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When the Plymouth Colony, led by Governor Bradford and the Pilgrim Fathers, gathered together for the first Thanksgiving in
the new world (the American colonies, later a part of the United States), they had been on this continent less than a year. One hundred and two people came over on the Mayflower but half of them had died or were killed and were buried.
The Pilgrims were not thinking of their hardships; they were not complaining about their losses. They dreamed of a bright
future. Their crops had exceeded all expectations. No longer would they need to worry about starvation. God had provided, so they invited the Indians who had been friendly to meet with them, and a thanksgiving meal was prepared and served.
The Pilgrims
spent three days thanking and praising God for bestowing His blessings upon them.
Often we take for granted the blessings we receive. The Psalmist (in the Bible) tells of some things for which to thank the Lord and some ways to do it. Psalm 105:1-5 says, Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles and the judgments He pronounced.
How do we thank the Lord? Some key phrases in the above scripture passage should give you some ideas. First of all, we thank Him directly. Talk to God. Thank Him for the blessings He has given you. Do you have a family? Thank Him for it. Are you healthy enough to get around? Thank Him. Do you have a job to provide for the necessities of life or friends that help you get by? Thank Him.
In order to communicate with God, you need a relationship with Him. That relationship is established through the acceptance of His Son Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Then you will be able to thank God for the eternal life He has given you and His presence with you. We will look at that possibility for you later in this article.
The psalmist gives us some ways of thanking God. In addition to calling on his name (talking to Him -- prayer), we can tell others about Him. The psalmist says to make known among the nations what He has done, and tell of all His wonderful acts. We are not to keep God's blessings a secret. Share these blessings with others.
The psalmist said another way to thank God is to Sing to Him, sing praise to Him.
As you think of how God has blessed you, let the joy you have break out in song. Sing known praise songs directed to Him or make up your own. They don't have to rhyme or have poetic meter or even be on key. Just sing to the Lord from your heart. The writer of the psalm said, Glory in His name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
The passage on which we are focusing says to Look to the Lord and His strength; seek his face always. If you have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, you know the Lord is able to do anything He chooses. He cares about you. You can share your joys with Him and you can share your sorrows. Life is filled with frustrating and difficult situations. We all experience them. We can take these to God and ask for His help. He will either remove the problem or give you the strength and wisdom to work through it and help you to learn from it.
The words, Seek His face always is the real key to pleasing the Lord and experiencing a life of fulfillment. You will be able to learn what God's purpose for your life is. If you do not have a personal relationship with God, this seeking will lead you to Him. Jesus Himself said, Seek
Matthew 6:33 (in the Bible) says, Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and Matthew 7:7 tells us, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. God has invited you into His kingdom and His family. Now the decision is up to you.
Your sins have disqualified you from receiving eternal life with God in heaven, as well as His companionship here on earth. All that is left for you is a life on earth without the guiding and protective hand of God. When you die, your destiny is an eternity in hell with Satan. It is described as a place of fire and torment. There is no way to escape.
God loves you so much that He wants to save you from this torment and save you to an eternal life of peace and happiness. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and offered Him as a sacrifice for your sins. Jesus offered to take your sins upon Himself and clothe you in His righteousness. With this exchange, you stand before God as righteous and can spend eternity in heaven. But for this to become effective you must accept His offer.
Here is how you can be saved from hell and to a life of fulfillment here on earth and eternity in heaven.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. All of us are sinners. There are sinners who have been saved by the grace of God and sinners who are lost because that have not accepted God's offer of salvation.
2. Turn from self- to Christ. This is called repentance. With self on the throne of your life, your goal is self-gratification, the accumulation of things, riches and prestige. It is an unfulfilled life.
With Christ on the throne of your life, you have His guidance through all kinds of situations. He shows you how to live a fulfilled life. He offers an eternity of peace and happiness in heaven. The spirit of man never dies. It is eternal. On earth your spirit is housed in your body. At death your spirit goes to its home -- hell or heaven.
3. Commit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. You promise to live in a way that will honor Him and commit yourself to living that kind of life. Your purpose is to please God. You do this by --
(1) Believing that Jesus Christ is God's Son who gave Himself as a sacrifice for
your sins, was buried and rose from the grave on the third day, after spending additional time on earth ascended to heaven and is with the Father there. He will come again to earth before the end of the world.
