Paul says in verse twenty three,
but we preach Christ crucified. Unto the Jews, the religious,
that's a stumbling block. They stumble at the message of
free grace. Unto the Greeks, why, this is foolishness. You
expect me to believe something like that? It's foolishness.
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ,
the power of God and the wisdom of God. Now, here's a question
I want to ask you. Do you see Christ as the very power of God
unto salvation, that he is God's power to salvation? Do you see
him as the wisdom of God, how God could save you by his wisdom
in a way that he's just and yet justifies the ungodly? Do you
see Christ himself as the mighty power of God? Do you see Christ
as the wisdom of God? I do. He's called me. That's how you can know if he's
called you. He saved us and he called us with a holy calling. Now, look what he says next.
See if your testimony is the same. Not according to our works. Now, is this your salvation?
Does it have absolutely nothing to do with your works? It's what
Christ did, not what you do. Now, is that your testimony?
Not according to our works. Look what he says next. But according
to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. Now, here's my testimony. I really
believe this. Everything God has given me he
gave me before time began. He didn't wait till after I was
born because if that was the case, he wouldn't give it to
me. I love what one lady said about election. She said, I know
he had to love me before I was born because if he had to wait
till after I was born, he couldn't love me. I understand that. I
understand that. In my experience, everything
I have was given me in Christ Jesus before the world began,
according to His own purpose. Doesn't God give everybody a
chance? Salvation is not by chance. Salvation is by the purpose of
God. According to His own purpose
and grace, all that I have, adoption, justification, whatever it is,
redemption, was given me in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Now, He saved us and He called us. What came first, the saving
or the calling? You think about that. What came
first? The saving or the calling? He
saved us. And he called us. With a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. Verse 10. But all this stuff
that happened before the world began is now made manifest by
the appearing of our Savior. Jesus Christ. God's anointed prophet, God's
anointed priest, God's anointed king, and I need him to be my
prophet. I need him to bring the word of God to me. I need
him to be my priest. to represent me before God. I
desperately need him as my priest. I need him as my king to rule
and reign in me. We need him in his offices, don't
we? And look what he did. He abolished
death. He put death to death by removing
the reason for death. He removed the sin And he abolished
death. There's no death for the believer.
We live in Christ Jesus. Because I live, he said, you
shall live also. He abolished death. He put it
away. And he has brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. Life and immortality comes to
light to where we can see through the gospel. Remember when the
Lord said, I am the light of the world? Now, what did he say
previously? He said to that woman who was
caught in adultery in the very act, he said to that woman, where
are your accusers? Had no man condemned thee? She
said, no man, Lord. He said, neither do I. Go and
sin no more. Now, the only way that Christ
can say to that woman who was caught red handed, I don't condemn
you, is through the light of the gospel. Her sin had been
put away. That's the only way it can be
done, through the light of the gospel. He had brought life and
immortality to life through the gospel. Verse 11, whereunto I
am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the
Gentiles, for the which cause I also suffer these things. You
see, men don't love the gospel. And the reason they don't love
the gospel is because the gospel says what they're hoping in is
no good. If you're hoping in your works,
this is bad news. That's why men don't love the
gospel. He says, I'm I suffer these things because of this.
Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed
and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've
committed to him against that day. Now, what have I committed
to him? The entire salvation of my soul. Hands off. Hands off. I've committed everything
to Him, and I'm persuaded He's able to keep that which I've
committed to Him against that day. Now, if you're saved, you
will commit the salvation of your soul to Him. Now, He saved us. Now, I've got
another question. When did He save us? When He
saved us? Well, I've already brought this
out. What came first, the saving or the calling? What came first, the saving or
the calling? The saving came first. You see,
salvation begins with salvation. It doesn't end in salvation through
some kind of process. It begins with salvation. Salvation from the foundation
of the world. When Christ agreed to be my surety,
was I saved? Of course I was. When I was in
the land slain from the foundation of the world, was I saved? Of
course I was. I was saved before I had any
existence. Every believer was given all
that they have before time began. He saved us. He called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before everything I have was given to me, before the world
began. When did he save us? When Christ said, it is finished. You know what? It was finished. You know, every
time I think about that, I can get so tense. And when I hear
him say, it is finished, my body relaxes. It's finished. Nothing
for me to do. I was saved when he said, it
is finished. When were we saved? When we believed. Turn to Ephesians 1. You say,
now, how are you saying that you were saved before time began?
