Sermon: SALVATION: The Golden Egg

I

(Hold the Raw Egg up for all to see) This is a natural egg… It’s a finely made piece of God’s work, is it not? It’s well constructed, with an outer – protective – layer that does a great job under normal circumstances and pressures.

Look at it; it has an oval shape, with arches that provide time honored structural strength and integrity— all of our domed buildings, throughout history, have utilized this principle. It’s a wonderfully designed piece of work and made to fulfill a specific purpose… is it not?

It has the stuff of life firmly contained within its shell, awaiting what is needed – nurturing, with warmth and love – to be transformed into a Life of Vitality and Strength…

(Stretch Forth the Egg) This is the condition in which we all enter the world… Wonderfully made and ready to be transformed… Yes?

Now let us see how well our natural condition withstands attack (Strike the egg with a spoon to crack it… Strike it again in another area)… how well it holds up under pressure (Slowly Squeeze it to bring out the stuff inside — CRUSH it.)

Now what was inside, the stuff of life, is valueless, decaying, dying…

(Silently clean and wipe the hands)

1. SO. Here is what I would like for you to do… Way down deep – way down inside you – way on down there where no one else can see; where no one truly knows you because you let no one in that far…

Right there, where your hopes and fears co-exist — like an egg; hard and protective on the outside but, at the same time, fragile and weak, with the inside ready to leak, or burst out, depending on the pressures applied…

Right THERE, at your very center, where life’s circumstances and your base emotions try to crack your shell and send you into the frying pan, even while you hope – with all that is inside you – that the shell will hold…

Right THERE is where you should KNOW… beyond all doubt, that you are either saved or condemned – and, my friends – you are one or you’re the other; you simply cannot be both.

(Go Get the Golden Egg) Ah, but what do we have here? (Hold up the Golden Egg – display it prominently – spin it around in your hand)

I don’t have the money, nor the means, to possess – or turn – a natural egg into one of solid gold — just as I can’t buy my way into heaven, nor get there with my own strength… I cannot transform myself…

Only God can do that.

So, I am utilizing this boiled egg, painted gold, to represent one of solid gold… Unlike one of solid gold, it can be cracked (bang it with a spoon), but notice the stuff of life has been transformed; it is no longer an unstable liquid, seeking its own destructive path when pressure is applied…

Yes, a Golden Egg can be marred, which the cracks on this boiled egg represent… It can also become less than beautiful when pressure and heat are applied, but it cannot lose its intrinsic value…

Pressure and Heat can reshape it, even temporarily make it unpleasing to the eye, perhaps even ugly at times — but it cannot become valueless, and destruction is not even a factor… By the Loving Work of the Craftsman GOLD will ALWAYS end up as something unique and beautiful — much as The Potter works with the Clay, until it is not only Beautiful & Valuable, but also Useful…

Romans 10: 9&10 guarantees that your Hollow Egg, that is brittle and soft and vulnerable, will become an Egg of Solid Gold. As you have seen, the natural egg cannot withstand pressure without becoming of limited and very temporary value — after it is cracked, it can only be eaten or discarded… But an egg of Solid Gold?

It’s soft and malleable, yet indestructible; it cannot be destroyed; it certainly cannot become valueless… It can be reshaped, or transfigured, into something beautiful, into something magnificent — but it cannot be destroyed.

It can be changed through exposure to emissions from a nuclear reactor, or through being placed within a particle accelerator, but it will not lose its mass…

It cannot truly be destroyed — it will simply be transmuted into something else… much like the transformation all believers will undergo in the blink of an eye, when our natural bodies are transfigured into our incorruptible, spiritual bodies, at the second coming of Jesus (1 Corinthians 50:42-58)

Are you a Natural Egg or an Egg of Solid Gold? That’s the question I would like you to ask yourself. And the Good News?

Well the Good News is that, today,  you can know that you are Solid Gold or that you can become Solid Gold — both in God’s Eyes, and in the ability to overcome any and every pressure experienced, while retaining your value, your self-worth, and your position in eternity…

And this brings us to the next part of the sermon:

II
SALVATION: Why it’s a Golden Egg.

Christian Salvation is two things. The most common belief is that it means being saved from spending eternity in Hell and the Lake of Fire – and it is certainly that – but it is also being saved from separating ourselves from God on this side of the grave.

We are separated from God – from accessing God – from being in God’s presence, by our sin nature; our inability to live our lives without sin. Salvation is freedom to resist the power of sin, as well as the means by which we may escape the eternal penalty of sin. We do this by choosing to accept the punishment and penalty, paid by another, on our behalf — Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Sin must be paid for. Romans 6:23 declares that the wages of sin is death. However, please do not confuse payment for sins with the results of separating ourselves from God (as so many often do).

