Learn about Jesus

Many people spend much of their lives searching for meaning and fulfillment. Some seek to find significance through . . .

Acquiring wealth and possessions
Pursuing pleasure
Gaining education, prestige, or power

However, lasting and true fulfillment in life is found in knowing God, and establishing a lasting relationship with Him. When discussing our relationship with God, The Bible contains both BAD NEWS and GOOD NEWS.

The bad news is something about YOU. The good news is something about GOD.

BAD NEWS #1: You are a Sinner.

Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“Sinned” means that we have missed the mark. When we lie, hate, lust, or gossip, we have missed the standard God has set. Suppose you and I were each to throw a rock and try to hit the North Pole. You might throw farther than I, but neither of us would hit it.

When the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short,” it means that we have all come short of God’s standard of perfection. In thoughts, words, and deeds, we have not been perfect.

But the bad news gets worse . . .

BAD NEWS #2: The penalty for sin is death.

Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.”

Suppose you worked for me for one day and I paid you $50. That $50 was your wages. That is what you earned. The Bible says that by sinning we have earned death. That means we deserve to die and be separated from God forever.

BUT . . .

Since there was no way we could come to God, God came to us.

GOOD NEWS #1: Christ died for you.

Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Suppose you are in a hospital, dying of lung cancer. I come to you and say, “Let’s take the cancerous lungs from your body and put my healthy lungs into your body.”

If that were possible, what would happen to me? What would happen to you?
I would die in your place. And you would live. I would die instead of you.

The Bible says Christ took the penalty that we deserved for sin, placed it upon Himself, and died in our place. Three days later Christ came back to life to prove that sin and death had been conquered and that His claims to be God were true.

Just as the bad news got worse, the good news gets better!

GOOD NEWS #2: You can be saved through faith in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “For by grace [undeserved favor] you have been saved [delivered from sin’s penalty] through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one should boast.”

Faith means trust.
Q: What must you trust Christ for?
A: You must depend on Him alone to forgive you and to give you eternal life.

Just as you trust a chair to hold you through no effort of your own, so you must trust Jesus Christ to get you to heaven through no effort of your own.

Trusting is more than giving mental assent to something (“O Yeah, I believe that”).

It means to rest in, rely on, to depend on something.

In salvation it means to set aside our good deeds, our efforts to be acceptable to God, and to rest in, rely on, depend on what Christ did for us on the cross. Each human being (it makes no difference if you are seven or seventy) must make a personal life decision to trust in the price Jesus paid for us in order to receive forgiveness.

But you may say,“I go to church” or “I help the poor.” “I’m a good person, I don’t steal and I’m religious.”

These are all good, but good living, going to church, helping the poor or any other good thing you might do cannot get you to heaven.

You must trust in Jesus Christ alone, and when you do, God will give you eternal life as a gift!

A Key Question

Is there anything keeping you from trusting Christ right now? Think carefully.
There is nothing more important than your need to trust Christ.

Would you like to tell God you are trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior? If you would, why not pray right now and tell God you are trusting His Son?

Remember! It is not a prayer that saves you. It is trusting Jesus Christ that saves you. Prayer is simply how you tell God what you are doing.

“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner. I know my sin deserves to be punished. I believe Christ died for me and rose from the grave. I trust Jesus Christ alone as my Savior. Thank You for the forgiveness and everlasting life I now have.
In Jesus’ name, amen.”

At the moment we believe in Jesus Christ, God gives us three promises. . .

1. The Promise of forgiveness. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

2. The Promise of eternal life. “He who believes in Me shall live, even if he dies…” John 11:25

3. The Promise of His presence. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20
“Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

What do you do now?

Having trusted Christ as your only way to heaven, here’s how to grow in your relationship with Him.

• Tell God what’s on your mind through prayer (Philippians 4:6,7).

• Read the Bible every day (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
  We recommend that you start in the book of Philippians, Gospel of John or I John.

• Worship with God’s people in a local church (Hebrews 10:24,25).

• Tell Others about Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:19).

• Contact us! We would love to know of your decision to trust Christ and encourage you in your new relationship with Jesus.

Adapted from ”May I Ask You A Question?” published by EvanTell, Inc.