WEDNESDAY 17th
Ephesians 2:1-9
Ephesians 2:8 ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God . . .’
Today and tomorrow we are taking the S from the word Saviour and looking at our being saved.
I wonder what the word saved conjures up in your mind thinking outside of the realm of spiritual salvation. I am sure we have all heard stories or accounts of individuals or groups that have been in some kind of dilemma and as a result of effort by others they have been saved from out of the dilemma they were in. Thinking back to 2010, when the story became known world-wide of the 33 miners trapped in the mine in Chile and the huge effort that went into planning a rescue mission to get to them and to save them. What about an individual who may have fallen into the sea and the great work that the RNLI do whatever the weather conditions to go out to rescue and save?
Spiritually we all needed saving, we were all lost, we were all trapped in the pit of sin, we were drowning in our sinfulness, hopeless and helpless, we were heading to Hell and separated from God for eternity. We need to remind ourselves hell is a real place, the lake of fire is a real place, eternal separation from God in that awful place is a future reality for all who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. (Revelation 20:11-15) But thank God that he is in the business of saving, of rescuing the lost and hopeless sinner. And he put a plan into place, a rescue mission, which involved sending a Saviour into the hostile environment of this world to put the plan into action and to bring it through to completion.
As a result of this rescue mission those of us who have accepted Jesus as Saviour can say that we are saved. Repeat these words ‘I am saved’ what a wonderful declaration to be able to make. Imagine the euphoria, excitement, joy, and appreciation that the Chilean miners had as each one was finally rescued. Such should be the experience of each one of us who have been saved by Gods wonderful grace, not just for time but for eternity.
Here are some Scriptures that refer to us as being saved and we will continue the theme tomorrow.
John 10:9 (Jesus said) ‘I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’
Acts 2:21 ‘And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Acts 4:12 ‘And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’
Acts 16:30-31 ‘Then he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’
Romans 5:10 ‘For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.’
Romans 10:9-13 ‘. . . because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
1 Corinthians 1:18 ‘For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’
1 Corinthians 1:21 ‘For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.’
Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,
From Him no pow’r of evil can sever,
He gave His life to ransom my soul;
Now I belong to Him;
Now I belong to Jesus,
Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone,
But for eternity.
Once I was lost in sin’s degradation,
Jesus came down to bring me salvation,
Lifted me up from sorrow and shame,
Now I belong to Him;
Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me,
Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me
His precious blood, He came to redeem,
Now I belong to Him;
Norman Clayton CCLI788682