Jesus Saves Sinners

All creation since Adam’s fall has been groaning,
But man by himself couldn’t do the atoning.
Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son,
Against sin, hell and death he has won.

Christ died on cross to save sinners,
That by believing in him they be winners.
Those who truly crucify the flesh,
Can live holy, free and afresh.

Jesus saves sinners both big and small,
If they confess their sin when they fall.
He forgives their sins if they repent,
From a sinful life which they have spent.

Know that terrible is the punishment for the unjust,
Hell and suffering eternal after turning to dust.
So call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved,
Lest you be unrepentant and enslaved.

Blessed Good Friday to you who believe

 

1. Blessed are those who believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God.

2. Blessed are those who believe that Jesus was sent to us by God to save us from our sins.

3. Blessed are those who believe that Jesus was crucified for us on the Cross for our atonement and redemption from sin, death and the grave.

4. Blessed are those who value the precious blood of Jesus that was shed for sinners on Calvary.

5. Blessed are those who repent of all sin when they hear the Word of God.

6. Blessed are those who don’t take part in vile pleasures nor love money and neither desire evil companionship because they prefer the friendship of Jesus who suffered for them on the Cross.

7. Blessed are those who carry their cross daily and look up to Jesus Christ to sustain them in the walk of faith daily.

 

 

 Isaiah 53:1-9 :-

53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.  

 

 

 Matthew 27: 11-54 :-

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” ¹² But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” ¹⁴ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

¹⁵ Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. ¹⁹ Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” ²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³ And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” ²⁵ And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

²⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. ²⁸ And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹ And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

³² As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. ³³ And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), ³⁴ they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. ³⁵ And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. ³⁶ Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. ³⁷ And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” ³⁸ Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. ³⁹ And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ⁴² “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹ And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

 

The (Easy-to-Understand) Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Why Humanity Needs Him

​by Hope Wingo

(Hope’s note:  Please feel free to copy and use all, or any portion, of the following message.)

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE (John 3:16).

You may have heard that verse all of your life, but have you ever read the verses that immediately follow it? The next five verses (John 3:17-21) read, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

Do you see what this scripture is telling us? Although John 3:16 is a comforting verse in itself, the message doesn’t end there. It leads into a warning of condemnation to those who refuse to repent of their ungodly ways and it warns of the consequences of unbelief. On the other hand, it teaches that we gain access to everlasting life when we believe in Him and allow our sins to be exposed to the Light (or, made manifest to Him) so that He can forgive them. This Light is Jesus. “I am the Light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life” (John 8:12).

So, why do we need this “Light of the world”? Why Jesus? The following will explain humanity’s broken relationship to God and, according to His Word, what we need to do to make it right with Him…

First, the bad news (about us):

Our sins have separated us from a righteous and holy God,

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

and (without repentance) our situation is hopeless; meaning, we are destined for eternal punishment.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Being a good person (or doing good works) can’t save us. We MUST be spiritually “born again”.

John 3:3 – and Jesus answered… Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Now, the good news (about Him):

Our holy, Creator God made a way for sin-cursed humanity to be reconciled back to Him by sending His Son to take our punishment for us. Since the consequence of sin is death, and we were all born into sin through our first father Adam, we were helpless to save ourselves from the pending death sentence of eternal punishment. That’s why God sent His Son to us. Jesus stepped out of eternity to die on our behalf; to pay the sin-debt that we owed. He came down from heaven, became one of us, took our sins upon His own sinless body, then paid the death sentence for us on the cross. (2 Corinthians 5:21 – For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.)

Then, three days after His crucifixion, Jesus victoriously arose from the dead…

Luke 24:46 – …it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.

and ascended into Heaven to be an intercessor (or, an advocate) for us…

Romans 8:34 – It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

until He returns for those who are “in Christ”. (See verse below.) This much-anticipated, soon-coming event is called “The Rapture of the Church”. The reason for the Rapture is to keep God’s people “…from the hour of temptation (or testing) which shall come upon all the world…” (Revelation 3:10). We are told that Jesus’ return for us will be as a “thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2) so we don’t know what day it will occur, but He described many events that would mark the season (or era) of His Second Coming and told us to watch for those signs. He warned us to “…be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44) and to “Watch… and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass…” (Luke 21:36). Today, major prophetic events undeniably point to our generation as being that very generation of which He spoke; hence, the renewed urgency of our “don’t be left behind” plea. The following verse describes this “Rapture” of Christians, both deceased and living. (Also see: 1 Corinthians 15:49-54):

