God Loves You
John 3:16 New International Version (NIV) 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God’s Plan – Eternal Life For You
John 17:3 New International Version (NIV) 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
What prevents us from knowing God personally?
Our Condition
People are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love and plan.
Romans 3:23 New International Version (NIV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
People were created to have fellowship with God, but because of our sin we are separated from God. Sin separates us from God.
Romans 6:23 New International Version (NIV) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is Holy and people are sinful, a great gulf separates the two. People try to reach God and have a relationship with him through their own efforts, such as a good life, but we have all fallen. The Only way to bridge this gulf is through Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God’s love and plan.
He Died in Our Place
Romans 5:8 New International Version (NIV) 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
He Rose From the Dead
Corinthians 15:3-5 New International Version (NIV) 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve.
He is the Only Way to God
John 14:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
It is not enough to know these truths.
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love and plan.
We must Receive Christ
John 1:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
We Receive Christ Through Faith
Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version (NIV) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
When We receive Christ, We experience a New Birth
John 3:1-8New International Version (NIV)
3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d
You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God)
God knows your heart and is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. You can say the following prayer to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Now that you have received Christ, into your life you are saved.
Romans 10:9-10New International Version (NIV) 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
You are a New Creation in Christ – all things are new
2 Corinthians 5:17New International Version (NIV) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!