Jesus Christ - the Way, the Truth, the Life

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Do you like gifts?

What is the most cherished gift you have ever received? Perhaps it is neither elaborate nor expensive, but it is valuable to you because if the circumstances or sentiment associated with it. Maybe someone close to you gave you a gift, and it may not have been much of a gift, but it is very special to you because of who gave it to you. Maybe a gift was given by someone of importance and you feel honored of the thought that they would give you a gift.

Well, someone of very high importance has freely offered to you the greatest gift ever known to mankind... Eternal Life. From the time God first created us, He has desired that we all receive this awesome gift. He wants that more than anything!

You see, when God created us He put within us a desire to know Him. Unfortunately, Adam's disobedience in the Garden of Eden polluted the perfection of humanity, and caused the entire human race to be born into "sin." You were born a sinner. You are a sinner now. You were not born a sinner because of anything you or your parents did to anger God... you were simply born into it. You are a sinner now because the sin you were born with has flourished in your heart as you've grown, and with or without knowing it, you commit sins agains God.

Have you ever lied to someone? That makes you a liar. Have you ever stolen? That makes you a thief. Have you ever used God's name as a curse word? That makes you a blasphemer. Have you ever looked at a person of the opposite, or same, sex and lusted after them? If so, then Jesus said you've already committed adultery with them in your heart - that makes you an adulterer. That's four of the Ten Commandments broken already... and if we continued, you may find you've broken other Commandments as well.

Some may say, "Well, that's Old Testament stuff, God understands and forgives me when I do those things." It's true that God forgives you, but that doesn't excuse you for continued sin against Him. That cycle, that curse, that inherent lifestyle of sin can be broken from your life for good.

It's because of God's love for you that He has made a way for you to escape the trap of sin and be restored to a proper, unbroken relationship with Him. He loved you so much, He wasn't willing to let you die in a condition that would keep you forever separated from Him. His care for you is greater than that. ...And in that love and concern for your soul's eternal destiny, God sacrificed of Himself and gave the greatest gift ever known to man... the life of His only Son. ...What a sacrifice. ...What a love.

The Bible (God's eternal, infallible written Word to us) says in Romans 6:23, that the end result of the sin we were born into is death, but the free gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born of a virgin and lived a life as we, yet remained sinless. He knew that His destiny was to do the work of His Heavenly Father and restore man back to proper relationship with God. John 3:17 explains that Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn it, but rather to save it. His goal was not to come to earth and beat you over the head with the fact that you were born a sinner and have committed sins; His goal was to love you enough to lay down His own life as a ransom for yours.

Jesus, a man that was perfect and sinless, became sin for you. He was brutally beaten, bruised beyond recognition, and then hung to die on an old rugged cross. His blood was shed for you as the blood covenant that was necessary to purchase forgiveness of sins. And because Jesus was the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, the sacrifice of His life was enough to purchase pardon of sins, not just for you, but for the whole world. He loved you enough to allow Himself to be tortured and crucified... for no other reason than He loved you.

And then to validate His claim that He was the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the only Way to get to God, He then took His claim and demonstration of love a step further. Just like He said He would, He rose from the dead three days later! Thank God! Did you know that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the major distinctions of Christianity from all other religions of the world?! No other religion can boast such a claim! Jesus Christ is the only figurehead of any religion to have ever raised from the dead! Jesus said He was the true Son of God, and then proved it by His resurrection!

Then, as if shedding His blood and dying for us wasn't enough... as if giving us the gift of eternal life wasn't enough... as if raising from the dead wasn't enough... He went yet another step further! He said He was going to the Father to prepare a place for us there with Him, and then promised that He would return again for us! Thank God! He forgave us, He saved us, He freed us from the curse of sin and death, and now He's preparing a heavenly home for us in the pavilions of heaven! Oh what a gift!

Did you know, He gave this gift for you too!?!? You may be asking, "How can I receive this gift of eternal life?"

Well, Acts 3:19 says to "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." That word "repent" means to turn away from you old lifestyle without God, and turn to God to begin living a new lifestyle of forgiveness. Another translation (NLT) more easily puts it, "...Turn from your sins and turn to God so you can be cleansed of your sins."

Then, all you have to do is open your heart to receive Jesus Christ into your life! Jesus called out to you in Revelation 3:20 (NLT) and said, "Look! Here I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in[to you]."

So simply put, all you have to do to receive this free gift of Eternal Life is:

Be willing to Repent (turn your back on lifestyles that are contrary to God and His Word, and turn to God for direction in all things). Don't let anything come between you and your relationship with God! Anything that does is sin, and you don't need it that bad!

Be willing to open your heart and life to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord!

The decision is up to you... it's your choice to either accept and open this Gift of God, or to push it away...

So how do you choose?

>>> I Accept... Now What? <<<

>>> No Thanks... I'll pass <<<

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Pastor Chad Carter
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