Lesson # 6 / Part 2 - Salvation (Fundamentals of the Faith by John MacArthur)

Conversion Begins with Conviction of Sin

So we're going to continue with lesson number six of John MacArthur's fundamentals of the faith. It's been a couple weeks we had No Sunday school on Christmas Day for those watching online we didn't cancel church for Christmas, okay.

So but we didn't have Sunday school last week. We had church. You just didn't have Sunday school and then Marcus Taught while I was away, but that didn't get recorded. So based on that. I'm just gonna pick up where I left off and that is in Section number two on conversion.

So this is lesson number six on the subject of salvation. I Already covered number one, which is God's sovereignty in salvation. So this would be on the next page number two Conversion and it starts out by saying numbers 21 5 through 9 records how the children of Israel sinned against God and So God sent deadly snakes that bit them in caused death.

The people realized their sin and asked to be delivered. God instructed Moses to put a fiery bronze serpent on a pole and When someone was bit they could look on it and be saved in a way that illustrates conversion.

However, instead of a serpent on a pole we have what? The Son of God on Across and if you remember in John chapter 3 Jesus brings this up specifically how the serpent in the wilderness Is a picture of him being lifted up From the earth and of course he's speaking of his death on the cross so we start out the letter a Conviction of sin.

So what's needed for conversion? How is somebody converted to? Faith in Jesus Christ. Here's where it starts the conviction of sin. What has God given people to reveal their Sinfulness and the verse is Romans 3 20.

What is God given? Okay, the law through the law comes the knowledge of sin. So all somebody has to do and people know this instinctively, I think. But if they look at the Ten Commandments and they're honest with themselves They go point by point by point they should come to the wreck of the realization the recognition that they have broken that we have broken the Ten Commandments and The Jews you remember at one point they thought hey, we're good.

We keep the commandments some of them even said that in the Gospels in Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount had to explain the deeper implications of the law. So even if you've never committed adultery physically what Jesus taught that well you have Committed it in your heart and that's a sin too.

So maybe you've never stolen anything I think probably everybody has at some point in their life stolen Something but even if you've never stolen something you probably wanted to you've coveted after Something that someone else had that didn't belong to you.

So the law the point is the law convicts of sin, so that's. That was what we see number one number two when the people realized the mistake they were They made in crucifying Christ, how did they feel in their hearts acts 2 36 and 37?

How did they feel? They felt pierced to the heart the verse says now when they heard this they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and The rest of the Apostles brethren. What shall we do? Now did those people actually crucify Jesus?

No, they well, they weren't the ones who drove the nails into his hands the Roman soldiers did that. The Roman governor is the one who gave the order and yet the people of Jerusalem. They felt guilty.

Why? Some of them might have been part of that crowd that cried out crucify him. But even if they weren't they felt responsible and I think this is another point. Every person should recognize that in a sense we are all responsible for the crucifixion of Christ because Jesus died for sin and We're the ones who sinned.

That's every person. So When the people became convicted of their sin, at least they responded the right way. Hey, what shall we do? And and that's that's what we're looking for. So conviction of sin through the law you recognize you're a sinner and then you say, okay now what what should I do about it?

Any questions or comments on that Larry?

For instance if we were. But it wasn't ours it was there for us to use. Wasn't ours to take home and do with as we wanted.

So. But we did it. Anyone want to add to that? Yeah, but the point being yeah. There's you there's grand theft auto and then they're stealing a pack of gum from the you know, the paperclip thing I suppose some offices they're there for for you to take for work.

But if you grab a whole bunch of like there's some line there where you know, like, okay, I shouldn't be doing this. But if you feel that conviction in your heart that you shouldn't do it and you do it for you.

It is it is sin.

Conviction as you said is also our conscience bearing witness. You know and and time is with and science is knowledge. So with knowledge you're willfully Doing wrong, right.

So That's the recognition or the conviction of sin. B talks about repentance from sin. Why did the tax collector cry out to God in the temple in Luke 18 verse 13? Because he knew that he was a sinner.

