Know God Personally
- Understand God's Purpose for your life
God loves you and wants you to experience a very
special ‘kind’ of life – a life that is abundant (its quality) and eternal (its duration).
The Bible says...
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. John 3:16
So why don't most people have this abundant life now and have the assurance of an eternal life with God that He planned
for us to have?
- Understand the Problem
God created us in His own image to have an abundant and eternal life. He did not make us as robots to automatically
love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way
(what the Bible calls ‘sin’). We make these choices every day. This results in separation from God.
The Bible says...
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
- No Way?
Our solutions:
People have tried many ways to bridge this separation between themselves and God:
doing things for Him, giving money away to the poor, going to church enough, praying enough,
reading their Bible enough, etc., etc.
The Bible says...
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:2
The problem is that there is no way to bridge the separation between you and God...except one.
- The Way!
God's Solution:
Jesus Christ was sent from God to this earth 2000 years ago for many reasons: to show us what
God is like, to teach us how to live in the way God wants us to live, etc. But the NUMBER ONE
reason that Jesus came was to die for us. He died an awful death on a cross to pay the penalty
for our sin – to bridge the separation between God and people. And then to prove that he is
who he said he was, the son of God, he rose from the dead three days later!
The Bible says...
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 1 Peter 3:18
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
God has provided the only way. Each person must make a decision as to whether they are going to accept God’s answer to take care of their sin or try their own way!
- Our Response
God's Solution:
We must trust Jesus Christ as the only answer to our separation from God and ask Him to be
our savior (one who saves us from our sin problem) and lord (one we want to follow).
The Bible says...
For it is by grace (you don’t deserve it) you have been saved (from your sins), through
faith (trusting in Jesus’ death for your sins) – and this (salvation) not from yourselves
(you can’t save yourself in any way), it is the gift of God – not by works (going to church,
giving money to the poor, etc.), so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God. John 1:12
Where are you? What or who are you trusting in to make you ‘right’ with God? What or who are
you trusting in to take away the sins that will separate you from God forever?
Most people answer this question in one of two ways: 1.) I’ve never thought of that
(hopefully you will now), or 2.) I guess what I’m really trusting in to make me right with
God is . . . (you fill in the blank).
The natural question to ask now is: is there any reason that you wouldn’t want to trust Jesus
as your savior?
If there is a reason, please know that God will never give up reaching out to you, and the
invitation is always open to come to terms with Him on HIS terms through His son Jesus.
If there isn’t, and you’d like to trust Christ as your personal savior, here’s what you can
do. People typically do this in the form of a prayer, but the prayer isn’t what saves you,
it’s your heartfelt trust in Christ that saves you:
- Admit your need (Tell God that you know that you are a sinner)
- Acknowledge your separation (Tell God you know that your sin has and will separate you from Him forever)
- Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins (Thank God for sending Jesus to die a terrible death on the cross to take care of your sins)
- Invite Jesus to come into your life and be your Savior and Lord (Tell Jesus that you want him to come into your life in a personal way and take your sins away and guide you into the kind of life HE has for you)
God has provided the only way. Each person must make a decision as to whether they are going to accept God’s answer to take care of their sin or try their own way!
- God's Response
If you prayed and asked Jesus to be your savior and lord, you have become a new type of
creature and are part of God’s family forever!!! Welcome to the family!
The Bible says...
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. II Corinthians 5:17
When you trust Christ, you are born into God's family through the supernatural work of the
Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. This is called regeneration, or the new birth.
But this is just the beginning of a wonderful new life in Christ. To deepen this relationship
you should:
- Read your Bible regularly to know Christ better and to learn what kind of life He has for you to live.
- Talk to God in prayer regularly to share with Him your hurts, your concerns, your request, as well as praising Him for who He is and what he’s done for you!
- Tell others about Christ. If He’s done something as wonderful as die on a cross for your and their sins, why would you want to keep this news a secret?
- Join in a new family with other Christians in a church where the Bible is preached and Jesus is taken seriously.
If we can help you in your new life in Jesus Christ please contact us at (309)347-5965.
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