This is the fourth sermon in a series of messages designed to enlarge our concepts of what God has provided for us in and through Jesus Christ. He came to do something more than give us a ticket to heaven.
We truly have a great salvation. Consequently, we should understand the amazing fullness of the salvation that God gives us through faith in Jesus and cooperation with the Holy Spirit as he works within us.
Salvation in the past includes our conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit that leads us to trust Jesus Christ and turn from sin. The Holy Spirit effected the miracle of the new birth, and we were justified in God’s sight by our faith in Jesus Christ. That is the first phase of our salvation. For those of us who are Christians, this is salvation in the past tense.
Salvation in the present tense began at the moment of our conversion and will continue until our death or the Lord’s return, whichever is first. Salvation in the present is a process in which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and reveals to us and through us the nature and character of a true follower of Christ.
If you disregard any phase of this great salvation, your spiritual life will be impoverished. If you fail to appreciate what God has done for you in the past, you will live in uncertainty in the present and with much anxiety concerning the future. Today we want to focus on our great salvation in the future.
For an audio recording of this sermon click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.
Text:
Romans 13:11-12 NLT This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
Introduction
We truly have a great salvation. Consequently, we should understand the amazing fullness of the salvation that God gives us through faith in Jesus and cooperation with the Holy Spirit as he works within us.
The Holy Spirit led the New Testament writers to relate salvation in a variety of ways. It is described in terms of justification
Romans 5:1 ESV Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:9 ESV Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
It has also been described in terms of regeneration.
Titus 3:4-7 ESV But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
As I’ve said before justification and regeneration occurred at conversion and are salvation in the past tense.
The New Testament portrays salvation in the present tense as a process that started with our conversion and continues from day to day. God is at work in us to deliver us from the sin that surrounds us. This is not only salvation from the punishment of sin or the very presence of sin, it is also salvation from the power of sin.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
Romans 6:6 NLT We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
Romans 6:17-18 NLT Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.
This is the process of sanctification which is salvation in the present tense. Salvation in the present tense began at the moment of our conversion and will continue until our death or the Lord’s return, whichever is first. Salvation in the present is a process in which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and reveals to us and through us the nature and character of a true follower of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We talked about salvation in the present tense two weeks ago.
If you disregard any phase of this great salvation, your spiritual life will be impoverished. If you fail to appreciate what God has done for you in the past, you will live in uncertainty in the present and with much anxiety concerning the future.
Today we want to focus on our great salvation in the future.
The Socialist Karl Marx criticized religion by declaring that “religion is the opiate, or the drug, of the people.” We have to admit that sometimes salvation in the future is overemphasized, resulting in the neglect of God’s will in the present. Others have thought of Jesus only as a funeral director who comes at the time of death to carry the soul into the presence of God.
Understanding what the New Testament teaches about salvation in the future can be a great source of comfort to those of us who are seniors and at the same time, it can be a thrilling challenge to young believers and disciples.
Matthew 6:19-21 ESV “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Understanding our great salvation in the future can help us discover what the ultimate values of life are and what the ultimate victory will be.
We truly have a great salvation. Consequently, we should understand the amazing fullness of the salvation that God gives us through faith in Jesus and cooperation with the Holy Spirit as he works within us.
Salvation in the past includes our conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit that leads us to trust Jesus Christ and turn from sin. The Holy Spirit effected the miracle of the new birth, and we were justified in God’s sight by our faith in Jesus Christ. That is the first phase of our salvation. For those of us who are Christians, this is salvation in the past tense.
Salvation in the present tense began at the moment of our conversion and will continue until our death or the Lord’s return, whichever is first. Salvation in the present is a process in which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and reveals to us and through us the nature and character of a true follower of Christ.
If you disregard any phase of this great salvation, your spiritual life will be impoverished. If you fail to appreciate what God has done for you in the past, you will live in uncertainty in the present and with much anxiety concerning the future. Today we want to focus on our great salvation in the future.
For an audio recording of this sermon click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.
Text:
Romans 13:11-12 NLT This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
Introduction
We truly have a great salvation. Consequently, we should understand the amazing fullness of the salvation that God gives us through faith in Jesus and cooperation with the Holy Spirit as he works within us.
The Holy Spirit led the New Testament writers to relate salvation in a variety of ways. It is described in terms of justification
Romans 5:1 ESV Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:9 ESV Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
It has also been described in terms of regeneration.
Titus 3:4-7 ESV But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
As I’ve said before justification and regeneration occurred at conversion and are salvation in the past tense.
The New Testament portrays salvation in the present tense as a process that started with our conversion and continues from day to day. God is at work in us to deliver us from the sin that surrounds us. This is not only salvation from the punishment of sin or the very presence of sin, it is also salvation from the power of sin.