Notice that I did not use the words consequences of sin. I don’t like to use that term because the implication is that we must be punished after we sin, or that we must pay for having sinned — when the truth is, the punishment and the payment for all sin was laid upon Christ, who overcame and paid the debt in full, at the cross. The punishment and the payment were complete, when He pronounced, It is Finished, with His last breath as a mortal human.

The idea that, if we sin, God will punish us, is not biblical. Believers are not punished for their sins. Rather, sin is the direct result of separating ourselves from God. It really is as simple as that.

Non-believers sin because they do not have the presence and power of God in their lives. They are continually separate from Him because they do not have a relationship with Him.

Believers sin because they have separated themselves from the presence and power of God through disobedience, lack of faith, and the inability to just trust God. We separate ourselves by our failure to follow the Ways and Truth and Life of Jesus Christ… by failing to take hold of the Promises of God.

Sin is an automatic condition resulting from being apart from God. It is the result of not choosing God and His Ways.

It is the result of doing things our own way. It is the condition experienced everywhere outside of the presence of God in our lives.

Separation From God is existing in a Place of Being Sick and Tired – of Being Sick and Tired – without the power necessary for lasting change for the better or the ability to fill the emptiness within.

Non-believers must pay for their own sins and yes there are – indeed – dire consequences in footing the bill necessary for the payment of sin…Just ask Jesus… whose gruesome sacrifice paid for everyone’s sin.

Eternal separation from God and all that is good, is the bill that will be paid. It is the penalty, the punishment – it is the charge due unbelievers – for not choosing God’s plan of redemption and salvation and the payment necessary for sin…

For them, separation from God’s Presence and Power and Love, in this life, is the experience on this side of the grave… It is a constant yearning for something more, something they often cannot understand or even put into words…

No matter the quality of life on this side of the grave, Eternal Separation from God means dwelling continually in the Place of No Thing Good.

It means ever-lasting corruption; sorrow, regret, depression, oppression, pain, suffering — everything Not Good. All the time. Constantly. Without ceasing – without a break… Everlasting, on-going — without end… It is the state of Perpetual Dying. Dying without an end. It is Ever-Lasting Destruction — Destruction that goes on and on and on…

This is what the Bible informs us, warns us – promises us – will happen, if we do not choose to allow the terrible punishment, that Jesus endured on our behalf, to be charged to our account — if we do not accept the payment He made, with such a horrible sacrifice, to own all sin for all time. This is what happens when we do not choose an eternity with God.

Salvation is the choice to not have to pay for our sins, through confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior and believing that God has raised him from the dead. Nothing more; nothing less.

Satan, however, would have us believe that we must pay for every wrong thing we do in this life as the consequence for having sinned. He would have us believe that the sins committed after our confession of Jesus as Lord and Savior, must be paid for by hard times and suffering… You know, the Karma thing overlaid atop the Christian thing… do wrong and it will be done to you.

This is simply not true. The deteriorating circumstances, the unhappiness, the aloneness of our lives when we live in sin, are the result of separating ourselves from God’s presence and power, NOT the consequences for having sinned after we are saved.

There is a subtle but importance difference here. First of all, you cannot pay for something that has already been paid for. Furthermore, if you do pay for something, it is no longer a free gift — Christ paid the penalty for sin – once for all – and Salvation is a freely offered gift from God…

So, you see; while there are, very definitely, negative results for sinning, the deteriorating circumstances of our lives when we do so, comes about because we have separated ourselves from God’s Grace & Power & Mercy; thereby depriving ourselves of  His Direction & Peace & Joy…

It is not because God requires us to pay for the sins, we have committed… Sins that Jesus has already paid for in full.

To freely have our sins and darkest deeds forgiven IS God’s Offer Of Payment on our behalf, and His Promise that we will never again be alone, or have to face terrible circumstances by ourselves and in our own strength…

That is WHY Salvation is GOLDEN…  and it should make you ask the question answered in the next segment of this sermon…

III
SALVATION: How Do I Get the Golden Egg?

Romans 10: 9 &10 provides the answer –– Thoroughly and Completely:

⁹ that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

While there are numerous scriptures proclaiming the importance of the confession of individual sins to each other and to God – for our walk , for our spiritual growth, and for our forgiveness – confessing a list of sins is not necessary to establishing the relationship with God; it is not necessary to being saved, or to entering the Kingdom of God…

Just look to the Thief on the Cross with Jesus for the proof of this truth… He had not confessed his sins… yet he entered the Kingdom to be with Jesus on the day they died together. He simply believed Jesus is who He said He is and that He could do what He said He could. Nothing else was needed.

Confessing that we are sinners, that our way is crooked; that we cannot help ourselves… that is what we are doing when we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of Our Lives.

All have Sinned and Fallen Short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23): This is known by God and this is known by us.

