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Purpose, meaning, a reason for living -- these are all things we desire and search for in life. Despite steps each one of us takes to find purpose and meaning in life, we still feel empty, unfulfilled. That is because there is a spiritual emptiness in each of our lives. We each have an empty place in our heart, a spiritual void deep within our soul -- a "God-shaped vacuum." Possessions won't fill this void, nor will success. Relationships alone cannot satisfy this emptiness, and morality, in and of itself, falls miserably short of occupying this space. In fact, even religion cannot fill the void in our heart (see John 4:13-15; 5:39-40; 6:63-65). There is only one way to effectively fill that void. This way will not only help us to have a life that is full and rich on this earth, but -- more importantly -- give us the absolute hope of spending eternity in the presence of God. Before we can truly appreciate this good news though, we need to face and understand the bad news, which is a serious problem we all have.
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"As
it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one;' "
Throughout time every one of us has "missed the mark" with God. It doesn't matter whether we've lived our lives being good to others, or whether we've tried to live right before God. We've missed it with God because we ceased to be perfect in His sight - When SIN came into the world. Mankind then became controlled by SIN. We are not basically
good -- we are basically sinful. This sinfulness spills out into
everything we do. Every problem we experience in our society today
can be traced back to our refusal to live God's way -- Disobedience.
Clear back to the Garden of Eden, Adam made his choice, and he suffered
the consequences of it, setting the pattern that all humanity would
follow. "Therefore,
just as through one man sin entered the world, and death [Eternal
separation from God] through sin, and thus death spread to all men,
because all sinned . . ." Yes, Adam's one sin brought condemnation upon everyone. "That's not fair!" you may protest. Why should we suffer because of what someone else has done? Yet, given the opportunity, each one of us would have done the same thing as Adam. In fact, not a single day passes that we do not face the same test that was set before Adam. God has given us the freedom to choose between two separate paths: the path that leads to life and the path that leads to death. The Bible says, "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness to the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
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God understood our problem and knew that we could do nothing about it. Because God loves us, he sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to bridge the chasm of sin that separates us from him (see John 3:1-16; 6:47; 8:24) . "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
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us." God provided a way for us to re-establish our eternal relationship with Him - Through His Son Jesus. Jesus put His life on the line for us. He took on all of our sins (past, present, and future), and literally became SIN personified. Knowing that the "wages of sin is death", He laid down His life for us. He died on the cross - paying the ultimate price for our sins. He then rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven in order to secure a place for us. "In
My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would
have told you.
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Moreover, he came to this earth
with a clear objective in mind: to bridge that gap between us and
God. When the Israelites of the Old Testament sinned, they would have the high priest go into the Temple and offer an animal sacrifice to God to atone for their sins. In a symbolic sense, this was a way of putting one's sins on the animal, which stood in the place of the guilty person. The Bible teaches, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins" (Hebrews 9:22). The sacrificial rituals carried out by the Israelites in the Old Testament foreshadowed what Jesus would do when he came to this earth. He took the sin of the world upon himself when he hung on the cross so many years ago. Numerous Old Testament prophecies pointed not only to his birth and life, but also to his death, including the way in which he would die. Jesus knew from the beginning that he had come expressly to die for the sins of humanity. He also knew that this sacrifice would be made on a Roman cross. He began his final journey to the cross of Calvary at a place called Caesarea Philippi, and he often spoke of his impending death with his disciples. Scripture records, "From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that he had to go to Jerusalem, and he told them what would happen to him there. He would suffer at the hands of the leaders and the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and he would be raised on the third day" (Matthew 16:21). He was eventually arrested on false charges after Judas Iscariot, one of his own disciples, betrayed him. But it was by no accident. If humanity was going to be put in touch with God and have the barrier that separated them removed, something drastic had to be done. In essence, with one hand Jesus took hold of a Holy God, and with the other hand he took hold of the sinful human race. As crude nails were pounded into his hands, he bridged the gap for us! We must not forget, however, that three days after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death forever! If it is true that "you can't keep a good man down," then it is even truer that you can't keep the "God-man" down.
