Good morning.  Well, today is Palm Sunday, and it is the day that we recognize as the day of the triumphal entry.  Last year, I took time and we looked at the triumphal entry.  However, this year I would like to discuss the importance of the Plan of Salvation.  Because, you see, if we don’t gain salvation through Christ, then the triumphal entry has no significance at all.

Now, in order to approach this topic, I will continue in our theme of Gone Fishin’.  This morning we will be looking at our last fishing experience.  Today we are going to look at the Word “B.A.S.S.” and we are going to take a look at God’s Plan of Salvation.

Before we begin though, let’s start off with a word of prayer.

If you watch the people when they fish on TV, you will notice that most anglers have the letter “B.A.S.S.” written across their uniforms.  Well this morning we are going to end by bouncing around a little bit and looking at several scriptures that will walk us through the plan of salvation using the letters “B.A.S.S.”

The way or the process that God brings a person into a state of salvation is described in Romans 10:13-15.  The sequence of steps revealed in these verses is very simple: God sends a preacher, the preacher preaches, a person hears the message, believes the message, and as a result he or she calls upon God, who then grants them salvation.  The Bible gives us many examples of this process in action so that we might better understand it.

It is amazing how little people know about the Word of God, especially here in America where just about everyone has access to the Bible.  This was demonstrated by Tonight Show host Jay Leno.  Leno frequently does “man-on-the street” interviews, and one night he stopped some young people to ask them questions about the Bible.  “Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?” he asked two college-age women.  One replied, “Freedom of speech?”  Mr. Leno said to the other, “Complete this sentence: Let he who is without sin...”  Her response was, “have a good time?”  Mr. Leno then turned to a young man and asked, “Who, according to the Bible, was eaten by a whale?”  The confident answer was, “Pinocchio.”

Such misunderstandings while seeming to be humorous are tragic.  The importance of God’s Word is emphasized throughout its pages and no more powerfully than in Romans 10:17 where it states, “Faith come from hearing the word.”

So today, though, we are beginning to discuss the plan of salvation under the understanding that we have already heard the message.  A good fisherman usually hears of a good fishing place before he goes and fishes there.  In the same way, Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the word.”  So we have established that in order to gain salvation a person must hear the word.  Now we move on to examine each of the letters in the word “BASS.”

First, we have the letter “B.”

This stands for Belief.  After one has heard the message, they must believe in the message.  After a fisherman has heard about a good place to fish, he then must believe that he can go there and catch fish.  In Mark 16:16 it says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”  So right here in this passage we see the importance of believing.

In Acts a jailer asked Paul what he must do to be saved, and Paul said in Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”  Belief has to be the basis for our salvation.  No one in their right mind would buy into and follow something that they did not believe in, so to start, after hearing the word you muse believe.

I mean look at the word believe.  John 3:16, Hebrews 11:6, Romans 10:10 - It all starts with believing.  If I don’t believe it then none of the other things we do matter.  Confession becomes a lie, baptism becomes a bath and so on.  So what do we believe?  We believe that Jesus really was the Son of God, that He really did die on the cross for our sins, and that He really did rise again proving that death could not hold Him or those that follow Him.

Now please note at this point though, that there must be more then just belief.  It starts with belief but it doesn’t end there.  James 2:19 says that, “even the demons believe these things.”  What it means is that I must respond to that belief.  And the way that we can do that is explained in or next letter.

The next letter in the word is the letter “A.”

This letter stand for the word Actions.  After a fisherman has heard about a good fishing spot, he believes that he can catch fish there, he now has to take action in order to go fishing.  A fisherman had planned a special fishing trip for several months.  He made out a list of essentials and scratched each item off as he packed.  He had his car checked and serviced.  All of his appointments were under control.  Everything was ready.  He even made sure to leave his wife and family well stocked with whatever they might need.  The long awaited time finally arrived and he eagerly bid them goodbye, hopped in his car and left.

