Three Stages of Salvation
Series: Acts
Chuck Sligh
May 20, 2018
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
TEXT: Acts 26:18 – “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”
INTRODUCTION
Acts 25-26 detail various events of Paul’s false and unjust imprisonment, first under Felix, the governor of Judea and then by his successor, a man by the name of Festus. In chapter 26, Paul was given the opportunity to make his defense one more time, this time before Governor Festus and King Herod Agrippa, the last of the wicked Herods. In his defense, Paul explained how he came to be falsely imprisoned and he gave the testimony of how he came to Christ.
In verses 16-18, Paul says that after Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Jesus gave him a special commission to be a minister and a witness to what God had done in his life and to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Being strictly historical data (kind of like court files…Things only a lawyer would like), and most of it a recounting of what Paul has already said in chapter 24, there’s nothing particularly edifying to extract for us from chapters 25-26 that has not already been covered, so we won’t go over those verses in detail.
But this morning I do want to park on verse 18, our text. In this passage, Paul is retelling the story of his conversion. His conversion is described first in Acts 9 by Luke himself and Paul himself gave his first telling of his story before the Jewish council in chapter 22.
In our text, verse 18, Paul describes three distinct stages of salvation he went through.…that which PRECEDED it; that which ACCOMPANIED it and that RESULTED from it. Every person who ever trusted in Christ went through these three stages. Let’s examine them this morning:
I. THE FIRST STAGE IS ILLUMINATION – In verse 18a, Paul says God had told him, “To open their eyes…”
Illus. – When I was a child, I remember my parents taking us to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, part of the largest cave system in the world. It’s a massive labyrinth of caves and caverns that literally runs for hundreds of miles under the earth, with several underwater lakes, rivers and waterfalls. To this day, no one really knows for sure how vast it is.
I’ll never forget how our guide took us into the depths of the earth and then for a brief moment turned off the lights. When the lights went out, there was no reflection of the moon or stars, nor any reflected light from towns or cities—just pure, indescribable, oppressive, almost tangible, absolute blackness.
But there was something else that sticks out in my mind from our visit there. I remember seeing certain strange fish and crustaceans there that dwelled in the subterranean waters and lakes of the caves. These unique creatures were endowed with what looked like perfect eyes.
But in fact, they were totally blind. Though they looked perfectly normal, behind the eyes was a useless optic nerve that rendered the creatures completely sightless.
Nothing quite so clearly captures the picture of a person who has not yet found Christ. Like these cave animals, people without Christ have eyes, but they cannot see.
That’s how the Psalmist describes idols in Psalm 115:5: “…eyes have they, but they see not,” but three verses later, in verse 8, the Psalmist says, “They that make them [odols] are like unto them…” (Psalm 115:8).
In other words, spiritually speaking, if you are without God, you are as blind as a lifeless, inanimate idol made of wood or stone. You are blind to spiritual truth; you cannot understand it; you cannot grasp it.
That’s why the Bible is such a mystery to the unbeliever. Paul said that the Bible is spiritually discerned.
In 1 Corinthians 2:14 he said, “But the natural man [the phrase Paul uses to describe the unsaved person] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
This means that a person who has never been saved cannot understand the Bible and the spiritual truths it contains until his spiritual eyes have been opened.
Illus. – My dad told of growing up in a dead mainline denomination church where in all his life he never once remembered hearing the Gospel preached. When he left home and joined the Air Force, he lived a wicked life.
Once, after a drunken brawl with Mom in which she knocked his daylights out with a whiskey bottle, Dad decided to reform and change his ways. So, he started going to church and reading the Bible.
But church was extremely boring to him. He just didn’t “get it.” He couldn’t figure out why anyone would actually WANT to go to church VOLUNTARILY! And reading the Bible was a CHORE. It was like reading Shakespeare, which he hated! Finally, he gave up in despair and before long, he was back into his old life of drunkenness, partying and wicked living.
But then several months later he came to faith in Christ. And when he was saved, it was not a reformation on the OUTSIDE, but a complete transformation on the INSIDE that only the Spirit of God can accomplish. It completely altered him for the rest of his life. He stopped his drunkenness and swearing and evil living. He became a loving father. He attended church and now he LOVED it. He couldn’t wait until church services when he could be around God’s people again and hear God’s Word preached and taught. And now, whenever he picked up the Bible, it was not dead, ancient literature to him: it was ALIVE; it spoke to his heart; it guided his life; it taught him everything he needed to know to live for God.
What was the difference between his first attempts to change and the permanent alteration that occurred later?—His eyes were opened—he was illuminated. So, illumination is the first step in finding a relationship with God.
