WHEN IS A PERSON SAVED?

Part 5

I am not interested in knowing the time, the day and hour, of your conversion or mine. That is not important. I am not interested in knowing the place where God's saving grace found you. That is of no significance. But it is important that we understand when a person is saved in this sense - WE MUST KNOW THOSE CONDITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH ALWAYS ACCOMPANY TRUE SALVATION. Of these things I am sure - A person is saved when it pleases God to save him. A person is saved when he bows to the authority and sovereign dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ. A person is saved when he justifies God in his own eternal condemnation. A person is saved when he sees the glory of God in the crucified Christ.

AND A PERSON IS SAVED WHEN HE SAVINGLY LOOKS TO CHRIST BY FAITH. This is what our Lord declares. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

My friends, THIS IS GOD'S REMEDY FOR SIN - LOOK TO CHPIST AND BE SAVED! If you will but look to Christ in true faith, you will not perish, you will have life eternal, you will be saved.

What does it mean to took to Christ? To look to Christ is to acknowledge my sin, and guilt, and my need of a Savior. To look to Christ is to acknowledge him as Lord, the only one who can save. To look to Christ is to trust him, to rest my soul upon the merits of his righteousness and shed blood.

What must I look to Christ to obtain? I look to Christ for pardon. I look to Christ for righteousness. I look to Christ for redemption. I look to Christ for faith. I look to Christ for strength. I look to Christ for acceptance with God. I look to Christ for sanctification. I look to Christ for everything my soul needs. He is all my salvation and all my desire.

Do I, as a guilty sinner, have any encouragement to look to Christ? Indeed, there are many things to encourage sinners to look to Christ and be saved. He invites, and even commands, us to look to him. He promises salvation to all who look to him. If we refuse to look, we will surely die in our sins. Many around us, as vile, loathsome, and guilty as we are, have looked and been saved. Why, then, should we perish?

When is the best time to took to Christ? "Today, if ye will bear his voice, harden not your heart." We must look to Christ right now! We must look to him right now, and we must look to him always, throughout our pilgrimage here. And we shall look to him for ever. The glory of heaven is this - We shalt see his face! Salvation begins with a look - "Look unto me.” Salvation is maintained by a look - "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” And salvation ends in a look "They shall see his face.” Will you look to Christ? If you do, salvation is yours, yours completely, and yours forever! God help you, now, to look to Christ!

A PERSON IS SAVED WHEN, WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF DIVINE REVELATION, HE RECEIVES AND CONFESSES JESUS CHRIST TO BE HIS LORD AND SAVIOR. "To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Secret disciples are always suspect disciples. All who trust Christ must, and shall confess him. They publicly identify themselves with Christ and his people. As God's servant, with the authority of God himself, I bid you to come to Christ today. Look to him now. God help you to look. Salvation is to be had by looking to Christ, only by looking to Christ. Oh, may God give you grace to Look unto him and be saved!

AMEN.

Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For Today Radio Message #640

2734 Old Stanford Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net