Perhaps you’ve noticed many of the Find It Here signs in the yards of neighborhoods, shops and churches over the past few weeks. Maybe you’ve seen the television commercials that have aired or the billboards in the area. They have centered on important words like hope, life, purpose and peace. The Southern Baptist churches of this area are working to help people find hope in Jesus Christ during this Easter season.
At our church, we’ve personally invited people in over 1,200 households to join us on Easter Sunday and many other Southern Baptist churches have done likewise in other neighborhoods around here. We aren’t doing this to win any awards or try to impress you with who we are. No, we are going outside of the walls of the church building because we believe the salvation and forgiveness given by Jesus Christ are vital to you having hope and purpose in life. The Bible says that we are separated from God because of our sinful nature. You see, we aren’t sinners because we sin. No, we sin because we are sinners. Do you see the difference there? The truth is that no one has a chance at living a perfect life. Unfortunately, a part of what makes us human is the fact that we are all born with a sinful nature. How many people had to teach their children to be selfish or mean? How many of us went to classes to learn to be prideful? None of us. Those traits are ingrained in us. They are a part of our sin nature.
Wait, there’s more. Our sin nature does more than simply cause us to behave rudely. This corrupted nature causes us to fight and rebel against God. It causes us to try to ignore Him and create our own gods. It causes us to reject the love and care of our Creator. Because God is holy He cannot and will not tolerate this rebellion. He will punish sinners for their sin. Sinners who have not been forgiven will spend eternity apart from God in Hell. But, God is also good. Even through our rebellion He has loved us. God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ came to this world about 2,000 years ago. Because He was fully God and fully man He was able to overcome the power of this sin nature. His deity allowed Him to be perfect and pleasing to God in every way. His humanity allowed Him to face temptation, suffer and sympathize with us.
Because of His perfection, God allowed Jesus to be the substitute for sinful humanity. On the cross, Jesus stood in your place and in mine. He took the punishment we all deserve because of our sin. When we ask for His forgiveness, repent and turn away from our sin, and turn toward God to live according to His desires we can know pardon and the peace we long for. This pardon and peace is what we hope you’ll find. It is what your soul longs for. Please join us at one of the Find It Here churches this Easter Sunday so we can have the opportunity to help you know this Great Redeemer.
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Inheritance to Come
The Apostle Peter delivered God's Words powerfully when he wrote,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)
This is what I read to my grandfather on Friday morning when we had some quiet moments together. I clued into the passage because of the phrase 'living hope', but was stunned when I began to read through the promises of the Christian's inheritance. By the power of the resurrection, the Christian's inheritance is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. And, it is being kept for them by the power of God.
Often we think of the inheritance as what we leave behind, not what is to come. But God sees things differently. What a revolutionary idea! The inheritance left behind perishes, is never perfect and always fades away. So, of these two inheritances, which do you want? Who is the true benefactor?
As I read this passage I couldn't help but be excited for him. I couldn't help but be excited for me. There is a mystery that surrounds death and this mystery causes fear and anxiety, but the hope of what occurs in the very next breath showing bring joy that overshadows this fear for the Christian. This wonderful inheritance, secured by God Himself, is one breath away for the follower of Jesus.
Oh the joy that will be known by the Christian when they fully receive the salvation bought by Christ's great love. May this coming joy fill us with hope even now. I hope it encouraged Pop as he now lives in the reality of cancer. I know this truth (and Pop's longing for it) encouraged me.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)
This is what I read to my grandfather on Friday morning when we had some quiet moments together. I clued into the passage because of the phrase 'living hope', but was stunned when I began to read through the promises of the Christian's inheritance. By the power of the resurrection, the Christian's inheritance is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. And, it is being kept for them by the power of God.
Often we think of the inheritance as what we leave behind, not what is to come. But God sees things differently. What a revolutionary idea! The inheritance left behind perishes, is never perfect and always fades away. So, of these two inheritances, which do you want? Who is the true benefactor?
As I read this passage I couldn't help but be excited for him. I couldn't help but be excited for me. There is a mystery that surrounds death and this mystery causes fear and anxiety, but the hope of what occurs in the very next breath showing bring joy that overshadows this fear for the Christian. This wonderful inheritance, secured by God Himself, is one breath away for the follower of Jesus.
Oh the joy that will be known by the Christian when they fully receive the salvation bought by Christ's great love. May this coming joy fill us with hope even now. I hope it encouraged Pop as he now lives in the reality of cancer. I know this truth (and Pop's longing for it) encouraged me.
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