Larry Siegle · Psalm 119:27, 27
Link to sermon video: God Teaches us to Live – L Siegle
SALVATION SERIES IV
“God Teaches US to Live”
(Psalm 119:27, 27)
Series: SALVATION SERIES
Thesis: There is ONE Lord, ONE Faith, ONE Baptism, ONE God.
INTRODUCTION
1. We are continuing a series of messages that explores the PRACTICAL of the meaning of our salvation and relationship with God in our everyday lives.
2. The title of the series is THE SALVATION SERIES
3. The title of our message today is: “God TEACHES Us to Live”
ARE FAITH AND WORKS MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE PROPOSITIONS?
1. Any discussion and understanding of salvation eventually comes to the question of faith and works.
2. There are some who leave the impression that faith and works are mutually exclusive propositions.
a. Anyone who carefully examines the nature and definition of faith understands that it is a verb (faith is an active element)—(John 3:16) “whoever believes in Him” (present-active participle)—believes and keeps on believing.
b. The issue for Israel in the OT was that of active loyalty to God (Exod. 20:1-6)—Their loyalty to God was to be demonstrated through their service to Him (an active relationship). Their trust in God’s sovereignty was to be
demonstrated by their life and their actions. (Eph. 2:8-10).
3. Believers in the first century were faced with a choice of “Lordship” (Caesar is Lord or Jesus is Lord) (Luke 6:46-49).
a. To choose Jesus as Messiah (in the first century) came with a cost (loss of friends, family, ability to work, being seen as “dead” and as an outcast)—How would we respond today if we were faced with the same consequences
when becoming a child of God? (In the world today some believers face these same serious consequences).
1) In some Muslim-majority countries, converting from Islam to Christianity can lead to legal repercussions, including imprisonment or even the death penalty. Social consequences can also be severe, including
ostracism from family and community, loss of employment, and threats to personal safety.
2) In Saudi Arabia public Christians worship is prohibited, buildings cannot be built and even private gatherings can lead to arrest. Having a Christian symbol (such as a cross or a Bible) is forbidden.
4. Israel had abandoned their loyalty to God (Isa 59:1-15) is a description of what disloyalty looked like through the actions of God’s people and their having forsaken their love and devotion for Him.
a. There are 24 areas of sinfulness described for Israel in this chapter.
SALVATION (DELIVERANCE) CANNOT BE SEEN AS SOMETHING EARNED BY A SERIES OF “GOOD WORKS”
1. Salvation is “by grace” “through faith” – it is genuine faith that places us in the position of where God’s “grace” is activated.
a. Genuine “believers” (faith-ers) enter “into Christ” and the result is that we are “clothed” with Christ (We are “in Him”).
1) The phrase “in Christ” is found 87 times in the NT.
2) The phrase “in Him” is found 92 times in the NT.
b. This is the position of where a genuine believer “stands”—lives, moves, and have our being (Acts 17:28).
2. Christ is the source of God’s grace toward us that empowers us to live the quality of life (victorious life) that He has prepared for those who love Him (Titus 2:11-15; 3:4-8).
a. These verses inform us that God has a purpose for the directionality of our lives each day—that we might become a “blessing” to others.
b. Entering “into Christ” by faith (Gal. 3:26, 27) equips us as we “clothe ourselves” with His nature, love, and righteousness.
c. The inward work of God in our hearts, prepares us to become “outward facing” in becoming a blessing to people out in the world.
3. Genuine faith is demonstrated by works (actions) that demonstrate the genuineness of who God has created us to be and to become.
THE DEMONSTRATION OF SANCTIFICATION
1. Sanctification is one of the most profound and transformative aspects of Christian theology—it’s not just a doctrine, it’s a dynamic journey. At its core, the purpose of sanctification is to conform believers to the image of Christ, both in
character and conduct, through the ongoing transformative work of God in our daily lives.
2. There is a spiritual identity and purpose—being set apart for God (John 17:17-19)—Jesus was ‘set apart’ and thus believers are also to be ‘set apart’
3. God wants each of us to become a reflection of His character (I Pet. 1:13-16).—Today we stand in the fullness of their Expectations—to become vessels of honor for God (II Tim. 2:20-26)
SALVATION IN THREE PARTS
1. God designed the process of salvation into three interconnected parts:
a. Justification—by grace, through faith, declares us righteous.
1) This is the answer of God to the demands of “the law” that could never provide justification (Gal 2:16-21)
b. Sanctification—God has ‘set apart’ those who are believers to demonstrate what it means to be a Christian.
1) This is the answer of God to “the sin” as determined by Adam that brought into the world separation from God (Rom. 5:12).
c. Glorification—God brings us to enter into covenant relationship with Him (Rom. 6:3-5) and to “walk in newness of life”
1) This is the answer of God to “the death” that entered into the world through God—a resurrection from being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1ff).
2. What Christ accomplished through the “death of the cross” (Phil 2:8) was to reverse the effects of what had taken place in the Garden of Eden.
LOVE AND GOOD WORKS
1. Genuine faith and the works that follow are not mutually exclusive because our attitudes and actions testify to the genuineness of our relationship with God (James 2:14-26).
2. Is it possible to have genuine love for someone without showing/demonstrating that love by what we say and do?
3. Likewise with faith, it is by our attitudes and actions that are we showing/demonstrating the faith we claim to profess.
a. It becomes evident by what we think and what we feed into our minds.
b. It becomes evident by how we speak to others, the words we choose.
c. It becomes evident in the most intimate relationships we have with one another (husbands/wives, parents/children, employers/employees)—there are no areas of our lives that are exempt.
d. It becomes evident in our attitudes of various aspects of morality and if our views are in line with what God says in His word.
e. It becomes evident in how we conduct ourselves a citizens living in our country, giving honor to whom honor is due, praying for our leaders (whether they belong to one political party or another).
f. It becomes evident in what we say to others outside of the congregation, people who do not know the Lord, are they able to see something in our lives that would draw them into the desire to become children of God?
CONCLUSION
1. God is at work in the innermost parts of our being…shaping our thoughts words and actions.
2. Do you need to obey the gospel of Christ today?
3. Do you need th prayers of the congregation?
Outline (Word document): SALVATION_SERIES_IV.docx