I’ve Been Thinking…

Posted: May 24, 2012 in Morning Meds
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It’s a busy time for us. My thoughts have been scattered. So, I thought I would share some of the things that have been floating around in my head the last few mornings.

IN DENIAL
Every once in awhile, I pull out my old Keith Green records, (in reality, they are on my husband’s ipod, but I still think of them as records… showing my age, I know) turn up the volume, and sing the words right out loud. The Lord saved me in 1981 and Keith Green’s music was a great encouragement to me as a new Christian. Here are a couple of lines from his song, Until That Final Day:

My flesh is tired of seeking God, but on my knees I’ll stay…

Those words made me think about how much prayer is connected to the idea of denying one’s own flesh. If we get up early or stay up late to pray, we are denying ourselves sleep. (Think of the Jesus’ disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane.) If we fast and pray, we deny ourselves food. Even taking a few moments to pray before a meal keeps us from immediately satisfying the desires of our flesh. Setting aside time to pray denies us the time we could be doing something else. I concluded that to pray is to be “in denial.” So, maybe being “in denial” is not such a bad thing to be.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

THE GOODNESS OF GOD’S WORD
I recently listened to a sermon, ”How to Think and Feel About the Word of God, Psalm 119:1-176,” by Kevin DeYoung out of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. In it he brings out the point that although we have people in our lives who may desire to help and want to give us the right words of wisdom, they do not have the capacity to always get it right. But, God not only loves us and wants what is best for us, but His wisdom is always right and good and proper and well…perfect! The Lord used this sermon to stir up my love for His Word. By the way, if you are interested you can download the University Reformed Church App on your mobile device and listen to lots of great sermons. The app also links to Pastor DeYoung’s blog, information about events at URC, and a cool Bible reading plan.

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Ps. 119:24

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR MOMS
Kimm Crandall, a fellow blogger I follow, tweeted these words recently: “Don’t believe the lie that you are not the mother your kids need. He has given you the exact kids you need and the exact mother they need.” Although Kimm and I are in different seasons as far as motherhood goes, she continues to be an encouragement to me. My kids are all grown up, but there are still times I look back and wish I’d been a different kind of mom. Done things differently. I suppose it comes with the territory, but I’m convinced that Mommy Guilt is the worst there is. Kimm’s tweet was timely and appreciated.  I’m thankful for people like her, and all of you, who are part of my “Gospel Inheritance.” You can read Kimm’s blog “Christ in the Chaos” by clicking here.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thess. 5:11

SURPRISED BY SIN
Recently, I read that artist Thomas Kinkade’s death was caused by an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. I’m ashamed to admit that my first thoughts upon reading the news were both harsh and judgmental. Something along the lines of: ”Hmmph! And he called himself a Christian!” I was surprised at the vehemence of my response, but I should not have been. Yes, by God’s grace I am growing in my sanctification, but the ugliness of sin still surfaces. Thankfully, the Lord was faithful to convict me right away for my arrogant attitude.

I understand that as Christians our lives are to reflect Christ and be marked by godly obedience and love for God and others. But, on the other hand, I realized pretty quickly that to mete out justice is God’s place, not mine.

If Mr. Kinkade was a Christian, how sad is it that the end of his life would represent the antithesis to the hope and joy found in Christ? And if Mr. Kinkade was not a Christian, how terrible that the man known as the painter of light would die in such darkness.

Therefore, do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.  1 Cor. 4:5

THE WEDDING
And then, there’s the wedding. My oldest son, Joshua, will be married on June 29th. We are thrilled and excited for him and our future daughter-in-law, Sarah. Wonderful! It’s been a joy to watch their Gospel-centric relationship blossom and grow.

Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Gen. 2:24

THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
I will leave you with a quote from Charles Spurgeon:

[God's] “Providence is a soft pillow for anxious heads, an anodyne for care, a grave for despair.”

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

A Story Women Should Love

Posted: May 21, 2012 in Sermon Notes
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Sermon Notes – Pastor Milton Vincent
May 13, 2012 Mother’s Day – Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

(Note from Terrie: I’m a little late with this, but it was such a good message that I wanted to post it anyway. What a blessed Mother’s Day Sermon! It’s good to re-think about it.)