Every human sins. This is why God left Heaven to become a man; to be tempted in every way humans are tempted, yet remain without sin. He came to live as we live, and to die as we die, that we might be saved from eternal separation from God and all that is good. He came that we might also have life and life more abundantly while we live upon this Earth.

Our inability to overcome sin is why He came down from Heaven. He came to save us from our sin — to save us from ourselves. He came to strengthen us against our sin-nature… He came that we might be in the presence of God forever and ever and ever, beginning on this side of the grave.

So what must we do to take hold of Jesus and the salvation He offers through the sacrifice He made that we might have the choice of escaping the payment necessary for sin?

Confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. That is all there is to it… absolutely nothing else is required.

Romans 10:9&10, however, is often confused with James 5:16, where we are instructed to confess our faults (rendered sins in some translations) one to another. Somewhere along the way, these two scriptures were promulgated – blended and declared — to erroneously inform that we must confess ours sins to Jesus for Salvation.

This teaching is factually, as well as Biblically, incorrect.

Romans 10:9 & 10 states that we must Confess the Lord Jesus. It does not say, we must confess our sins to Jesus. It does not say that we must confess our sins at all. It says we must Confess with the Mouth the Lord Jesus.

So, what does it mean to confess the Lord, Jesus — and to do so with the mouth?

Well, basically – literally – to confess with the mouth is to speak out loud (and why do we speak out loud? Is not that others may hear?), and to Confess the Lord Jesus is to verbally ask Him to be Lord of our Lives…

In point of fact, God knows that – in our own strength – we are incapable of not sinning, … Have we not proven that throughout history and with our very own lives?

That is why God became human; to offer us the strength to withstand sin, as well as to give us the opportunity to have Jesus take our place in the payment necessary for our sin… He did so that we do not have to live with ourselves, by ourselves – alone to face the pressures of living as we live — and to secure for us a place with God, for ever and ever and ever…

 So, why must we tell Jesus our sins for salvation? The answer is that we do not have to. As the song says, Jesus knows all about our struggles… if He already knows, He need not be told. Period.

Confession of the Lord Jesus simply means to proclaim that you are making Him Lord of your life. It is submission to The Way, The Truth, and The Life. It is the acknowledgment that you are dying to yourself…

It is asking that He charge His Payment to your account; that you are able to escape the nearly impossible burden of settling the sin-debt yourself…

And I say nearly impossible because, if you do not allow Jesus to make the payment in full, you WILL settle the sin-debt entirely on your own — for all of eternity. You WILL be very nearly dead, without the relief of an end ever coming… That is the destiny of those refusing to accept Jesus and the payment He perfected for their sins…

It is the confession TO Jesus that you cannot overcome sin, nor pay the price for your sins in your own strength and that you need a relationship with Him in order to be free from both the power and the penalty of sin. That is what confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior of Your Life invokes for salvation.

It is because you are sick of your sins, tired of the results of your sin, that you come to Jesus in the first place. You are seeking a better way. You are seeking the joy and peace that only comes from a relationship with Jesus… You are tired of being alone in your struggles and need deliverance from yourself…

You are seeking a better life and while that does, indeed, consist of the forgiveness of sins – through believing and acknowledging and accepting what Christ accomplished on the cross for the remission or payment for sin – confession of your sins is not a Requirement of Salvation… It simply and plainly is not necessary for salvation.

I do not, however, intend this to detract from the importance of confessing your sins after salvation. There are numerous scriptures that instruct that we do so and there are many, many benefits of being free of guilt and empowered in the spirit when we do so.

This, however, is in answer to the question, What must I do to be saved — What must I do to be transformed in to an Egg of Solid Gold?

You must confess Jesus as Lord and Savior (of your life) and believe that God has raised Him from the Dead — That is all… and this brings us to the last portion of this sermon.

IV
SALVATION: The Golden Egg — Can it be Lost, Once You Get It?

Once you accept and receive the free gift of salvation, you cannot ever lose it because of sin – or for any other failure, weakness, or reason, for that matter – If it could be lost because of human failure of any sort, then Jesus Christ would be the only human to enter heaven…ever.

I must, however, qualify that statement — But before you sigh within and think, “uh-oh, here comes the confusion, I knew would come” — let me explain that, while I know for a fact that you cannot lose your salvation because of sin – past, present, or future sin – I also know that not everyone who believes they are saved, really are.

In Matthew 7:21-23, the Lord Jesus delivers the following message:

²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So, what does He mean? People who prophesy in the Name of Jesus – People who have cast out devils in the Name of Jesus – People who have done many wonderful works in the Name of Jesus… They are denied entry to Heaven? What is wrong with this picture?

How can Jesus deny them heaven with all this wonderful stuff THEY did in His Name?

Oh, but therein lies the rub… THEY did all that wonderful stuff, Jesus did not… The Heavenly Father did not… The Holy Spirit did not… God had no part in the things they did in the Name of Jesus.

