YOU ARE NOW A CHRISTIAN?
You were not born a Christian
You did not pass any exam to become a Christian.
You did not earn the right to become a Christian.
God Makes one a Christian (Ephesian 2:8-10 / Titus 3:5)
To be a Christian means that
- sin, our greatest problem, has been dealt with (1 John 1:9)
We are then at peace with God (Romans 5:1)
This, God accomplishes for us, in and through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Christian is Christ’s. Christ is their God.
He is not just Saviour, but Saviour and God. (1 Corinthians 6:19,20)
A Christian is complete in Christ (Colossian 2:10)
God’s Spirit dwells in Him (1 Corinthians 6:19,20)
He is acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (Ephesian 1:6)
A Christian is a Child of God (1 John 3: 1,2)
Before salvation God is not our Father (John 8:42-44)
Salvation produces sonship. We are also adopted into God’s Family (Romans 8:14-16;
“Adoption is an act of transfer from an alien family into the family of God Himself. This is surely the apex of grace and privilege. It staggers the imaginations because of its amazing condescension and love. The Spirit alone could be the seal of it in our hearts.” John Murray
“Some ...spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus, And the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord...Barnabas..exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord...and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” Act 11:20-23, 26
YOU WERE A LOST SINNER
The Bible teaches that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23)
We do not become sinners : we are born sinners (Psalm 51:5)
Sin is a natural condition of every heart (Jeremiah 17:9)
Many people deny this; but they are deceiving themselves (1 John 1:8,10)
Sin is breaking the Law of God (1 John 3:4)
Sin brings upon man
- separation from God (Genesis 3:23;24; Isaiah 59:2)
- the wrath of God (Romans 1:18)
- guilt (Romans 3:19)
- hell (Matthew 25:41)
You were a sinner - an enemy of God.
Your condition is described in Ephesian 2:12
In Psalm 32 you will find three different words for sin:
"Transgression"– this literally means “to step over a boundary; to break the law of God, to go into those paths that God forbids." It is rebellion against God.
"Sin" – this means to miss the mark or target , to come short of God’s glory
"Iniquity" – this is a twisting, distorting, perversion of the soul.
Man is no longer as God made him, He is twisted and mis-shapen by sin.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
You became a Christian when the Holy Spirit convicted you of sin and
- you realised your true condition (Luke 15:17-19)
- you repented of thinking you could save yourself by your own good works or religion (Acts 16:31)
- you received Christ by faith (John 1:12)
Your conversion may have been like—
Paul’s (Acts 9:1-22)
-from a deeply religious background
-dramatic and sudden
-saved on a particular date, at a particular place.
The Philippian jailer’s (Acts 16:23-34)
- from a very wordly background, with no previous thought for God
- circumstances brought you despair
- not seeking God, but found by Him
Timothy’s (2 Timothy 3:15)
- brought up in a Christian home
- always known in Scriptures
- cannot say exactly when you came to faith in Jesus Christ
Lydia’s (Acts 16:14,15)
- nothing dramatic
- seeking for a long time
- your heart quietly opened to see and believe
How you were converted does not matter. All conversions are the work of God.
Some through the fire,
Some through the flood,
Some through the water,
But all through the blood.
IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN
-all that follows will be true of you.
To convert means to change. You have been changed (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- you were dead : you are now alive (Ephesians 2:1,5)
- you were lost : you are now found (Luke 15)
- you were blind : you now see (2nd Corintians 4:4-6)
-you were an enemy of God ; you are now His child (Romans 5:10; 8:14-17)
The completeness of the change in the convert is clearly revealed in Ephesians 2:-
-verses 1-3. This is what you were in the sight of God.
-verses 19-22. This is what you are in the sight of God.
The bridge between these two extreme positions is the grace of God (verses 4-18)
V1 ‘and you’ - what you are
V4 ‘’But God’ – what God did for you
V19 "Now therefore" – what you are by grace.