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Now, to explain what Jesus’ death on the cross actually accomplished: Our human efforts, however sincere, cannot make us holy; but “without holiness, no man shall see God” (Hebrews 12:14). The moment that Adam willfully sinned against God, humanity began its descent into physical death and the entire (yet to be born) human race spiritually died. Since all of Adam’s descendants inherited his sin-nature, and one sinner cannot atone for another sinner, humanity’s reconciliation back to God could only have come from outside of Adam’s sin-cursed lineage. Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23), so He did not come through Adam’s bloodline. He alone carried the holy, sinless blood of His Heavenly Father. Scripture tells us that the blood not only symbolizes life, but that it is life. “The life of the flesh is in the blood: …for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). Jesus paid the ultimate price for the souls of fallen humanity when He offered up His own life’s blood to redeem us from sin.“You are bought with a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:20). There is no greater love than God’s love for us! …and when we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior, we are redeemed by His blood and become “holy and unblameable in His sight” (Colossians 1:22). One man (Adam) brought sin upon us and one man (Jesus) took it away… “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Although we are still condemned to die a physical death, the life-giving blood that Jesus shed for us eternally reconciled our souls back to our Heavenly Father. We cannot earn our way to heaven on our own merits (regardless of our good intentions, efforts or works) because we still carry the sin-nature that we inherited from Adam. It is ONLY through our faith in Jesus that we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.) Everything in God’s plan of redemption has already been done for us, once and for all (Romans 6:10), through Jesus’ death and resurrection. We, however, must ACT on our faith in order to receive this gift. To do nothing is to reject Him because “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). So… if you would like to accept Jesus as your Savior and trust Him for your eternal salvation, this is how to be born again:

• Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (John 14:6 – …I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.) and (John 8:42 – …for I proceeded forth and came from God; …He sent me.) and (John 10:30 – I and my Father are one.) and (1 John 5:12 – He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.)

• Believe that He paid for your sins on the cross. (Ephesians 1:7 – In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace…) and (1 Peter 2:24 – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…) and (Revelation 5:9 – …for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation).

• Acknowledge that you are a sinner, then ask Him to forgive your sins. (1 John 1:8-9 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness).

• Finally, tell somebody that you believe in Him! (Romans 10:9-10 – …if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.)

So, how do we talk to God? What do we do now? Hebrews 4:16 tells us to “Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy”, meaning God is approachable: He invites us into a relationship with Him. That being said, simply talk to Him as you would talk to a friend. Be honest and open. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and to start you all over with a new life in Him. You’ll be amazed at how everything changes when you allow Him to become your Lord and Savior! Also, start reading the Bible. The New Testament books of John and Romans are a good place to start. They’ll teach you the basics. To the believer, reading God’s Word develops a spiritual hunger to learn more and more; and the more we read, the more we grow in the Lord and understand His ways.

A final heartfelt plea… Today is the day of salvation. “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15). When we die, our souls go directly to heaven or hell (Matthew 25:46) based upon whether we have accepted Jesus as our Savior or whether we have rejected Him through unbelief. There is no middle ground. Sadly, Jesus told us that the majority will refuse His gift and will spend all of eternity paying their own sin-debt. He said, “…Narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.“ (Matthew 7:14), and “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). The truth is: Jesus will either be our Lord now, or He will be our Judge in the future. He paid the price for our souls because He loves us, but the choice to accept or reject Him is ours to make. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) and His steadfast message is, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). There is no other Way. There is no other God. There is no other Truth. There is no other Light. “Neither is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12). That’s the pure, biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ, and what we do with it determines our eternal destiny.

