salvation message by eguriase s. m. okaka

SALVATION MESSAGE BY EGURIASE S. M. OKAKA The word Salvation means preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss. Man needs salvation from all of his fears and harms because life is uncertain to him. His fears are bigger and mightier than him. What can save him from these fears? That is the purpose why Jesus came to this world to save mankind and grant him salvation if he believes in the redemptive work of Christ. Man is loss. He needs to be found. Jesus said to them, ‘Go into the entire world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15 – 16)

Apostle Paul one of the greatest Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘I’m not ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. The gospel is the extraordinary message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trust him starting from the Jews and then to everyone else. (Romans 1: 16). Let us look at the Book of Luke 2:30 – 31, “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people”. Simeon saw the salvation of the Lord that the people were expecting and he was very pleased and grateful to the almighty God. The salvation of the Lord is now out in the open for everyone to see. So who is this salvation? The bible book of Mathew 1:21 answers us saying: “And thou shall bring forth a son and thou shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins”. It is now clear that Jesus is the salvation that Simeon saw and testified about. Before he was born God revealed him to many prophets and they prophesied about him. Now prophet Isaiah was one prophet who revealed the divinity of Jesus when he said in Isaiah 9:6 “for unto us a child is born, Unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called wonderful, Counselor, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.” there shall be no end to his kingdom.” We need to belong to Jesus if we really want to partake in his everlasting kingdom. Why do we need Salvation? In the Garden of Eden man sinned against God by his disobedience. Adam and Eve ate of the tree God commanded them not to eat from. The story can be found in Genesis 3:1 – 24. The consequences of their disobedience are that they were separated from God and his presence. What shall we say of Sodom and Gomorrah two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God because of their wickedness? God hates wickedness. Sodom and Gomorrah provoked God’s anger with their wickedness. They sinned against God and brought condemnation on themselves. The soul that sins is the soul that will die. (Ezekiel 18:20) In the days before the flood, God was sorry that he made the human race in the first place. Man’s wickedness was very grievous and God was not pleased with man at all. Let us take a look at Genesis 6:5 “The Lord God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.” That is no good thoughts in man. However, the good Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said: “I will wipe man from the face of the earth”. Man is wicked. God hate his wickedness, therefore condemnation is hanging on him. If only he can repent and turn from his evil ways. He will be forgiven. Jeremiah 17:9 declares: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it.” Cain killed Abel his brother because he was jealous of him. That is wickedness and that wickedness still persists today because too many have not yet turned from their old and evil ways. Wickedness must exist because men prefer darkness to light. Anything that anybody does in darkness may not be completely true. Men love darkness because their ways are not pure. I have seen different situation where friends kill friends because of money. Murder is a big crime against God, the creator of all of us. Before the money came they were very good, doings things together and living cheerfully with one another. But when the money emerged it brought greed to both of them; and they decided to kill one another and elope with the money. Unknown to them both of them were planning the same thing. One of the friends was fast enough to kill the other and ran off with the money both had worked for. That wickedness is not different from what Cain did to his brother Abel. When the scriptures states that: the heart of man is deceitful above all things. It is true! No man can argue that. If every man happens to open their hearts for you to see you will be surprised at what will emanates from our hearts. It is this heart of man that God needs when he said my son give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. God wants to give you a new heart that will be free from wickedness.

But the opposite is the case. Man has chosen his own way different from God’s way because his own way seems right and pleasurable in his sight. The scriptures says otherwise, “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him but at the end of it is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14: 12) Man’s way is definitely leading to death. Every way man choose for himself leads to damnation because there is nothing good in man; except that man who has been refined by our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only true way the truth and life. I have sinned you have sinned and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 Sin has no good thing to offer anyone. What it has to offer is death. And Roman 6:23 reveals the consequences or result of our sins. “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Jesus Christ is the gift of God. That is the gift that I am bringing to you now. You better accept this gift and be saved from all harms. His deliverance is free for as many that will come unto him. He offers you a salvation. The scriptures states in the book of John 3:16, “For God so loves the world that he gave us his only son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” If you need this eternal life you should believe in our Lord Jesus to receive it. Eternal life belongs to those who believe in Jesus and do his will. Jesus is the way the truth and life. No man can come to the father except through Jesus Christ. Without Jesus there is no way. Without Jesus there is no truth anywhere. Without Jesus there is no life. Jesus is that stone that builders had rejected which has become the head of the cornerstone. If there is a bricklayer near you ask him about the analogy of the cornerstone. He will tell you that, it was a stone which was formerly rejected by builders but when they discover how important it was, they looked for it and use it to build. That is who Jesus is to us today: the chief cornerstone. And today, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) You can’t get salvation through any other way or person except Jesus Christ. The Jailor asked Paul and Salas a very salient question in the bible book of Acts 16:31 and they gave him a direct answer: Jailor: What must I do to be saved? Paul & Salas: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved and your house. It is only when you believe on the Lord Jesus that is when you will be saved. But if You don’t believe on him you can’t be saved. You can only get salvation when you Believe. Salvation is personal only believe on the only begotten son of God. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. The thief (the devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they have life, and have it in full. (John 10:10) Abundant life is what Jesus will give to you when you accept him as your Lord and Savior. Jesus is the good shepherd. A good shepherd lay down his life for his sheep. That is exactly what he did for us on the cross of Calvary. He shed his blood to saved you from the condemnation that the devil brought on you by sin. He that commits sin is of the devil. No! Don’t be a child of the devil. The devil doesn’t have anything to offer you. He only has hell and wickedness to give you that is everlasting suffering. But Jesus offers you his kingdom in the bible book of John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled 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, I will come back again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also. That is the most confident statement I have ever heard because you can only give what you have to another person. Jesus have a kingdom to give you if only you will believe in him. You can’t inherit from a family you don’t belong to. So you must belong to the family of Jesus to inherit his kingdom. The Lord is calling you to come today. Isaiah 1:18 and 19 states: Come let’s reason together says the Lord, Though your sins be as scarlet They shall be as white as snow, Though they are red like crimson they shall be like wool. Jesus is willing and ready to save you today if you can repent and turn away from your sins and evil ways; and accept him as your Lord and personal Savior. You don’t need any sacrifice to be saved like shedding the blood of any animal to atone for your sins. You just need the blood of Jesus that blood that was shed on the cross for you and me. If you are willing to accept him as your Lord and personal Savior say this prayer aloud: Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and surrender my life to you. Wash me clean. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God: That he died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third for my victory and salvation. I believe that in my heart and make confession with my mouth that Jesus is my savior and Lord. And by your grace I am your child today, tomorrow and forever. Hallelujah! Jesus is Lord! If you just said that prayer meaningfully, I congratulate you because you have just received Jesus as your Lord and savior. Hallelujah you just received the greatest miracle on earth. Look for a bible believing church near you and start attending church meetings and Bible study classes and always study your bible and you will discover many promises the Lord has for you. Remember to always seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things will be added unto you. That is what the scriptures declare in Matthew 6:33. God bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. By Eguriase S. M. Okaka