This great work of grace becomes real to us through faith (Ephesians 2:8)
‘What does “faith” mean? Faith includes three aspects or three elements. It means a knowledge of the truth, it means assent truth, it means a trust in the truth. Faith, in other words, is not merely an intellectual awareness of the truth, or even an intellectual acceptance of the truth, Faith means a real trusting in Christ and what he has done on our behalf and for our salvation. (DM Loyd Jone)
“Men are not saved because they turn over a new leaf. Conversion is not meritorious action which ought to be suitably rewarded. Conversion, as the New Testament understands it, means a wholehearted turning away from sin. It means a coming to rely on one’s own strong right arm. It means a coming to rely entirely on the mercy of God. Apart from that mercy, conversion would be aimless, futile, meaningless, Conversion roots salvation squarely in the action of God, and it takes its meaning from the action of God.” [Leon Morris]
Being born again, or the new birth, or regeneration (each of these means the same thing) is the work of the Holy Spirit and it is essential (John 3:3-8)
Without a physical birth you cannot have physical life. Without a spiritual birth you cannot have spiritual life.
Before you were born again, you were dead in sin. You were dead to God. You did not know Him, nor understand Him, nor serve Him. You could not; you were spiritually dead. In the new birth the Holy Spirit gives your dead soul life (Ezekiel 36:26). Without this you could not believe in Christ. It is the regenerate soul alone that is able to exercise faith and receive Christ (John 6:44)
What can a dead man do for Himself? Nothing.
The new birth is the Work of God the Holy Spirit and Him alone (John 3:1-12)
‘Regeneration is a change which is known and felt; known by works of holiness, and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural It is not an operation, which man perform for himself : a new principle is infused , which works in the heart, renews the soul, and effects the entire man. It is not a change of my name, but a renewal of my nature, so that I am not the man I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus.’ - C.H. Spurgeon
“Regeneration is the beginning of all saving grace in us, and all saving grace in exercise on our part proceeds from the fountain of regeneration. We are not born again by faith or repentance or conversion: we repent and believe because we have been regenerated” – John Murray
YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED
Saved from What
-from the consequence of your sin (Romans 6:23)
-from the wrath of God (Romans 1:18)
You needed to be saved because you were a sinner (1 Timothy 1:15)
Before you were saved you were lost (Luke 19:10; Ephesians 2:12)
You were guilty before God (Romans 3:19)
Before you could be saved
-your debt to God’s law, which your sin had incurred, had to be paid (Romans 3:25)
-God wrath upon your sin had to be met (Romans 3:25)
Many modern translation do not use the word propitiation in Romans 3:25. But it is essential if we are to understand the death of Christ properly, Propitiation means to turn away wrath by sacrifice.
“What the Apostle is teaching here is that what our Lord did by His death upon the cross was to appease God’s wrath (Dr M Lloyd-Jones)
‘The word “propitiation” properly signifies the removal of wrath....it reminds us that the divine anger, was exercised towards man’s sin, and that it was Christ’s propitiatory death that put the situation right, and made it possible for man to come back to God.” ( Leon Morris)
Jesus alone has done this when he died at Calvary in your place ( 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 5:6)
There is only one Saviour (Acts 4:12)
There is only one way to God (John 14:6)
There is only one mediator (1 Timothy 2:5)
Jesus is God’s provision to deal with sin (Matthew 1:21)
All sin is against God (Psalm 51:4).
Sin breaks the law of God (1 John 3:4).
Therefore only God can forgive sin (Luke 23:34).
God delight to forgive (Psalm 86:5).
Because Jesus died in our place and paid the full penalty of our sin, God is now able to forgive us justly(1 John 1:9).
God forgives us through Jesus Christ, who
-died to purchase forgiveness for us (Ephesians 1:7)
-arose from the dead to give us forgiveness (Acts 5:31)
In Christ your sin is forgiven(1 John 2:12)
-It is blotted out (Isaiah 44:22)
-God remembers it no more (Jeremiah 31:34)
-It is removed from you (Psalm 103:12)
Pardon – from an offended God !
Pardon – for sins of deepest dye!
Pardon – bestowed through Jesu’s blood !
Pardon – that brings the rebel night !
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
“It is our unspeakable comfort, in all our approaches to God there is forgiveness with Him, for that is what we need. He has put Himself into a capacity to pardon sin, He has declared Himself gracious and merciful, and ready to forgive (Exodus 34:6,7). He has promised to forgive the sins of those that do repent. Never any that dealt with Him found Him implacable, but easy to be entreated and swift to show mercy. With us there is iniquity, and therefore it is well for us that Him there is forgiveness.” .....
