The Simple Gospel Plan of Salvation

What Must I Do To Be Saved?
The Simple Gospel Plan of Salvation
 
Hear the truth                                       —  Romans 10:17
Believe the truth                                   —  Hebrews 11:6
Repent of sins                                     —  Luke 13:3
Confess faith in Jesus                          —  Romans 10:10
Be baptized for the remission of sins    —  Acts 2:38
Live & serve faithfully                           — Revelation 2:10
 

Dr. John Goetsch

Dr. John Goetsch had spoken at a youth rally in Norfolk, Virginia and was
ready to fly home. A youth minister drove him to the airport in Norfolk to
catch his flight which would include a stop in Philadelphia and then on to
Baltimore.

Goetsch told of his experience: "When I arrived, there were no lines at the
ticket counter, whatsoever. I proceeded to the kiosk where I checked in
without a problem, and then I headed for Gate A-11. The terminal was
amazingly desolate. I breezed through security in about fifteen seconds!
Gate A-11 was at the end of the terminal, and when I arrived, the flight was
scheduled to leave in about forty minutes at 7:50 pm, but there was not a
soul in sight! After checking my emails and phone messages, I made my way
back down the terminal to see if I could find someone - anyone.

At about Gate A-6, I spotted a US Airways agent and asked her about my
flight. She quickly checked the computer and said, 'Oh, yes, that flight is
on time, and you are checked-in and ready to go.' I made my way back to the
gate and was pleased to see that another passenger had arrived - a
college-aged young lady, who smiled and said: 'It doesn't look like many
people are going to Philadelphia.' I jokingly remarked, 'Well, I just
checked, and they said that you were flying the plane and I'm serving the
peanuts.'

An agent appeared about ten minutes before our flight was to leave and
called us to the gate - both of us! We were the only two passengers on a
plane that easily could seat over one hundred people.

We climbed the stairs to the plane and were met by a very friendly
stewardess and our pilot and co-pilot.

We were informed that our pilot and co-pilot together had over forty years
of flying experience, and our flight attendant had been doing her job for
over ten years. It was amazing to realize that these three people had been
trained and were being paid to fly just the two of us to our destination.

During that one hour night flight, my heart was saddened as I thought about
what we were experiencing. Many people were involved in making that flight
possible. The pilots, the flight attendant, the air traffic controllers,
the baggage handlers, the ticket agents, the crews that had fueled the plane
and did the maintenance - hundreds of hours of preparation all for just two
people!" *

Then Goetsch thought about this application: "My mind thought about Heaven
and all of the preparation that has gone into making that destination
possible."

That preparation included a plan that preceded the creation of the universe
(1 Peter 1:18-20), God sending His Son into the world (John 3:16), the cruel
death of Jesus on the cross (1 Peter 2:24), the resurrection of Jesus from
the grave (Matthew 28), the inspiration and preservation of God's message of
salvation in the Bible (Galatians 1:11-12), the institution of the local
church to proclaim the message (Acts 2ff), and preachers and teachers
faithfully proclaiming the message (Romans 1:16). In addition, the Lord
Jesus ascended back into Heaven saying, "I go to prepare a place for you"
(John 14:1-3).

Goetsch pondered: "I wondered how many people have a ticket and are
checked-in to that destination?"

Are YOU onboard?

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Please "get on board" by trusting and obeying Jesus. He is the way to life
eternal in heaven (John 14:6).

-- David A. Sargent

* Adapted from "Empty Seats" by Dr. John Goetsch as quoted in Ministry 127,
https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/empty-seats

Who Is First?

Who Is First?

In her book My Memories of We, Mamie Eisenhower revealed some of the reasons
why General Dwight D. Eisenhower was such a great leader. He was able to
inspire others to serve and sacrifice because of his deep love and loyalty
to his country. Mrs. Eisenhower said, "I learned early in our married life
about his single-minded devotion to America."

At their first home - a small apartment near Fort Sam Houston in San
Antonio, Texas - young Eisenhower kept his gear packed at all times. He was
ready to go anywhere when called upon to do so. After they had been married
only a month or so, Ike was given a new assignment that would take him away
from home. He came in and announced to Mamie that he must leave her for
awhile. She said to him, "Ike, you are not going to leave me this soon
after our wedding day, are you?"

Ike put his arms around his young bride and said, "Mamie, there is one thing
you must understand. My country comes first and always will. You come
second."

Mamie Eisenhower was shocked! She was a nineteen-year-old bride who had
been married only one month and now she had just heard the sobering words,
"You come second." *

We may disagree with his priorities, but Eisenhower was right in the fact
that we must determine who or what is going to be first in our lives.

In order for our lives to be lived the way God intends, Jesus says we must
put Him first. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things [the necessities of life] shall be added to you" (Matthew
6:33). An expert in the Law of Moses once asked Jesus, "Teacher, which is
the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the
LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
mind.' This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:34-38).

First things first. That's a statement of priority, and it's the way that
we live life properly - if we put GOD first.

