What if the Lord were to come right now. Would you know—without a doubt—that eternal salvation would be yours?
POCKETSERMONS.org
By Rick Cutter (contact)
Everyone should know this: God wants all people to be saved!
1 Timothy 2.4-6 NKJV
[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus [see John 14.6], Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…
We must believe in Jesus if we expect to receive Eternal Life.
John 3.16 NKJV
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him SHOULD* not perish but have everlasting life.
(*Important Note: Greek subjunctive mood indicates what is probable, but not certain. In other words, if a person “should not perish”—that does not mean that he “will not perish.” It implies that believing in Jesus alone is not enough for eternal life. So, what else is required?)
Jesus in the only way to salvation!
John 14.6 NKJV
(Jesus said): “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
IMPORTANT: We must not only believe in Jesus Christ—but also obey Him!
Hebrews 5.9 NKJV
And having been perfected, He [Jesus] became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him…
If you love Jesus, you will obey His Word.
John 14:15 NKJV
(Jesus said): If you love Me, you will obey what I command.
We must not just be fans, but followers as well!
Jesus also said:
”…Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6.46)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7.21)
So if we want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, then we must obey the will (the commandments / teachings) of our King.
Jesus’ teachings will judge us in the last day!
John 12.46-48 NKJV
I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me SHOULD [once again, probable but not certain] not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him–the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day [Matthew 24:35–“My words will never pass away”].
The Words of Christ and those of His inspired apostles and prophets found in the New Testament will in fact be the standard by which all will be judged.
“Obeying God” (Hebrews 5.9) means getting rid of something from our lives…
Isaiah 59.1-2 NKJV
Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden [His] face from you, So that He will not hear.
If we don’t obey Christ, we will die in our sins!
John 8.24 NKJV
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am [He], you will die in your sins.
We MUST get rid of our sins! If you die without doing so, you will stand before God in an unrepentant state.
All men, everywhere, are required to repent.
Acts 17.30-31 NKJV
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent…
Acts 3.19 NKJV
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…
We cannot be ashamed of our Lord!
Matthew 10.32-33 NKJV
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Let’s stop for a moment and ask: What is the “gospel?”
It means “good news.” Everyone likes to hear good news. But what is the “good news?” It is this:
1 Corinthians 15.1-4 NKJV
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…
The good news of the gospel is this:
Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. This means we can get rid of our sins. And the gospel is too vital to ignore…
2 Thessalonians 1.6-10 NKJV
..when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
But how do we “obey” the gospel?
Romans 6.3-6 NKJV
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be [in the likeness] of [His] resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [Him], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Here’s what the apostles were commanded to do with the gospel…
Matthew 28.18-20 NKJV
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age. Amen.
Being saved involves not only believing in Christ, but also being baptized.
Mark 16.15-16 NKJV
And He (Jesus) said to them (His disciples), “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
As you can see, we obey the gospel when we are BAPTIZED in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. We are saved by putting to death our sins through His life-saving blood—being figuratively buried with Him in baptism, and then RISING TO WALK A NEW LIFE.
When we are baptized, we are saved from God’s WRATH
Romans 5.9 NKJV
Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Hebrews 10.31 NKJV
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
That’s why in every Biblically described baptism, they were baptized immediately. For example, in Acts–which is the history book of the first century church–we can read of the following:
(Acts 2.38) [Peter said to them]: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins…”
3,000 were IMMEDIATELY baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
(Acts 8.12) The Samaritans believed and were IMMEDIATELY baptized, both men and women.
(Acts 8.13) And when Simon believed, he was also IMMEDIATELY baptized.
(Acts 8.27-40) The Ethiopian eunuch, the first known African convert, is also IMMEDIATELY baptized.
(Acts 9:19; 22:16) Saul, renamed and later to become the Apostle Paul, was IMMEDIATELY baptized, washing away his sins.
(Acts 10:48) The first known European Christians, who were Cornelius and his household–were commanded to be baptized, and IMMEDIATELY did so.
(Acts 16.15,33) Both Lydia and the Philippian jailer’s households are IMMEDIATELY baptized.
(Acts 18.8) And finally, Crispus’ household—and many Corinthians—believe and are baptized.
And last of all…
Acts 22:16 NKJV
[Ananias, who was sent to baptize Paul, told him the following]…
And now why are you waiting? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Please notice that when we “call upon the name of the Lord,” we are looking to Christ for guidance in our lives, from the beginning to the end.
However–there are real consequences to ignoring God’s plan for our salvation…
Hebrews 2.1-3 NKJV
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect* so great a salvation…
*NOTE: “Neglect”–implies knowing but not doing. For example, you may know that your house plant needs watering, but if you neglect it, it can certainly die.
What happens after we are baptized…
Once we have obeyed the gospel in baptism (immersion) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, we are added to the church of Christ by Christ Himself.
