Sermon Reflections from Salvation | Alex Hardt | August 3
In this Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Alex hit upon the most foundational concepts in scripture. They are a good reminder that it is all God and not us when we consider our salvation and the eternity God has planned for us!!
What would motivate God to rescue us from the pit of sin in which we are mired? I love the image the psalmist gives us in Psalm 40:2 “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” God did this for me and you but why? John 3:16 gives us the answer- because He loved us so much. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He loved us that much that he would send His son to die in our place taking the penalty of our sins upon himself. The ultimate sacrifice is to die in someone else’s place. That is what Jesus did for us so that we could be reconciled to God. Without the cleansing blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, we would not be clean and without Jesus’ resurrection we would be dead in our sins. How can we ever thank Jesus enough?? All of this comes from God, NOT us. We can’t earn His favor by doing lots of good deeds, or being very successful. Nothing can buy our redemption. Everything we do is still unclean and not pure and holy. Without the renewal in Jesus, we can get nowhere. Pastor Alex labeled this a restart and that is exactly what it is for each of us when we accept the gift of salvation from Jesus though faith. Romans 6:23 put it this way, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Without Jesus and our faith in Him, we are dead in sin. Thank you Jesus.
What is grace? God’s grace is His mercy towards us by not giving us what we deserve- death for our sins. His grace is the undeserved favor of our God towards us. I love Ephesians 2:8-9. “ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The state of grace in which we find ourselves in when we step out if faith trusting Jesus for our salvation is all His doing. We do not deserve and favor but He gives it anyway when we trust in Him! Titus 3:5 explains the how we are saved, “ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”
Now to the hard part of today’s message. Jesus is the only way to God. If someone tries to tell you, “Oh, there are many ways to God.” You need to stand on the foundation of His Word and say, gently, that they are wrong. Acts 4:12 is very plain, “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.”
In addition to Acts 4:12, here are some wonderful scriptures that Jesus gave so us we would have NO doubt that He is the way to God.
John 14:6 “ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Romans 10:9-10 “ 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. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
John 4:13-14 “ Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Psalm 145:19-20 “He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.”
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 10:9-10 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
I pray that you believe and are filled with His joy and peace!
Linda
In this Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Alex hit upon the most foundational concepts in scripture. They are a good reminder that it is all God and not us when we consider our salvation and the eternity God has planned for us!!
What would motivate God to rescue us from the pit of sin in which we are mired? I love the image the psalmist gives us in Psalm 40:2 “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” God did this for me and you but why? John 3:16 gives us the answer- because He loved us so much. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He loved us that much that he would send His son to die in our place taking the penalty of our sins upon himself. The ultimate sacrifice is to die in someone else’s place. That is what Jesus did for us so that we could be reconciled to God. Without the cleansing blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, we would not be clean and without Jesus’ resurrection we would be dead in our sins. How can we ever thank Jesus enough?? All of this comes from God, NOT us. We can’t earn His favor by doing lots of good deeds, or being very successful. Nothing can buy our redemption. Everything we do is still unclean and not pure and holy. Without the renewal in Jesus, we can get nowhere. Pastor Alex labeled this a restart and that is exactly what it is for each of us when we accept the gift of salvation from Jesus though faith. Romans 6:23 put it this way, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Without Jesus and our faith in Him, we are dead in sin. Thank you Jesus.
What is grace? God’s grace is His mercy towards us by not giving us what we deserve- death for our sins. His grace is the undeserved favor of our God towards us. I love Ephesians 2:8-9. “ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The state of grace in which we find ourselves in when we step out if faith trusting Jesus for our salvation is all His doing. We do not deserve and favor but He gives it anyway when we trust in Him! Titus 3:5 explains the how we are saved, “ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”
Now to the hard part of today’s message. Jesus is the only way to God. If someone tries to tell you, “Oh, there are many ways to God.” You need to stand on the foundation of His Word and say, gently, that they are wrong. Acts 4:12 is very plain, “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.”
In addition to Acts 4:12, here are some wonderful scriptures that Jesus gave so us we would have NO doubt that He is the way to God.
John 14:6 “ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Romans 10:9-10 “ 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. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
John 4:13-14 “ Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Psalm 145:19-20 “He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.”
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 10:9-10 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
I pray that you believe and are filled with His joy and peace!
Linda
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Linda is a member of Crossroads church and regularly blogs about her faith.
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Discovering God is a fresh look at how God is moving in our lives. Rooted in the Crossroads Church community, we reflect on sermons, share stories, and explore everyday moments where God invites us to grow. Join us as we take steps toward Him together. Learn more at www.wearecrossroads.church.
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