Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Three Things You Need To Know







Have you ever thought or said?



“I tried to read the Bible but it just doesn’t make any sense to me?”


Well here are three things that you need to know and are easy for everyone to understand.








First ... WE ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM

None of us can ever be good enough to earn our way into heaven. 
There is only one way to receive eternal salvation. 
Jesus provided the only way; when he sacrificed himself for our sins on the cross, and when He was miraculously and triumphantly resurrected from the dead, after three days in the tomb.

“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

“He who believes in Him is not judged; 
he who does not believe has been judged already, 
because he has not believed in the name 
of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18  

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; 
but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, 
but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36


According to Jesus in His teachings above ...
mankind is divided into two groups of people:

   1. Those who believe in Jesus are forgiven.
   2. Those who have rejected Jesus are judged.

Each of us has a choice to make. 
We all need to ask ourselves these three questions:

   1. Which group above best describes me;
   2. Which group above do I want to be in?
   3. What steps do I need to take to get to where I want to be?

Some might say that it is being judgmental to point out that a person or religion is sinful and destined to hell. But we are all subject to this exact same judgment. And Jesus has made this clear. He is the judge. We all fall short and are condemned. God explains above, that all people and all religions that do not believe in Jesus are already judged by him. If true ... the most unloving thing that we can do is to know this truth and remain silent. If there is no God as the atheists claim, then Christianity would be a foolish lie, and I would want nothing to do with it. On the other hand if God's Word is true ... then this is the most important question any of us will ever need to answer in our lives. Is Jesus God the Creator and Savior of all men; or is he a fraud? I hope and pray that my many atheist friends are wise enough to at least look at the facts before they make their decision. 


Second ... GOD HAS A PLAN FOR EACH OF US

“Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God … Do not marvel that I said to you, “you must be born again” … the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; John 3:16-18

Now just like Nicodemus the man Jesus was talking to here, you might already be saying: I do not understand all of this. The Apostle Paul explains the reason if you do not understand here: “But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 3:14

And then he explains what all of us must do ...

If your beliefs and guiding principles have been formed by the teachings of the world, it is natural that many of the things of the Spirit will not make sense to you. These things must be made clear to you by God, through the leading of the Holy Spirit ... and not men.


Third ... GOD HAS PROMISED TO SEND YOU HELP

"And I will pray to the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you … But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you." John 14:16-26

Would you like to understand the things of the Spirit? You must pray that the Spirit will guide you as promised. That He will teach you all things. Church is great and needed for all ... but your primary teacher must be the Holy Spirit combined with the Word of God. He will reveal to you the truths which are to be the foundational principles of your belief system. You must not be conformed to the world; but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Paul explains further when he says: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "the Lord knows the reasonings  of the wise, that they are useless."  1 Corinthians 3:19-20

So what do you need to do to gain the knowledge, wisdom, 
understanding, and eternal life that Jesus promises?

Pray for his forgiveness.
Thank Jesus for his promises, and for paying the penalty for your sins on the cross.
Declare your belief in him and ask for him to send His Holy Spirit to help and guide you.
Meditate on the verses above asking Jesus to reveal Himself to you more and more.
Seek the counsel of a Bible believing church as well as someone 
with wisdom who can assist you in your spiritual growth.

In closing, remember that once you receive it, 
you can never lose the eternal life that Jesus has promised you.

"These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:13

This is the good news. The Bible is not that hard to understand … is it?

Please note: This post was written for the benefit of my friends who do not yet know Christ. I realize this may make some angry, but I assure you that I love you as a friend and would never be judgmental towards you. As a Christian it is my calling to share this with you. I urge my Christian friends to forward this post to everyone on their list as well.

God Bless you my friends,
Bob West
Call or email me any time ...
949-201-6421 talavera.bob@gmail.com