Salvation – Page 8 – Michelle Lesley

These are the notes from my ladies’ Sunday School class this morning. I’ll be posting the notes from my class here each week. Click here for last week’s lesson.

What is salvation? What is the gospel? (Cont’d)

I. Recap of our three problems in having a relationship with God.

A. Problem 1: God is holy, and we can’t be in His presence because we’re not.

B. Problem 2: God demands that we be holy as He is holy, but we can’t, due to our sin.

C. Problem 3: Because of our sin, we deserve hell.

II. People without Christ don’t know or care that they have these problems, nor that they need a solution to them. (Ephesians 2:1-3) For all of these reasons, the only way the gap between us and God could be bridged is for God to bridge it Himself. (Genesis 22:1-13)

A. Even our good deeds are tainted with sin. (Isaiah 64:6)

B. God is merciful. He wants us to be reconciled to Himself. (2 Peter 3:9; Romans 5:6-8)

III. God’s solution: Jesus.

A. Jesus was the perfect, spotless sacrificial Lamb. (Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 3:5)

B. On the cross, Jesus absorbed all of God’s wrath towards our sin (propitiation). (1 John 4:9-10; 1 Peter 3:18)

C. If we trust in Christ’s payment for our sin, His righteousness is imputed to us just like our sin was imputed to Him on the cross. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9)

IV. How does Jesus’ death bridge the gap between us and God and solve our three problems?

A. (Problem 1) Through Christ, we are made holy and can come into God’s presence to be in a relationship with Him. (Colossians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:4)

B. (Problem 2) Because of Christ’s righteousness imputed to us, we are holy, and our sin is forgiven. (Hebrews 10:10, 1 Corinthians 6:11)

C. (Problem 3) Because Christ paid for our sin in full, hell is moot. (John 3:16, 36; John 5:24)

D. Summary: Ephesians 2:1-7

V. Extra Study Resources:

A. “What is Propitiation?”

B. “Why Does Christ’s Righteousness Need to be Imputed to Us?”

C. “God Saves Bad People” by Art Azurdia

D. “Substitutionary Atonement of Jesus Christ”

Hell, Salvation, Sin, Sunday School

What is salvation? What is the gospel? (Cont’d) ~ Sunday School Lesson ~ 9-29-13

September 29, 2013April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

I recently started teaching a women’s Sunday School class at my church. Right now we are taking a look at some of the challenging questions and issues we face as Christians. I’ll be posting the notes from my class here each week. Click here for last week’s lesson.

What is salvation? What is the gospel? (Cont’d)

I. God is holy. (Isaiah 6:1-5)

A. What do we mean when we say God is holy?

1. God cannot tolerate sin in His presence (Deuteronomy 23:14)

2. Since we are sinful, we cannot be in His presence (Exodus 33:18-23, Psalm 24:3-4).

Problem 1: God is holy, and we can’t be in His presence because we’re not.

II. God demands that we be holy. (Leviticus 11:44-45, Matthew 5:48)

A. We can’t, because:

1. We’re born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5)

2. Because we’re born with a sin nature, we begin sinning before we are capable of understanding what sin is. When we’ve sinned once, we’re guilty of breaking the whole law (James 2:10-11, Romans 3:10-18)

Problem 2: God demands that we be holy as He is holy, but we can’t, due to our sin.

III. Because God is holy, He must punish sin.

A. God doesn’t just forgive everybody when they die. (John 3:36, 2 Peter 3:9)

B. Good works do not “balance the scales” and make up for our sins (Galatians 2:15-16, Romans 3:20).

C. God’s punishment for sin is eternal death and suffering in Hell (Romans 6:23; 2 Peter 2:4, 9-10; Revelation 20:13-15).

Problem 3: Because of our sin, we deserve hell.

IV. Extra Study Resources:

A. “Fear and Trembling” by R.C. Sproul

B. “How is Eternity in Hell a Fair Punishment for Sin?” from GotQuestions.com

C. “Is Universalism Biblical?” from GotQuestions.com

D. “Why Did God Create Us With Sin in the World?” from CARM.org

This lesson will be continued next week.

Bible, Gospel, Salvation, Sin, Sunday School

What is salvation? What is the gospel? ~ Sunday School Lesson ~ 9-22-13

September 22, 2013April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

What is salvation? What is the gospel?