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To know Jesus Christ personally and have your sin forgiven, you must believe that you are a sinner separated from God and that your only hope is Jesus Christ, the son of God, who came and died for your sins. To stop here, however, would be to stop short of salvation.
There are two things you must now do to enter into a relationship with the God from whom you have been separated.
As Jesus began his public ministry, his first message was, "Turn from your sins" (Mark 1:15). He was telling the people to repent -- to acknowledge their sinful actions and agree with God that they are sin, and make a conscious decision to change their hearts, change their minds, and change the direction of their lives. Look at it this way. In the past we have been blinded by our sin, causing us to run from God. As we repent, we do a "U-turn" and start running toward him. It is not enough just to be sorry for our sins. We must also change our lifestyle, for the Bible teaches that "God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation" (2 Corinthians 7:10). In other words, if you are really sorry for something, it will result in a change in your actions. The apostle Paul summed up this change succinctly when he quoted Jesus, who said that people must "turn from the darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me" (Acts 26:18). You see, there are some things only God can do and some things only you can do. Only God can remove your sins and give you the gift of eternal life, but only you can turn from your sins and receive Jesus as your Savior. That brings up the second thing you must do to respond to God's offer.
Having seen the enormity of your sin and having decided to turn away from it, you then must believe in and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Becoming a Christian, however, is far more than following a creed or trying to live by certain standards. Jesus said that you must be "born again," or more literally, "born from above" (John 3:3). This spiritual rebirth happens when we personally believe in Jesus Christ,receive him by inviting him into our lives, and turn from our sins. In other words, we ask Jesus to come and take residence in our life, making the changes he deems necessary. A person must take this all important step in order to become a child of God. Notice that this offer is yours for the asking, and it is free. You don't have to work for it, trying to clean up our life before you make this life-changing decision. The Bible says...
Being a Christian also means having a relationship with the living God. "Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open
the door, To better understand the meaning of this verse, it is important to understand the culture at the time it was written. Eating together in Bible times was a long, drawn-out affair. People would not sit on chairs behind tables in a formal setting as we do, but they would often sit on the ground, reclining on pillows around a low table. The relaxed atmosphere made meals a time when you would not only satisfy your appetite but also receive a gratifying serving of enjoyable table conversation. You would share your heart and life with those who sat beside you. Consequently, when Jesus says that he will "share a meal" with us, it implies intimacy, closeness, and friendship. He offers this to us, we must first "hear him calling" us. To hear God calling us, we must know how he speaks. One way in which God speaks to us is described on occasion as a "still, small voice." This could be described in another way as a that tug you may have felt on your heart from the Holy Spirit showing you your need for Jesus. He may even be speaking to you right now! It is at that point you must "open the door." Only you can do that. Jesus will not force his way in.
If you are ready
to turn from your sins and believe in Jesus Christ so that you can
receive the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life, then
take a moment to bow your head and pray a prayer like the one below:
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as
He is with the attitude of your heart
If you prayed this prayer, The Bible says... "That
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.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." "For
'whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"
"If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
"He
who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have life.
Perhaps your are already a Christian, but you have strayed from Jesus Christ. You have been a prodigal son or daughter. God will forgive you right now if you will return to him. He tells us in Scripture, "My wayward children, come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts" (Jeremiah 3:22). If you would like to return to God and rededicate your life to him right now, you may want to pray something like this:
Whether you prayed to make a first time commitment or a recommitment, you have made the right decision. God has forgiven and received you if you sincerely meant it. Know that your relationship with Jesus Christ will bring radical and dramatic changes in your life. Describing this, the Bible says, "those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now that is good news! But more importantly, God has changed your eternal destiny. Instead of fearing eternal punishment in a place called hell, you will spend peaceful eternity in his presence in heaven. The Bible says that when you
believe in Jesus and accept him into your life, you can be sure
God has forgiven you and that you have eternal life (see John
10:27-29). You may not feel any different, but you have been
washed clean of your sin. And just as a shepherd protects his sheep,
Jesus protects us from eternal harm. When you follow Jesus by believing
and obeying him, he gives you everlasting life (see Hebrews
5:9). God gives you good gifts, and he does not take them away.
Your salvation is a gift from God. "For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not
from yourselves,
Believes in the
Trinity,
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