And then you turn around and you say you were saved when Christ
said it is finished. And then you turn around and
say you're saved when you believe. Well, I don't know that it's
all true. They're all true. I don't know how to get it all
together like that. I'm not even concerned about it. I love believing
something because God's word says it rather than because I
don't understand it. I don't need to understand it. If I can
understand it, there wouldn't be much to it, would there? Listen
to this in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, In whom you also
trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation, in whom also, after that you believed, you
were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. You were saved when
you believe and you don't have the right to even suspect that
God will do anything for you, but send you to hell until you
believe on the name of his son. Now, I understand that you saved
when you believe. When were you saved? Well, I've
not been saved yet. I'll be saved when I'm perfectly
conformed to the image of his son. Now is our salvation nearer
than when we believed. How did he save us? It says he
saved us. Past tense. He saved us. How did he save us? What a glorious truth that he
did save us. How did he save us? And once again, we want to
answer this question from the scriptures. Ephesians 2.8 says,
For by grace are you saved. And there the word is by grace,
you are saved in a perfectly completed way with no need for
repetition. You're plum saved, you're all
together saved. You can't be anything but saved,
but by grace. As a matter of fact, let's look
at this passage scripture Ephesians 2.8. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, that faith, it's the gift of
God, not of works, lest any man should boast. If you believe
in grace, I guarantee you don't believe your faith came to you
from your free will. You just don't believe anything that foolish.
You know it's the gift of God's grace. What do you mean by grace?
Well, look in verse four of the same chapter. But God, who is
rich in mercy, For His great love, wherewith He loved us,
even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us, together with
Christ. When Christ was raised from the
dead, I was too." And look at this parenthetical statement.
Paul says, here's what I mean by all this. By grace, you are
saved. By grace. Salvation is by grace. Turn to
Acts 15. Verse one. And certain men, which
came down from Judea, taught the brethren and said, except
you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be
saved. Does that sound like grace to
you? Except you be circumcised. Now, we believe grace, but you
also need to be circumcised. There's an also. Verse two, and
therefore, Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation
with them. Paul didn't say, well, you brothers
believe your way and we'll believe our way and we'll end up in the
same place. He didn't say anything like that, did he? There was
some disputing going on, some hot disputing. And certain others
of them should go up to Jerusalem and to the apostles and elders
about this question. They went up to the apostles.
Now look in verse six. And the apostles and elders came
together to consider this matter, and when they had been much disputing,
Peter rose up and said unto them, Men and brethren, you know how
that a good while ago God made choice among us that the Gentiles,
by my mouth, should hear the word of the gospel and believe,
speaking of what happened in Acts chapter 10, and God which
knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy
Ghost, even as he did unto us, and put no difference between
us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore,
why tempt ye God? to put a yoke upon the neck of
the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able
to bear. But we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we Jews will be saved just like
the Gentiles are saved. How's a Gentile saved? By grace. Not because of their connection
with Abraham, not because of their law keeping, Gentile, a
Gentile dog, the only way he can save us is by free grace.
And Peter says, us Jews will be saved like the Gentiles. He
didn't say the Gentiles will be saved the same way we are.
We believe that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we
shall be saved, even as they were saved by the work of Christ
for us. Turn to Romans 5, verse 6. For when we were yet without
strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely
for a righteous man will one die, yet per adventure for a
good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His
love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us, much more than, being now justified by His blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. When was I saved? How was I saved? By the work of Christ for me. Now, twice in the book of Luke,
the Lord looked at some people and said, Thy faith hath saved
thee. Thy faith hath saved thee. The faith that you possess, the
faith that's been given to you, it saved you. Now, somebody thinks,
well, is it our faith that saves us? Shouldn't we say Christ saves
us? Yeah, we ought to say that, but
we also ought to say thy faith saves thee. The way the Lord
says something, that's the way it ought to be said, isn't it?