(2) This belief must be acted
upon. It is not just a belief of the facts, but you must commit your life to be lived to the glory of Jesus. This is an act of faith, applying the belief of the facts (head belief) to your life (heart belief, or commitment).
A good initial way to express this commitment is a talk with God. You can talk to Him like you would talk to any friend. He is a special friend. Your talk (prayer) can be something like this:
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I am not worthy of you. I am sorry for my sins and I now turn from them. I am turning to you. I now invite your Son, Jesus Christ into my life. I promise to serve you for the rest of my life on earth. Please save me and show me how you want me to live. Thank you for loving me and saving me. I pray in the name of your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now that you know Jesus as Savior, you have eternal life. You can die in peace when that day comes. In the meantime you have the privilege of serving the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is a loving Father and is with you all the time. God's Holy Spirit lives within you. He will re-make your conscience so you will be convicted of what is wrong and urged to do what is right.
To learn more about God and His will for your life you need to read His Scripture (the Bible) daily and spend time in prayer. You can talk to God anytime. The Holy Spirit will help you understand the Scripture and apply it to your life.
You also should be baptized like Jesus was baptized. This is by being immersed into the water and raised up out of it. That pictures what Jesus did for us and our commitment to "bury" the old self and live the new life in Christ. Baptism does not save you, but Jesus commanded his followers to be baptized. Find a church that baptizes by immersion and become a part of it. If there is a Baptist church near you, I suggest you go there.
You are not saved by the church or by the good things you do. Salvation is a gift from God. Jesus paid the price in giving Himself as a sacrifice for you. You are saved by God's grace through your faith in His son. But you are saved to do good works. The works are evidence that you have trusted Christ as Savior.
If you need help with your decision, please let me know. I will appreciate your letting me know about your decision. It will encourage me and I will pray for you. If you cannot find a Bible, tell me and I will get you one. You can write me by going to the email page.
-- take care, Don
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out that same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to hear that his own son had been seriously wounded as a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac.
Sitting down to his desk, one Christmas Day, he heard the church bells ringing, and ringing. It was in this setting he wrote:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.
At this Christmas time whether you are in sorrow or in joy you can know that God is not dead, nor does he sleep. He knows your every need and longs to comfort you and be that special friend you need. Seek Him this year instead of the outward manifestations of the season. He will give life real meaning and your heart real peace, the peace that passes all understanding.
That's what Christmas is really about. God's love for you is so great that He sent His Son to give you eternal life. But let's go back a long way and see why this was necessary.
When God created the first man and woman, He made them in His image. They had perfect fellowship with Him. God's plan for man (general term meaning both genders) was that he would live a life of obedience and fellowship with Him and then when their time on earth was over, they would spend eternity with Him. However, they disobeyed God and broke that fellowship. We call that disobedience sin. Every person from Adam to the present day has sinned. Heaven is a holy place and sin cannot enter it.
God required the people to offer animal sacrifices for their sins. These sacrifices began with the very first family. The sacrifices
could not save them but were signs of repentance. No human sacrifice would be able to save them because every person has sinned and had his own sins to account for. No one qualified for the perfect sacrifice required. However, these sacrifices that the people offered pointed forward to a great sacrifice God would make on their behalf.
God loves man so much that he provided a way for each of us to stand before Him as one without sin and therefore qualified to enter heaven when we die, and live with Him forever. Here is His plan.
God's Son would leave the glories of heaven, come to earth in human form as a baby and grow up among the people, living a perfect life. He would show us how to live, offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, rise from the grave in victory over death and ascend into heaven with the Father.
All who let God's Son, Jesus Christ, be the Lord of their lives, accepting the sacrifice He made on their behalf, will be saved. That means that God's Holy Spirit will enter those lives and live in those people permanently. He will never leave them. He will help them to know right from wrong and convict them when they do wrong. Also, all who follow Jesus will go to heaven when they die and live forever with God.
Jesus Himself 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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:16-18).