See the tax collector knew he was a sinner, but what was it the Pharisee who. That same story stood there and oh lord. I thank you. He's praying to God. Thanking God that he's so wonderful and he's not like these other men.

That's a person who doesn't really have the conviction of sin because they think they're so terrific. Okay, read 2nd Corinthians 7 9 through 10. So let's turn there. We get a volunteer to read this passage.

2nd Corinthians 7 9 through 10. Who wants to volunteer? Don't all volunteer at once. All right, Linda will read it. Thank you. 2nd Corinthians 7 9 and 10.

Now I rejoice not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner that you might suffer a loss for us in nothing. The godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.

Not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death. Okay, so there's the.

Worldly sorrow versus a godly sorrow. What does godly sorrow over sin produce in verse 10 you saw it produces repentance and it says here in the book repentance means turning away from sin and turning to God.

You've heard me say this enough times. I think the Greek word metanoia is translated repentance and it means a change of mind and You can change your mind about all sorts of different things but biblically we're talking about a change of mind about sin and a change of mind about The Savior.

So you're turning it's a turning your you're sitting you're going in one direction and you repent you change your mind and you turn To Christ so turning away from sin and turning to Christ. So a godly sorrow over sin produces repentance and that leads to what?

Salvation as opposed to the sorrow of this world. Which we might describe as this the sorrow that hey, I got busted and now I look bad. So I'm gonna apologize and say I'm sorry, but I'm not really sorry.

I'm only sorry because I got caught. Now at the same time, I think people can start out that way and yeah, they're sorry. They got caught. But sometimes people being called out for what they do Can actually lead to true repentance.

So just because somebody gets caught doesn't mean that their repentance isn't real. I mean it may or may not be God knows but I Can go either way? The next section see turning to Christ when people Who have been bitter or excuse me bitten?

This is going back to the serpent on The pole when the people who had been bitten by a deadly serpent looked at the serpent on the pole. They were exercising faith in God in What God said, sorry? So this is something that a lot of people have the idea that believing or having faith is believing That God exists that God is there but we see here that faith is about believing what God has said.

So I Messed that all up. Let me read it again when people who had been bitten by a deadly serpent looked at the serpent on the pole. They were exercising faith in what God said because otherwise they could say this is ridiculous.

I got bit by a serpent. You're just telling me that I just have to look at this Bronze snake on a pole and I'm gonna be this that's ridiculous. I'm not doing that. Yeah, if you don't believe what God said you will die but those who believed Were delivered.

Marcus.

The reason why it took faith is what you were starting to elude with. Snakes crawl along the ground and they bite you down low and if you're getting bit by snakes You're likely to keep your eyes down on the ground and he said no look up.

So that takes some faith. Yeah. When there's snakes around.

Sure, and we need to look up as it were. We need to look to God when we have all of our problems and things. We may maybe need deliverance from they're all on this level. We need to look up. We need to look to The Lord and it's the same type of thing.

Someone could think you're telling me that To get to heaven to be saved. All I have to do is believe on Christ. People stumble over that right? That's what the Apostle Paul preached grace alone. Faith alone and salvation is in Christ alone.

That's the New Testament gospel and people accused Paul of Teaching what we call license that Paul you're saying that people can just believe on Christ. And then what then they can just do whatever they want.

They they get a free Free ticket of forgiveness from their sin free ticket into heaven well I mean Paul then taught about what the Christian life looks like and we're gonna get into that that a true saving faith will produce works, but yes a person is only saved by faith in Jesus and the response from the world is That's ridiculous.

So we need to work our way to heaven. We need to do this. So we need to do that. We need to do this. That's the typical response. All right, read Romans 10 8 through 10 and we don't need to look all these up because I want to finish this Section this morning, but you've already done this.

Hopefully read Romans 10 8 through 10 faith is Required for salvation. So what must you confess in verse 9 you must confess that Yes, you must confess that Jesus is Lord and what that means Is that other people are not Lord.

Jesus is Lord. That means you're not Jesus is Lord. That means whatever other authority. They're not the Lord. They may be in a position of authority in a certain area of life, but they're not the Lord.