I. What is the one thing Jesus can do for us that we can’t do for ourselves?

II. Why do we need salvation?

A. Creation was perfect (Genesis 1, key verse: 31): “It was good.”

B. Fall of man (Genesis 3). What does this have to do with us today?

1. Death entered the world as a result of the fall (Romans 5:12, 15-19)

2. Sin “genetically altered” every person from Adam on (Psalm 51:5) and now we are all sinners.

III. How do we know we need salvation?

A. The Law

1. The Law shows us what sin is (Romans 7:7-11)

2. The Law shows us we are guilty of breaking it (James 2:10-11)

3. The Law is written on our hearts and condemns us when we do wrong (Romans 2:15)

4. The Law shows us the futility of trying to keep it and leads us to cry out to God for help. (Galatians 3:10-11, 23-24)

IV. Extra Study Resources:

A. “How Did the Fall Affect Humanity?” ~ Got Questions Ministries

B. “Law” ~ Theopedia.com

C. “The Law and the Gospel” by John MacArthur

D. “The Gospel” by Matt Chandler

This lesson will be continued next week.

Faith, Gospel, Salvation, Sin, Tragedy

Never Forget…

September 11, 2013 Michelle Lesley

Never forget.

We will remember.

The words jump off the page, off the screen, from our lips. A haunting breath whispering of unspeakable tragedy and heart rending grief.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 did something to this country. It changed our history. It changed us.

It was a despicable act of cruelty. People innocent of any crime against their executioners were brutally slaughtered in service to a god who demands the death of infidels.

It was egregious. Horrific. Abominable. And we will never forget. Nor should we.

Do this in remembrance of Me.

The words lie quietly on the page, beckoning us back to another day. A day dusty with the passing of centuries. But it changed our history. It changed us.

It was a despicable act of cruelty. Jesus, innocent of any crime, was brutally slaughtered by executioners serving a God who demands the death of infidels.

But this was no infidel. This was no innocent victim dying needlessly and for no one. This was God Himself laying down His life to take the place of the infidel. You. Me. He satisfied His own wrath against us by pouring it out on His Son.

The cross drove a stake into the heart of sin and death that day and shouted across the expanse of creation, “NO MORE.”

It was egregiously beautiful. A horrific triumph. Abominably liberating. And we will never forget. Nor should we.

Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Gospel, Heaven, Hell, Homosexuality, Legislation, Marriage, Salvation, Sin

From the ERLC: “Your Church and the Same Sex Marriage Decisions”

June 29, 2013 Michelle Lesley

The ERLC has come out with a helpful fact sheet on the recent Supreme Court decisions on same sex “marriage.” It can be distributed or even used as a bulletin insert at your church, (it’s a free PDF download available in both English and Spanish). Anyone is free to use it– it’s not just for Southern Baptists. It’s really a great resource, so I wanted to share it with you.

I think there’s one point of clarification that needs to be made, though. Under the heading “What Hasn’t Changed,” we find this statement:

“Jesus Christ is still alive, and ultimately will bend history toward His kingdom.”

I read that, then read it again, then turned it over in my mind several times, then tried to recall a verse of Scripture that says anything about Jesus ultimately “bending history towards” His kingdom. Nada. Bupkis. Zilch.

I’m still not exactly sure what the fact sheet writer meant by this phrase. All I can figure (and perhaps I’m misunderstanding his intent) is that he’s referencing Christ’s return and the coming judgment. When I read Scriptures referencing Christ’s return, I see things like Revelation 19:15:

“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”

and Matthew 21:44:

“And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Not exactly a soft summer breeze gently bending a stalk of golden grain, is it? At least that’s the mental picture I get when I read a phrase like “bending history toward His kingdom.”

Judgment is coming for all of us, lost and saved, regardless of sexual preference. It’s going to be fast and furious and without any second chances to change your mind. The wheat is going to be gathered into the barn and the tares burned up. The sheep are going to be placed on the right, and the goats on the left. Period. End of story. That’s all she wrote.

Sounds scary, doesn’t it?

It should. And that’s a good thing.

As Christians, it should scare us enough for ourselves that we do what 2 Corinthians 13:5 says to do: examine ourselves– our hearts and the fruit of our lives –against Scripture and make certain we are, indeed, saved. (If you’re not sure where to start with that, here’s an excellent tool that I’ve found very helpful.)

It should also scare us for our lost friends and loved ones. It’s a hard, cold, frightening fact, but anyone who does not repent of his sin and place His faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for his sin is going to spend eternity in hell when he dies. There’s no Purgatory. There’s no god who just forgives everybody and lets everybody into heaven.

Does that scare you for your children, your parents, your siblings, your spouse, your best friend?

Yeah, me too. And it makes me want to plead with them to repent and believe the gospel so they can escape that terrible fate and we can all spend eternity together with the Lord.

So use these fact sheets at church and share them with your friends. They’re good! They’re informative! But forget the “bending” and remember the sword, the fury, the wrath, and the crushing that are coming, and let them ignite a passion within you to love your lost neighbors enough to plead with them to flee to the cross for cleansing, forgiveness, and eternal life.