Knowing Truth
Truth sets you free. Free from strongholds in your life, your mind and the boundaries set before you. That truth is revealed by the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit!
All have sinned and fallen short. In Psalms 51:4 says, "Against You, You only, have I sinned And done that which is evil in Your sight, So that you are justified when You speak [Your sentence] And faultless in Your judgement." The wages of sin is death. We are deserving of our punishment, which is death, eternal separation from God.
Everyone is in need of a Savior! 1 John 1:9 says, " If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].
Christ Died for our sins. Jesus Christ is Lord & Savior, the begotten Son of God, made in God's own image being baptized was filled with the Holy Spirit. The only one without sin, who gave up his own life, died on the cross for the payment of our sins, was buried and raised again on the third day, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Do you believe this?
The following scriptures will help you to understand we are all sinners, we all need a savior, lest we be condemned to hell by our unbelief which causes eternal separation from God. We cannot do anything to receive it, we must simply believe by faith Jesus is Lord and receive our free gift of redemption. That by the sacrifice of His life on the cross; that was the full payment for everyone's sins, and you no longer are separated from God, you are sealed with his promise, sanctified and made whole. Will you accept this free gift today?
Free from Dead Works
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. "
In Matthew, God clearly states that works will not get you into heaven. You must understand that you need only to have a relationship with God, Believe by faith He has done everything for you, cleansed you of your sins. You DO NOT need to do anything in return to receive salvation, nor do you need to do anything to "hold onto" it. The only thing that can separate you from the Father is unbelief.
Hebrews 9:11-14 says, "But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things to come [that is, true spiritual worship], He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not a part of [material] creation. 12 He went once for all into the Holy Place [the Holy of Holies of heaven, into the presence of God], and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained and secured eternal redemption [that is, the salvation of all who personally believe in Him as Savior]. 13 For if the sprinkling of [ceremonially] defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a [burnt] heifer is sufficient for the cleansing of the body, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal [Holy] Spirit willingly offered Himself unblemished [that is, without moral or spiritual imperfection as a sacrifice] to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the ever living God?"
Faith for Eternal Life
John 6:40 says, "For this is My Father's will and purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him [as Savior] will have eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day."
Do you believe this? God desires all to be saved and have eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ. Anyone that claims to say God is his Savior is led by the Holy Spirit, and cannot claim this by himself. The Holy Spirit reveals unto all who Christ is and not man alone. The only way into heaven is through belief in Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior. You must first believe God sent his Son to die for your sins, Believe He rose from the dead and is alive sitting next to the Father in Heaven. By believing this through faith, when you die, you will also be in eternity with Christ. You must first hear, hearing by the Word of God, By faith Believe, Jesus is Lord & Savior, and receive your free gift of salvation.
John 14:6 says," Jesus said to him, "I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
The Promise of Redemption
(redemption: the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil)
Ephesians 1:13-14 Says, "13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
After hearing the Word of God, you believed in faith, you have received salvation( the work of Jesus on the cross for you sins). Now that very moment, you have asked Christ to be your savior, acknowledged He is Lord of all, YOU WERE SEALED with his promise. The Holy Spirit came into your soul and is now abiding in you. You are now an inheritor of eternity with Christ until the very day of judgment. That Jesus would be glorified above all!
Where is your Confidence?
Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Everyone is able to hear and receive the Gospel. It is not solely for God's chosen people but He made it available for all (gentiles) to be redeemed by Christ. God isn't a respecter of persons but loves all, desires all to be saved. He says if you are ashamed of Him or his Word, He will be ashamed of you too, and you cannot enter into eternity with Him. He says, that your confidence is in Him, His Word and you will find peace and joy when your in Him. (In Him: relying on his word, believing his word, trusting his word) Being "in Him" builds your confidence; thus allowing you to not be ashamed, but able and willing to speak, live and worship him with your life.
Luke 9:26 says, "For whoever is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the [heavenly] Father and of the holy angels."
Psalm 91:2 says, " I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!"
The Cross is the Main Point
1 Corinthians 1:17
"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."
The gospel, the message, the good news, should so easily be spoken that anyone who hears it; would understand they are sinners in need of a Savior. No one should speak of it with words that no man can understand but speak of it plainly, that all would be saved. Anyone telling of Christ must always come back to the fact that salvation is only able through the work on the cross. Jesus was the perfect lamb/sacrifice, without spot/sin, died for our sins, making the full payment of our debts (redeemed us) and being just, raised again and is seated on the right hand of God in Heaven. Taken back his rightly position as God. When he died He sent his Holy Spirit to guide and fill anyone that would by faith believe Jesus is Christ. We are sealed with his promise that we are saved til the day of judgment. Only by unbelief can we be separated from eternity with Him. I can sit with you for hours and speak of how to overcome all things in Christ, but if you do not understand your salvation was completed on the cross, what I speak of is useless. I would be causing you to stumble. This is what 1 Corinthians 1:17 is saying.
John 16:1 says, " I have told you these things so that you will not STUMBLE or be caught off guard and fall away." If we believe and have our salvation firmly set in what Jesus has done and says, our feet will not stumble, we will not fall away from the truth and we would be able to not cause our brothers and sisters to stumble either. God has sent these warnings to guide us into all truth. To give us a sure foundation. One that never changes, never is broken and is true forever!
What Now?
So You Just received Christ as your Savior or you've been a believer and don't know what God is calling you to do next? Well, guess what? God has a plan for your life! A specifically tailored, neatly designed plan for your future. Which started before you ever came into existence. Jeremiah 1:5 says, " Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Wow! Isn't that just incredible! God knows every thing your thinking, has done, will do and still He loves you. He loved you when you were his enemy! Before you came to the knowledge He is Lord! God has made you and will use your life. So you ask, What does God want me to do?
Mark 1:20 "Immediately Jesus called to them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with hired workers, and went away to FOLLOW HIM [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example]." When Jesus is Lord of our life, and we have accepted that He is our Savior, we then are called to Follow Him. We do this by praying, seeking Him with all our hearts, and being transformed into his image, reading the scriptures and by the Holy Spirit being led by conviction, correction & edification to cleanse our minds, our lives and surroundings. We are being continually sanctified by the Word of God. Sanctified: being made holy. We should desire to be made into God's image. This is a daily battle and will be until we are in heaven. We must put on our armor of faith and use the Word of God as our battling tool. It is the "sword" the Word of God. See what
Ephesians 13:6-17(armor of God) says, how to war over your life daily. Learning about the tools you have will equip you to be able to Follow Him.
After you have accepted your salvation, are continually being sanctified you then are to "make disciples". Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually--regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age." I once heard it this way, we as Christians should not want to remain a consumer, but become a giver, a teacher of the word. As Christians we shouldn't be just hearing the Word and feeding on it, getting fatter. We need to be fit Christians who hear the word, then go out and tell someone else what we have heard of God, so they too will receive their salvation and grow in their faith. There are people waiting to hear from you about what God is doing in your life. There are people who will be saved from hearing your testimony. Will you be a "fit" Christian? ACCEPT YOUR CALLING TO FOLLOW HIM AND GO MAKE DISCIPLES.