So we listen to who above Everybody else Christ because he is Lord and also you must believe what in verse 9 Believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead. So that's sort of shorthand for what saving faith looks like you believe Jesus Was risen from the dead because if you believe that you can probably believe the rest of it.

You know, if you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you should be able to believe that Moses part of the Red Sea, you should be able to believe that God spoke creation into existence. And and yet you will find people who try to play this game just so, you know I think most of you do know this but some people will try to play this game.

They will affirm Jesus rose from the dead that kind of covers their basis. I'm a Christian I believe that but then they try to compromise them just about everything else. People who do that eventually will compromise either they're going to repent of all of that false teaching or they're going to eventually drop.

Actually, I don't believe Jesus rose from the dead. So just be aware. There are people like that but ultimately to be saved you must be of the Belief that Jesus was raised from the dead you had it your hand up.

Yeah, it seems like there is some actions on our part. One it does say confess with your mouth. This means say it out loud. This means admit it. It has to give doubt to people that think they can just be a secret Christian that it's just personal between them.

I think this is one of the of course one of the most important parts of and the importance of being baptized is it's a public Profession.

Yes. Right, yeah, and in the early church there were a lot of people who were Confessing Christ openly they were baptized and then great persecution came and all of a sudden they weren't professing Christ as Lord anymore.

And we have this today where if you profess Christ as Lord You're gonna get caught, you know, all the names that you get called racist bigot homophobe blah blah blah. So that causes some people to not want to confess Christ as Lord.

Even though they did at one point now it might cost you something. So now people don't want to do it anymore and in the early church There is a lot of controversy. Are these people crit? Did they lose their salvation?

Can we even consider them Christians anymore? Obviously the goal is to continue to grow in the faith and to continue to profess Christ as Lord if you Confessed him 20 years ago, but you're not doing it today.

You know, God knows the state of a person's soul, but obviously there's something wrong if somebody isn't willing to do it now. But these are all side issues. Obviously you need to call upon the name of the Lord for salvation.

Yes.

What does it mean Lord. You know, it means master kind of like a slave master Relationship, you know you do as a slave. As a servant you do what your master Tells you to do. And just like you do at work.

You know. You have things that you need to do at work because that's what you're hired to do. And just so that's the same thing. He tells us in his work How we are to live right what we are to do right and as Believers we should respond by doing What he commands right and when he wills right?

Amen, and that's why just to let you know, that's why I believe in teaching the whole Council of God and Encouraging people to be baptized and to follow Christ. Somebody years ago got a little upset with me because I wasn't doing altar calls Sunday morning.

What they wanted me to do was to do an altar call at the end of the service to have somebody come forward For me to say the sinners prayer with them and then to tell them Okay, now you're a Christian and you're eternally secure and there's nothing you can do to lose your salvation.

I'm reluctant to do that because I know that that person in the moment might say the right thing. Maybe they have this emotional response to something in their life that They hear in the sermon that resonates with them and they they say the right thing at that moment and that's great.

But I've seen it enough times a lot of people have done that probably the majority of people that have done that a Week from then a month from now a year from now ten years from now. They're no longer Professing Christ's Lord, so I would much rather teach people to follow Christ.

Now. This is one thing I appreciated about Dennis. He wasn't one of these easy believe ism types. Where as long as you say the right thing once you get a free ticket to heaven and nothing can ever Change that well, that's the concept a lot of people have about Christianity in their mind.

That's not what Jesus taught. You can't find Jesus doing that anywhere in The New Testament you can find him teaching people to follow him and then all the stuff that goes along with that. But we have reduced it.

We've boiled it down to a single prayer. Which a person can be saved by that prayer. But that's not the end of it. It's just the beginning and That's what a lot of people miss.

Marcus Christ's to come in their life. I Believe that he's willing to do that and he does and I believe that when he does come into your life It changes you. Changes you forever. Hmm, and some people do go away for a long time.

Son, I didn't really want to debate that issue. But what I did want to talk about was racism. I heard a great thing by voting off them one of my new favorite authors. And he says there are different races we are all of the same race.

