ETERNAL LIFE

ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR GOD?

ARE YOU PREPARED TO MEET GOD?

Be certain of one thing, God is deeply concerned about you. Many people believe that God sits on a throne in heaven, distant, out of reach and indifferent to what is going on here on earth. This is a false belief. The Bible tells us of a completely different God. The Bible says that God always takes the initiative. While man was lost in darkness and deep in sin, God rose from his throne, laid aside His glory and came down to this earth to be one of us. He rescued us from eternal damnation.¹

Are you searching for God? Well, God is seeking you! Remember the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden? How God came looking for Adam and Eve after they disobeyed God's order not to eat the forbidden fruit. They were hiding, ashamed, lost and separated from God. That's the way many of us feel today. Searching for God in all the wrong places, intellectually seeking Him, philosophically trying to identify Him, theologically studying Him, and following false teachers and false doctrines!

God has revealed himself in the man Jesus Christ, who himself the Son of God walked among us, speaking and making known to us the nature and will of God. Jesus Christ came as a Savior, because men and women needed to be delivered from the bondage of sin.

Matt 1:21 "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

1 Timothy 1:15 "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the worst". (Apostle Paul).

John R. W. Stott wrote: "We know that to find God and to accept Jesus Christ would be a very inconvenient experience. It would involve the rethinking of our whole outlook on life and the readjustment of our whole manner of life. And, it is a combination of intellectual and moral cowardice which makes us hesitate".²

The greatest enemy of truth is fear. To fear is to hesitate, and to hesitate is to stop searching, to stop seeking the truth. The truth can only be found in God. Fear paralyzes the intellect and grips the heart. Fear comes from Satan not from God. 

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline".
 
John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 14:6, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".

 Ephesians 4:21 "Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus".

 The price for sin is death. The Bible tells us that through Adam mankind sinned against God. The relationship that existed between Adam and God was cut-off. Sin entered the world and the price for sin is death without God (Romans 5:12). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world not only to save us from certain death from sin, but also to restore the relationship we once had with God. Jesus Christ accomplished this through His death on the cross and through His resurrection from the dead three days later, so that we can have eternal life. 

The prophet Isaiah wrote: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" Isaiah 53:4-6.
 
Jesus said: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" John 6:35.

 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" John 8:12.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness" John 12:46.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28.  

"To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth" John 18:37.

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters"
Matthew 12:30.

GETTING READY TO MEET GOD

Jesus Christ came to this world to show us the way, the truth, and the life, yes, the way back to God; to reconcile us with the Father. 

Eternal life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ. Salvation is the ticket to receive the gift of eternal life. Eternal life cannot be attained without salvation. The Bible says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". Romans 6:23 

Truett wrote: "But most of all, we limit God, I dare say, by our unbelief, our unfaith (lack of faith). Israel could not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief; and you and I are kept out of many a promised land (promises from God) because of unbelief, because of unfaith."³

"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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him". John 3:16-17

The above verse says that one must believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. To be saved means to live in the presence of God forever. Therefore, in order to believe in Jesus Christ, one must know who he is and what he did, and then accept him as Lord and Savior.

1. Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Son of God. The Second person of the Trinity.

2. What did he do? He died on the cross for the sins of all humanity, and was raised from the dead on the third day. 

3. Acceptance; One must accept the Lord Jesus Christ in his/her heart as Lord and Savior.

Salvation is a gift from God. It is available to anyone who respond. Salvation is a personal decision. It is a personal commitment to accept what Jesus Christ has accomplished on the cross for all individuals including yourself. For God took the sinless Jesus Christ and laid on Him our sins, past, present and future. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart". Jeremiah 29:13

Whoever believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and that He died on the cross for your sins, and accepts Him in his/her heart as Lord and Savior will be saved and have eternal life. Whoever does not believe in Jesus Christ will not have a spiritual life and will experience eternal separation from God.

THREE CROSSES: ONE RIGHTEOUS AND TWO SINNERS

Jesus Christ the righteous one was crucified between two sinners. We read in Luke 23:32-43 that two other men, both criminals, were also crucified, one on the right and the other on the left, of Jesus’ cross. One of the criminals hunted insults to Jesus, saying "Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don’t you fear God?" he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise".

The question is, which type of sinner do you relate to in this crucifixion event? We can say that the two criminals symbolize the state of humanity before God. One of the criminals rejected Christ, and the other one accepted Him. Right now we all are symbolically crucified with Christ, and must make a choice. If we accept Him, we will be not only accepted by Him, but will be with Him in Paradise forever.

 Jesus Christ made himself responsible for our sins when he died on the cross. He died so sin could be wiped out forever. He provided a way to righteousness to all who comes to repentance and acceptance of his atoning sacrifice.

Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life". John 5:24

We are fully justified before God, not by anything we have done, but by what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. We are not saved by our good works, but we are saved to do good works.

"How do people harden themselves against God? They do it through the theory that they will save themselves... Can any man save himself? Can any woman save herself? Can a soul wrong with God save himself?... If there can be reality and truth in the religion of Christ (Christianity), wouldn't you like to know it?...I will give you a clue. Tell God, if there be one, that you want light, if He has any concern for you to have it, and tell Him that if He will give it, no matter what it costs, nor where it leads, you will follow that light, and you will find it."⁴

Our entire salvation hangs on the truth that Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior conquered death by raising from the dead on the third day. Jesus himself foretold His resurrection when He said: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days". John 2:19. He was speaking of His body being God’s temple. He said: "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-- only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father" John 10:17,18. Jesus added: "They shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again" Luke 18:33.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ establishes the truth that sin and death was conquered and settled to God’s satisfaction. On the cross Jesus Christ accepted responsibility for them, He bore them in His body. But on the third day after His death on the cross, God declared His full approval and full acceptance of the work of His blessed Son. "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" Romans 4:25.⁵

Jesus Christ’s resurrection provides the full assurance that sin has been settled once and for all. Every claim has been met and God holds nothing against the believing Christian.

If we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we will never have to come into judgment for our sins, because Jesus was judged in our place. But if we reject God’s grace of salvation through His son, not only we will be judged for all of our sins, but also for rejecting Jesus Christ who died to save us.

YOU MAKE, RIGHT NOW, THE RIGHT CHOICE, AND BE THE SINNER THAT CHOOSES CHRIST, HAVE YOUR SINS FORGIVEN BY HIM AND ACCEPT HIM INTO YOUR HEART.

You may find this prayer helpful:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and against my fellow men and women. I am sorry for my sins, I turn from them in repentance. I ask you to forgive me. I believe that you died for me, bearing my sins in your body, and that you rose from the dead to give me eternal life. I thank you Lord for you great love for me. I open my heart to receive you as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse me and change me, let your will be done in my life from now on. I will serve you for the rest of my life. Amen."

If you prayed this prayer, Jesus Christ will take up residence in your heart, and will start to change your life.

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Jesus who died for you, now works in you, to conform you to Himself and to enable you to live your life devoted to him. Your eternal life begins when you are saved, and that could be right now, and not after you die physically.

Jesus said: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one" John 10:27-30.

Essay on Salvation and Eternal Life by Mauro Pinheiro, 10/1/1999 

NOTES:

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible. New International Version. Copyright © 1973,1985 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers

1. John R. W. Stott, "Basic Christianity", Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, 1992, p. II
2. Ibid, p. 18
3. George W. Truett, "A Quest for Souls", Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, 1961, p. 84
4. Ibid, p. 162,163
5. H. A. Ironside, "Full Assurance - How to Know You're Saved", Moody Press, Chicago, 1968. p. 73

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