Luke 10:38-42 (Martha and Mary)

This section is the story of a woman who:
-wants Jesus in her home.
-is truly seeking to serve Jesus.
-feels worried and bothered about many things.
-begins to feel alone in her concerns and labor.
-wishes she had help.
-becomes critical of others.
-brings her concerns to Jesus.

“Whatever else our Lord Jesus did, He immeasurably exalted womanhood.”
-George Morrison

"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary&q...

“Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Jan Vermeer, 1655. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Greek, Roman, and Jewish culture during this time, women had no rights. Jesus ushered in a new age where women are given new freedoms and rights. It is a turning point in the history of women.

SEVEN WAYS THAT JESUS EXALTS WOMEN IN THE STORY OF MARTHA AND MARY

1. He accepts the invitation of a woman into her home. (v. 38)
-No rabbi would have done this.
-The invitation is an act of kindness originating in the heart of a woman toward Jesus and He warmly accepts it.

2. He allows a woman to sit at His feet as a disciple. (v.39)
-Mary assumed her place as a disciple. (It’s possible that the other men disciples could have been there, also.)
-Mary was also part of the preparations to receive Jesus, but at some point sat at Jesus’ feet.
-We misread it if we think that all Mary did was sit. In v. 40 Martha says, “My sister has left me…”, implies Mary had done her part.
-Jesus does not rebuke Mary but receives her as a disciple.
-Words from the Jerusalem Talmud: “Let the words of the law be burned rather than taught to women.” Sotah 3:4

3. He gives a woman freedom to bring her complaint to Him. (v. 40)
-Avoid either mistake: 1. thinking that Mary did no work. 2. Thinking that Martha was not listening at all to Jesus.
-Martha was probably expecting Jesus to intervene.
-She becomes upset, rebuking not only Martha but Jesus too!
-But, she does bring her complaint to Jesus just as all of us should do.
-She felt comfortable doing so. We can feel safe pouring out our hearts and emotions to Jesus.

4. He looks into the heart of a woman and tells her what He sees. (v. 41)
-Jesus is showing us that the heart of a woman is important and worth His notice.
-He actually cares about our hearts.

5. He seeks to lighten the woman’s burden to only what was necessary. (v. 42)
-There are different ways of understanding what Jesus is saying here, but at the very least he is saying: You’re preparing an elaborate feast for me – but really only one simple meal is needed.
-Jesus acknowledges her service, but is telling her that he’d rather have Martha with Him than an elaborately prepared dish.

6. He tells women that the best way to serve Him is to commune with Him and let Him feed them. (v. 42)
Jesus is saying that He did not come to be served, but to serve.
-Jesus turns everything upside down!
-Jesus is the best food and the best drink.
-Jesus is not just interested in exacting service from you, but He wants to serve you. He wants relationship with Him to be your portion.

7. He promises women that the blessings of sitting at His feet will never be taken away from them. (v. 42)
-Women in the 1st century must have shouted “Hallelujah!” at this.
-He is giving women a place at the table.
-He is saying that women can be His disciples.
-This story is more than Mary vs. Martha. It is an opportunity for Jesus to express what He wants to do for all women.
-He is saying that the privilege of being a disciple of Jesus can never be taken away fom women.
-He is saying that He will be blessed by your service to Him, but to not let it distract fom relationship with Him.
-Ask Jesus how to serve Him best!
-The greatest service to Jesus is to sit at His feet and let Him serve and feed you.

God’s Program of Missions

Posted: May 11, 2012 in Sermon Notes
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Sermon Notes-Pastor Mike Berry
May 6, 2012-Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

FOUR SUMMARIES OF SCRIPTURE’S TEACHING, CONNECTION BETWEEN MISSIONS AND WORSHIP

Psalm 67:1-7
This Psalm expresses the heart of God. He desires worshippers from all people of all nations. There is also a hint of the means that God will use to gain worshippers. Verse 6: God blesses us with material wealth, why? V. 7: In order that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

1. God has chosen worshippers out of every tribe, tongue and nation.
-From God’s perspective, Christ has already won, this is already accomplished before the foundation of the world. (Eph. 1:7-12)
-Book of Ephesians was written as a revealer of a mystery. That is, the nations get to be shoulder to shoulder with the Jews.
-In eternity past, God chose from Jews and Gentiles people to worship God.
-Missions starts in eternity past. It begins in the mind of God.