In wonder lost, with trembling joy,
We take the pardon of our God,
Pardon for sins of deepest dye,
A pardon sealed with Jesus blood
Reconciliation rmeans to remove the enmity or quarrel between two people and bring them together in peace.
On four occasions the New Testament speaks of the work and ministry of Christ in terms of reconciliation (Romans 5:10; Ephesian 2:16; Colossians 1:21; 2 Corintians 5:18-21)
In reconciliation God deals with our sin and brings us to Himself in peace and as His redeemed children, all this God accomplishes in Christ.
How does He do it?Read again 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
We are treated as children of God, joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)
Having been reconciled, you now have access to God(Ephesians 2:16-18)
‘Reconciliation is amazing. But this more wondrous and more amazing. Reconciliation is not the end. Beyond reconciliation we have access to the Father...My friends, this is the grand end and object of salvation, that we enter into the presence of God and have fellowship with Him, We are no longer afar off, we have been made nigh, we are brought right in, we are face to face with Him, we have fellowship with God. To know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Have you got the access, have you realized it? Are you exercising your right to it?.....
Justification is a illegal term.
It is the opposite of condemnation (Romans 8:33:34)
Justification is the sovereign work of God whereby He declares the sinner to be righteous, and the rightful demands of the law of satisfied.
God’s law condemns the sinner.
God’s law love and grace justify the sinner (Romans 3:24).
Justification is not earned by man (Galatians 2:16)
God justifies on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and His atoning death for sinners (Romans 5, 8, 9)
Justification removes the guilt of sin (Romans 8:1)
Justification imputes (credits, puts to our account) to the sinner the righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:20-25)
Justification is once and for all. There are no degree of justification. You are as justified now as you ever shall be, and as justified as any other Christian.
‘Justification does not make the sinner any different : it declares him just in the eyes of law. The sinner certainly needs to be made good, and the Holy Spirit will go on to do that in what is known as “sanctification”: but let us be clear in our minds about justification first. Justification has to do not with our state, but with our standing: it refers to our position before God. Apart from Christ we have no standing at all; we are guilty and condemned : but with Christ as our Saviour and substitute w are acquitted and justified, for he has borne our sin Himself. You will find all this put very clearly in Romans 3:23-26’
THROUGH FAITH
Justification comes to us through faith
(Romans 5:1)
We are not justified because of faith, or on account of our faith. We are justified THROUGH faith. Faith is the channel by which the righteousness of God comes to us (Ephesians 2:8)
Where does faith come from?
-It is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)
-It comes by hearing the gospel (Romans 10:17)
Faith is not blind. It is belief in Christ (Acts 20:21); Ephesians 1:15)
It is belief in who, He is, and what He alone is able to do (Matthew 8:5-10)
Faith incorporates trust and belief(Romans 4:20,21)
In faith we receive Christ (John 1:12)
“Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in gospel. [Shorter Catechism]
“Paul does not see faith as a mere intellectual adherence to certain doctrines. Faith for Paul is a warm personal trust in a living Saviour. Faith is a transforming attitude. When a man believes, his whole personality is affected. The entire Christian life accordingly is a life of faith, or, as Paul puts it, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2nd Corinthians 5:7) [Leon Morris]
David Dickson, once the Professor of Divinity in Edinburgh, being asked, when on his deathbed, how he found himself, answered. “ I have taken my good deeds and bad deeds, and thrown them together in a heap, and fled from them both to Christ, and in Him I have peace.”
YOU HAVE BEEN JOINED TO CHRIST
One of the most glorious features of salvation is that we now have union with Christ.
Before we were saved, we were ‘without Christ’ (Ephesian 2:12)
Now we are “in Christ (Ephesian 1:1)
The apostle Paul delighted to speak of being ‘in Christ’ he uses the phrase nine or more times in Ephesians 1:1-14
What does it mean to be “in Christ’?
-It means that Christ is our Head, our Representative.
