Repentance and Salvation

Repentance: Your need to realize the need for a savior…..you cannot earn God's favor or a place in God's Kingdom. You can't earn forgiveness either.

Eph 2:8-10

For you have been saved by grace through trusting (in God), and even this is not your accomplishment but God's gift. You were not delivered by your own actions; therefore no one should boast. (thinking he brought about his own salvation)

You need to be willing to submit to Jesus…….be willing to let Him help you to get rid of any other gods in your life……to be willing to get rid of anything He wants in your life, even stuff you want to hold onto.

The Bible says we are all sinners. (Romans 3:23) Sin is loving ourselves and what we want instead of loving God and wanting to please Him. God's holiness demands that blood be shed to pay for sin. Jesus offered Himself to make the payment and set us free from sin. But we have to decide to let Him do this for us. God will not accept any other payment. Not money, not the good stuff you do. Nothing. Just the Blood of Jesus. There is no other way to make things right with God.

When we are willing, the Holy Spirit is able to work in and through us.

When we make a decision to follow Jesus, we are regenerated, redeemed, adopted, and justified. What does all this mean?

We are no longer our old yucky selves!

*** 2 Corin 5:17-19

Therefore, if anyone is united with Jesus, he is a new creation; ---the old is gone; Look! What has come is fresh and new! And it is all from God, who through Jesus has reconciled us to himself……. not counting our sins against us.

It also means that when God looks at you, he doesn't see you the sinner anymore. He sees you covered with the Blood of Jesus. He sees you as sin-free. (Eph. 1:7,8 and Col. 1:13)

The Bible says that when you decide to follow Jesus you become a priest, sons of God, and heirs with Christ. Jesus is your big brother and you, along with Him, are a child of God. Great news, huh?

And if you sin again, all you need do is confess it and ask forgiveness, and God will again see you covered with the Blood of Jesus, sin-free. This doesn't mean that we can just go out and sin, sin, sin……but it does mean that if we do, the Blood of Jesus will wash it away.

Have an altar call about now…….



Object Lesson: Jar of Sin