7 Basics. Beth Jones P.

Clip: 7 Basics - Why the Gory, Bloody Details? By Beth Jones

      MAKE IT PERSONAL

      Are you beginning to get a glimpse of how great God is? Can you see how much He loves you? Jesus is God’s answer to the sin problem that plagued mankind. He is God’s only provision for our sin. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came to forgive all our sins. He came to set us free. Jesus came so we could pass from death to life. He came to give us life more abundantly.

      That’s all great, right? Here’s where it gets personal. God doesn’t want Jesus to be an interesting biographical study, the subject of a lofty theological debate or an historical figure in a heady thesis on western civilization. God went to these great lengths because He wants to have a personal relationship with you.

      This requires a decision on your part. It’s not enough to know about Jesus, the gospel or Bible stories; you must make a personal decision to receive Jesus. God will never force Himself into your life; He gives you the choice to accept or reject His Son. He gives you the choice to turn from trusting in yourself––your own good works, religion and self-righteous acts––to trusting in Jesus.

      Trusting Jesus and becoming a Christ-follower––a Christian––is not difficult. You simply put all of your trust in Jesus by believing, receiving, and inviting Him into your heart. Declare Jesus as the Lord of your life. The result of trusting, believing, receiving and declaring Jesus as your Lord, is that you become a true-blue Christian!

      If you have never invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life––please, take time to do so right now. Let’s pray:

      “Dear God, I want to become a Christian. I do believe and trust in Jesus. I believe He came to this earth to live a sinless life and to shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of my sin. I believe You raised Jesus from the dead and He is alive today. Jesus, I receive You into my life. Thank You for forgiving me of all of my sins. Today, I declare that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life. I am saved. I am born again. I am a Christian! Amen.”

      DID I MENTION THE BIG JUDGMENT?

      If you prayed this prayer, congratulations! It’s a good thing, because I forgot to tell you about the judgment to come. While God is loving and full of mercy, He is also a God of justice and judgment and one day every person will stand before Him to give an account of their lives and choices.

      The Apostle Paul said this, “On that day when, as my Gospel proclaims, God by Jesus Christ will judge men in regard to the things which they conceal (their hidden thoughts),” Romans 2:16, AMP. At the judgment, those who have rejected Jesus will find that their biggest sin and most notable deed is their choice to not trust, believe, receive or declare Jesus as Lord. Unfortunately, this choice will have grave eternal consequences.

      The book of Revelation makes it clear, “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire,” Revelation 20:11-15, NLT.

      Thankfully, because of your decision to welcome Jesus into your life, when you stand before the Lord, you don’t have to be afraid. With Jesus as your Lord, the Father will see you in Him and all of your sins washed in His blood. When you arrive at the Pearly Gates, there is just one pass- word: Jesus!

      Your entrance into heaven might sound something like this: “Thank You Heavenly Father for allowing me to enter Your eternal kingdom. I am so glad my name was written in Your Book of Life. I know that in and of my self, I have nothing to boast about. I don’t deserve to be here, but Jesus is the Lord of my life. My trust is in Him and not in myself. On the cross Jesus took all my sins and He gave me His righteousness. He rose from the dead and is my Lord and Savior.” At about that time, God will smile at you and nod to a nearby angel who will take you to see your loved ones and give you a grand tour of heaven. Something like that.

      SCRIPTURES TO READ

      ___ John 10:10

      ___ Romans 3:23, 6:23

      ___ Ephesians 2:1-4

      ___ John 14:6

      ___ John 1:12

      ___ Romans 10:9-10

      ___ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

      ___ Revelation 20