Through Jesus, God promises salvation and a resurrected spiritual life for the journey. The promised is received on conditions of our acceptance.

1. Bad News and Good News
   (Read Ephesians 2:1-6, 4:18-19)
   • All of mankind has been pronounced spiritually dead
   • We are dead because we follow the ways of the world and Satan
   • God intervenes when we are helpless and offers to rescue us
   • We can become spiritually alive through Christ by being raised up with Him
     
2. A Message for All Time
   (Read Acts 2:1-5, 22-24, 36-42)
   • God gets the attention of many with signs
   • Convinced:
     • The audience knows about His life, miracles, death, resurrection and their share of guilt
     • Jesus is both Lord and Christ
   • Convicted: "cut to the heart"
     Have you ever come to this level of conviction?
   • Converted:
     • Repentance (changing your mind, heart and life) is a step toward accepting God’s promise
     • Baptism (Gk, baptizo, immersion) is also an acceptance of the promise
     • Receiving forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit
     Have you ever repented with a true change of life?
     Have you ever been immersed for the forgiveness of sins?
   • For All: The fuller truths about Jesus and the Gospel were revealed for all time, for all who are far off
3. Our Sinful Nature
   (Read Colossians 3:5-9)
   
   Sexual immorality, or fornication—sexual vices, sex outside of the marriage relationship
   Impurity—unclean, lewd behavior and unnatural acts (Romans 1:18-25)
   Lust, passions—unrestrained desire/stare, or as if indulging in sexual activity in your mind
   Evil desires—an active impulse or condition toward wickedness, malice or sinful cravings
   Greed—to covet/keep something for yourself at another’s expense
   Idolatry—debasing yourself by worshipping or serving things or people and not God
   Anger—a wrathful state, having an outburst with revenge in mind
   Rage—a violent motion, an outburst without thought of control
   Malice—an evil habit of mind, wanting harm to fall upon someone
   Slander—wounding another’s reputation, abusive report or speaking evil of a person
   Filthy language—unseemly words to debase something or someone
   Lying—stating something false to protect or puff up yourself
   

   Which sins are particular to your sinful nature?

4. Our Triumph: Spiritual Nature
   (Read Colossians 2:6-15)
   • Receiving "Jesus as Lord" and "being taught" is discipleship
   • The circumcision of our sinful nature is a painful process
   • We are forgiven and then raised up with Christ in baptism by His power
   • God also willingly cancels the debt owed due to our sins. Through His victory, we experience triumph
     
5. The Pledge of a Good Conscience
   (Read 1 Peter 1:3, 3:19-21)
   • a. God gives the gift of the "new birth" (being born from above)
   • b. Faith, repentance and baptism do not earn us the new birth
   • c. We simply accept His gift in this pledge
   • d. We are accepting God’s terms for surrender and are saved
   • Are you ready to accept God’s gift on His terms?
   • If not, what is holding you back from the promise?
6. Justification, Mercy and Grace
   (Titus 3:3-8)
   • a. The promise conveys God’s mercy (love and kindness)
   • b. Justification comes through grace (a gift of favor)
   • c. Saved by washing of rebirth, renewal by Holy Spirit
   • d. Devoted to serve God out of gratitude

Further Reading:

• Acts 8:26-40—Foreign Official
• 16:16-34—Prison Guard
• 22:1-16—Religious Leader