Salvation is such a great gift that it has eternal ramifications. That alone is awesome, but what are we “saved from?” Yes, we are saved from spending eternity separated from God in a place called Hell. However, the benefits of salvation don’t begin when we die. They begin the moment we except Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Yet, most of us don’t know what all is included in our salvation package.
Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (NKJ)
Our mouth gets us into all kind of trouble.
Psalm 116: 7-13 Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 I said in my haste, “All men are liars.” 12 What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? 13 I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. (NKJ)
1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. (NLT)
Psalm 68:19 Bless the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation. (NKJ)
The New Testament/New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant because it not only includes the blessings of the Old Covenant but DOES NOT include the curses of the Old Covenant.
Hebrews 8:6 But now, He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, in as much as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
Example: Different credit cards; gold vs platinum
Deuteronomy 28: 2-13 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
3 Blessed you shall be in the city, and blessed you shall be in the country. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowel. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face: they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and to all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a holy people unto Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. (NKJ)
(The Old Covenant curses are listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.)
We don’t have to live under the curses.
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”) (NKJ)
This new technology with cell phones is incredible. There are so many things you can use a cell phone for: (make calls, send and receive pictures and videos, face-time, GPS, check the weather, diagnose cars problems, google information, find wall studs, etc., etc., etc.) Be that as it may, if you don’t know how to use it, the benefits of having one won’t do you any good. Babies cannot enjoy the full benefits that an adult can.
Hebrews 5:11-14 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s Word. You need milk, not solid food! 13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil. (Berean)
A Babe’s spiritual diet deprives them of reaching further for more of God and His Word. Because, they lack the ability to know the difference between what is helpful or harmful to their souls.
If you decide to reject the truth, all spiritual growth stops.
Ephesians 4:14-15 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of doctrine. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His Body, the Church. (NLT)
Don’t remain on the same spiritual plateau – complacent and satisfied. With advanced revelation and understanding of His Word, comes more opportunities to be used by Him.
