Theme Scripture: John 3:16- 17
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
I was on vacation, wondering about what to write for the next lesson. I wanted to dig deep into a scripture not so many people know about. I then turned to the Lord and asked him
"What shall I do?". He responded with an answer that caught me off guard: "Teach on Salvation." Now, I must admit, I was not expecting God to tell me to teach on this subject. However, I realized that this subject is the most powerful subject you can teach. I realized that God knows the hearts and minds of the people and I don't (1 Samuel 16: 7). I realized that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). So, I am going to be obedient and teach on this great topic of Salvation.
Before I begin, let us read the theme scripture, John 3:16 - 17, which says :
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
In order to truly understand why God gave up his son, we must take a look at the background information. In Genesis 1:1, it says "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Everything he created he "saw that it was good"(Genesis 1:4, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, 1:25, 1:31). He created a garden called Eden and place a man named Adam into the garden to care for it. He then saw it was not good for Adam to be alone, so he decided to create a helper suitable for him (Genesis 2:18). The helper was then named by Adam, "woman". The woman was then tempted by the devil to eat the fruit off a tree that God had strictly forbidden from ( The Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil). To make the long story short, Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit off the forbidden fruit and now the world is filled with sin.
God then decided that he was going to destroy the world and start over. He found one faithful, godly man named Noah. Noah was the only man serving God at that time. God then gave Noah instructions to build an ark and, well, you know the story. God then flooded the earth and restarted the human population through Noah and his sons.
Sin, however, was not destroyed and the world went back into its prior state [how life was before the flood].
God then saw that the only way for sin to be defeated and to redeem mankind unto himself was by means of a pefect and sinless sacrifice: his son, Jesus.
Now that we have some background information regarding salvation, let's take a look at John 1:14 which says: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Well, who is the Word? The Bible tells us in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word... and the Word was God". The Word is God- Jesus Christ! Jesus was made flesh and dwelt among us. Why? Jesus said in Luke 4: 18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken- hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering the sight of the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."This is why he came. It also says in Hebrews 9: 28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second tine without sin unto salvation." So, Christ came to bear the sins of many as a sacrifice, perfect, holy, and acceptable. He went into the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 9: 24), offered his blood as a once- and - for- all, perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9: 14) so we can be reconciled with and justified before God ( Colossians 1:20, Romans 4: 25, Romans 5:18).
Christ came to save us- to offer us everlasting life with him forever. You see, the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that the "wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." It also says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Wages means recompense or return. Therefore, the recompense or payment of sin is death. Since we all sinned, we must all pay the price- which is death. We all must die as a result of sin. Think of it this way: We are ordinary people each with our own bank account. It is an ordinary day and we get a call from the bank. The bank tells us that we have broken some of the rules and regulations stated in the contract and you must pay a fine, or penalty. Now, the bank values your relationship with them so much that they do everything they possibly can to help you out and have you not pay the fine. They try to restart your account, only finding out that its going to lead to the same problem. They try overlooking it, only coming to a conclusion that that's not going to work either. Finally, they have a corporate meeting to conjure up an idea to help you and your banking situation. They come to a consensus of paying your fine for you. The COO agrees to pay your fine out of his own pocket. The bank then calls you back and let's you know what they have decided to do for you. The final question they ask you is "Do you accept or decline this payment?" You now have the choice to accept the payment that someone has already paid for you, or decline the payment and pay out of your own pocket- something which you cannot possibly afford. Either way you still owe the bank its money.
