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CONVERSION TO CHRIST I. TEXTUAL
THOUGHTS 1. Romans 3:9-12, 23- All have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 2. Matthew 18:11-14- Jesus came to
seek and to save the lost. 3. Acts 4:12- There is salvation
only in Christ. II. MAIN
THEME- All have sinned and
been separated from God. But God
loved us enough to send His Son to pay for our sins, so that all who believe
in Him can have eternal life. Our
faith comes from hearing the gospel, and only a faith that submits to God is
a saving faith. 1. All responsible people have
sinned, those who know good and evil. a. No one is righteous
because of their own merit, Rom 3:9-10, 23. b. Sin separates us
from God, Ezekiel 18:19-20; Is 59:1-2; 2 Thes 1:7-7-9. 2. Jesus came to save sinners, 1
Tim 1:15. a. His purpose was to
seek and save the lost, Luke 19:10; Mat 18:11-14. b. He died for us
while we were sinners, Rom 5:5-8. c. He is our only hope
for salvation, Acts 4:12. 3. Jesus will save all who believe
in Him. a. First we must know
of Him, John 6:40; 17:3; 20:30-31; Acts 16:32. b. We must trust Him,
John 5:24; 12:44-50; Rom 10:8-10; Heb 12:2. c. We must follow Him,
John 1:12; 3:36; 12:42-43; Heb 5:9; James 2:22. 4. Repentance is a choice by man's
free will resulting from true faith in Jesus. a. We must give up our
selfish nature, Luke 9:23-26; I John 2:15-17. b. We must admit God's
way is right, Rom 10:8-10; Acts 16:33; Phil 3:8-11. c. We must seek God's
salvation, Acts 3:19; II Cor 7:10; Acts 2:38, 41. 5. We must be born again to follow
Jesus, we must be baptized into Christ. a. Baptism is the
response of faith in Jesus, Mark 16:15-16; Col 2:12. b. Baptism is part of
the message about Jesus, Acts 9:35-38; Rom 6:3-5. c. Baptism is a
response of a good conscience to the gospel, 1 Pet 3:21; Acts 2:41; 16:33-34; 19:1-5. d. Baptism is a new
birth of water and the Spirit commanded by Jesus, John 3:3-7; 1 John 5:6-12; Gal 3:26-27;
1 Cor 12:13; Rom 6:17; Titus 3:5. 6. We must be willing to follow
Jesus in our lives. a. Our lives must be
transformed by the influence of Jesus Christ, 2 Cor 5:17; 7:1; John 6:63; 8:28-36; Col
1:12-14, 19-23. b. We must put off the
things of the world and put on Christ, Gal 5:13-26; Eph 4:12-32; 5:1-21; Titus 2:11-14. c. We must confess our
sins and pray for each other, James 5:16; 1 John 1:5-9. III.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS 1. Faith comes from evidence about Jesus found in the gospel
message. Teaching about faith does not produce faith. Teaching the gospel, the message about Jesus, produces faith.
1 Cor 2:2; 15:1-4; Rom 1:16; Acts 8:35-38. 2. Conversion is only the beginning, Titus 2:11-14; 2 Peter 3:18. IV. MEMORY
VERSES- JOHN 3:15-18. |