Recently I was reading one of those self-help books. . .the
kind that tell you how to be a success in ten easy lessons.
I like books on success, and this one was enjoyable and even full
of Bible principles. But I was about two-thirds through the book
when I realized that there was not a word in it about the blood
of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary.
Written for a secular audience, this book embraced many good positive
Bible truths, but the direction that the author took could have
appealed to anyone who had a basic belief in God.
The truth is: these principles will work for anyone and anyone
can find success in life. But true success, eternal success is
only found in the Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, "I
am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me."
He then added, "If you had known Me, you would have known
My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
The truth is: the only way to know God is through Jesus Christ.
We have a philosophy floating around the world these days that
says, "There are many paths to God. For some it's Buddha,
for others it's transcendental mediation. Someone else finds his
way through nature and some even find their way through Jesus."
But I want to be honest with you folks. I could write a nice
self help book, too, that would help you be successful in business,
have better attitudes and less ulcers. But the truth is: Many
people are very successfully spending their lives, making money,
having a nice home life and heading straight to hell.
That's plain isn't it?
People complain about hell fire and brimstone preachers, but the
fact is that there is a very real and present danger of eternal
damnation which lies ahead for many people. And the sad part is:
it isn't necessary.
If you saw a small child running across a lawn, about to fall
into a deep hole which could easily cause his or her death, wouldn't
you do something about it. I believe you would. And I want to
do as much for you spiritually.
Here's the facts: Buddha can't save you. The Virgin Mary can't
save you. Better attitudes can't save you. Making money and being
"successful" can't save you. Nothing but the blood of
Jesus can save you!
When God changed my life in 1977, he spoke these words to
me which I will never forget: "Precious is the blood of the
lamb, which was shed for you."
Modern man rejects it. Intellectuals scream in protest. But the
truth is: God has provided salvation through substitution. The
blood of Jesus at Calvary paid the price for your salvation and
mine. As Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved."
When Jesus died on the cross, He took on the sins of the whole
world. He took the punishment which we deserved. God loved us
so much that he provided this solution for our sin problem.
Because of the sin of the first man Adam, and the sin nature which
has been passed down from generation to generation since that
time, mankind has been in a state of separation from God. When
the human spirit is separated from God, the Bible calls it "dead."
Death is the absence of life. God's Word says that when we believe
in Jesus (that is trust in and adhere to him as Lord) that we
receive the gift of eternal life.
Now this eternal life is the life of God. When eternal life comes
into your human spirit, you become Born Again. You become a new
creature. You have passed from death unto life. Your were dead
in your sins. But when you received Jesus, God forgave your sins,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit imparted His life unto you.
It's kind of like having a dead battery in your car. The battery
is in the car, but it has no life. When you receive Christ, he
gives you new life, and puts a power generator, the Holy Spirit,
within you to charge you up continually.
Jesus told it another way to a woman of Samaria. He said, "If
you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give
Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given
you living water." This living water is the life-changing
power of the Holy Spirit. The woman did not understand, and when
she questioned Jesus, he said, ". . .whoever drinks of the
water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that
I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing
up into everlasting life."
He's talking about an endless supply of Holy Ghost power. That
power is available to you today. It's a power greater than nitro
glycerin, able to destroy the works of the devil in your life.
When you accept Jesus, hold on to you hats, God is going to work
mightily in you.
When we talk about accepting Jesus, there is a lot of confusion
in people's minds. Some think it means accepting the fact that
Jesus walked on the earth 2,000 years ago. Others believe it is
uttering a prayer in which you state, "I accept Jesus. .
."
It is fine to say a prayer stating, "I accept Jesus,"
but if you really accept Jesus, then you must accept Him for all
that He is. Jesus is the risen Savior of the world. So in order
to accept Jesus, who must believe that Jesus' death paid the penalty
for your sin. You must believe that Jesus is alive today and that
He will give you life as you call upon His name.
Also, Jesus is Lord. Therefore, in order to accept Jesus, we
must accept His Lordship in our life. We must repent, or turn
away from sin, and make a willful choice to follow the Lord. Without
true repentance, there is no true salvation. The first command
out of Jesus' mouth during His earthly ministry was "repent".
. . that is, turn from sin and unto God.
When we are saved we come into the Kingdom of God. When you are
in a kingdom, if you are a good citizen, you obey the King. If
you are changing countries, you renounce the old King and pledge
allegiance to the new King. Jesus is your new King. So, you need
to renounce Satan, your old king, and pledge allegiance to your
new king, Jesus.
Becoming a child of God requires no special formulas. It only
requires a willing and believing heart. If you have never really
made a firm commitment to Jesus Christ and had your sins forgiven,
pray this prayer out loud in faith believing that God will wash
your sins away through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Dear God, forgive me of my sin. I'm sorry for my past life.
I make a willful choice, right now, today, to stop sinning and
follow You. I make Jesus Lord of my life right now today. I will
never go back to the old way of life. I renounce Satan and all
his works. And whatever you show me to do, or not to do, that
is what I will do. I will follow you wherever you lead. I know
Jesus is alive and that He is my Lord and Savior. I thank you
for the gift of eternal life. I receive it now. I thank you for
the miracle of new life, that now today, because your Word promises
it, I am a child of God and I am Born Again.
If you meant that prayer with all your heart. I declare to you
by the Word of God that you are saved from destruction and hell
and are a new creature in Christ.
Now I encourage you, spend your life serving a pleasing God. Keep
reading and obeying His Word, praying and spending time with other
Christians, and you will be a victorious and successful Christian.
Be sure to get involved in a good Bible-believing church, pray
and read your Bible daily, confess your faith to others and be
baptized.