In the scripture verses just quoted, the preposition "in" comes from the Greek word "eis", which means "into." If the preposition had come from the Greek word "peri," it would mean "whoever believes the facts about..." A literal translation of the text is "... whoever believes into Him shall not perish but have eternal life." To believe into Jesus Christ is to trust Him with your life. You must believe the facts about Him, as presented in the Scripture, before you can believe into Him. You make a decision to follow only Him, and no other so-called god.
The facts about Jesus that form a basis for your trust in Him are that He is the eternal Son of God; He was born of a virgin, conceived of the Holy Spirit; He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins and we can be forgiven of our sins and receive eternal life by accepting that redeeming sacrifice; He was buried and rose from the grave, conquering death; He ascended into heaven and is with the Father there. God the Son (Jesus Christ), God the Holy Spirit and God the Father are one God, expressed in three Persons. Toward the end of this world, Jesus will return to earth for a time.
Jesus also equates the decision to trust Him with being born. He said "... no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3: 3), and He speaks of the new birth as a spiritual birth. You cannot become a member of God's family without being born into it (through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ) than you could become a child of your parents without being born to them.
You cannot earn your way to heaven by doing good works. It is a gift of God to you, paid for by His Son, Jesus. God's word, in speaking to the followers of Jesus, says, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Those who do not follow Jesus choose to spend eternity in hell. The Bible speaks of hell as an eternal lake of fire. In fact Jesus Himself describes hell as "...the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:50).
Those who lived before Jesus time on earth offered sacrifices that were unable to save. However God loved them too. Those who followed the Lord God Almighty, the Heavenly Father, were saved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to whom their sacrifices pointed.
So, Christmas is a time when we should focus on God's love that provided a way for us to spend eternity with Him. After the angel announced to Mary, who was a virgin, the Holy Spirit would place in her womb the seed which would be God's Son, and after an angel revealed to Joseph, the young man Mary was to wed, that the child with which she was pregnant was of the Holy Spirit, the Bible continues to give an account of Jesus' birth. Here is the story of that event directly from the Bible:
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first-born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the
Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of
David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest and peace to men on whom His favor rests.'
"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'
"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this
child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen, which were just as they had been told" (Luke 2:1-20 NIV).
God did all of this for you. If you have not chosen to follow Jesus Christ, His Son, there is no better time than now during this Christmas season. Your new birthday could be today! God invites you into His family.
A good way to express this decision to God is to talk to Him. We call that prayer. He will hear you. He even knows your mind. Just tell God something like this -- you can use your own words instead:
"Dear God, I know that I have sinned. I have tried to direct my own life. I am sorry for my sins and now I am turning from them. I want you to have control of my life. I invite Jesus to be my Master. Please send me your Holy Spirit to live within me and guide me in your way. Thank you, Father for loving me and saving me and giving me eternal life with you. I will follow you through your Son. There is no other God. In Jesus name I pray. Amen."
If this expresses the genuine decision you have made. You now know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. You are saved and when your time on earth is finished, you will go to spend eternity with the Father in heaven.
Try to find a New Testament, or a Bible. The New Testament is the second portion of the Bible and includes Jesus earthly life, His teachings and miracles. I suggest you start reading in the Gospel of John which, along with Matthew, Mark and Luke cover Jesus life in detail.
The book of Acts, among others, tells of the spread of the gospel and growth of the church. The Holy Spirit will help you understand what you are reading, based on your growth as a Christian.
Tell someone today about your decision. Also, find a church, or talk to a missionary, that teaches what has been presented here. You should be baptized. Baptism does not save you but it is a step of obedience, as Christ commanded it. If He is your
Master, you will want to do that. The baptism Jesus experienced and commands for us is by being dipped into the water and raised from it. This pictures Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, as well as picturing our death to the old life and resurrection to walk in the new life He gives.
Please let me know of your decision. This will be encouragement for me. If you can't find a Bible, let me know. Also, if I can be of help in your decision feel free to contact me. You can do so from the email page of this website.
Eric Barker, a missionary from Great Britain, spent over fifty years in Portugal preaching the Gospel, often under adverse conditions. At the beginning of World War II, the situation in Europe became so difficult that he was advised to send his wife and six children to England for safety. His sister and her three children were also evacuated on the same ship.