Jesus showed us the way. He said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to
do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38). Following the
will of God took Him to the cross where He died for the sins of the world,
including yours and mine (Philippians 2:5-8). He did this to pay the price
for the redemption of our sins (Ephesians 1:7).

God will save and give eternal life to those who put Him first by placing
their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from their sins in
repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10),
and being baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts
2:38). He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in
the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

Let's "get it right." Let's live life the way God intended. Put God first
and follow Him faithfully. Won't YOU?

-- David A. Sargent

* As quoted by Rick Lance in "Discipleship: Following in His Footsteps,"
www.preaching.com.

Guilty, But Forgiven

Guilty, But Forgiven

On the morning of December 2, 2011, Gerrard Machin left his home in
Bournemouth, England, to take a walk to purchase the morning newspaper. His
wife, Patricia, grew concerned when he was gone for an extended period of
time and went to look for him. As she traced the steps that her husband
would have taken, she saw a young man standing with a policeman next to an
ambulance. She thought, "Oh my goodness maybe Gerrard has witnessed an
accident." But then she saw Gerrard's familiar blue bag containing his
newspapers leaning against a wall. She knew it was her husband that needed
the ambulance.

The young man that stood with the policeman, Brian Williamson, was extremely
troubled. He was driving his car around a corner when he accidentally
struck Gerrard who was crossing the street. Informed of what had happened
and still in terrible shock, Patricia stood with Williamson, trying to
comfort him in her arms, as the ambulance took her husband to the hospital.

Nine weeks later, Gerrard Machin died due to the injuries sustained in the
accident.

Williamson was tried in Bournemouth Crown Court. He was found guilty of
causing the death of Gerrard by careless driving. Speaking after the guilty
verdict, Williamson said that not a day went by when he did not think about
the crash, adding: "My heart and thoughts go out to Mr. Machin's family."
He added that as difficult as it had been for him, it had to be "10 times
worse for [Machin's] family." Following the hearing, Williamson sobbed in
sorrow.

Before Williamson's sentencing, he was given a letter that Patricia Machin
had written to him. It was a letter of forgiveness. Patricia wrote:

"Dear Brian. Today is a very important day and I will be in court to
support you. On the day of the accident, however bad it was for me, I
realize it was 1,000 times worse for you. Neither Gerrard, if he was here,
nor I feel any sense of condemnation towards you. Will you make me a
promise; that you will get on with your young life, knowing that you will
always be supported by my prayers?"

Patricia told the Daily Echo in 2013, "I don't feel any ill thoughts or
grudges towards Brian, not for a single moment, and I know Gerrard wouldn't
either. It was the worst day of my life and, no doubt, the worst day of
Brian's life as well. I've only ever felt sorry for him because who hasn't
made a mistake when driving? I've had to get on with my life and I hope he
can now do the same."

Before sentencing Williamson to a three-month prison sentence suspended for
12 months, Judge Wiggs told him: "I read the extremely moving letter from
Mrs. Machin. You are very fortunate to have been forgiven. There is no
doubt that what happened on that day was a tragedy for everyone, including
you. Nevertheless you were responsible." *

Yet Brian Williamson will always know that the wife of the man that he
accidentally killed has forgiven him.

You and I are responsible for the death of the Son of God. It was for our
sins, not His own, that Jesus died on the cross. Yet He died on the cross
so that we can be forgiven of our sins and receive the gift of eternal life.
"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring you to God" (1 Peter 3:18).

God will forgive and give eternal life to those who place their faith and
trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

It's not "good fortune" to know that we can be forgiven by God. It's called
"GRACE." You can receive it, if you'll only accept it through your trusting
obedience.

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "It was 1,000 times worse for you: widow's
astonishing words to driver who killed her husband" in the Daily Echo (18
February 2013) of Bournemouth, England, www.bournemouthecho.co.uk.

The Other Side

The Other Side

Cecil May, Jr. recently wrote about a conversation that his son, Cecil III,
had with his mother when he was a child:

"Cecil 3, now a preacher with his own grandchildren, when he was still
pre-school, before seatbelts and car seats, he was lying in the back of the
car, looking up through the back windshield at the sky, blue with cumulus
clouds. He asked his mom who was driving, 'When I die, will I go to
heaven?'

She answered, 'Well, Cecil, I certainly expect you to.'

Cecil said, 'The underside of heaven is so pretty; the other side, where God
is, must be really beautiful. I think I will lie down in the street in the
front of our house so I can get run over and go to heaven!'

His mother watched him especially closely for several weeks after that
conversation." *

Unbelievers scoff at the doctrine of heaven saying it is a vain hope for
some "pie in the sky." Dictionary.com says that the idiomatic phrase, "pie
in the sky," refers to "an empty wish or promise, as in His dream of being
hired as a sports editor proved to be pie in the sky. This expression was
first recorded in 1911 in a rallying song of a union, the International
Workers of the World (or "Wobblies"): 'Work and pray, live on hay, you'll
get pie in the sky when you die.'"