We are no longer slaves to sin.
Romans 6:6 NLT We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
Romans 6:17-18 NLT Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.
This is the process of sanctification which is salvation in the present tense. Salvation in the present tense began at the moment of our conversion and will continue until our death or the Lord’s return, whichever is first. Salvation in the present is a process in which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and reveals to us and through us the nature and character of a true follower of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We talked about salvation in the present tense two weeks ago.
If you disregard any phase of this great salvation, your spiritual life will be impoverished. If you fail to appreciate what God has done for you in the past, you will live in uncertainty in the present and with much anxiety concerning the future.
Today we want to focus on our great salvation in the future.
The Socialist Karl Marx criticized religion by declaring that “religion is the opiate, or the drug, of the people.” We have to admit that sometimes salvation in the future is overemphasized, resulting in the neglect of God’s will in the present. Others have thought of Jesus only as a funeral director who comes at the time of death to carry the soul into the presence of God.
Understanding what the New Testament teaches about salvation in the future can be a great source of comfort to those of us who are seniors and at the same time, it can be a thrilling challenge to young believers and disciples.
- This knowledge about salvation, in the future,can help us in our struggle against evil.
- This information can support us during difficult times like the things we are dealing with today with Coronavirus and everything that is happening today because of it.
- This insight can strengthen us in our conflicts with others and the conflicts we have within
- This revelation of truth can serve as a reliable test for what we really value. Do we value material things which are temporary or do we value things that are eternal?
Matthew 6:19-21 ESV “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Understanding our great salvation in the future can help us discover what the ultimate values of life are and what the ultimate victory will be.
1. Understanding salvation in the future tense gives us a positive view concerning heaven.
We have a lot of questions about life beyond death and heaven. While the Bible does not give a detailed description of what we can expect, it does, however, provide some insight and understanding.
For one thing, God will be at the very center of everything.
Jesus told His disciples;
John 14:1-3 ESV “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Revelation 21:3 ESV And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Heaven is more than a residence. It is a relationship with God as he has revealed himself in his Son, Jesus Christ. Believers have often thought in terms of how wonderful heaven will be because they will be reunited with loved ones who have preceded them in death. As comforting as this thought is, our primary focus will be on God rather than on our loved ones.
- Do you love God in the present?
- Do you hunger for an abiding sense of his loving presence at this very moment?
- Do you love him with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength?
If so, heaven will be a wonderful place for you.
2. Things that will not be in heaven.
Heaven is and will be a wonderful place but there will be some things that heaven will not have.
A There will be no sin in heaven
Revelation 21:22-27 ESV And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Does sin in the present disturb you like a painful rock in your shoe as you walk the road of life? If so, rejoice because sin will be absent in heaven.
B. There will be no tears of sorrow in heaven
Revelation 21:4 ESV He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
The tears of sadness that we experience in the present are due to this fallen world including hardships that result from sin in our lives or in the lives of others, natural disasters, or pandemics. God will wipe away our tears not with a lace handkerchief but by removing the cause for those tears.
C. There will be no pain in heaven.
Revelation 21:4 ESV He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
We won’t need any doctors because sickness will be a thing of the past.
D. There will be no death in heaven.
Revelation 21:4 ESV He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
There will be no cemeteries in our heavenly home. Many people living today fear death, but for those who have trusted Christ, there will come a time when death will be no more.
1 Corinthians 15:50-55 ESV I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
E. There will be no churches in heaven.
Revelation 21:22 ESV And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
All of heaven will be a place of worship, and we will constantly be aware of God’s presence. Worship will be will never stop.
Revelation 19:1-2 ESV After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
F. There will be no night in heaven .
Revelation 21:23-25 ESV And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
Darkness conceals and often creates fear and uncertainty. In heaven we will enjoy the perfect security that comes from God’s loving presence.
G. There will be no limitations to goodness in heaven.
In heaven we will be like God, WE WILL NOT BE GOD, WE WILL BE LIKE GOD. We will no longer be hindered by a nature tainted with sin.
1 John 3:1-2 ESV See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Remember God’s purpose for us is to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Romans 8:28-29 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
That process will be complete in heaven.
Conclusion
Salvation in the past, present, and future is made possible for us by God’s grace. It is by his undeserved mercy that we are provided a Savior in Jesus Christ. Jesus alone is the only way we obtain this great salvation.
For those listening to me today who haven’t put their trust in Jesus to save, cleanse, justify and regenerate you, I urge, no beg you to surrender yourself to him, that he might forgive your past and give you the gift of eternal life. Commit your life to him so you may experience a rich salvation in the present and look forward to the completion of that salvation in the future. Welcome him into your heart today, for he stands at the door waiting to come into your life.
Revelation 3:20 ESV Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
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