Acts 2.47 NKJV
[The newly baptized Christians, the 3000 first converts to Christ, did the following]: …[they were] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
No one but the LORD can add us to His Church, the company of God’s people, the Body of Christ. The Bible says:
Matthew 16.16,18 NKJV
(Simon Peter [speaking to Jesus] said:)
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
[Jesus speaking…] And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this ‘rock’ [Peter’s statement that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Ephesians 1.22-23 NKJV
And He put all [things] under His feet, and gave Him [to be] Head over all [things] to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
In being baptized, we have committed ourselves to the Lordship of the one who died that we may live, Jesus Christ.
The one who claims to know Jesus–but doesn’t keep His commandments–is a liar
1 John 2.4-6 NKJV
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
The following people will go to the “Lake of Fire”
Revelation 21.7-8 NKJV
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers (implies mind-altering drugs), idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
5 Things we must do immediately after being baptized!
When we are saved, we are born again into a new life in Christ. And it is the most vulnerable stage of your life! Satan will try to deceive you down the wrong path. Here five immediate steps everyone must take to grow in Christ so that you will be solidly established in the faith never fall:
WATCH YOUR LIFE! Be sure to live right! And also watch your doctrine closely! Make sure your life is right and take doctrinal accuracy seriously. Paul wrote to the evangelist Timothy: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers“ (1 Timothy 4:16). Always seek the things of the Kingdom of Christ first in your life! (See Matthew 6.33.) Make sure every decision always has the approval of God through Christ, by consulting with a pure heart the Word of God.
DON’T HAVE A STAGNANT FAITH—ADD TO IT! Faith alone is not enough! God expects everyone to grow without ceasing. Jesus said: “Every branch (not “most branches”) in Me (He is speaking of believers in Christ!) that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes (to remove branches in order to enhance production), that it may bear more fruit..” (John 15.2,6).
The first quality we must add to our faith is moral excellence. Peter, the chief apostle, wrote this in 2 Peter 1.5-12:
“…Giving all diligence (i.e., get busy now!), add to your faith goodness (moral excellence), to goodness knowledge, (vital to our growth!), to knowledge self-control (self restraint, especially sexual), to self-control perseverance (persistence, steadfastness, staying power), to perseverance godliness (devoted to God, devoutly religious), to godliness brotherly kindness (associate with other Christians!), and to brotherly kindness love (sincere goodwill to all). For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed (i.e., purged) from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these (seven things listed above)YOU WILL NEVER FALL (from God’s grace – Galatians 4.11; 5.4; 6.13; 1 Corinthians 15.1-2)…“
GROW IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL! Read / listen the Bible actively. I recommend getting a good Bible app and use it daily! (I prefer the Blue Letter Bible, but Bible Gateway and many other excellent sources are available.) Try to stay with literally minded translations that are translated into modern English (NKJV, ESV, CSB, NIV, etc), so that you can understand God’s will clearly, quickly, and accurately. Always compare between translations to make sure some are not out of line with the others, and that you understand God’s pure Word. Some translations have been influenced by men’s thinking and thereby have corrupted the Word. Never add to or take away from the Word of God! Keep it in its exact original state and meaning as when God delivered it to the world. The Bible says: “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to keep my laws.“ (Ezekiel 36.27; see also: 1 Corinthians 4:6; Matthew 4.4; 5.19; 28.18-20; Psa 119.1-2; Luke 16.10; Deuteronomy 4.1-2; Revelation 22:18-19). We are going to be judged by the original words of Truth, not the modified words of men! (See John 12.48; 2 Timothy 2:15; Revelation 20.11-15).
GET INVOLVED! Be zealous for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Share the love of Christ and His Word! Be an activist for good. Join with and surround yourselves with people who share your noble goals! Be sure to work only with Christians who teach and practice the Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the Truth in their churches. That’s because many false prophets have gone out into the world. We have been warned to: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4.1; see also: NOTE: A FP is a false religious entity, a fake prophet, either WITHIN or OUTSIDE of the CW. MANY EXIST!
(SEE 1 Jn 4.1; Mt 15.14; Acts 20:28-30; Rom 16.17; ). A great percentage of success/ failure in the Christian life relies heavily on who we choose to associate with. We must be “in the world but not of the world” (John 17). Many churches, both liberal and conservative alike, have left the proper path expected by our Lord. His standards are high. He does not tolerate complacency, which is common in many churches. Jesus said to the lukewarm Christians at Laodicea: “Be zealous and repent!” (Revelation 3.19)
BE A NON-CONFORMIST regarding the sinful practices of this world! Instead, be transformed in you heart to be like Christ. Romans 12.1-2 says: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. And do not be conformed (to fashion or shape one thing like another; syn: coordinate, integrate, fit in) to this world, but be transformed (to change into another form; convert, undergo metamorphosis) by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND (accomplished by internalizing the Word of God – James 1.21, Colossians 1.10-12, 1 Peter 2.2), that you may prove (i.e., “that by testing you may discern”) what is that good and acceptable and perfect (Greek: complete) will of God.”
FOR HELP WITH BEING BAPTIZED, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US! DO NOT WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE!