Of all the things the Bible reveals about God, nothing is more profoundly clear than this: He alone is worthy of our worship and He deserves all our love.
"O
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your
name
in all the earth! You have set
your
glory above the heavens."
Psalm
8:1
"'For
I know the plans I have for you,'
declares
the Lord, 'plans to prosper
you
and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.'"
Jeremiah
29:11
QUESTION: Would you describe yourself as a person who worships and loves God?
Regardless of how you might answer this question, God's greatest desire for you is that you would come to know Him as Savior and Lord of your life.
God has spoken through His prophets, ordinary people, and His own Son, Jesus Christ, in order to provide everyone with the truth about His will for all people.
TRUTH No. 1: God loves you and wants to give you life at its best, now and forever!
Jesus
said, "For God so loved the world
that
He gave His one and only Son, that
whoever
believes in Him shall not perish
but have eternal life."
John
3:16
And,
". . . I have come that they might
have life, and have it to
the full."
John
10:10b
But . . .
TRUTH No. 2: As much as God loves you, something keeps you from experiencing His love.
"For
all have sinned and fall short of
the
glory of God."
Romans
3:23
".
. . the wages of sin is death . . ."
Romans
6:23a
God created us to have fellowship with Him; but each of us have chosen to rule our own life instead of submitting to God as Lord. This self rule is what the Bible calls sin.
As long as we continue to be the lord of our own lives, we will remain separated from God and unable to experience the abundant and eternal life He alone can give.
QUESTION: How does a person surrender their will to God and receive the life that He offers to all.
TRUTH No. 3: God has made a way through Jesus Christ!
"But
God demonstrates His own love
for
us in this: While we were still
sinners,
Christ died for us."
Romans
5:8
So, even though the first part of Romans 6:23 is true, which says ". . . the wages of sin (self rule) is death (separation from God, now and forever), the next part of this same verse states:
".
. . but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Jesus, who was without sin, died for our sins. He paid a debt He didn't owe for a people who owed a debt they couldn't pay.
Not only did he die for us, but in rising from His grave He also conquered death for us.
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will die . . ."
But, now . . .
TRUTH No. 4: Knowing the first 3 truths about God's Plan of Salvation is not enough.
By faith, we must individually ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins (self rule) and invite Him into our lives.
Speaking of Himself, Jesus said, ". . . to all who receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)
If the following prayer expresses your sincere desire to know God's love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, say these words to Him:
Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I invite you now to come live in me. Be Savior and Lord of my life. Make me the person you want me to be.
CONCLUSION: If you prayed this prayer and meant it, Christ now lives in you. As a result, the following are true:
"Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is
a
new creation; the old has gone, the
new
has come!"
II
Corinthians 5:17
"He
who has the Son has life; he who
does
not have the Son of God does not
have the life." I write
these things to
you
who believe in the name of the Son
of God so that you may know
that you
have eternal life."
I
John 5:12-13
It is also God's will for all of His children to grow in their faith by meeting together regularly with other Christians at church.
"And
let us consider how we may spur
one
another on toward love and good
deeds. Let us not give up
meeting
together, as some are in the
habit of
doing, but let us encourage
one
another . . ."
Hebrews
10:24-25