Now, I just used this parable to explain to you salvation. Just in case you cannot decipher this parable, the bank is God, the contract is his laws, the payment is death, and the COO is Jesus. Jesus offered his life for you. He paid the price for you because he loves you and values your relationship with him and his father. He said in John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." He calls you his friend. That is amazing! The King of Kings, The Lord Of Lords, The Great I Am, calls you his friends. That is an amazing privilege. He literally bled and died for you. However, death could not hold him down. His love for you was so strong that he had no other choice but to be raised from the dead. Not only that, he went down into Hell - the place where you were supposed to be, took the keys of death and the grave from Satan- the devil, and freed all the captives of Satan who were in hell. My God- he rose with victory and power in his hands. Death could not hold him down. He died as a lamb and rose as a Lion. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Rose of Sharon, The Lily of The Valley, The Author of our Salvation, Our Great High Priest, The King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Hallelujah! The Bible says that the veil of the Holy of Holies was ripped in half when he died. You see, for thousands of years, only the priest could enter the Holy of Holies. People could not have a relationship with God. They could not directly talk and commune with God. They had to go through man to God. But when the veil was ripped, it symbolized that man did no longer have to go through a priest to get in contact with God. That all men are have access to the Throne of God and his presence. That man can now have a relationship with God. And guess what, he did it for YOU! YOU! So you won't have to die in your sin. So you won't have to go to Hell. So you won't have to pay the penalty. He did for you. Yes, you! But now I ask you the question: Do you accept or decline the payment? Do you accept the payment that Christ has paid for you and your sins or do you decline the payment and pay the price of death- spiritual death. And what that death is, is eternal separation from God. That when you die, you are going to Hell. But if you have Jesus, you are going to Heaven to live with him forever and ever. Do you accept the payment of Christ? How do you accept the payment you ask? By accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. By believing that he died for you and your sins and that he rose on the third day. By believing that he is the Son of God. How do you decline the payment, by doing the exact opposite. By rejecting Jesus and his payment and not believing in him. John 3:16 says "...that whosever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Do you believeth that Jesus died for you and your sins and rose on the third day. Do you believe that he is the Son of God? Do you want Jesus to come into your heart. If you do, pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross and that you rose on the third day for my sins. I ask you to forgive me of all my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteous. Come into my heart and make me your child. Thank you that I can live with you forever and ever. And that one day, you will come to take me home with you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
If you just said that prayer, you have become apart of God's family, you have been saved, justified, and reconciled with God. Jesus has come into your life and his Spirit lives in you, to help, to lead, to guide, to teach, to pray for, to encourage, and strengthen you. The Bible says the angels rejoice over once sinner who repents. Now, Jesus's blood has covered you and God has forgiven you and doesn't even remember the sins that you have done in your life. I encourage you to find a good church home who teaches and preaches and lives the Bible and nothing else but what is in the Bible. If you need to contact me, my email is [email protected]. If you need prayer or help, let me know. I am here for you. I love you brother and my sister! God bless you and congratulations on taking that first step of the rest of your life with Jesus.
*P.S- You are not going to be perfect. Nobody is. You are going to make mistakes. When you do, God does not kick you out of his family and you are still saved. Just ask God for forgiveness and he will forgive you and not even remember what you do. Read 1 John 1:9.
*P.P.S- Start reading the Book of John. It is filled with lessons taught by Jesus himself and some of the things that he did while living on Earth.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Well, who is the Word? The Bible tells us in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word... and the Word was God". The Word is God- Jesus Christ! Jesus was made flesh and dwelt among us. Why? Jesus said in Luke 4: 18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken- hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering the sight of the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."This is why he came. It also says in Hebrews 9: 28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second tine without sin unto salvation." So, Christ came to bear the sins of many as a sacrifice, perfect, holy, and acceptable. He went into the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 9: 24), offered his blood as a once- and - for- all, perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9: 14) so we can be reconciled with and justified before God ( Colossians 1:20, Romans 4: 25, Romans 5:18).