Although his family was forced to leave, Eric remained behind to carry on the work. The Sunday following their departure, Pastor Barker stood before his congregation and said, "I've just received word that all my family have arrived safely home!" He then proceeded with the service.
Later, the full meaning of his words became known to his congregation. He had been handed a wire just before the service informing him that a German submarine had torpedoed the ship with his family. Everyone on board had perished.
Eric Barker knew that because all his family were believers they had reached a more desired home." Although overwhelmed with grief, he managed by the grace of God to live above his circumstances and to give God the glory for bringing his family safely home. The knowledge that his family was with Jesus in Heaven comforted his heart.
This bit of history tells the importance of Jesus crucifixion, death, resurrection, and
ascension into heaven. Without a sinless sacrifice who willingly took the punishment for each of the individual sins of each of Eric Bakers family members he would not have had the assurance that they had arrived safely home.
If the enemy sinks your ship where will you go to spend eternity? If you are safe in the ark of His covenant made possible by Jesus, the Lamb of God, you will ascend to heaven.
--Harvey and June Schneider, Servant Soldier Ministries, Daphne, Alabama
You can have the assurance of an eternal home with the loving Father. Let me tell you how.
At the bottom of the page I have provided A link to references and scripture text for each of the following numbered items.
1. God created people to have fellowship with Him. Every person who has lived has disobeyed God (sinned) and broke that fellowship.
2. Heaven is a holy place and sin cannot enter it. As everyone has chosen to sin, the only place left for them to go when they die is a place called hell. It was prepared for Satan (the devil) and his angels. And it is spoken of in the Bible as a place of eternal fire.
3. God does not want anyone, including you, to go to hell. He wants to provide an eternal home for you. The only way for you to be cleansed of your sins is for a person who has never sinned to be offered as a sacrifice for your sins. But no perfect person exist on earth.
4. God loves you so much that He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to provide that sacrifice for you. God's Holy Spirit impregnated a virgin girl named Mary, who gave birth to God's Son in human form. He was born as a babe, fully human and fully God. Angels announced to Mary, and to others, the nature of this One.
5. Jesus Christ (Messiah) lived a perfect life. He never sinned. He showed people how to live; He performed many miracles and fulfilled the predictions about Him that God had given His prophets over the past several hundreds of years. He then voluntarily gave Himself as a sacrifice for your sins. He gave Himself to be crucified on a cross by those who opposed Him. Then He was buried and a Roman guard was stationed at the tomb.
6. On the third day He came back to life, just as He, and the prophets said He would. The angels opened the tomb, and the guards were scared. He appeared to as many as 500 people at one time and stayed on this earth for forty days before ascending into heaven. A crowd of witnesses saw this.
7. Here is where you come in. Jesus offers the gift of salvation to everyone, but you must accept the gift before it becomes yours. Receiving salvation (being saved) means you are cleansed (forgiven) of your sins. The sins you have committed and those you will commit are covered by the blood of Jesus. It also means receiving eternal life with heaven as your home. In addition God's Holy Spirit will live within you to help you know right from wrong and help you live a God-honoring life.
8. Here is how you receive the gift of salvation. Recognize that you are a sinner and repent of your sins. That involves a change of mind that will turn you from a self-centered way of living to a God-honoring way of living. You let Christ take charge of your life. He will change your life from an empty, un-fulfilling one to one with meaning and purpose -- and give you a home in heaven when you die. Salvation is not based on your works, but solely on what God has done. It is an act of His mercy and His grace. You can express your commitment to God through His Son, by talking to Him (praying). Just talk to Him like you would a friend, He is waiting for you to do so.
Right where you are, you might say something like this (expand on it all you wish):
"Dear God, I know I have sinned. I am sorry that I have disobeyed you. I am now turning to you and accepting Jesus as Lord. Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your own Son to take my sins on Him and give to me His righteousness. Please take charge of my life and save me and give me eternal life with you. Thank you, Lord for saving me. In Jesus name, amen"
Jesus arose from the dead. He lives! If you know Him as Savior, He lives within your heart. He is there through His Holy Spirit to guide you, comfort you and strengthen you.
Dr. Seamands tells of a Muslim who became a Christian in Africa. Some of his friends asked him, "Why have you become a Christian?" He answered, "Well, it's like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn't know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive--which one would you ask for directions?"