But what exactly is illumination? Illumination is when God reveals to you the truth of His Word. It’s when you hear something from the Bible or in preaching or teaching from the Bible or in a conversation about the Bible, and God helps you to understand it and God confirms in your heart that: “This is truth. This is right. This is what you need. This is better than what you’ve got. Believe it. Accept it. Embrace it.” It’s when God opens your eyes to the glorious Gospel, or to any scriptural truth.
Listen, I want you to know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and He wants to take your guilt away. – He loves you; He wants to make you His child; He wants to give you a life worth living; He wants to give you power over sin. Now that’s God’s truth; that’s the “Good News” of the Gospel. And this morning, God is whispering to your heart: “This is the truth. This is right. This is what you need. Go for it. Believe it. Accept it. Embrace it.”
II. THE SECOND STAGE OF SALVATION IS REPENTANCE – verse 18b – “…and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God…”
You see, it’s not enough just to know that Jesus died for your sins, that He loves you, that He wants to save you. You must also confront the thing that separates you from God in the first place. The Bible teaches that we are separated from God, and what has separated us from God is a thing called sin.
Well, what is sin? The average person thinks that sins are things like robbing a bank or killing someone—you know, really BAD deeds done in one’s life. They think, Well, thieves and killers are sinners, but certainly I’M not a sinner! I’m afraid the Bible disagrees because Romans 3:23 tells us “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
We need to see how GOD defines sin, since He makes the rules. Well, God has given us a clear definition of sin so that we are not confused. 1 John 3:4 tells us that “…sin is the transgression of the law.” Transgression of the law?—What law?
The part of God’s Law most people know about is the Ten Commandments.
• The Bible says, “You shall not bear false witness,” which means to lie or deceive. – Have you ever told a lie?
• Another commandment is “You shall not covet,” which means to have a strong desire for something that belongs to another. – Have you ever coveted?
• One says, “Honor your father and mother.” – Have you ALWAYS honored your parents, or was there ever a time you rebelled or disrespected them?
• One says, “You shall not steal.” – Have you ever stolen anything…Even a dime or a quarter off your dad’s dresser qualifies.
No one in the room can say they have never done any of these things, and that’s just four of the ten commandments. The truth is that 100 percent of all the people in this room have transgressed ALL ten of the Ten commandments if you understand them properly.
Do you see the problem? God wants to save you, but your sin has separated you from Him, for He is so pure and holy that He cannot look upon sin or accept it in His presence.
That’s where Jesus comes in. The Bible says Jesus was God, that He came to earth as a man and as God as well as man, He lived a sinless life and perfectly obeyed God’s Law. Never once did He steal, kill, commit adultery, give in to an evil thought, take God’s name in vain, dishonor his father or mother, lie or covet. Then this perfect, sinless, person died for your sins on the cross in your place, for the penalty for our sin is death. All God’s judgment for your sin was meted out upon innocent Jesus. JESUS paid the penalty for YOUR sin in YOUR place.
And God only has one condition for you to receive Christ’s penalty-payment on the cross that you believe in Jesus—but you have to repent of your sin, for that is your barrier to believe. To repent means to change your mind about your sin and turn to God for forgiveness.
Paul expressed this turning in two ways in verse 18:
1. First, he speaks of TURNING FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT.
Sin and sinfulness are always pictured as DARKNESS in the Bible. Salvation and God’s way are pictured as LIGHT. So, Paul is saying this through the figurative language of darkness and light: “Turn from your sin. Turn from running your own life. Turn to JESUS and righteousness and God’s people and honoring JESUS in your life!”
2. Second, Paul talks of TURNING FROM THE POWER OF SATAN TO GOD.
The Greek word translated “power” here is often translated “authority” or “jurisdiction” in other places in the New Testament. And that’s the kind of power Paul is referring to here. He’s saying that you should turn from Satan authority over your life and submit to God’s authority in your life. In other words, instead of obeying SATAN; instead of letting HIM have the rule in your life; instead of going in HIS paths, turn to GOD—make HIM your RULER, your KING, your SOVERIEGN.
III. THE THIRD STAGE OF SALVATION IS CONSUMMATION – verse 18c, – “…that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Once a person repents of his sin and turns to Christ for forgiveness, God consummates a number of wonderful, miraculous works in the heart of the believer. In this verse, Paul only mentions two of them, but they’re two of the most precious:
1. The first is FORGIVENESS OF SINS
This points us to one of the most marvelous truths in the Bible. It has a big theological term for it—“justification,” which in shorthand simply means that God declares us as “just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned.” It means that when you trust in Christ, from that day forward, God sees me “just-as-if-you’d-never-sinned.”