2. Christ has purchased worshippers out of every tribe, tongue and nation.
-Rev. 5:9, the song sung by men from every tribe, tongue and nation.
-God chose them and God purchased them.
-Not that it MIGHT happen, but that it WILL happen.

3. Christ will call worshippers out of every tribe, tongue and nation.
-The means of how this will happen.
-Matt. 28:18: all authority given to Jesus.
-Christ has given the job to the church to go call the people that God has had in mind from the foundations of the world.
-Think about how we are here today, as Christians, because a few people over in ancient Israel preached the Gospel so long ago.
-For 2000 years the church has been moving forward by passing the torch, missions.
-Jesus prophsied this (Matt 24:14). It’s a promise from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Missions is not accomplished through some guilt trip that there is a feeble God who needs our help.
-God’s abilities are not limited. He does not need our help.
-We need a high view of God. Missions did not begin with us, but in the mind of God in eternity past.
-But God is pleased to use us in His plan for missions.
-We get to participate in the glory of Christ and His suffering.

4. Christ will be worshipped by individuals out of every tribe, tongue and nation.
-Rev. 7:9, We see the future scene of every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping God.
-Rev. 15:3-4
-This is the plan and program of God. That the nations will worship and find their enjoyment in Him.
-He has provided everything necessary to make this happen.

“All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and His Son among all the peoples of the earth. Missions is not that goal. It is the means, and for that reason it is the second greatest human activity in the world.” -John Piper

-If God chose and ransomed people from every tribe, tongue and nation and we know that His plan will be a success, then it has yet to be accomplished. We have more work to do in missions.
-Estimated that there are more than 2 billion people in the world who are unreached. They are born, live and die without opportunity to talk to a Christian, have a copy of the Bible, or visit a church. People die and go to hell.
-Rom. 1 says that people do have a knowledge of God but that they suppress it. There is no innocent man. Without Christ, there is no hope.
-Rev. 5:2ff; who is worthy to take the scroll? No one can but Christ! Because of Christ there is hope for people of all nations.

APPLICATION:

1. Pray with confidence. God will be worshipped among all peoples…Hallowed be thy Name, on earth as it is in heaven. Make this a part of our prayer life.

2. Give with confidence. Know why God has sovereignly blessed us with material wealth, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him! (Ps. 67:6)

Why did God allow us to have the ability to earn wealth? Why has God given us blessing? At least one reason is so that we would use our wealth to help the Gospel go out. We can participate in this mission that God has been doing since eternity past.

3. Send with confidence. (See Rom. 10:13-15).

4. Go with confidence. Some of us will be sent out to do the hard work of missions. Some are called to be like Timothy (stay) and some called to be like Paul (go). As a church, may we enlarge our vision for missions. If we make ourselves available to God, He will use us. Not because He needs us, but so that we can be a part of Christ’s suffering and His glory.

Understanding God’s Love

Posted: May 3, 2012 in Gospel
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For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Believers in Christ know and receive the love of God in countless ways. It is written all over the cross, for God so loved the world. Our justification and adoption, His care and provision, and His Divine power granting to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, all demonstrate God’s great love for His children.

Our Father’s love for us has worked itself out in the whole of human history. His grand plan of redemption is an overarching intention, a purposeful proposition, and an overture of kindness orchestrated and made sure by the ruler and maker of the universe, our Abba.

His love is also made evident by myriad expressions of His Grace towards us every day: food to eat, air to breathe, every beat of the heart, a pillow to rest our head on at night. Even the pain and unpleasantness of His discipline later yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, a gracious rendering of Fatherly love expressed and given, liberally, for our good and His Glory.

Yet, I am convinced that compared to what there is to know, we know nothing of God’s love.