Religion is what they practiced, leading many down the road to destruction by their works, but what God requires is Relationship with Him…

A Father/Son, A Father/Daughter relationship is by no means practicing good works to obtain favor; it is good works resulting from favor freely given… and as the above scripture demonstrates, there is a world of difference; an eternity of difference, between religion and relationship.

The previous verses in Matthew Chapter 7,  in speaking of false prophets, wolves in sheep clothing, and discussing good fruit bearing trees and bad fruit bearing trees, lay the foundation for the stark and pointed declaration of Jesus in verse 7:3 that He never knew them.

As previously discussed, you cannot do enough wonderful works, or powerful tricks, or even foretell the future accurately enough, to earn or buy your way into heaven, or into God’s Good Grace & Favor…

If you earn something, or if you pay for something, then it is no longer a gift… and everyone, anyone, who could pay the price would be able to purchase eternity with God.

Can you image the chaos this would create?… Just think of the struggles and turmoil of the major shopping days like Black Friday for a very small example of what trying to purchase salvation would be like…

So, the good works, done by God – through those that have accepted the payment Jesus perfected on their behalf – are the Fruits of the Good Tree.

All other work – done by one’s self – to impress God, or to earn a ticket to heaven, or to deceive others – is the Fruit of a Corrupt Tree.

So, to answer the question Can salvation be lost, once the relationship is established, let us look to what Jesus, Himself, promises:

John 10:28-30:

²⁸ and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

³⁰ I and my Father are one.

Life for How Long???   Yes: Eternal… And What Does Jesus Do? He Gives Unto Them Eternal Life.

Who Can Take That Gift Away? Who can take you out of the Hand Of God???   NO ONE, That’s Who…

Oh, and just in case you have trouble believing that Jesus could hang on to you, no matter what and no matter who tries to Steal You Out of His Hand, He declares that the Father has wrapped His Hand around the Son’s so closely that they are one.

Who are you going to believe? The one that – if it were at all possible – would steal you away by trickery, deceit, lying, and warping the Words Of God???  Or, Will You Believe God, Himself???

Really. Truly. That is all there is to it. Believe God, or Believe the Enemy…

And Listen… Just in case you believe that God can’t or won’t turn you into an Egg of Solid Gold because of the sins you have committed… All you need do is look at me and hear my witness for indisputable evidence that He WILL do it for anyone – everyone who will Confess the Lord Jesus and Believe that God has raised Him from the dead.

I once was a cracked and broken egg, with the stuff of life leaking out. Now I am an Egg of Solid Gold… I was a murdering, raging, lunatic and now I am a peacemaker… And Matthew 5:9 states that Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

From a killer to a peacemaker; from an enemy of God to a child of God — You should have no doubt: What He has done for me, He will, most certainly, do for you…

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life…

For How Long is this gift that Jesus offers???  Yes: EVERLASTING… DOES THAT SOUND LIKE YOU CAN LOSE IT, ONCE YOU HAVE IT???

Do you REALIZE what a Precious Gift        that is??? Do You??? Well I, once the worst of the worst, most certainly do – I do – and I want you to…

Isn’t this Good News? If you haven’t been transformed into the Golden Person God both Calls you to be, and Sacrificed His Only Begotten Son, that you could become… you can fix that; Right Now: Today.

Simply Believe God.

Be transformed.

Turn your Brittle, Fragile, Hollow Egg – Your Natural Egg, With a Vulnerable Shell — into a Supernatural Egg of Solid Gold.

Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Believe that God has raised Him from the Dead for the payment of all sins, and yours as well.

And That is All There is To It: You Shall be Saved…You Shall Be Transformed

Close your eyes, right where you are at. If you are already Golden, be confident in thanking God that it will never change.

If you are tired of worrying that your outer-shell will crack and allow the inside stuff to spill out – drop to your knees right where you are at, right now – and repeat these words:

God? I know I am a sinner. I know that I do not have the power to change, or transform, myself… I have tried on my own to make the changes I would like to make… the changes I need to make, and failed miserably…

I need a Savior, I need Your Son, Jesus Christ, to Save me… I confess that I need Him to be Lord of My Life and I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, that we might be saved… Come Lord Jesus! Save Me! Change Me! Accept Me into Your Father’s Kingdom!!!

If you prayed this prayer, you are now in the Lamb’s Book of Life. You are Now firmly held in the hand of Jesus, with the Father’s Hand wrapped ever so tightly around his… The very powers that created the entire Universe and everything within it, now hold you, and keep you from destruction for all of eternity…

Welcome to the Kingdom of God My Brother or Sister!!!

Today was the day of Your Salvation. Get up!!! Rejoice!!! Be Glad In It!!!

If I don’t see you on this side of the grave, I will CERTAINLY see you in Heaven!!!