He arrived at his fishing cabin that evening, got things tidied up and his food in order, set the alarm for 4 AM, then went to sleep dreaming of the fish that he would catch the next morning.  He arose hurriedly at the first sound of the alarm, quickly ate eggs and bacon, almost gulping the food down in his anxiety to get out on the lake.  Just as he was getting into his boat, he made a startling discovery: he had not brought along any bait.  The bait box was empty!

Many people prepare to meet God in a similar way.  They do not completely prepare.  I mean they may check things off, but they sometimes forget the essentials.  Before a fisherman goes fishing he has to have some actions that he goes through.  He may need to pack his fishing tackle, or go buy bait, but there are some actions that are necessary in order to be ready to go fishing.

Now with this stage of the plan of salvation I am tying 2 steps into this one letter.  After a person has heard the word, and believed in it, they have a couple of actions that they need to go through.  In a way this is a surrendering point in the plan of salvation.

The first thing that one must do is Repent.  The Greek word repent means to change directions.  Repentance means hating sin enough to turn from it.  In Acts 17:30 it says, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”  And in Luke 13:3 it says, “I tell you, no!  But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

You may already know this story, but King David, Israel’s most distinguished ruler, the man after God’s own heart, became the seducer, the adulterer, the liar, and the murderer.  Israel’s ruler was now ruled by sin.  A year had passed since David committed adultery with Bathsheba and set up the murder of her husband.  David had gone down hill physically and emotionally.  His conscience kept him uneasy.  He tossed and turned at night.

When David was brought face to face with his corruption, his defense crumbled.  He cried in II Samuel 12:13, “I have sinned against the Lord,”  and Nathan the prophet replied “The Lord also has put away your sin.”  Despite the devastating consequences of David’s sin, he was assured of God’s forgiveness.

After realizing the extent of his sin and its consequences, David penned Psalm 51, a song of repentance and pleading for God’s forgiveness.  Verse 3, “I acknowledge my transgressions…” and verse 7, “Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”

So, are you suffering the consequences of sin this morning?  Admit your wrongs and ask God to cleanse your heart.  He will show mercy and restore your joy if you will turn to Him.

The second action that one must take is Confession.  2 brothers were extremely mischievous and their parents were at their wits’ end.  So, they asked their pastor to talk with the boys.  (By the way, I do not suggest this)  The pastor sat down with the younger boy first.  He wanted him to think about God, so he started the conversation by asking, “Where is God?”  The boy did not respond, so he repeated the question in a stern tone.  Again he gave no answer.  Frustrated, the pastor shook his finger in the boy’s face and shouted, “Where is God?”

The boy bolted from the room, ran home, and hid in his closet.  His brother followed him into the closet and asked, “What happened?”  The younger boy replied, “We’re in big trouble now.  God is missing and they think we did it!”

Now this sounds a little like Adam and Eve who tried to hide from God.  God pursued them and asked in Genesis 3:10, “What is this you have done?”  Instead of repenting and confessing their sin, Adam blamed God and Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent.

How do we respond when we have sinned against God?  Do we hide, hoping to not get caught, or do we confess our sin to Him.

Confession - the first of these is to confess with our mouth.  It is not a confession of sin but a confession of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Romans 10:9 says that we are to “confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord.”  So obviously confession plays an essential role.  Confession gives us accountability as well as that public declaration of whose side we are on.  Jesus said in Matthew 10:32 “if you confess me before men then I will confess you before my father.”

Now the verse that I am about to share with you is excluded from the NIV and several other translations, but in the King James Version it says in Acts 8:36&37, “And as they went on their  way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See,  here is  water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Also as I already mentioned, in Romans 10:9 it says, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  We need to confess with our mouths audibly that we believe in Christ.  It is our public declaration of belief in God.  But we also have to confess our wrong doings.

The sin that we commit is what traps us, it is the confession that is the key that can set us free.  In I John I:9 it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  If we confess our sins to God, He will forgive us our sins.

So some of the actions that we must take in the plan of salvation include Repentance, and Confession.  Without these 2, we can go no further, and without these 2, hearing and believing does no good for us.

