Glen Bond April 8, 2007 Picayune, MS Subject : How God saved me. I was raised up from a child under the preaching of the gospel. I remember it from my earliest memories. I was taught right and wrong by my parents, and I was taught that I was a sinner. I never got caught up in smoking or drinking, or drugs. I seldom told a lie, didn't steal or cheat. I was a "good" person in the eyes of most people. Yet, I was taught that I was a 'sinner'. I knew that I was unsaved and that if I died, I would go to an eternal Hell. Yet, I lived my life unconcerned. I was not troubled about my soul. I would go to church on occasion, but nothing moved me to seek after Christ. There were times when an accident would happen and I could see plainly that I had come within inches of sudden death. I knew that if I had died, I would be in hell immediatly. These times would upset me greatly. I would be greatly concerned about my soul for a time, but that concern would quickly fade away. Then my daughter died, and I could only think that if I had died, I would be in hell now. Hell became real to me. I became more concerned about my soul. But again, it quickly faded, but at the same time God was working in me. I needed to be saved. I slowly began to seek the Lord. Then one day I was listening to one of bro. Sheltons messages and I was able to work up a faith of my own, enough of my own faith that I thought I could believe that Christ died for me. I believed that I was saved for a couple of weeks, but I was not able to keep working up my faith. I had to admit that I was not saved. I had given it my best shot. but salvation is not by MY works, it is by the works of Christ. It is not by MY faith, because I don't have any. It is by the faith that God gives to us, that we are saved. One of the things that I found to be different in this church is the ones who are saved. They always confirmed that salvation was the greatest thing that ever happened to them. That is not heard in most churches. I wanted the salvation that they have. God began to deal with me. He began to open my understanding and I began to see that I was a sinner. Now, I knew that I was a sinner. I was raised up from a child, taught, that I am a sinner. How could God show me something that I already knew? The Lord is able. It is like looking out at a great destruction in the dark. You can see very little, if anything at all. Someone says "Yes, it is a terrible destruction". So I know that there is something terrible there. But when God makes you to know, he will shine a big light on it. Then you an see it. Then you can know all about it. That is what is meant by having your eyes opened. This is what it means to be awakened by the Holy Spirit. This is what the apostle Paul was talking about when he said that the people were blinded. Ephesians 4:18 and 2 corinth. 4:4 I can tell you that you are a sinner, and you can truly believe me, but that doesn't open your understanding to know it. That doesn't shine a light on it. This is part of the soveriegnty of God. God will keep his soveriegnty. He will save whom he will. He will open the understanding of whom he will. If he never opens your understanding to see and know what a sinner you are, then you will never be saved. When the Lord makes you to see what a sinner you are, then you will cry out for help. Like David said: Psalms 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: I can stand here and tell you about being a sinner all day, but the Lord must make it real to you. You may be a wicked old cuss, that has done plenty of evil through your life. You may see that you are a wicked old sinner. But this knowlege about yourself is nothing compared to the revelation that God makes you to know. It is much like salvation, in that it cannot be explained. I came to see that I was a sinner. I began to cry unto God, and he began to draw me to him. My sin became very great in my eyes, and I continued to cry unto God. I could not understand why a holy God did not cut me off and send me straight to hell. I came to see that hell is what I deserve, and that God would be just and fair to send me there. I saw that hell is what I would get if God did not give me a pardon. I came to see that unbelief was one of my greatest sins. I had spent my life in unbelief. I did not believe that God would send me to Hell. I did not believe that he would save me from Hell. I was unconcerned. Jesus Christ had came down from heaven, left his glory above, came to suffer and die that I might be saved, and I DID NOT CARE!! I had scorned his love and his sacrifice, and I had done it for the love of the world. Now I can see what I had done to a loving, just, and holy God. Looking back at this time, I don't know how I was able to function in my every day life, I was so burdened down with sin and grief. I came to see that I loved this world. If I were to die and go to heaven, I would not want to be there, I would want to be here. I came to see that I hated God. That I wanted no part of him. I did not care that he sent his son to die for me. I came to see that I had a stubborn will that had to be broken. Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. I was looking for something tangible or physical to hold on to. Just to believe was not enough for me. I still would not believe. Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. Salvation is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life.