If today, you would turn to God and put your trust in Jesus, God will declare you JUSTIFIED—just-as-if-you’d-never-sinned. All the lies you’ve told, anything you’ve ever stolen, every time you took God’s name in vain, every evil or lustful thought you’ve had, every time you’ve coveted—you’ll never, ever, for all eternity, be held accountable for these again—because the judgment for those sins were already poured out on Jesus—IF you have been saved by faith in Jesus.
Illus. – Over the years I’ve had the joy of leading many people to Christ. The first thing I ask them is, “How do you feel now?”
It’s amazing how often I hear the same answer. They almost always say, “I feel like a load’s been lifted off my back.”
To some, it almost feels as if they’d been lost a PHYSICAL load. What happened?—Their sins have been forgiven; the load of sin and guilt are gone!
Wouldn’t you like to have your sins washed away and paid for by Jesus’s sacrifice on Calvary? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to start out with a clean slate? Wouldn’t it be great to be rid of a guilty conscience? You can, if you’ll come to Jesus and be saved today.
2. The second work of Christ our text tells us about is that God guarantees the believer an eternal INHERITANCE – verse 18c: “…and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith…”
The word inheritance here is the Greek word kleros (??????) which means “share, portion, lot, place.” Today, the word inheritance is understood as what someone receives when a person dies, and there’s certainly that sense here I suppose, since we receive our inheritance because of the death of Jesus for our sins.
But this word really harks back to the share or portion of land that the Israelites were promised when they went into the land of promise. Remember, the promised land in the New Testament often symbolizes heaven.
Well, actually, it may surprise you that we won’t actually live in heaven. Did you know that? The Bible teaches that at the end of the age, the sinful universe we now live in will be utterly destroyed, and a new heaven and a new earth will be created, and it is on this new earth we will live eternally.
So, our inheritance is referring to the share or place, reserved for each believer in that new creation, and includes all the wonderful things we will share in—perfect fellowship, wonderful community, unparalleled worship, the most refined culture, incredible feasting—all without any taint of sin.
There are many New Testament scriptures that refer to this inheritance:
• Ephesians 1:11 – “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will.”
• Colossians 1:12 – “Giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints…”
• Colossians 3:24 – “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ.”
• Hebrews 9:15 – “And for this cause, he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death… they who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
• Romans 8:17 – “…And if [we are the children of God], then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…”
• Titus 3:7 – “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
There is so many things I could share with you about the wonderful in heritance we have on the New Earth, but time will not permit me to cover it today. But here’s the question that is most important: How can you receive this forgiveness of sins and the glorious inheritance in the life to come?
Paul answers that at the end of our text where he says this: “…among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” “Sanctified” means “set apart,” and has slightly different meanings, depending on whether it refers to salvation itself or the process of spiritual growth in a believer after salvation.
The former is the meaning here. The Bible teaches that when we’re saved, God sets us apart FROM Satan and his kingdom and the his people and TO God and His kingdom and His people. It’s just a different term for being saved.
How are we set apart to God for all eternity?—Paul says, “by faith.” All through the New Testament, the inspired writers tell us that the ONLY way to be saved, the only way to have all our sins forgiven forever, the only way to have the assurance of a reservation that cannot be cancelled in the future kingdom on the New Earth, is by faith; by believing. Now, not just faith by itself; or faith in ANYTHING; but specifically faith in Jesus Christ, who died for your sins. No verse says it better than John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
But what is meant by belief or faith? To “believe”—to “have faith”—in the Bible sense does not mean merely mentally accepting something; rather, it means TRUSTING in something or someone.
Everyone is trusting in something to try to be acceptable to God or to go to heaven or to get good Karma, or whatever they think rewards their behavior. You may be trusting in your good deeds, or a creed, or the Golden Rule or the Ten Commandments, or being baptized, or being confirmed or taking communion.
NONE of these things will saved you. There is only one way to God the Father and forgiveness and eternal life—that is by faith in Jesus Christ. This morning, why don’t you put your trust in Jesus alone and what He did on the cross for your sins.
CONCLUSION
I love that song we sing so often—
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, [Grace means underserved, unmerited favor—God offering forgiveness at no cost to us.]
That saved a wretch like me! [Before you can be saved, you must recognize that before God, you are a sinful wretch!]
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see. [That’s illumination]
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear [Why would I have feared? Because I was a sinful wretch who had broken God’s Law many, many times.]
And grace my fears relieved [How? Because Jesus paid the penalty for the Law I broke.]
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed! [Ah! That’s when you receive God’s grace: the hour you believed in Jesus]
Have you believed on Jesus, dear friend? Have you put your trust in Jesus who died for your sins? If not, I urge you to do so today.