Our third letter is the letter “S.”

The letter S stands for Submersion.  After a fisherman has heard of a great fishing spot, believed in it, and taken the right actions, he needs to submerge his bait in the water in order to be productive.  In the plan of salvation this is when a person gets to the stage of Baptism.  The Greek word “baptizo” literally means to immerse, and that is why this letter stands for submersion.

Little Betsy had faithfully attended a class that was all about baptism and its meaning and significance.  Her mother, wanting to be sure her daughter understood its significance, asked, “Honey, what does baptism mean?”  “Well, it isn't the water that makes you clean ...” she began.  Smiling, her mother thought, Yes, she understands, and Betsy concluded, “... it's the soap.”

Well, baptism is a vital step in the plan of salvation, and it is not because of the soap.  In Acts 2:38 is says, “Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

John Calvin once said, “Those who see baptism only as confession of our faith have missed the main point.  Baptism is tied to the promise of forgiveness.  “Whoever believes and is Baptized will be saved.” Mark 16:16.

One good way to think of baptism is to consider it a “signing of a contract” between you and God.  If you were to buy a house, you would be required to sit down with the sellers of the home and approve a contract.  To show your approval, you would be required to sign your name at the bottom of the paper.  Your signature wouldn’t buy the house, the money you probably borrowed from the bank did that.  But, you couldn’t purchase the house until your name was on the dotted line.

So it is with Baptism.  Your baptism doesn’t “buy” your salvation.  Christ’s blood does that.  But your signature on God’s contract is still required.

And the final letter is the letter “S.” again.

The second letter S stands for the word Steadfastness.  A fisherman hears of a good fishing spot, believes that he can catch fish there, takes action to be ready, submerges his bait, and then he must be steadfast in his pursuit of the big catch.

In a fishing tournament like you would see on TV, the anglers have to be keep at it in order to catch a prize winning fish.

A recent television documentary pointed out that the cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey.  The big cat can sprint 70 miles per hour.  But the cheetah cannot sustain that pace for long.  Within its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart, which causes the cheetah to tire quickly.

Unless the cheetah catches its prey in the first flurry, it must abandon the chase.  Sometimes Christians seem to have the cheetah’s approach to salvation.  We speed into it with great energy.  But lacking the heart for sustained effort, we fizzle out before we finish.  We vow to start faster and run harder, when what we need may be not more speed but more staying power--stamina that comes only from a bigger heart.

As Christians this is when we have to have a stick-to-it-ivness.  In Acts 14:21&22 it says, “They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples.  Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.  “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.”

In order to finish the task and fulfill God’s Plan Of Salvation, which is the only way, we need to live a steadfast life.  God never calls for us to make the decision and then go our separate way.

We are entering into a covenant, a marriage relationship and while He will never ever walk out of that marriage, we are free to do so.  We can obey or disobey but we cannot abandon the marriage and then expect to see the benefits of that relationship.  In Mark 13:13 it says, “He who stands firm to the end shall be saved.”  We are talking about steadfastness, the long haul, and not just a one-time emotion.

In I Corinthians 15:58 it says, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

So, the word of God must be lived.  We have to Show it in our lives.  The value of the Bible is not knowing it, but obeying it.  Knowing the Bible is of little benefit unless you practice it.  James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”  So, we have to have a steadfast life to go along with all the other steps.

In conclusion let me just ask you one question this morning.  Where are you in the process of salvation?  Are you just now hearing the word clearly?  Have you begun believing it?  Are you starting to repent and make a public confession?  Are you at the baptismal stage and you are need to be submerged?  I think that for many of us we are in the steadfastness stage.

It is my prayer that no matter where each of us are this morning that we can all begin to live a steadfast life and finish the course.  I want to close with this last quote that I found this past week that is very well put.  It said, “The best thing to do with the Bible is to know it in the head, stow it in the heart, sow it in the world, and show it in the life.”

Let’s Pray