Source link for the above article:

www.1way2yahweh.wordpress.com/

He Was Pierced for Our Transgressions

The Lord Jesus despite being the Son of God had leave his heavenly comfort and riches to do God’s will that salvation be obtained for all mankind. No one else was more worthy nor more holy than him to take away the sins of the world. Jesus in spite of being the Prince of all Creation and the heir to throne of all Israel humbled himself and became the humblest of all men. If it was possible to be more humble, Jesus Christ would do even that. He loved God and knew that his time had come to glorify God his father.

He was focused on being God’s servant who would bring salvation to those who believe that God sent him. Truly it’s written, “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. Deep was his love for the Father that he took upon himself the sins of the world. Condemned to die on the cross by unrighteous men, he suffered from physical violence that his appearance became pitiful and bloodied. He was lifted up, even on the cross not for his sins but for ours for he was sinless and without guile. In his lowliness was he exalted as the Savior of the world. Blessed are those who believe that Christ was and is and shall always be the Son of God.

Let’s read the following verses that show God’s plan for Jesus who humbled himself as a servant despite being the Son of God:

Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind — so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. (Isaiah 52:13-15)

The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t come here for a pleasant excursion but rather he came on a tough mission. He came to seek and save the lost and to destroy the works of the Enemy. What’s been the most wicked of all the work’s of the Evil One? It’s nothing less than causing mankind to reject God’s loving friendship and therefore being out of God’s living light to live eternity in despair and grief. Mankind accepted sin but rejected the Lord. People yearned for that peace with God but couldn’t get right with God as they were in the grasp of sin. And along with sin came death. Yet God had a plan for mankind. Jesus had to fulfill this plan both as the Son of Man and the Son of God. Therefore he is the one intermediary between man and God.

In his condemnation was to be our acceptance before God. In his death was our life before God. Knowing this, Jesus became the willing victim and bore the wrath for our sins. He was silent like a lamb before his oppressors. It was due to him that the veil between man and God couldn’t hold up any longer.

It was a great tragedy for the Prince of Creation to be killed by his own creation whom he loved to the very end of his life. Yet this was needed to atone for man so that everyone who believes gets saved from sin. There was no other option because when the Law was given to Israel they failed in following it. Only the Lord Jesus could just follow it fully but also impart his righteousness in God to those who believed him.

Christ dying forever might have been the worst tragedy for us all. This is where God gave hope in form of the promise that he will raise Jesus Christ on the third day. The power of the Evil one was defeated at the cross of Christ. Jesus was not be forever in the grave for God wouldn’t let his Holy One see corruption. He had to come to live again for us. His life went for God and it had to come back for God. It was ordained for Jesus to rejoice with those he gained and continues to gain back for the Lord God. Happy are those who can appreciate the goodness of God in his Son Jesus Christ.

Let’s read the following verses while we honor the Lord Jesus and his sacrifice for us:

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one— to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt,he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:1-12)

Christ be with you!

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Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away our sins

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

Jesus appeared on earth to take away our sins!

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)

The prophet Isaiah prophesied about Jesus coming as the Lamb of God to take away our sin. Let’s read Isaiah 53:6-11 which goes as follows:

All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.

It is Jesus who take away your sins and not your good works. Your good works are simply your duty towards God. You duty does not make atonement for your sins. It’s Jesus who set you free by his death on the cross and by his resurrection. Happy are those to who put their mind to Jesus above anything else in this world!

Jesus came to earth for you and me. His purpose was and is to reconcile us to God and save us from our sins. God himself sent his Son Jesus to save us.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18)

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost (Matthew 18:11)

Salvation is free for all those who believe in Jesus the Son of God. You never have to pay for it. As Jesus has once and for all paid the price for your sins. Therefore hold on to Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

No matter how bad you are. No matter how many mistakes your made. If you are willing to repent and believe in the Gospel there is hope for you through Jesus Christ.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:35-40)

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

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Don’t take a guilt trip

I’ve noticed that some people after hearing the preaching in church go on a guilt trip. Trust me, it’s not a pleasant trip at all. You need to get off that trip and instead hold the hand of Jesus and walk with him.  

Guilt is associated with legalism while grace is associated with the Gospel. You need grace and not guilt. Now its normal to realize that sin doesn’t make God happy, so you can acknowledge that things did go wrong. What is not right is that once you’ve confessed your sin to the Lord Jesus you keep dwelling in the region of guilt. Because you are now called to live in the region of faith along with Jesus to guide you by the Holy Spirit.  

It may have been that you’ve done the worst of the worst crimes such as terrorism or heresy. You are totally aware of the consequences of your bad actions therefore. You know its very difficult to undo the effects of some of the worst crimes. There’s still hope for you. All you need to do give up the burden of your sins and guilt unto Jesus the Son of God and believe that he will and can forgive your sins. Jesus on the cross took upon himself all the sins of the world, therefore by this you can approach him for forgiveness of your sins. Don’t worry for he came not for the righteous but instead for the sinners.

Try to reflect on the following scriptures:-

• Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)
• For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:11-12)
• If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us (1 John 1:9)
• He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
• There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
• For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
• For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Let me reiterate, when Jesus shed his blood by dying on the cross he took upon himself all of your sins. Guilt comes due to sin. As your sin is dealt with by the Lord’s finished work on the cross then the power of guilt is taken away. Therefore, you need not carry on with feelings with guilt over your sins. Instead hold the hand of the savior of the world Jesus Christ and be happy in him. 

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Covenant by the Blood of Jesus

Stained glass showing Lamb of God with vexillum and chalice, from chapel that used to be part of a convent in El Cajon, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a Christian, one must always regard the New Covenant with great respect. For it was founded by the shedding of Jesus Christ in atonement for sins of the whole world. Lets first reflect on the following two scriptures:

• For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
• The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. (1 John 3:8)

Adam and Eve sinned against God and therefore lost God’s friendship and favor. Death entered by sin into the human race. The main work of the Devil (by his own choice against God’s will) on earth is to make man who was created in the image and likeness of God into the lowest spiritually dead person he can and then die and suffer in hell.

God knew that man by himself could not restore the lost oneness and fellowship with God. So he sent his only begotten Son Jesus to live a human existence to redeem mankind. That’s why Jesus called himself the Son of man. Because he was born of Mary the virgin who is also the descendant of David who descended from Adam. Jesus didn’t want to limit himself to only the Jews because the love of God is for the whole world too.

By identifying himself as the Son of Man he conveyed he is for everyone on earth. Now he came to destroy the Devil’s work of making man sinful and dead in spirit to God. He came to destroy the power of sin and death over man. He came to heal people and cast out demons. He came to restore man to God’s favor by his obedience, being obedient even to his death on the Cross for all.

Jesus gives true joy, hope and peace. Today you too can experience the salvation and hope of Jesus. You get this by believing in the New Covenant by the Blood of Jesus.

To take away the curse of death due to the sin of Adam and Eve, the Lord Jesus had to take that curse on himself and then himself become the curse and be cursed. The Bible explains this. When I was very young I used to wonder about a remarkable curse mentioned in the Bible. Here it is:

“If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)

With this curse I would wonder, what is the purpose of cursing a person who is hanged on a tree when he is already dead by the hanging? I didn’t understand at all, until some years later I succeeded in reading the whole Bible word for word. I realized that this curse was destined to be used by God to take away every curse that could ever harm mankind. Here’s that amazing scripture verse that came alive to me:

Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed [is] every one hanged upon a tree,) (Galatians 3:13)

When Jesus shed his blood on the cross, he was hanging on the cross made of a tree, hanging by the painful nails that were driven into his body. He then died on the cross taking away the curse of the law. By believing in this you are justified and purified.

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed–a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

For he has made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Here’s what Jesus said about the New Covenant which he formed by the shedding of His Blood on the Cross:

In the same way also Jesus took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25)

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.  And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”  And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22: 14-20)

Please realize the need to believe in the New Covenant. Lay down your burdens of sin and of life at the feet of Jesus. Believe in the complete work of Jesus which is to restore you unto God in this life and the next.

 

Here are a few select scriptures that you can reflect upon:

• Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31)
• Thus says the Lord: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, (Isaiah 49:8)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
• Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)
• Then Jesus said to them,“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”(Luke 24:44)
• And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
• But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)
• In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:13)
• Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)
• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

 

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