We are all of the human race. There are different ethnicities. Yeah, I just I just like to look at it that way. Yeah. Thank you.

Yep, and You know what? There are people that are saved. There's some people probably wish I maybe wouldn't even comment on this but there are people who are saved that are racist. Do you realize that?

There are people that are saved that are racist. Some people look at them. They're racist that proves they're not safe. No, you just need to teach them the Bible and Show them that that's not the way to go and that's wrong.

But it's like with anything else. We all have our Faults we all have those things that we think wrongly about and we need to teach people The right way. There's some things that you're messed up on. There's some things that I'm messed up on.

If being perfect is what you need to do to be a Christian then. Hello. All right. I'm not gonna get through this unless I just stick to the book D becoming slaves to righteousness like what Larry was talking about read Romans 8 1 and 2 a For the believer in Christ, what is the penalty for sin.

Verse 1? Says there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So for the believer, there is no penalty for sin. Well, at least eternally, you know, sometimes we reap what we sow if we do if we sin in this life, you know.

There might be consequences To what we do in this life, but as far as with God there are no consequences. Eternally for our sin they have been forgiven from. What is the believer free? Verse 2 the law of sin and death Says when freed from sin, what does a believer become.

Romans 6 18 we become slaves of righteousness, so we go from being slaves of sin to becoming slaves of righteousness and What benefit results. Romans 6 22 Sanctification and the outcome eternal life. So sanctification is often described as a process.

It happens maybe in a moment in time where you are set apart by God you belong to him now. But really we are growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. We are being conformed to the image of Christ.

This is our Sanctification. So sanctification is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. Any questions about sanctification. You know salvation is one thing. Sanctification is something else.

The Evidence of Salvation: Faith, Love, and Hope

Two different two different things. All right section number three the evidence of salvation. Three important evidences of a true believer are a faith that works a Love that labors and a hope that endures.

The passage here is 1st Thessalonians 1 3 4 faith that works what reveals Genuine faith. So remember this isn't how to be saved. We already covered that. This is the evidence of salvation. So what shows that a person's faith is genuine.

Okay fruits of your labor or one's works. So you can know somebody is a true believer you take what they say, that's important. But you know, it also matters what you do and that kind of goes back to the first thing I was talking about with the prayer.

There's people who say I believe and then they live the rest of their life and rebellion to God showing zero evidence. Well, that would that would indicate that it's not a true saving faith. But hey Lord Lord knows and the problem with us.

We only see people in a moment in time. And we think we got people all figured out because we saw him do that and there well, that's a dangerous. That's why we're not the judge of someone's soul, but we are to Teach what the scripture says.

What reveals genuine faith. One's works. First Peter 1 6 and 7 another thing that reveals genuine faith trials tested by fire. This is something that a lot of people don't realize that when you become a Christian.

You know your life's gonna get more complicated in some ways. It's gonna get a lot better. I believe that but in some ways It's gonna get more complicated or if you're already a believer and you say, okay 2023 this is the year that I'm gonna really commit myself to the Lord and serving God and Yeah, the devil is gonna throw all sorts of things at you to try to discourage that so, you know when you get saved some problems are gonna come automatically and.

Then when you decide maybe to get more serious about your faith then Trials are gonna come. I told this story before out when I first Came to faith in the Lord and I said I'm gonna go to church every Sunday.

I don't care what happened. I don't care what the excuses are how if I'm just gonna do it. Every Sunday something happened for months and months and months every Sunday morning. You know, the devil would get into you or something would happen something with Brett.

It was always something because I believe the devil was trying to prevent me from doing that. But then I think this is my assessment of it after whatever four or five months when the devil saw I wasn't gonna Get into that then it just all that stuff went away now.

It's easy. Yeah but every time you try to do the right thing the devil's gonna try to Try to prevent that and try to get you to do the wrong thing. So that's that's the trial and the testing that comes.

So if if you're going through testing in your life. That's not that's it's hard, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. It might be an indicator that hey, you're on the right track. Okay next for what did God prepare believers.