When I reject God’s provision, the very blood of His Son shed for me, attempting to merit my own salvation; it is at this point especially, I know nothing of God’s love.

When I trust in my own strength and fail to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit in me; I know nothing of God’s love.

When I prefer law over Grace, refusing to extend forgiveness when I have been forgiven so much, I know nothing of God’s love. (How true it is that my sin against God is infinitely greater than any offense anyone could ever commit against me!)

A wider sense of our Heavenly Father’s love for us is humbling. A deeper apprehension of God’s love places us just where we need to be. Inside the Gospel!

Christian cross

Christian cross (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?*

God’s love is inextricably linked to the cross. The cross stands at the center of our personal history and is central to the history of all mankind. It is from the vantage point of the cross that the agonies of the Son of God shout their testimony of love, forever securing our redemption and the story of our salvation.

In our quest to gain an understanding of God’s love, we need not go any further than, and dare not stop short of the Gospel of the cross, Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. The glory and reality of the Gospel is deep enough. It is wide enough. And under any circumstance, it is real enough to keep us for all of eternity.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let the Good News of God’s love be shed abroad in our hearts and grab hold of our minds and change us. May the Lord bring us into an understanding of His love as expressed at Calvary.  Let the truth of Golgotha mortify our pride, transforming us into a people who love much, because we have been much loved!

Lord, help us understand.

By His Grace and for the Gospel
Terrie van Baarsel

*And Can It Be That I Should Gain? by Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Letting the Spirit Have His Way With Us-Correction

Posted: May 1, 2012 in Gospel
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Hello all!

Please note the following correction under point 1 of my Sermon Notes. The name should have been Russell Moore, not Timothy Keller:

(Example given: Russell Moore’s adoption…)

I’ve changed it in the original post and apologize for the inconvenience.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Dr. Moore’s book, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches, click here.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

Letting The Spirit Have His Way With Us

Posted: May 1, 2012 in Sermon Notes
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Sermon Notes, Pastor Milton Vincent
April 28, 2012-Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

We have studied and exposited Romans 5-8 over the past year and a half.  Now, what then shall we do in response to the Gospel truths, promises, and realities we have learned?

“The Gospel is like a caged lion. It does not need to be defended, it just needs to be let out of its cage.” -Spurgeon

Comparing Romans 7 and 8:

Romans 7: The words, I, my, me are used 47 times. The word “law” is used a total of 22 times. 19 times in reference to the OT law, and 3 times in reference to the law of sin.

If you revolve around the law the best you are ever going to get is “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Rom. 7:19)

Romans 8: The Spirit is mentioned 20 times.
What Paul longs for (life in the Spirit) is found in Romans 8.

SIX THINGS THE SPIRIT DOES WITH REGARD TO US WHO ARE GOD’S CHILDREN

1. He liberates us from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:1-2)
-There is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
-The law of sin and death has been broken.
-The law that says you are a slave to sin is broken.

As much as we hate sin, for many years it has been our home and it’s comfortable. When stresses come, it’s easy to retreat back into sin. (Example given: Russell Moore’s adoption of an orphan from a Russian orphanage. The orphan was offered a better life, free from the stench and squalor of the orphanage, yet cries and reaches back toward orphanage when taken away.) The Holy Spirit beckons us to a life of freedom, better by far than our old bondage.

2. He inhabits us, making us His home. (Rom. 8:9-11)
-The Holy Spirit dwells in us.
-Not just that the Holy Spirit is present, but He makes us His home.
-The word “dwell” means not just as a guest or a tenant, but as an owner. We belong to him.
-He has ownership rights to do what He wants for our good and His Glory.

3. He enlivens our spirits by making vivid to us the reality of our justification. (Rom. 8:10)
-At our conversion, God decides to forever think of us as forgiven of our sins, past, present and future.
-He forever thinks of us as having the righteousness of Jesus.
-His thoughts toward us are forever governed by this verdict of “righteous”.
-The Spirit actualizes the reality of our justification and makes it vivid in our souls.

