Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Salvation is for everyone, not just Israel. God’s people include all that follow him. God intended that Israel would be the way to God. They refused him. Jesus fulfilled the role of a way to God. There are some things I want us to look at. (1) There is only one true God. Verse 5 states I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me. Period. When we look at verses 18-22 we see For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. God made it all. Creation and all in it did not evolve. He made the animals, the birds, the fish. That’s how they got here. Last of all he made mankind. We didn’t evolve either; rather, he took the dust of the earth, formed a man, and breathed into him the breath of life. By that man became a living soul. Would you pray to a god who could do nothing? I wouldn’t! In Isaiah’s day the people made images and worshipped them. What’s a god who can’t hear, see, or do? In First Kings Elijah put God to the test on Mount Carmel. He answered by fire and the people knew Elijah’s God was the true God. He’s mightier. He’s the Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace; he’s the great I AM, the Alpha and Omega. There is no other. In First Samuel the Philistines captured the Ark of Israel and put it in the house of their god Dagon. The next morning Dagon was on the floor face down. He fell right before the Ark. They set the god back up and the next morning Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. They recognized Israel’s God was far superior to Dagon. They got rid of the Ark wishing they had never possessed it. Why can mankind not learn this?
(2) Who can be saved? Verse 22 tells us Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. Everybody in Adwolfe, Smyth County, the state of Virginia, all other states, and around the world can be saved. There is no nationality that cannot be saved. He wasn’t just for the Jews but also for Gentiles. Being born in America doesn’t automatically make a person a Christian. Some think that. By the way, America is no longer a Christian nation anyway. If 50 years ago people had told me the moral fiber would be as it is today, I would not have believed them. Guess who believes in equal rights? God does! The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Everybody who wants to be saved can be. Nicodemus was a rich man and believed but the rich young ruler went away from the Lord sorrowful because of his riches. Riches won’t get you to heaven. The poor widow gave her last mite. In between the rich and the poor were the disciples, the average Joe. The rich and poor and everyone in between can be saved. There are no mental restrictions. Regardless of a person’s intellect he/she can be saved. The third verse of The Love of God was found written on a wall of an insane asylum. Even out of his mind he wrote these powerful words. He had a hold of God’s love. There are no moral restrictions.
Don’t wait to get yourself straightened out before you go to God; you could die without him while you wait. The woman at the well was very immoral; she’d had five husbands and was living with another man. When Jesus told her about the living water that she could drink and never thirst again, she believed. Jesus saved her on the spot. He didn’t tell her to go back and try to do better. Zaccaeus was a crooked tax collector. We know what because after his conversion he vowed to give back all he had wrongly taken from others. He got saved before he gave back one dishonest dime. Jesus went home with him and was called a friend of sinners. Saul was saved on the road to Damascus; he was on his way to persecute Christians. The Lord didn’t tell him to first clean up his act. He was saved that day on that road. The woman taken in adultery was told to go and sin no more. She got saved right there. The devil wants to drag people to hell, but mercy stepped in. There are no age restrictions. A five year old who realizes his/her need to be saved can be. Some say 12 is the age of accountability. Where is that stated? A person can be 5 or 85, 90 or 100 and realize it. It’s not too late.
(3) There is a single plan of salvation. Some call Christianity easy believism. It is just that easy. It’s very simple to trust the Lord as Savior. In Revelation he stood at the door and knocked. Although written to the church at Laodicea who had shut him out, we can apply it to salvation. He simply waits at the door of our heart. There is no door knob on the outside; he won’t force his way in. We must open the door. Like taking that drink of water in John, it’s that easy. It’s as easy as receiving a gift. Romans say the gift of God is eternal life. Paul said we are saved by grace through faith, the gift of God–not of works lest any man should boast. It’s not hard to accept a gift. For the prodigal, it’s compared to going home. In the hogpen and tired of his sin, he went home to his father. In a proposal, the woman says yes. Compare it to accepting an invitation. Yes or no is the acceptable answer, not I’ll let you know. Jesus wants you to be saved, wants you to be forgiven of sin. You must answer yes or no. In Numbers, the pe ople were being bitten by snakes and dying. Moses was told to take the brass from the people and put it in a fire and make a brazen serpent. All people had to do when bitten was look at that serpent. They were healed and lived. Imagine a mother telling her son to look at it. He does and he lives. Yet when she tells her husband to look, he says that’s silly. He refuses and dies. That serpent was God’s means of deliverance. If we do nothing about it, sin will kill us. In John 3, Jesus said that as that serpent was raised up in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up on the cross. Look to the cross, but not just at it. A cross won’t save. Two others were on crosses that day. Look to the one on the cross. It is his blood that saves. Look at him and you can live.
I’m not worthy, but because of Jesus I am counted worthy. It’s as simple as all these scenarios. Look and live or refuse and die. There is no other Savior for your soul than Jesus Christ. He said I am the way, the truth, and the life. He’s the only way. If you have never received him, will you surrender today? Come like you are, not after you have made changes to your life. He will save you no
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 