Christ came to save us- to offer us everlasting life with him forever. You see, the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that the "wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." It also says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Wages means recompense or return. Therefore, the recompense or payment of sin is death. Since we all sinned, we must all pay the price- which is death. We all must die as a result of sin. Think of it this way: We are ordinary people each with our own bank account. It is an ordinary day and we get a call from the bank. The bank tells us that we have broken some of the rules and regulations stated in the contract and you must pay a fine, or penalty. Now, the bank values your relationship with them so much that they do everything they possibly can to help you out and have you not pay the fine. They try to restart your account, only finding out that its going to lead to the same problem. They try overlooking it, only coming to a conclusion that that's not going to work either. Finally, they have a corporate meeting to conjure up an idea to help you and your banking situation. They come to a consensus of paying your fine for you. The COO agrees to pay your fine out of his own pocket. The bank then calls you back and let's you know what they have decided to do for you. The final question they ask you is "Do you accept or decline this payment?" You now have the choice to accept the payment that someone has already paid for you, or decline the payment and pay out of your own pocket- something which you cannot possibly afford. Either way you still owe the bank its money.
Now, I just used this parable to explain to you salvation. Just in case you cannot decipher this parable, the bank is God, the contract is his laws, the payment is death, and the COO is Jesus. Jesus offered his life for you. He paid the price for you because he loves you and values your relationship with him and his father. He said in John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." He calls you his friend. That is amazing! The King of Kings, The Lord Of Lords, The Great I Am, calls you his friends. That is an amazing privilege. He literally bled and died for you. However, death could not hold him down. His love for you was so strong that he had no other choice but to be raised from the dead. Not only that, he went down into Hell - the place where you were supposed to be, took the keys of death and the grave from Satan- the devil, and freed all the captives of Satan who were in hell. My God- he rose with victory and power in his hands. Death could not hold him down. He died as a lamb and rose as a Lion. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Rose of Sharon, The Lily of The Valley, The Author of our Salvation, Our Great High Priest, The King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Hallelujah! The Bible says that the veil of the Holy of Holies was ripped in half when he died. You see, for thousands of years, only the priest could enter the Holy of Holies. People could not have a relationship with God. They could not directly talk and commune with God. They had to go through man to God. But when the veil was ripped, it symbolized that man did no longer have to go through a priest to get in contact with God. That all men are have access to the Throne of God and his presence. That man can now have a relationship with God. And guess what, he did it for YOU! YOU! So you won't have to die in your sin. So you won't have to go to Hell. So you won't have to pay the penalty. He did for you. Yes, you! But now I ask you the question: Do you accept or decline the payment? Do you accept the payment that Christ has paid for you and your sins or do you decline the payment and pay the price of death- spiritual death. And what that death is, is eternal separation from God. That when you die, you are going to Hell. But if you have Jesus, you are going to Heaven to live with him forever and ever. Do you accept the payment of Christ? How do you accept the payment you ask? By accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. By believing that he died for you and your sins and that he rose on the third day. By believing that he is the Son of God. How do you decline the payment, by doing the exact opposite. By rejecting Jesus and his payment and not believing in him. John 3:16 says "...that whosever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Do you believeth that Jesus died for you and your sins and rose on the third day. Do you believe that he is the Son of God? Do you want Jesus to come into your heart. If you do, pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross and that you rose on the third day for my sins. I ask you to forgive me of all my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteous. Come into my heart and make me your child. Thank you that I can live with you forever and ever. And that one day, you will come to take me home with you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
If you just said that prayer, you have become apart of God's family, you have been saved, justified, and reconciled with God. Jesus has come into your life and his Spirit lives in you, to help, to lead, to guide, to teach, to pray for, to encourage, and strengthen you. The Bible says the angels rejoice over once sinner who repents. Now, Jesus's blood has covered you and God has forgiven you and doesn't even remember the sins that you have done in your life. I encourage you to find a good church home who teaches and preaches and lives the Bible and nothing else but what is in the Bible. If you need to contact me, my email is [email protected]. If you need prayer or help, let me know. I am here for you. I love you brother and my sister! God bless you and congratulations on taking that first step of the rest of your life with Jesus.
*P.S- You are not going to be perfect. Nobody is. You are going to make mistakes. When you do, God does not kick you out of his family and you are still saved. Just ask God for forgiveness and he will forgive you and not even remember what you do. Read 1 John 1:9.
*P.P.S- Start reading the Book of John. It is filled with lessons taught by Jesus himself and some of the things that he did while living on Earth.
