In this passage detailing the conversation between the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus, the Lord says, very plainly, that He came into the world to provide salvation for all men. The matter of salvation is of vital importance to every person throughout the entire world. You see, what you do about your salvation will determine where you spend your eternity.

Before we move deeper into this message, I want to give you folks a definition. Too often, we Christians forget that we have our own dialect and sometimes the things we say are simply confusing to those who don't know our lingo. One word that I want to define today is the word Jesus used in verse 17. Jesus tells us that He did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through Him, might be "saved." It is that word saved that I want to consider for a moment. We throw that word around in our sermons and in our testimonies, but those who are not saved may not understand what we mean when we use the word saved. So, to clear up any confusion, I want to tell you what that word means. The word "saved" comes from the Greek word "sozw", (pronounced - sode' zo). This word literally means, "to save, to keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.

If this word has that meaning, then why do we use it in regard to the soul? Because, man in his natural state, is a sinner, (Rom. 3:23). When we come into this world, we arrive here already under a death sentence, because we have inherited the sins of Adam and Evev,(Rom. 6:23). Unless a person is "saved" then they will die in their sins and they will spend eternity in Hell, forever separated from the presence and power of Almighty God. Now, no one would  want that to happen to them! Therefore, we must know how we can be saved.

Now that we know what it means to be saved, I think we all need to know how to be saved. There is only one plan of salvation in the Bible, and it is found in (Rom. 10:9,10,and 13)But, "Can God Really Save Your Soul?" That is, if you do what the Bible says and receive His plan of salvation, can God really save you and keep you out of Hell? That is the question I would like to answer this morning. Can God Really Save Your Soul? I say, "Yes He can!" Allow me to give you three reasons why, I am so sure He can. Because of,

I. GOD'S PROMISE TO SAVE

    1. It is An Old Promise

       A. In the beginning, when God made man in His image and man decided to

            sin against the Lord, God made a promise to Eve in the Garden

           (Gen.3:15).

          1. Here we see the first promise of the coming Messiah.

       B. But, God's promise to provide a means of salvation is even older than that.

           1. Please notice (Rev. 13:8)

            2. These verses tell us that even before there was a sinner to save, before

              there was even a sin to cleanse, the Lord had already formulated a plan

              to redeem

          2. His is a plan older than man, older sin, older than Satan and older than

              Hell.

          3. God's promise to save is an old promise that shall never fail!

          4. God has always been and will always be a saving God. His promise to

             save is as old as God Himself, yet it is as new as the day when you call

             on Him

    2. It Is An Ongoing Promise

       A. It still has all the power of the Almighty behind it.

       B. The promise is a valid today as it has ever been.

    3. It Is An Open Promise

       A. God's promise of salvation is not limited to a selected few, but it is a

            promise that is offered to all men. (Rom. 10:13).

       B. The only requirement for participating in God's plan of salvation is to be

           lost.

          1. The fact is, we are all sinners, (Rom. 3:23);

          2. Therefore, we all qualify under the terms of salvation.

          3. The problem is, not everyone is willing to admit his or her guilt.

II. GOD'S POWER TO SAVE

    1. He Has The Power To Call The Sinner

       A. No one can be saved when they feel like it! The Bible says that the sinner

            apart from God is dead, (Eph. 2:1).

           1. That is, they possess no spiritual life and are unable to approach God

               on their own, (Rom. 3:11).

           2. The only way the sinner can be saved is for him to be called by God -

               (John 6:44) (John 6:65).

           3. Salvation is a process that always originates with God in Heaven! It

               never begins with man

    2. Power To Convert The Sinner

       A. When a sinner places his or her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for

           salvation, God does a work of grace so powerful in their life that it cannot

           be explained in human terms. Notice

           1. All Sin Is Immediately And Completely Forgiven

           2. The Sinner Becomes A Child Of God

           3. The Sinner Is Delivered From Sin

              a.) The Power Of Sin - (Rom. 6:14)

              b.) The Penalty Of Sin -(Rom. 8:1)

              c.) The Presence Of Sin - (Rev. 21:27)

         4. The Sinner Becomes A Joint Heir With Christ - (Rom. 8:17)

         5. The Sinner Inherits A Heavenly Home - (John 14:1-3).

         6. The Sinner Becomes A Saint

    3. He Has The Power To Conserve The Saint

       A. When God calls and the lost person responds to that call and they receive

            Jesus into their life.

            1. The question then is can that person to ever be lost again?

            2. 1 Pet. 1:5; John 3:16-17; John 10:28; John 6:37; John 6:47

III. GOD'S PROVISION TO SAVE

     1. He Provided A Precious Substitute

        A. God, knowing our need and our inability to do anything about it ourselves,

             provided a perfect substitute. (Rom.3:25)

    2. He Provided A Perfect Sacrifice

        A. His was a perfect sacrifice. It will never have to be redone!

            1.Without His precious blood, there is no salvation possible for any man?

               (Heb. 9:22); (1 Pet. 1:19-21).

           2. Far too many think that a little religion is enough. Religion cannot save;

              neither can any ritual or practice.

          3. Nothing saves but faith in the shed blood of the Lamb of God, the Lord

             Jesus Christ.

    3. He Provided A Plan Of Salvation

        A. How does one go about being saved? (Rom. 10:9-10).

             1. These verses tell us that to be saved, we must acknowledge the

                 claims of Christ and that we must transfer our faith from works,

                 religions, self-effort, self- righteousness, whatever it may that we are

                 trusting in and trust Jesus and Him alone for our soul's salvation.

             2. The best thing we can do is to simply take God at His Word and

                 accept salvation as what it is: The gift of God, (Rom. 6:23)

CONCLUSION

Maybe there is someone here this morning and you have been plagued with doubts about salvation. Maybe there are those who know that they are not saved. But, today, the Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart and you are ready to come to the Lord. God is calling and you know what you need. You may be asking. "Can God really save my soul?" I invite you to find out for yourselves that God can! You know your heart and all I ask you to do today is to listen to the call of the Spirit of God in your soul. If you need something from the Lord this morning, I challenge you to come get it right now. Will you mind the Lord today?

"Car inspection stickers used to have printed on the back 'Drive carefully -- the life you save may be your own.' That is the wisdom of men in a nutshell.

"What God says, on the other hand, is 'The life you save is the life you lose.' In other words, the life you clutch, hoard, guard, and play safe with is in the end a life worth little to anybody, including yourself; and only a life given away for love's sake is a life worth living. To bring his point home, God shows us a man who gave his life away to the extent of dying a national disgrace without a penny in the bank or a friend to his name. In terms of men's wisdom, he was a perfect fool, and anybody who thinks he can follow him without making something like the same kind of fool of himself is laboring under not a cross but a delusion."