--Warren Webster, April, 1980, HIS, p. 13.
Christ lives! He can show you the way to heaven.
That First Easter
I know a man called Jesus,
Who from His grave arose,
On that first Easter morning
To vindicate our souls.
He bore the cross of Calvary
And shed His blood for you and me.
He paid a debt He didn't owe,
As through His blood forgiveness flowed.
Then, from His crucifixion,
Our eternal life was formed
And, through His resurrection,
That first precious Easter born.
-- Vickie Lamdin, © 2003
Write me to let me know of your decision (or to help you in making it) and for instructions about what you should do next to grow in your new life.
References and Scripture Text for Each of the Numbered Items Above
There are many more references than listed, but space limits me to a few. The Bible is God's message to us, as he delivered it to the writers over a period of about 1200 years. These scriptures are from the Bible.
1. Genesis 1:27-28: "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God, he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."
In Genesis 3:1, the devil asked, "Did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" The reply in verse 2 was, "God did say 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it or you will die.'" Verse 6 says, "...she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." [The death sentence was imposed for this disobedience.]
Isaiah 53:6: "We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid in Him [Jesus Christ] the iniquity of us all."
Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
1 John 1:10: "If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives."
2. John 3:3 (Jesus' words): "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." [Born again means being born into God's family--being saved]
Matthew 18:8(Jesus' words): "It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."
Matthew 25:46 (Jesus words): "They will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
John 3:18 (Jesus' words):"Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
John 3:36 (Jesus' words): "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
Hebrews 10:27: "...a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God."
Revelation 20:14: "The lake of fire is the second death."
3. Mark 10:45 (Jesus' words): "But even the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] did not come [to earth] to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
John 12:32 (Jesus' words): "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth [crucified], will draw all men to myself." (Explanation: When I was a child, we used to play with discarded horseshoe magnets. I think they came out of Model-T magnetos. I could place the magnet over a pile of nails and they would flock to it. However, if I put the magnet in front of a nail driven into the wall, the drawing power was as strong as ever, but the nail would refuse to turn loose of the wall and come to it. It's that way with people. Jesus' drawing power is there but some people refuse to turn loose of the world and come to him.)
2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
Hebrews 9:26: "But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sun by the sacrifice of Himself."
Hebrews 10:10, 14: "...we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (v. 14) "...by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
4. John 3:16 (Jesus' words): "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."
Luke 1:30-32a, 35: "But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.'" (v. 35) "The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'"
(Joseph, to whom Mary was engaged, thought of breaking the engagement when he found she was pregnant. The angel appeared to him and said, in 1:20-21): "'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet: 'The virgin will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means "God with us."'"
Luke 2:8, 20: "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby...An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.'" (After the shepherds followed the angel's directions for finding Jesus, they "returned glorifying and praising God.")
5. 2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
Matthew 5:43 (Jesus' words): "You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."
Matthew 6:1 (Jesus' words): "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen of them." (In other words, don't parade your good deeds to get the praise of others. God is aware of what you do and that's all that matters.)
Mark 12:30 (Jesus' words): "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ... Love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 8:2-3: "A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' He said. 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cured of his leprosy."
Matthew 20:30, 32-34: "Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!'" (vs. 32-34) "Jesus stopped and called them. 'What do you want me to do for you?' he asked. 'Lord,' they answered, 'we want our sight.' Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him."
John 11:43-44 (After Jesus' friend Lazarus had died and had been in the tomb for 4 days. A crowd was there. Jesus prayed and then): "When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said, 'Take off his grave clothes and let him go,'"
Isaiah 7:14 (hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth): "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
Isaiah 9:6 (Prophecy concerning Jesus Christ): "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 53:4-5 (Speaking of Jesus Christ, hundreds of years before His birth): "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted. But he was pierced [crucified] for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Micah 5:2 (One of the prophecies about where Jesus would be born): "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from ancient times."
Zechariah 9:9 (Predicted Jesus' "Triumphant Entry" into Jerusalem when people wanted to make him their earthly king, but that was not His plan. He rode in on the donkey, the foal of a donkey just as the prophet said.): "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout! Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
Zechariah 12:10-11 (another prophecy of Jesus crucifixion): "...They will look on me, the one they have pierced [crucified], and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great..."
