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  SALVATION IS CLOSER
  by Robert William Dale
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Summary: The sermon emphasizes the urgency of spiritual awakening and
the hope of salvation as we move toward the future fulfillment of God's
promises.

Topics: "Spiritual Awakening", "Future Salvation"
Scripture References: Romans 13:11, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Philippians 3:13, 1 Peter 1:5

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DESCRIPTION
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Robert William Dale emphasizes the importance of awakening from
spiritual slumber, reminding believers that our salvation is drawing
closer as time progresses. Despite admiring the dedication and courage
of early Christians, it is evident that many fell short of living a
saintly life, just as many struggle with human weaknesses and sin today.
The glory of God within the Church has always been marred by human
imperfections, but the hope lies in the future when salvation will be
fully realized.

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CONTENT
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"It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer
than when we believed" (Rom. 13:11).

The golden age of the Church lies, not in the past, but in the future.
We may be humiliated by the passionate devotion to Christ which glowed
in the hearts of the apostles and of many of their immediate converts;
we may wonder at the courage and fortitude which during the early
Christian generations confronted fearlessly all that was mightiest and
most venerable in the ancient civilisation, and endured imprisonment,
torture, and death in the power of an exulting hope and a triumphant
faith; but it is apparent, both from the apostolic epistles and from
later Christian writings, that even in those heroic times there were
vast numbers of Christian men and women who fell far short of the
saintly life. The glory of God which dwells in the Church of every age
was clouded then, as it is clouded now, by human infirmity and sin.

Nor do we look back with regret upon the brief years during which our
Lord Himself was visibly present in the world: it was expedient for us
that He should go away. The great hour is yet to come: we move forwards
to it day by day, year by year. 'Now is salvation nearer to us than when
we first believed.'

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/robert-william-dale/salvation-is-closer/
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