GOOD NEWS!!!! THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT EVEN THOUGH WE ARE ALL SINNERS... GOD HAS PROVIDED THE WAY FOR US TO BE..... FORGIVEN OF OUR SINS! FACT #1: WE ARE ALL SINNERS! God’s Word, the Bible, declares.... “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” (Romans 3:23). Sin is disobeying God! It’s breaking God’s rules and commands. It’s doing our own thing - living our lives independently of God (Isa. 53:6). Think about it and be honest.... Have you ALWAYS loved your neighbor as you love yourself? If you haven’t... God says that’s a sin (Lev. 19:18). Have you ALWAYS loved God with ALL your heart and soul so much so that you have always obeyed Him? If you haven’t.... God says that’s a sin (Deut. 6:1-5). You see, GOD IS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE and is the only God who exists (Isa. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 18, 20-21; 46:9; Deut. 4:35, 39; 1 Tim. 2:5). And being the RULER over all creation, God deserves and demands that all people love Him and obey Him (Psa. 103:19; Rev. 4:11). And God is Holy - which means that He absolutely hates sin (Hab. 1:13; Isa. 59:2). And God demands that we love Him and obey Him. But sadly, EVERYONE OF US have chosen to disobey God and are therefore guilty of sin, and one day everyone of us must stand before God to be judged! In Acts 17:31 the apostle Paul declared: “For he (God) has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed (i.e., Jesus). You see, GOD IS COMPLETELY HOLY AND ABSOLUTELY HATES SIN! Therefore, SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD (Hab. 1:13; Isa. 59:2). AS A RESULT, EVERYONE OF US DESERVES TO DIE SPIRITUALLY AND FACE THE ETERNAL WRATH AND ANGER OF GOD! (See: Rom. 1:18; 2:8; John 3:36) The Bible says “For the wages of sin is death...“ (Romans 6:23). In Matthew 25:46, Jesus said: “And these will go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT...” (See also: Rev.20:14-15) This is what we all deserve! BUT THERE’S GOOD NEWS! FACT #2: GOD HAS PROVIDED THE WAY FOR US TO BE FORGIVEN OF OUR SINS! In Romans 5:8-9 the Bible says... “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, (JESUS) Christ died for us...” This passage also goes on to say that we can now be declared righteous (or “justified”) by God and saved from God’s wrath and punishment through Jesus Christ. God’s Word further declares ...“that Christ died for our sins...was buried, and... rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Cor. 15:3-4) In Ephesians 1:7 the Bible says... “In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins...” When Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on the cross, He paid the penalty for all our sins, and made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins by rising from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection proves He is the Son of God (Romans 1:4). Jesus’ death and resurrection has bridged the chasm between God and Man. BUT HOW CAN WE EXPERIENCE GOD’S FORGIVENESS? FACT #3: THE ONLY WAY TO RECEIVE FORGIVENESS OF SINS IS BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST! Jesus said... “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” - John 14:6 In Acts 10:43 the apostle Peter declared... “... that everyone who believes in Him (JESUS) receives FORGIVENESS OF SINS through His name.” In Ephesians 2:8-9 the Bible says... “For by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast.” Forgiveness of sins is a GIFT from God given by His GRACE. We cannot earn it or merit it by the good things we do.... We must simply receive it BY FAITH by receiving Jesus Christ into our lives. (See: John 3:17-18, 36; Rom. 3:21-28; Gal. 2:16; Titus 3:4-5) In John 1:12 we are promised.... “But as many as RECEIVED Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who BELIEVE in His name...” John 3:16 declares... “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. BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “BELIEVE” IN JESUS? Well, it’s more than simply believing certain truths about Jesus (See: James 2:19)! First, it means to REPENT! We must turn away from our sins! (See: Acts 3:19; Acts 17:30-31). We cannot be saved if we insist upon living our lives in disobedience to God. Second, believing in Jesus involves.... SURRENDERING TO JESUS AS LORD! Jesus Christ is LORD (i.e., King, Boss, Commander in Chief, God)! And when we believe in Jesus, we take Him as our Lord and Master and we become His followers forever (Rom. 10:9; Luke 9:23). We become “Christians”. And a Christian is someone who no longer lives for themselves, but for Jesus (2 Cor. 5:15)! Third, believing in Jesus involves... TRUSTING JESUS TO BE OUR SAVIOR! We must believe that Jesus died for all our sins and rose from the dead, and we must trust JESUS and JESUS ALONE to forgive us of our sins and to give us a home in heaven. We must NOT depend in any way upon our so-called “good works”. (See: Phil. 3:8-9). * HAVE YOU TURNED FROM YOUR SINS AND TRUSTED JESUS TO BE YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR? If not..... * DO YOU WANT GOD TO SAVE YOU AND TO FORGIVE YOU OF ALL YOUR SINS RIGHT NOW? Well, in Romans 10:13 the Bible promises: “... For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And IF YOU WANT TO BE SAVED AND EXPERIENCE GOD’S FORGIVENESS... JUST TURN FROM YOUR SINS AND CALL UPON HIM RIGHT NOW BY FAITH and ask Him to save you! Here is a suggested prayer to help you: Dear God, I know I am a sinner and deserve to be punished for my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for all my sins and rose from the dead. Come into my life and make me into a new person. Forgive me of all my sins and give me a home in heaven when I die. From this day forward my life belongs to you. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. Have you just now placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior? PRAISE GOD! If you have... then God has saved you! God has forgiven you of your sins and you will live with Him forever. Consider this promise: 1 John 5:11-13: “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life...” NOW you need to grow in your relationship with Christ.... HOW TO GROW IN CHRIST: * Read your Bible daily- 2 Tim. 3:16-17 * Pray. Talk to God frequently- Col. 4:2 * Go to a Bible-believing Church- Heb. 10:24-25 * Tell others about Jesus - Matt. 28:19-20 * Depend moment by moment upon the Holy Spirit -John 15:5; Phil. 4:13: Eph. 5:18 * Always obey what you know to be the will of God - John 14:15 * Begin by being baptized - Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:41 * If you sin, confess it, and repent, and accept God’s forgiveness -1 John 1:9 * Always keep your eyes on Jesus- Heb. 12:2 By: Pastor Eric Ertle, First Baptist Church, Horseshoe Bend AR, 72512... (870)723-2709 broeric72@hotmail
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 20:22:26 +0000
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