Sermon Tone Analysis

Series Theme: Past Tense -Jesus' sacrifice brought hope and light into a dark world.

Past Tense: Jesus' sacrifice brought hope and light into a dark world.

Past Tense: Jesus' sacrifice brought hope and light into a dark world.

Future tense - HIStory continues to bring hope and light to all who worship Him alone.

Introduction:

PRAYER

1

Salvation: past, present,future — what does that mean?

In essence, we are talking about the future of HISstory.

Salvation: past, present,future — what does that mean?

In essence, we are talking about the future of HISstory.

The prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah — where he was born, how He lived,died,and rose again.

These past prophetic pronouncements spoke clearly of Jesus.

The prophets only spoke what the Lord gave them — the had to pray and study to understand.

Jesus’ birth, life, teaching, miracles, suffering, death, and resurrection happened many years ago.

They are HIStory, but they also made a way for all humanity and future generations to experience the joy of salvation through Jesus.

So, what is the future of HIStory?

The prophets, Jesus’ birth, etc., happened in the past, but they have impacted the world throughout history.

As we move forward, His plan that was fulfilled in the past, continues to be fulfilled today

What is salvation?

A means of preservation.

It is redemption, rescue, deliverance, regeneration, reanimation, etc.

Chapter 1:3-9 is a little snapshot of salvation: past, present, and future

What is salvation?

A means of preservation.

It is redemption, rescue, deliverance, regeneration, reanimation, etc.

What does salvation deliver us from?

Sin, judgement, death, eternal separation from God

Salvation is a work of God’s grace…a means of justification, forgiveness, and mercy

Some people understand salvation to be most beneficial down the road — a future thing, when we finally see Jesus.

Others only see it in terms of the present.

“I’m saved…it’s done…nothing else really matters!”

They believe they are going to Heaven one day, but they don’t enjoy the understanding that their salvation is both now and future — they ultimate goal of our faith in Christ is to reach our destination.

We haven’t arrived until we get there.

Sanctification: set apart, made holy and worthy to approach the Lord

Some people understand salvation to be most beneficial down the road — a future thing, when we finally see Jesus.

Others only see it in terms of the present.

“I’m saved…it’s done…nothing else really matters!”

They believe they are going to Heaven on day, but they don’t enjoy the understanding that their salvation is both now and future — they ultimate goal of our faith in Christ is to reach our destination.

We haven’t arrived until we get there.

1 Peter 1:

Here’s the challenge we need to unpack this morning:

Love and trust Jesus with unspeakable joy, knowing that His plan saves and keeps us today, all the while leading us to it's intended destination in His presence.

Interrogatory: How can our salvation be complete when we give our lives to Christ, while still looking forward to its completion in the future?

Transitional: It’s not either, or…it’s both

Salvation: Here and Now

Christ paid our debt in full

“Jesus paid it all, all to Him owe”

In this sense…there are not a whole list of steps we must take to gain God’s grace

“Jesus paid it all, all to Him owe”

Salvation is completely and totally found in Jesus and Him alone

Since Jesus is ours when we express faith in Him, our redemption is complete — we have been purchased and rescued from slavery and we have no reason to go back

The pardon which God gives to believers in Jesus is not a semi-pardon, it is not a putting away of some of their sins, or a putting them away for a time; but it is a perfect putting away of their sins for ever, a casting of them, once for all, behind God’s back, into the depths of the sea, so that they shall never be found again; yea, they shall be so completely put away that they shall cease to be.

— Spurgeon, C. H.

Since Jesus is ours when we express faith in Him, our redemption is complete — we have been purchased and rescued from slavery and we have no reason to go back

Spurgeon, C. H. (1910).

Salvation as It Is Now Received.

In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol.

56, p. 542).

London: Passmore & Alabaster.

Christ restores our relationship with the Father

At one time, our backs were turned away from God

If we have placed our faith in Jesus and our hope is in Him, we are indeed saved

Our desire was for many things…and God was not one of them

When we place our faith in Jesus — we are transformed

Now our face is towards God…we hang on every word of His…we are painfully aware of how unworthy we are to be in His presence, and yet, He has welcomed us in.

We are quite a ways from where we would like to be…but our hearts cry is to get there

Now our face is towards God…we hang on every word of His…we are painfully aware of how unworthy we are to be in His presence, and yet, He has welcomed us in.

Our old nature whispers at us to fall back into our old ways but God’s love and the power of the Spirit spur us on to allow God to have His way in our lives.

Christ restores us from the destruction of sin

Christ restores us from the destruction of sin

without Jesus, we are unable to truly pray — we can “say prayers” but we do not know communion with the Father

Without Jesus, we were unable to believe — our faith was buried

Without Jesus, we were chained and locked up — in bondage to sin and Satan

But now, with Jesus’ love and life flowing through us, we no longer have to stay in bondage to our old sinful nature

We can pray, praise, worship — not perfectly yet — but the desire is there and we run after it.

Christ frees from sin in our daily life

Although we do not walk perfectly in this freedom…it should be our deep desire to be completely free from it

We will not reach a place of perfect sinlessness in this life - but please do not use that fact as an excuse to be flippant about the way we live

In this life, we will never be perfectly like Christ — but He is our model and example — no other will do

Just because we cannot attain that perfection here does not mean we should be casual about pursuing it.

The more we know Him..the more we desire to reflect Him

Don’t make excuses:

“My hot temper is just the way I am…I can never change that” --- etc.

We all know people (maybe we are one) that have been delivered from sins and lifestyle that seemed impossible to escape…but for the grace and transforming power of God

Transitional: Jesus is the only way to salvation — how can a person experience this?

Salvation: Where Can I Get Mine?

It is completely from Jesus

1 Peter 1:

It comes to us through faith, love, and joy

Faith — though you have not seen Him, you believe

It would be nice to see Him (we will someday), but many saw Him in the flesh and still perished

The believing part (faith) is what makes the difference

Our faith must be practiced with our eye on the Cross — without that our faith doesn’t have anything to stand on

Love — thought you have not seen Him, you love Him

His love is what make it possible for grace to destroy sin and judgment

“The love of Christ and sin are like the two balances of a pair of scales; if sin goes up in our esteem, our love to Christ is going down; and whenever our love to Christ goes up, sin must go down in the same proportion” — C.H. Spurgeon

Joy — though you have not seen Him, you rejoice (joy unspeakable and full of glory)

this kind of joy is a weapon

It cuts and kills — destroys

Many sins in our lives show up when we have fallen into doubt, fear, anger, etc. and allowed those things to consume our thoughts