But believers do not view heaven as some wishful "pie in the sky" but as
something to actually look forward to "in the sweet by and by" (in the words
of the hymn by Sanford Fillmore Bennett).

Upon what basis is the hope for heaven founded? God promised it. There are
many evidences that the Word of God, the Bible, is divine in origin.
Considering those evidences, many have come to accept that "All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
Believers conclude: the Bible is from God and it can be trusted. God can be
trusted.

God's Son said to His troubled disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled;
you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many
mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John
14:1-3).

God promised heaven to those who will accept His offer of salvation and
eternal life. And our hearts yearn for heaven. We look at the trials of
this life and say, "There must be something better than this." God says,
"There is. It is a place where I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
There shall be no death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more
pain" (Revelation 21:4). That, my friends, gives us hope for tomorrow and
strength for today.

God gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that, one day, we
can go to heaven (John 3:16).

God will save from sin and give eternal life in heaven to those who place
their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in
repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and
are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
He will continue to cleanse from sin and make ready for heaven those who
continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

No, don't lie in the middle of the street so you can get run over to try to
get there more quickly. But do consider "how beautiful heaven must be" and
the price that God paid to make it possible for us. Live your life in view
of heaven, by trusting and obeying Jesus.

God says there is something for which to look forward. I believe God.
Won't you?

-- David A. Sargent

* from "Beautiful Heaven" by Cecil May, Jr. in Preacher Talk (Vol. 36, No.
1; Winter, 2020), a publication produced by Faulkner University in
Montgomery, AL

David A. Sargent, Minister

Donald Grey Barnhouse

What Do You Hear?

Donald Grey Barnhouse once wrote: "Some years ago, musicians noted that
errand boys in a certain part of London all whistled out of tune as they
went about their work. It was talked about and someone suggested that it
was because the bells of Westminster were slightly out of tune. Something
had gone wrong with the chimes and they were discordant. The boys did not
know there was anything wrong with the peals, and quite unconsciously they
had copied their pitch." *

Barnhouse made this application: "So we tend to copy the people with whom we
associate; we borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to
which we listen, almost without knowing it."

The Apostle Paul admonished, "Do not be conformed to this world" (Romans
12:1). "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world" (NIV). The
New Century Version states, "Do not be shaped by this world." Using
Barnhouse's analogy above, the truth of Romans 12:1 could be stated, "Don't
listen to the wrong music because it will make your life out of tune."

Now consider the rest of Romans 12:1 - "Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

The best way to have our minds transformed is by filling them with the Word
of God. The Psalmist said, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I
might not sin against You!" (Psalm 119:11).

Barnhouse added: "God has given us His Word which is the absolute pitch of
life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the
false in all of the music of the world." And, we will know what is true!

The Truth is: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans
3:23). We listen to the wrong people, conform to the wrong ideals, make bad
decisions, and we sin against God. We are heading down the wrong road
(Matthew 7:13-14).

The Truth Is: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16
ESV). God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith
and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized into
Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will continue to cleanse
from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

The world will lead you astray and ultimately to destruction (Matthew
7:13-14). But God's Word is true and it will lead you to eternal life.

To whom or what are you listening? "Therefore consider carefully how you
listen" (Luke 8:18).

-- David A. Sargent

* From illustrations about worldliness in www.sermonillustrations.com

Constants in a Changing World

Constants in a Changing World

"The only constant in life is change." - Heraclitus, ancient Greek
philosopher

Who could have ever imagined the changes that COVID-19 and the pandemic have
brought into our lives? One wonders what additional changes lay ahead.

Living in a constant state of change, it is good to be reminded of some
things that do not change.

God is still God. "For I am the LORD, I do not change" (Malachi 3:6). The
psalmist praised God saying: "Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will
endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will
change them, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years
will have no end" (Psalm 102:25-27). God is still God and is infinite in
all of His attributes such as holiness, omnipotence, omniscience,
omnipresence, and love.

Sin is still the world's greatest problem. COVID-19 is a terrible problem
in the world today, but it is not the greatest problem. Sin is the greatest
problem because it separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and dooms one to
eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

The Gospel still saves. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for
it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew
first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). The Gospel ("good news") is
that although every person has sinned and falls short of the glory of God
(Romans 3:23), God loves each and every one of us and wants to save us from
sin (1 Timothy 2:4). He loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son
to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

God will save those who obey the Gospel by placing their faith and trust in
Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31),
confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and by being baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Heaven awaits the faithful child of God. An eternity in heaven where "God
will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor
sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have
passed away" (Revelation 21:4), is God's promised inheritance to His
faithful children (Romans 8:15-18). Please remember: earth is not heaven,
so we cannot expect heaven on earth. Christians, however, can look forward
to "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away,
reserved in heaven for" them (1 Peter 1:3-4).

In a world that is ever-changing, it's good to hang on to those things that
do not change. God invites each of us to cling to Him and trust His
promises. What God has promised, He is able to perform (Romans 4:20-21).

Won't YOU cling to the Rock which shall not be moved through your trusting
obedience?

-- David A. Sargent