Sermon Cloud

The Road to Salvation
    Acts 9:1-19
    FCOCLH – 8/23/09

1.    Walking the Wrong Road
    a.    He was an enemy of God
        i.    Three verses
            (1)    Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. (9:1)
            (2)    “I hurt the persecuted the followers of the Way of Jesus (22:4)
            (3)    I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth (26:9)
        ii.    This is sin
            (1)    We talked about it a little bit last week.
                (a)    Missing the mark
                (b)    breaking the law
            (2)    It makes us an enemy of God – not in the graphic way Saul was, but in a nonetheless real way
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. --Colossians 1:21

the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. --Romans 8:7
    b.    What does it mean to be an enemy of God
        i.    We are unable to please God – an enemy, be definition desires the demise of the other. (Trojan Horse)
        ii.    Our natural inclinations are opposed to God
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
--John 1:5

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
--John 3:20

        iii.    We lean on human authority
This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.   --Jeremiah 17:5
2.    Experiencing Healthy Humiliation
    a.    Paul
        i.    Knocked off his horse
        ii.    Blind
        iii.    Led into the town where he was going in as a man of authority.
        iv.    Stayed in the house of a stranger
        v.    Fasted & prayed
    b.    Pride will keep you from the Lord & salvation.
        i.    Pride will keep you from accepting grace
            (1)    grace is free pride demands we pay for what we receive
            (2)    salvation means we are helpless
            (3)    it is difficult to stand in front of others and say, I cannot do it on my own.
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." --James 4:6
            (4)    Pride will keep us from growing in Christ
                (a)    We pretend we have achieved what we have not. We have to admit our failings before we can overcome them.
                (b)    We convince ourselves that we need God for salvation, but not for growth.
                (c)    Confession of sin must be an ongoing part of our Christian life.
            (5)    We have got to embrace humility to come to Christ and to grow in Christ.
But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the LORD's wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah. --2 Chronicles 32:25-26
3.    Entering the right road
    a.    Believe – Paul obviously believed.
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." --John 8:24
        i.    His belief may have changed from Damascus road to the time Annanias taught him
        ii.    Our belief grows
    b.    Repent – what do you want me to do, Lord?
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  --Acts 17:30
    c.    Profess – Paul spent his life professing.  We don’t have a record of it here.
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.  --Matthew 10:32-33
    d.    Be baptized – He got up and was baptized. “So what are you waiting for?  Get up and call on his name.  Be baptized.  Have your sins washed away.” (22:16)
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  --Galatians 3:27

On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. – Acts 19:5

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? – Romans 6:3

    e.    There is not other verb in the NT used with those prepositional phrases.
4.    Now is your opportunity.
    a.    Which road are you on
    b.    Is pride keeping you from turning
    c.    Are you willing to or have you
        i.    Believe
        ii.    Profess that belief
        iii.    Repent of pride and sin
        iv.    Be baptized