If the Lord said it that way, it's a good way to say it. Thy
faith hath saved thee. In Acts chapter 16, verse 30,
that Philippian jailer said, Sir, speaking to Paul in silence,
what must I do to be saved? And Paul didn't answer, there's
nothing you can do to be saved, did he? He said, believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved if you rely If you believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ as all that's needed to make you acceptable
and perfect before God, you shall be saved. Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Look in Romans chapter
10, we're saved by confessing. Verse 9. That if thou shalt confess,
With thy mouth, the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart,
that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. Now, if you believe in your heart,
you will confess with your mouth. You will. And if you refuse to
confess with your mouth, then you don't really believe in your
heart. What is in your heart is going to come out in your
mouth, isn't it? It surely will. With the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, in your heart of hearts you believe Christ
is your righteousness before God. And that's what you confess.
You confess that he is your righteousness before God. Salvation comes in
confessing. Romans 10, 13, while you're there,
look what it says here in verse 13, for whosoever. Whosoever,
I love the word whosoever. Because I'm one of them. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now, I don't care who you are,
if you call on the name of the Lord. Now, what's it mean? It
doesn't just mean audibly calling his name. The name of the Lord
is who he is. His name is his holiness. His
name is his sovereignty. His name is his power. All of
His attributes are represented by His name. When I call upon
His name, I say, Lord, save me as an act of Your will. Will
my salvation. Save me by Your justice through
the work of Christ on the cross. Save me by Your mercy. Save me
by Your wisdom. Save me by Your grace. Whosoever
shall call, Lord, I'm calling. Save me, You said in Your Word.
If we call, You'll save. I'm calling. Save me. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord should be saved. Now, listen to me. If you walk
out of this room not saved, it's because you refuse to call. We're
given this blessing and this mercy. If you call. You'll be
saved. I don't care who you are. If
you call, you will be saved. And Romans 8 24 says we're saved
by hope. We're saved by hope. What's my
hope? My hope is that all that God
requires of me, I have in Christ. That's my hope. My hope is that
when he said it is finished, my salvation was finished. My
hope is that he put away my sin by his blood. My hope is that
his righteousness is my righteousness before God. I'm saved by that
hope. No salvation apart from hope,
is there? Oh, but the blessed hope we have in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We're saved through enduring.
Look in Colossians chapter one. You know, the Lord said he that
endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And look what
Colossians 1.22 says. It says in the body of his flesh
through death. To present you, having presented you, holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Now that saved,
didn't it? To be holy and unblameable and unapprovable in His sight,
that's saved. But look what verse 23 says.
If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be
not moved away from the hope of the gospel. We're saved and
not being moved from that one hope. And you know, the Lord
said this in John chapter 10, verse nine. He said, I'm the
door. I'm the door. What's the door for? Let you
into someplace. I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall
be saved. I enter in by the door. Are you saved? Are you saved? I'm asking everybody
in this room this question. Men, women, boys and girls. Are
you saved? Not is salvation available to
you. But are you actually saved in
the Bible sense of the word? Now, you can leave here this
morning knowing whether or not you are saved. Now, isn't that something you
want to know? You want to know whether or not you personally
are saved. Well, turn with me to one last
scripture. Turn to first Timothy chapter one. Verse 15. Now this is a faithful
saying. You can count on this. And it
is worthy of all acceptation. That means everybody in this
room ought to receive this as the best news that they've ever
heard. And here it is, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Now, here's the one question
I want to ask you. I wonder if I have anybody in
this room and I'm asking myself this and I'm asking you this.
I wonder if there's anybody in this room who is a real sinner. I'm not asking you if you're
a believing sinner. That'd be good if you are, but
that's not what I'm asking you. I'm not asking you if you're
a repentant sinner. I'm not asking you if you're
a saved sinner. I'm asking you, are you a sinner? All you do, even when you breathe,
is sin. And it's sin because you do it. Are you a sinner? Now, if you are, you have no
right to believe that Christ didn't come to save you because
it says he came to save sinners. If you're a sinner, he came to
save you. And you know what? He did save
you. Not. He came simply to make salvation
available. If he came to save you, you know
what? Now, sinner, are you one of these? If he came to save
you, you know what? You're saved. You are saved. Every sinner, he came to save. And you know what you'll do?
You'll believe. Believe. Believe on the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe that His name is all
that's needed to make you perfectly holy in God's sight. Believe
on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou, even you, shalt
be saved. You are saved. You know, when
you're saved, you know what happens? You find out He saved you. That's
what happens. You find out that He saved you. Let's pray.