Paul uses half of chapter 3, all of chapter 4, and all of chapter 5 in Romans, 57 verses (!) to teach believing people about the reality of their Justification. Why? The Holy Spirit put it in Paul to reveal the doctrine of Justification because He wants it to be real to us.

-Doctrine of Justification mortifies idols, fills us with inner joy and a desire to obey.
-Let the Holy Spirit take us deeper into the doctrine of Justification. Be a student of this doctrine and its realities.
-Our Justification is a one-time occurrence, but the realities of it can be enjoyed and expanded upon.

4. He empowers us to kill sin. (Rom. 8:13)
-God did not give us the Holy Spirit so that we could coddle sin and live a life of sin management.
-It is by the power of the Holy Spirit we kill sin.
-Romans 7 could represent what it’s like to try to kill sin apart from the Spirit.

KILL SIN:
Don’t let it be conceived. (Js. 1:14-15)
If conceived, kill it before its birth.
If born, mortify it with confession and repentance.
When tempted, don’t think compromise, toleration or coddling. Think MURDER (of sin).
Kill it by confessing it and running to the cross.
Christians need a “Holy Mean Streak” when it comes to sin.
Develop an attitude against sin.

5. He leads us in the ways of sonship. (Rom. 8:14-16)
-Lead by Spirit = Sons of God.
-He coaches and leads into living a life appropriate as a son or daughter of God.
-We are more than just a subject or a slave (although we are that, too), but also a child of God living in the full privileges as sons and daughters of God.
-Don’t be timid or afraid. Trust the Holy Spirit to lead us closer in Father and child relationship.
-By the Holy Spirit we cry out, “Abba! Father! Daddy!”
-The Holy Spirit brings us to the Father in our joy, celebration, worship, grief, mourning or pain.
-The Holy Spirit also mediates the response of the Father toward us. (v. 16)

6. He helps us with our weakness and intercedes for us. (Rom. 8:26-27)
-He is not put off or repulsed by us in our ignorance and weakness, but attracted to it.
-He moves toward us in our weakness and helps us by interceding on our behalf.
-He comes alongside and is not satisfied until we get what we need.
-The Holy Spirit prays and the Father agrees with His prayer for our weakness.

Inside the prayer of the Holy Spirit, your deepest need meets God’s perfect will. Let the Spirit have His way and there’s no telling what God will do!

Am I In Jesus? (Re-post)

Posted: April 25, 2012 in Guest Posts
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It’s been a busy week, and I haven’t had a chance to write a post for Gospel Apprentice. When this happens, I usually repost something from the archives. This is one of those times. Our son, Eric wrote this in February, 2010. I will only add this:

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 4

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

Here’s the post:

The following post was written by our youngest son, Eric van Baarsel. Thanks, Eric for contributing to Gospel Apprentice!

The most important question you can ask yourself in life is, “Am I in Jesus?” So, what I want you to do right now is ask yourself, “Am I in Jesus, and if so, on what do I base my answer?” My biggest fear is if someone thinks they know Jesus, but in reality they don’t know Him. Jesus said, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you…’ ” (Matthew 7:22-23) Please don’t be one of the many who this will happen to on the day when you stand before Almighty God! So, my goal in this article is to give you a better understanding of who Jesus Christ is, who you are, and finally what He did for you.

First, we must try to get a glimpse of who Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of God and the world was created through Him (John 1:10). He is part of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was sent into this world and was born from the virgin Mary, so we see Jesus is fully God and also fully man at the same time (Matthew 1:18). Jesus experienced many of the same things we do. He had and loved friends and family, felt hunger and pain, joy and happiness, shed tears and knew sadness. And even “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15b) Jesus never sinned once and was completely blameless.

In Revelation 4:8 it says, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was , and is, and is to come.” If you look closely you will see something interesting in that verse. First of all, today when we are trying to emphasize something in our language we will underline and/or bold the phrase or word that we are trying to emphasize. In Greek, which Revelation was written in, they would repeat the word they are trying to emphasize. So, the writer of Revelation was really trying to make a point here. So, you may wonder what does it exactly mean to be Holy? It means that He is completely spotless, absolutely perfect, and has never done anything that is wrong (I John 1:5). All it takes to be the opposite of holy is just a single sin. It is impossible to fully understand how holy Jesus is because of how sinful we are. Also, God is all-knowing (omniscient, Psalm 139:1-5), is present everywhere (omnipresent, Jeremiah 23:24), and all-powerful (omnipotent, Luke 1:37). Although I listed several attributes of God, there is still so much more to be said about God that even if I wrote twenty more pages on His attributes I wouldn’t even come close to how big He is.