Ephesians 2 verse 10. He prepared us for what? Good works. He didn't save us just to take us to heaven. Otherwise, he could have taken us right away, but he left us here to do good works to serve him.

Titus 3 verse 8 Says that those who have believed in God should do what? Engage in good deeds. Are you getting the point yet? These things why because these things are good and profitable to men. We've all benefited from the good deeds of others.

Right, so we should then pass that along so people can benefit from our good deeds. All right the next section. Be love that labors says besides faith. What else does God take note of in the believer?

Based on Hebrew 6 verse 10 your work and the love which you have shown toward his name and having ministered and instill ministering to the Saints. So that's you know, that's not always easy. Right. It's a love that labor is hard, right?

Being saved Jesus talked about if those who come to him who? Labor, you know, they're heavy laden like salvation is easy. It's believing it's actually impossible without God's grace, but it's easy and that you just have to believe on Christ.

Living out the Christian life though is hard. Being saved is not hard living. The Christian life is hard or can I get an amen on that or is it easy? Be a love that labors number two. What is the source of love in the life of a believer Romans 5 5?

The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. You've probably heard people say, you know, some people are hard. Some people are I guess are easy to love some people are harder to let some people are hard to love.

We're all probably hard to love. But God loved us. We should love we should love others. Everyone's hard to love at times at least Marcus.

Because the source of love is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is not.

What is the sword, okay, so it should be who is the source of love that's a good point. Thank you for yeah, and of course the authors do believe that the Holy Spirit is a person. So we know they're not coming at it from that perspective.

But yes. All right, what is the what is true of a person who is born of God according to first John 4 1 and 8 Says beloved. Let us love one another. For love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

So what is true of a person who is born of God? They love one another and this is what's the other verse? Basically, it says if you don't love God's people, you know, you're not of God. I this I'm so tempted to just go off in all these different directions.

But this really grieves me all the people out and I know you see this online and there's all sorts of crazy stuff online I should probably ignore. But there's so many people who say they love God. But they seem to despise the Church of God.

Well, I love Jesus, but they have content. I was talking to these people a month or two ago and this woman. She's oh, I love God. I just but man when she was talking about the church. It's just not just this church, but just churches and Jenner.

She had nothing good to say about the church. Well, I love Jesus, but just run down the church run down the church run down the church is flawed. And we need to address the issues that are there but there's a lot of people who seem to have contempt for the Church of Jesus Christ and If that's true, if you have contempt for the Church of Christ.

Don't say you love Christ because Jesus shed his blood for the church if you really love Jesus. You're gonna love what Jesus loves. There's one thing. I know Jesus loves the church because he died for the church.

Okay? Short sermon that's over. How does a true believer show so love God's people? Okay. I know it's hard but love God's people. How does a true believer show love first John 3 18 and 19? Let us not love with word or with tongue, but indeed and truth.

All right, any comments or questions on this section before we move on? All right see Hope that endures. So remember there's three Evidences of a true believer a faith that works love that labors and now a hope that endures.

Number one. Who did Jesus say will be saved. According to Matthew 10 verse 22 who will be saved. Right the person that endures to the end so sometime in the next month or two, I'm gonna do a sermon the perseverance of the Saints or the preservation of the Saints.

I did that in Greenfield on a Sunday night a while ago, but this is so important a True believer will endure to the end. That goes back to what I said a moment ago about that debate in the early church those who professed Christ then Persecution came and then they fell away and they wouldn't profess Jesus anymore because it would cost them something.

They might get put in prison or worse. They no longer were confessing Christ. They didn't endure to the end. That was the argument. Are these people Christians because they didn't endure they fell away.

It goes to the parable of the sower. Remember when Jesus talked about the parable of the sower some falls by the wayside that you know. The devil comes in snatches the word. Some falls on the stony ground it comes up sprouts right away, but because of trials or as soon as they face anything difficult they they stumble and fall then.

Some falls among thorns. Sprouts up and then the cares of this world the thorns choke it out. But what are we looking for? The seed that falls on the good ground and produces fruit, but either way We need to endure.

