Welcome to Waymaker Church! We are so excited to have you join us today! We exist to Encounter, Live for, and Advance the Kingdom of God!

This morning we are going to begin a three part series entitled Faith Foundations. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at three foundational elements of Faith in Christ; Salvation, Justification, and Sanctification.

‌Today we are going to with a core message of the bible which is Salvation. Let’s start with a base definition of Salvation: is the rescue from a state of danger and restoration to wholeness and prosperity. In the Bible people are “saved” from foreign nations, from enemies, and from the penalty of sin. Salvation also entails health, wholeness, and victory.

‌To understand the context of salvation we must look to the beginning. Genesis 1.

‌In Genesis 1 we see the creation of man in the image of God. Mankind was created as a perfect eternal being without sin. We were designed to live in close relationship with God co-laboring over His creation.

‌Man was created with free will, fully able to choose to live in obedience or rebellion against God. Man was given instruction in Genesis 2:15-17 not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good evil or they would surely die. Genesis 3 (Temptation).

‌In Genesis 3 Eve is tempted in the Garden of Eden by the Serpent. She eats fruit from the forbidden tree, and also gives to Adam and he eats. This action of rebellion and disobedience caused death and sin to enter into the world.

‌Death and sin brought separation from God and released a spirit of fear.

Separation through sin reveals the fundamental need for salvation. God set in motion a plan for salvation. The theme of Salvation is seen throughout the old and new testaments. Salvation is somewhat of a progressive revelation beginning with the physical rescue of a people and nation from danger or crisis. Leading ultimately to the understanding of spiritual rescue from sin and death through Christ.

A prominent example of the progressive revelation of Salvation is seen in the Exodus of the children of Israel. Israel for a little over 400 years were in slavery to Egypt. What began as favor with Pharoah under the leadership of Joseph turned to oppression.

‌A Pharoah arose that did not know Joseph or the good he had done for the nation. This caused the children of Israel to be put in bondage because he believed the Israelites were bigger and stronger than Egypt.

The oppression was so great that Pharoah had instructed the Hebrew midwives to kill all the mail children born. The midwives feared God and would not do as they were commanded and so God multiplied and provided for them.

In this story we see one of the many instances of God’s Salvation in the old testament. God’s ability to save was revealed by his great works in the past which then promoted the anticipation of his work of deliverance in the future.

The prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah, and Zachariah prophesied of a future savior who would come. There was great anticipation for the savior of the world. As we shift to the new testament I want to show you something cool about Salvation.

‌The Hebrew word for salvation is (yesu-a) Yeshua which means salvation, deliverance, victory, help, and welfare. The greek word is iesous (ee-ay-sooce). Which means Jesus = Jehovah is Salvation.

His name prophetically declared His mission and purpose!!

‌God is a God of salvation! He has come to bring salvation, deliverance, and victory to you and I!

When you look at the Gospels you see what we need delivered from sin , sickness, deformity, demonic possession, the power of wealth, the constant and pervasive domination of evil or the evil one.

‌Salvation is of God and cannot be earned by works.

Jesus has come to set the captives free! Today I believe if you will call upon His name he will set you free!