Now, my text this morning is
taken from the book of Isaiah, chapter 12, verse 2 and 3. The scripture says, Behold, God
is my salvation. I will trust him and not be afraid,
for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song, and he also is become
my salvation. Therefore, with joy, shall we
draw water out of the wells of salvation. Here's my text this
morning, Isaiah 12, and my subject is, When is a person truly saved? I have two questions to answer
this morning, two questions. The first question is this, what
is salvation? What is true, real Bible salvation? That is according to the Word
of God. And the second question is this. When is a person truly
saved? When is a person truly saved?
That is according to God's Word. Now here's the first question.
What is salvation? Well, salvation is to be born
again. Our Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born
of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not, don't be amazed,
that I said to you, you must be born again. You see, the new
birth is the gift of God. The new birth is a work of God.
Eternal life is the gift of God. It's not of works. lest any man
should boast. The new birth is not only a gift
of God, but the new birth is by the word of God. We are born
again by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. And
the new birth is the work of God himself. The scripture says,
except you be born again, born of the Spirit, born of God. You cannot see the kingdom of
God. Everyone that doeth righteousness
is born of God. He that believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Everyone that loveth is born
of God. So you see, salvation is a new
birth, and you must be born again. And then salvation is to know
God. Our Lord said in his great priestly
prayer to the Father, Father, thou hast given me power over
all flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given me. And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee. Salvation is to know God. that
they may know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. Eternal life is to be born again,
is to be made a new creature in Christ, and is to know God. Listen to John in 1 John 5. We know that the Son of God hath
come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is
true. that we might know God, that
we are in Him that is true. Paul gave that great definition
of faith in 1 Timothy 1. I am not ashamed. I know whom
I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I have committed unto him against that day. What is salvation? It is a new birth by the Spirit
of God. by the work of God, by the word
of God, and salvation is to know the true and living God. And
then, my friends, what is salvation? It's to be a new person. It's
to be a new creature. It's to have a new lifestyle
and a new walk. Paul said in 2 Corinthians, therefore,
if any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature. He is a
new person. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. The scripture says in Galatians
2, we are crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, we live, but Christ
lives in us. And the life which we now live
in the flesh, new creature, new person, we live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. We are God's workmanship, created
anew in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them. Yes, sir, what is salvation? It's to be born of God. It's
a new birth. What is salvation? It's to know
God. It's to know the true and living
God. And to walk with Him as Enoch
of old. And salvation is not the old
man reformed. Salvation is a new man. A new
creature in Christ Jesus. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new person. He's a new creature. Now, here's
my second question. That being true, that salvation
is to be born of God, salvation is to know God, and salvation
is to have a new man created within. Then here's the question,
the second question. When is a person truly saved? When is a person truly saved
according to the word of God? Well, I can tell you. A person
is truly saved when it pleases God to save him. when it pleases
God to save him by his grace. You know what Paul the Apostle
said? When it pleased God who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by his grace, it pleased God to reveal his
Son in me. A person will be truly saved
when it pleases God to reveal Christ to that person, when it
pleases God to save him. You know what David wrote in
Psalm 115? Our God is in the heavens. Our
God hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Again, David wrote this. I know that the Lord God is great. And whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that's what he does in heaven, in earth, and in the seas. A
person will be saved when it pleases God to save him. When it pleases God to reveal
God's Son, Jesus Christ, in a person's heart. That's when a person will
be saved. Now watch this thing. A person
will be saved when to some degree He sees the glory of God in the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ. A person will be saved when he
is enabled to see the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul wrote in 2
Corinthians 4. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
to us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of the Lord Jesus Christ. A man will be saved when he is
enabled of the Spirit of God to see the glory of God in the
face of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah saw it. He said, when
King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. I lifted up. His glory filled
the temple. And I cried, woe is me, I'm cut
off, I'm a man of unclean lips. Mine eyes have seen the Lord
Jesus, and when I saw His glory, I wrote of Him. When is a man
saved? When he's pleased, when God is
pleased to reveal Christ Jesus in him. And a man is saved when
he is enabled to see the glory of God in the person, in the
face of Jesus Christ. God appointed Jesus Christ to
be the Lamb slain before the world began. God prepared him
a body, born of a virgin, and sent him into the world to save
sinners. God made him to be sin for us. who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. And God bruised him,
and smote him, and God left him to die on a cross for his people. And then God raised him from
the dead, and God exalted him. He exalted the Lord Jesus Christ
to his right hand, and gave him a name, which is above every
name. that the name of Jesus every
knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord to the glory of God. When is a man truly saved? When
the Lord reveals Christ to his heart and when he's able to see
the glory of God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Alright,
when is a person saved? Here's the third thing. When
it pleases the Lord to reveal His Son, a person is truly saved
when he is enabled to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. But a person will be eternally
saved when by faith, when by faith, that person submits to
the authority, to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. My friends,
the Bible knows nothing of a doormat named Jesus. God hath made that
same Jesus whom you crucified to be Lord and Christ. And this is the record that God
has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son, in Jesus
Christ. And he that hath the Son hath
eternal life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. And whosoever shall confess that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God dwells in that man, and that
man dwells in God. Oh, the beloved John the disciple,
on the Isle of Patmos, he wrote these words, And I beheld, and
lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations,
kindreds, and people, stood before the throne of God, and before
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. And they cried, they cried with
a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth on
the throne, and to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. And they sung a new song, saying,
Lord, thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals
thereof, because thou hast, because thou wast slain, and thou hast
redeemed us to God out of every nation, every tongue, every kindred,
and thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we
shall reign forever on this earth. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches and glory and strength and honor
and blessings. And there all the people in glory
shouted, Amen, Amen, so be it. Yes, sir? Salvation is the work
of God and salvation is to behold the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ and to submit and to surrender and to give
up all claims to our own selves and to to rest in Christ to the
glory of God Almighty. Join us next Sunday at this same
time for this program. Until then, God bless you, everyone.