So in that parable of the sower at least the first two that Jesus describes were not true believers because They didn't endure. All right, any because that's a that's a big topic. Any any questions on that?

Okay? So I'll I'll take that as agreement. What gives us our motivation to endure first Timothy 4 verse 10? We have fixed our hope on the Living God who is the Savior and. One piece of advice I would get just keep keep your eyes focused on Jesus.

Don't focus on other people that'll discourage you sometimes even you know focusing in on yourself. That's not a good idea either focus on Christ. If you keep your eyes on Christ you will endure because it's all about him.

Number three describe the hope that a Christian has. Galatians 5 5 the hope of righteousness first. Thessalonians 5 8 the hope of salvation and Titus 3 7 the hope of eternal life. The next section D. Okay, I think we're gonna finish this.

This is good. We'll move on to the next Lesson lesson number seven. Lord willing next week. The three that abide. What three things did Paul notice about? The Colossians in Colossians 1 4 5 what did he notice you tell me?

Okay, their faith in Christ their love of all the saints and their trust in the hope laid up for them in heaven. So this should characterize our faith and our attitude the way We are we have faith in Christ.

We love others and we have a hope that's laid up for us. And I mean, this is pretty basic, right? But it's it's something we need to be reminded of. We need to teach others and now we finally get into the application.

There's something that I always try to do with every sermon or every lesson you go through a verse. You teach what it meant originally in the original context and everything and then you end with the application.

So someone should walk away with okay, but now that I've heard all that. So what how does this apply to me? What should I do about it? So now we're going to get into the application. Did you have a hand?

Love. These are the things that last forever. These are the eternal things versus all the temporary things in life. And what's. What's most interesting?

Yeah, and since we have a minute or two Let me just read that first Corinthians 13, right? This is Chapter most everybody is familiar with. It says at the end now abide faith hope and love. These three but the greatest of these is what?

Love why is love the greatest? I mean Yeah here. Here's my take on okay faith hope and love. So in eternity when we're with God. We won't need faith anymore we need faith now, but when we're with low with the Lord in eternity.

We're not going to need faith because the object of our faith is going to dwell with us. We're not going to need hope because our hope has been realized. We're with God in heaven but love. Endures love will endure forever.

So that's my take on why love is is the greatest. Okay, so the application. The application. God is sovereign in salvation. The believer is not called to salvation because of his own worthiness. But because of God's purpose in grace, that's Ephesians 1 3 through 14.

So realizing that God has chosen you for salvation. How should you respond according to Ephesians 1 verse 4? If we're followers of Christ if we're saved, how should we respond and the answer we Should be holy and blameless before him.

So this is what God wants from you now that you're a believer. This is what God wants from his people to be holy. People have the idea that holy means perfect. Well, that's not the definition of being holy.

Again we conform to the image of Christ we grow what is being holy mean? Set apart. God wants you to be different from everybody else. God wants Christians to be different from the rest of the world. You want to know why I think The Evangelical Church in the United States is not really Having much of an impact why the the church and I'm not running down the church.

I think this is something that Needs to be said so that it can be corrected that we would have a greater impact. But the problem is the standard evangelical in America is just like everybody else in America.

They do the same things think the same way and there's not a clear discernible difference between the evangelical Christian and his Neighbor next door who's of the world? I mean there might be a difference but just to kind of look at them and the way they talk and the way they live.

There's not really that big of a difference. That's the problem. Holiness is to be set apart that you are clearly different from everyone else. So be how are you exhorted to live Romans 6 12 through 13?

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body. So that you obey its lusts and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead in your members as instruments of God to Righteousness if you seek to obey God in this world, I promise you you'll get all sorts of criticism.

You might even get Accusations of legalism from other Christians that you want to obey God and they're gonna because they're not obeying God and they're gonna feel guilty and they're gonna lash out at you but That shouldn't matter.

None of it matters. What God wants is us to be set apart unto him. So a true believer will be convicted of sin and turn from it. He will be willing to submit to God and follow Christ and a true believer will exhibit a faith that works a Love that labors and a hope that Endures those three qualities are present in every true believer and shape the direction of his life.