Mark 10:33-34 (Jesus foretold His own crucifixion and resurrection to His disciples.): "'We are going up to Jerusalem,' He said, 'and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will turn Him over to the Gentiles, who will mock Him and spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him. Three days later he will rise.'" (Everything mentioned here happened just as Jesus said it would.)
Luke 9:22 (Jesus speaking): "...and must be killed and on the third day be raised to life"
John 12:32 (Here again Jesus predicts His death): "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth [crucified], will draw all men to myself."
Matthew 27:50, 51, 57-61, 65-66 (Jesus' death and burial): "And when Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." (vs. 57-61) "As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that had been cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb." (vs. 65-66 Chief priests and Pharisees asked for a guard): "Take a guard,' Pilate answered. 'Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.' So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard."
6. John 20:1-17 (excerpts): "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and say that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter... So Peter and the other disciple started to the tomb. ..the other disciple outran Peter...and looked in...saw the strips of linen lying there. Peter...arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself. ... Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where the body had been... She turned herself and saw Jesus... Jesus said, ...'Go instead to my brothers and tell them I am returning to my Father, to my God and your God.'"
John 20:19: "On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.'" (That same day he appeared to some disciples going to Emmaus. The next week he appeared again to the disciples as He had at first.)
Acts 1:3: "After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."
Acts 1:8-11 (at the time of Jesus ascension, Jesus said-): "'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' After He said this He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white [angels] stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.'" ("will come back" referred to what is called Jesus' second coming - when He will return in connection with the last events for this world.)
1 Corinthians 3-6 (Apostle Paul speaking): "...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,... Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also..."
7. John 3:36: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,..." (Clarification: The preposition for "in" here and in John 3:16 and similar passages about believing in Christ is eis in the original language. It is translated as "into" in English. The other preposition that could have been used is peri meaning "in" or "about." If that word had been used, it would mean "whoever believes about the Son." The language used in the Bible here would be "Whoever believes into [trusts] the Son." We just don't express it that way. Unfortunately clarity was sacrificed for smooth expression.
Revelation 22:17: "...Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."
Romans :23-25: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood."
John 3:18 (Jesus speaking): "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (You can pass from the state of condemnation by trusting your life to Jesus Christ, God's Son. While on earth, He was God in human form.)
1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify [cleanse] us from all unrighteousness."
1 Peter 1:3-5: "Praise be to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power..."
Romans 8:15-17: "...but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children we are heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we also may share in His glory."
8. (1) Recognize that Jesus is God's Son who came to earth and lived among us, and offered Himself as a sacrifice for people's sins. Know that God loves you and wants you to be saved. John 3:16: "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 17:3 (Jesus' prayer): "Now this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
(2) Admit your sin and confess it to God. Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
You cannot save yourself through good deeds. Ephesians 2:8-10: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --and this not from yourselves, --it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
(3) Recognize that Christ died in your place, rose from the dead and is the only way to God. Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He is alive. 1 Corinthians 15:3-6: "...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,...that He appeared to Peter,...He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time...he appeared to James ...He appeared to all the apostles..." He is the only way to God. John 14:6: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me."
(4) You must personally receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. When you do that, you will know God personally and experience His love, His care, and the new life He gives. John 1:12: "Yet to all who received Him, to all who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, not of human decision or a husband's will, but of God."
This salvation is received only through faith. Galatians 2:16-17: "Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified."
Ephesians 2:8: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works..."
When you receive Christ, you will have a new birth (a spiritual birth into the family of God). John 3:6-7 (Jesus speaking to a seeker named Nicodemus): "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying 'You must be born again.'"
Christ personally invites you. Revelation 3:20: "Here I am! I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
Just ask Jesus to come into your life and take charge of it. You have tried living your own way long enough. Jesus has a plan for your life. Let Him work that plan and give you meaning and purpose for living--and an inheritance waiting for you in heaven.
Contact me if you need help with this, the most important decision of your life.
If you are now trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life, Contact me and let me know.
Take care. May God bless you, and may you bless God.
-- Don
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