Now that we have had a glimpse of who Jesus is, we now must look and see who man is. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) So, clearly we see that God brought us into this world, and we were made in His image. He did this so that we may bring Him glory (I Corinthians 10:31). Before sin ever came into the world, man had a perfect relationship with God. but Adam and Eve sinned against God and brought suffering, wickedness, and death into the world. Sin caused a separation between God and man because God’s holiness does not fit with our wickedness. Because Adam and Eve were of the family of men and so are we, we inherited the sinful nature. Although we inherited Adam’s and Eve’s sinful nature, we are still accountable for our sin. Every one of us has sinned against God and deserve eternal punishment in hell for our actions. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) God absolutely hates sin, we see this in Hosea 9:15. “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house I will no longer love them; and all their leaders are rebellious.” The gravity of our sin is unfathomable. John Piper describes it like this: “The height of your sin is measured by the dignity of the one you are sinning against, and it is an infinite dignity.” So, we see that we are wicked creatures who are sinning against the absolutely Holy God. Because of this, we deserve death (Romans 6:23).

Now that we see how Holy God the Almighty is, and how sinful and evil we are and how we deserve eternal punishment for our transgressions, we must come to the understanding that we are facing a huge problem. In the Old Testament (before Jesus was sent into the world) men would have to find a spotless lamb and slaughter it to cover their sin. The blood of the animal temporarily (because this had to be done again and again and again) provided forgiveness for their sin (Leviticus 4:35). “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all sins are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22) So we see that the only way for our sins to be forgiven is by the shedding of blood This is where Jesus comes in. God sent Jesus as our spotless lamb, but instead of only taking care of our sin temporarily, Jesus’ sacrifice takes away all of our sins permanently (Hebrews 7:26-28, John 1:29)!  Do you see how beautiful this is? We as men are evil and wicked and deserve eternal punishment and God sent His perfect and only Son to die for us! Jesus was crucified on the cross and God poured out His wrath that we deserve for our sin on His only Son so that we may be saved. After His death on the cross, Jesus then rose again, conquering death. This is what Jesus came for (Matthew 16:21). Only the blood of Jesus takes away every sin that we have done and He is the only way to be saved. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) The blood of Jesus is a gift to us from God to wash away our sin.

You might be wondering how you can receive this awesome gift. Jesus said to believe in Him and you will be saved (John 3:16). This is by faith alone that you are justified (Romans 5:1). You can’t do anything to earn your salvation (good works), it is by God’s grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8,9). You must see your need for repentance, that you are wicked and need a Savior by trusting in Jesus alone to become saved. Luke 13:5 says, “I tell you, no! but unless you repent, you too will perish.” I pray with all my heart that you accept this truly beautiful and prefect gift by putting your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You might be thinking that you already know this and you are saved which is great! But, there are a few ways that you can test yourself just to see if you are truly in Jesus (2 Peter 1:10). Matthew 7:16 says, “you will know them by their fruit.”  So, do people see that you are producing fruit? If someone were to look at your life will they see that you have a passion for Jesus? Also, do you hate and fight your sin? In Psalm 97:10 it says, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil…” Also, what is Jesus to you? Do you believe in Him just so you won’t go to hell? Some people think Jesus is simply a ticket out of hell. Or, do you want Jesus just so that you will have good health or nice things? These are NOT the reasons why you should want Jesus The center of why you should want Him is because of your love for Him for what He has done for you! So, the ultimate question that I have left to ask you is ARE YOU IN JESUS?

In closing, I hope that this helped in any way possible and that you will think about your relationship with Christ. I pray that if you are not in Jesus that this will help give you an idea of what Jesus has really done for us!

Finally, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

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