In Adam we were guilty and condemned : in Christ we are justified and pardoned (Romans 5:12-21)
-It means that we have a living, vital, organic union with Christ (John 15:4,5)
In Christ
-we have all spiritual blessings (Ephesian 1:3)
-we are chosen (Ephesians 1:4)
-we are loved by God (Romans 8:39)
-we are brought night to God (Ephesians 2:13)
-we are complete (Colossians 2:10)
-we are created anew (Ephesians 2:10)
-we are all one (Galatians 3:28)
-even death cannot sever this union (1 Thesalonian 4:14-16)
“All these blessings that we enjoy become ours because we are joined to Christ. We can therefore claim that what has happened to Christ has happened to us. This is the marvel and the mystery of our salvation... The Son of God came down from heaven to earth ; he took upon Him human nature, He joined human nature unto himself, he shared human nature; and as the result of His work we human beings share His life and are in Him, and are participators in all the benefits that come from Him.” [D.M. Lloyd – Jones]
ASSURANCE
God wants you to be sure of your salvation (Hebrews 10:22)
Assurance comes through the Scriptures (I John 5:13)
Assurance comes through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16)
The Scriptures tell you that if you are a Christian you will
-love righteousness and hate sin (John 3:20,21)
-love other Christians (1 John 3:14)
-love the things of God (1 John 2:3:5)
-love the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:7)
-wants to see others saved (Romans 10:1)
Being a Christian does not mean that you are sinless (1 John 1:8-10) You will still sin, but the difference now is that you will hate it and daily seek God’s forgiveness (Psalm 51).
If these things are true of you, no matter how faintly, these are the marks of grace. You are being led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14)
The Holy Spirit witnesses inwardly(Romans 8:16)
This the Spirit does by telling us directly, and giving us experiences of God’s great love to us (Romans 5:5)
It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to discern the marks of grace, and who pours into our hearts God’s fatherly love.
You can be a Christian without having assurance. But God wants you to have assurance, so pray earnestly for it. Be satisfied with nothing less than full assurance. Do not let Satan rob you of this.
“Such is Satan’s envy and enmity against a Christian’s joy and comfort, that he cannot but act to the utmost of his line to keep poor souls in doubt and darkness. Satan knows ..that assurance is that which will make men strong to do exploits, to shake his tottering kingdom about his ears; and therefore he is very studios and industrious to keep souls off from assurance, as he was to cast Adam out of paradise.” [Thomas Brooks]
YOU CANNOT LOOSE YOUR SALVATION
You are now beginning to appreciate something of the wonder of what God has done for you. But is it too good to last? Take heart, read John 10:28,29
You cannot lose your salvation because
-Christ has given you eternal life.
-Christ has said you shall never perish
-you are held in the hand of ALMIGHTY GOD
-you have been GIVEN by God the Father to Jesus.
In other words, God has saved you, and not you yourself (John 6:37, 44,65).
God began the work of salvation; God will complete it (Philippians 1:6)
Read Psalm 23, and note that because the Lord is your Shepherd certain other things follow as a consequence. All lead to the great climax:” and I will dwell in the house of the Lord FOR EVER.”
Praise God for the truth of Psalm 37:23-29)
What from Christ the soul can sever,
Bound by everlasting bands?
Once in Him, in Him for ever,
Thus the eternal covenant stands,
None shall pluck thee
From the Strength of Israel’s hands
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38, 39)
The word ‘church’ is used in Scripture in two ways:
-the whole church, at all times, in all places (Colossians 1:18)
-the local church, at a particular place (1 Corinthians 1:2)
When you are converted you become a member of the true church, the body of Christ, but you need also to link up with a local church. Why?
-because you need the teaching and ministry (Acts 2:42)
-because you need the fellowship (Acts 2:42-46)
You may find help and encouragement from Christian groups outside the Church, eg. Christian organizations at school, university or work. “These are good, but they are not a substitute for the church. The church is not instituted by man, but is God’s provision for His people (Ephesians 5:25; 4:11-12)
A Christian should belong to a local church – worship there, work there, have a fellowship there. This does not mean he never goes to any other church, but he “belongs” in one place, If this does not take place, then the following scriptures are impossible to fulfil(Hebrews 13:17; Acts 14:23; Acts 6:3; Hebrews 10:24, 25)
Do not be what Spurgeon called “birds of passage which nest nowhere”. Do not drift from church to church. Belong!
Which Church?Unfortunately, today, all churches are not alike, You need a church that will help you grow as a Christian. You need a church that is seeking to order its life and ministry according to Scripture. You never find in New Testament Churches whist drives, jumbles sales or dances. You do find
-Bible teaching (Acts 2:42)
-prayer meetings (Acts 4:23-31)
-evangelism (Acts 11:20,21)
Find a good church. Worship there, Become a member there. Pray for its ministry. Make your friends there. Take your friends there.
