Salvation is defined as deliverance or rescue, and its necessity, provision, condition, assurance, scope, and results are explored. The sermon uses the story of Roger Woodward, who survived a plunge over Niagara Falls and later accepted Christ, to illustrate these points: his need for salvation, his inability to save himself, and the provision made for him through Christ. Salvation requires repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, with assurance found in God's Word. The teaching concludes by explaining salvation's threefold aspect: past redemption from sin's penalty, present deliverance from sin's power, and future rescue from sin's presence.
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Welcome to the Emmaus Bible Hour. This is a program for you and your family. A time to open the Bible and see what God has to say to us through His Word. Greetings. It's once again our joy to be together for another study in this course of what the Bible teaches.
Today's session brings us to lesson number eight. This lesson deals with the vital subject of salvation. You have your Bible with you and you have your manual as well, I'm sure. And perhaps it's open right now to page twenty-six. And this lesson on salvation runs through page thirty. of our manual, What the Bible teaches. I'm taking it for granted that you're keeping up on your exams, that you've already finished exam three. And then with what we have before us today, we'll prepare us for correct answers to exam four. Alright, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Acts.
We'll look together at verse twenty-six of chapter thirteen. As I've said, Lesson number eight concerns salvation. And we have a word here that I think is very appropriate. Acts thirteen twenty six. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. Notice the words this salvation. Now if you have already scanned over lesson eight, you will have been impressed by the fact that It's comprehensive. It not only deals with a vital subject, but it's all-embrasive, I think.
It falls into seven divisions. First of all, we have the definition of salvation. Then its necessity, its provision, its condition, its assurance, its scope, and finally a glance at the results of salvation. I've been noticing the generous sprinkling of Scripture texts throughout this lesson. You'll see them on page twenty-seven. In fact, all through the lesson there are many, many references given. Now these references should be looked up and memorized if possible. All right. Unto you is the word of this salvation sent.
On the ninth of July, a young lad by the name of Roger Woodward was acclaimed as the only person in history to survive a plunge over the Niagara Falls. You may remember the incident. It was a stirring story. On that particular afternoon, young Roger and a friend had been boating some distance above the falls when their motor stalled. Well, they tried to row the boat, but a wave capsized and and over they went into the water. The friend vanished, but Roger was wearing a life-jacket. And in a few moments he was flung over the lip of the falls, and he plunged one hundred sixty-two feet over the precipice into the whirling maelstrom below.
Well, providentially the tourist boat made of the mist was near the bottom of the falls. The captain noticed a bobbing object in the water. And then he heard a faint cry above all the roar of the falls, a faint cry for help. A life ring was thrown toward the boy, and he grasped it and was pulled to safety. And, you know, the whole incident was acclaimed a miracle. But that's not the end of the story. About a year later, another miracle took place in the life of Roger Woodward. He was vacationing at a Bible camp in New York. when he heard the gospel of God's salvation. Realizing that his soul was drifting to a lost eternity, that young fellow appropriated God's salvation by receiving Christ as his personal Savior.
You know, in giving his testimony, Roger said something that was really worthwhile. He gave his testimony and he said, I guess the Lord saved me the first time so that I could be saved the second time. Well said, Roger. And you know, friends, Although Roger's second experience, I said his second experience, did not make headlines as did his first experience, yet the basic facts were the same. As a matter of fact, his second salvation was a greater miracle than his first. Now in our lesson today we are considering not only the definition of salvation, which is simply deliverance or, if you like, rescue.
but also the need for salvation. And then the provision that God has made. That's section three and section four, the condition of salvation. I think that these three points are clearly illustrated in Roger Woodward's experience, don't you? For number one, he needed to be saved. That was very obvious. And then secondly, he could not save himself. And thirdly, provision was made for his salvation, and he laid hold of it. Of course, many people today don't realize their need. And those of us who are Christians and Christian workers should lay to heart the Scriptures that are indicated under Section II, under the Necessity for Salvation.
These are Scriptures such as Romans five, twelve, Romans six, sixteen, Romans eight, verses five to eight, and so on. We should read these scriptures and tuck them away in our memory, for after all there's no use trying to lead folks to a knowledge of God's salvation if they are unaware of their lost condition and their need. Someone has said that sinners are as plentious as cobblestones, but lost sinners are as rare as diamonds. Isn't that true? Most people are unaware of their need for salvation, and we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will use us in the quotation of these scriptures, to bring to their consciousness their lost condition.
Then again, going back to our illustration, this young fellow could not save himself. Some people know that they are not right with God, but they think that it lies within their ability to make themselves acceptable to God. Well, they need to be taught that God hates sin, and that man is without strength. and that Romans five-eight means what it says when it declares, when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. That means, of course, that we have no ability whatsoever to effect our own eternal rescue. But then returning again to our illustration, a provision was made for that boy's rescue.
A life-ring was tossed to him. God has provided for our salvation. We have been already seeing our studies, and which we already noticed under Section III, on page twenty-seven. Christ came to be the Savior of sinners. Matthew one twenty-one. Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And then the condition, man must repent. He must realize his guilt. He must change his attitude toward sin and toward God and toward Christ. Repentance is really self-judgment, turning away from oneself, acknowledging to the doctor that the doctor's diagnosis of the disease is absolutely correct, that the x-ray plates declare and reveal that cancerous tumor that will lead eventually to death, unless steps are taken for its removal.
Repentance then is acknowledging the rightness of the sentence. And then he must believe the gospel and accept the Lord Jesus Christ by a definite act of his will as his own personal Savior, acknowledging him to be Supreme Lord. In other words, the provision has been made by God in Christ. That's the life ring. That's the lifeline. But faith lays hold on that. The hand of faith on the part of the sinner lays hold on the provision that God has made in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then assurance of salvation comes from the Word of God.
Now here's an array of texts at the top of page twenty nine dealing with the assurance of salvation. Acts thirteen thirty eight. Does that mean anything to you without turning to your New Testament? Can you quote it? Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren. that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. What about First John, two-twelve, and Ephesians, two-eight, and so on? These are scriptures that provide clear assurance to the soul that has laid hold on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture is very emphatic on this. God has pledged Himself to save to the uttermost with an eternal salvation all who are relying entirely upon His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. But then we learn that salvation has a threefold aspect. Under Section six we learn that salvation has a view to the past, the present, and the future. It's been often put like this. We are saved from sins penalty by the death of Christ. We are being saved from sin's power by the life of Christ on the throne. And we shall be saved from sin's presence at the second coming of Christ when our bodies will be redeemed.
You see, His work on the cross took care of the redemption of our souls. His coming again will take care of the redemption of our bodies. Romans eight makes it very clear that our bodies are not yet redeemed. when the Lord Jesus returns the effects of his work on the cross will be communicated to these bodies of ours. And when he comes again he will take these vile bodies and fashion them like his own. He will bid the whole creation smile and hush, hush its groan. And so we see that the salvation that is ours the mighty Savior takes care of the past, the present, and the future.
Of course, so far as present salvation is concerned, that means the breaking of the grip of sin and the removal of sin's habits, salvation from a gossiping tongue, salvation from an evil temper, salvation from an inconsistent life, and so on. These are ours through the intercessions of our Lord Jesus and by our obedience to the Word of God. And then the results of salvation, page thirty. They're listed here in a wondrous bouquet of blessing. We will look them up and better still, let's enjoy them in our present experience. May God bless you then as you do exam number four.
My Father is omnipotent, and that you can't deny. The God of light and miracles is written in the sky. He is true. to put that child in place.
He took the miracle to hand the word in place. But when he saved my soul, sent and made me home, he took the miracle of life. and way Thank you. Thank you.