“Worship is to feel in the heart a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder, and to express it in some appropriate manner. Worship is awesome wonder and overpowering love in the presence of God.” [AW Tozer]
All Christian go to Church every Sunday if at all possible.
We go to Church to worship God
-because of God’s command (Hebrews 10:25)
-because of Christ’s example (Luke 4:16)
-because we want to go (Psalm 122:1)
Worship is the chief end of man. Man was created to worship God. Sin made that impossible. But your sin has been dealt with. You can now enjoy the greatest privilege known to man. You can worship God. There are no substitute for worship. It is the highest delight of heaven and earth.
We worship God
-because of who He is (Psalm 99:5; 96:8,9)
-because of what He has done for us (Revelation 5:11-14)
Worship is, of course, not confined to a building, or to a Sunday. It is the continual privilege of the people of God.
"What are the factors that you will find present in worship?
Boundless confidence-you cannot worship a Being you cannot trust (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Administration-appreciation of the excellency of God (Psalm8)
Fascination – entranced with no God is : the magnitude and splendour of almighty God (Isaiah 40)
Adoration – to love God with all power within us (Psalm 116) [A.W. TOZER]
The preaching and exposition of scriptures is the God ordained means
-for spreading the gospel (1 Corintian 1:21)
-for instructing His people (Acts 2:42; 2 Timothy 4:2;1:11)
To hear the Word preached is not enough (Hebrews 4:2)
If it is to profit you
-you must listen (Mark 4:24)
-you must obey (Luke 8:21; Psalm 119:9)
How can you get then most out of a sermon?
-follow the preaching with an open bible (Acts 8:27-35)
-listen to a man who expounds the bible (Nehemiah 8:8)
-have a due reverence for the World (Nehemiah 8:5)
-listen to attentively (Nehemiah 8:3)
-let the Word deal with you (Nehemiah 8:9)
-do not be too occupied with your watch (Nehemiah 8:3)
-if you do not understand, ask afterward (Acts 8:3.4)
Pray for those who preach the Word (Ephesians 6:19)
Pray that they may have the Holy Sprits power and authority (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 1 Corinthians 2:4)
Pray for the success of the Word (Acts 4:29,30)
“I warn then everyone who loves his soul to be jealous as to the preaching he regularly hears and the place of worship he regularly attends. He who deliberately settles down under a ministry which is unsound is a very unwise man. If false doctrine is preached in a church a man who loves his soul is not right in going to that church.” [JC Ryle]
“The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching : and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world. [DM Lloyd-Jones]
There are two ordinances. These are symbolical rites in which the spiritual meaning of our salvation is enshrined. The ‘word’ preaches to the ear, and the ‘ordinances’ preaches to the eye. The two ordinances are (a) the Lord’s Supper, and (b) Baptism.
The Lord’s Supper is given three names in the New Testament
-the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42)
-the communion (1 Corinthians 10:16)
the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20)
It was instituted by Jesus (Matthew 26:26-28)
Paul teaches of it (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
The bread and wine symbolize the broken body and shed blood of Jesus. They do not turn into the body and blood: the represent it. The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrifice: it reminds us of what Christ has already done (1 Corinthians 11:24:25)
It proclaims His death (1 Corinthians 11:26)
It points to a new covenant (Mattews 26:28)
It proclaims the unity of all Christians (1 Corinthians 10:16,17)
It is to be held regularly (Acts 2:46)
It is to be held until Christ comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26)
“The Lord’s Supper is a ordinance, wherein by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ’s appointment , His death is showed forth: and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of His body and blood, with all His benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace.”
Jesus never baptized anyone. But He was baptized Himself (Matthew 3:13-17) and He did command His disciples to baptize (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16)
Baptism symbolizes
-union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:4-6)
-the washing away of sin (Acts 22:16)
Christian differ on the question of baptism:
Some Christiansbelieve that the infant children of believers are eligible. They hold that the covenant God made with Abraham was a spiritual covenant, and that circumcision was the sign and seal of this. Infants shared in the benefits of the covenant and so received the sign and seal.
Therefore, they believe, the children of believers should be baptised, see Colossians 2:11,12. This baptism is usually administered by sprinkling water on the infant.
