How we relate to Jesus will determine the entire course of our lives and eternity.
Jesus said He is:
• the only Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6)
• the Door, He is the only way to salvation (John 10:7)
• the Light of the World, He will show us the way to God (John 8:12)
• the Good Shepherd, He watches over and protects those who belong to Him (John 10:11)
• the Bread of Life, He will fill and satisfy us (John 6:35-36)
• the Vine, He is our Source of life (John 15:5)
• the Resurrection and the Life, He has conquered death (John 11:25)
Jesus willingly gave up the comforts of heaven, allowed Himself to be wrapped in skin, was born to a virgin, identifying with humanity so that He could save us and show us the way to God. Hebrews 2:17 says, “Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.“ Hebrews goes on to say in 4:15, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.” Jesus gets us, loves us and wants us to surrender to Him and accept His gift of salvation.
In order to fully appreciate Jesus as Savior, we must understand why we need saving and why the GOSPEL He proclaimed is such Good News:
God created us to have a relationship with Him. Zephaniah 3:17, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
Our pride and rebellion have led us away from God and into sin on a highway to death and hell. The Bible says we have all sinned: Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 6:23 says there is a price for our sin and that price is death.
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds, no matter how hard we try. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. He lived the perfect life we could not live. I John 3:5 says, “And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him.”. He became a perfect sacrifice, paying the price of death that should have been ours. Romans 3:25a says, “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood.” Jesus then conquered death and rose from the dead 3 days later! I Corinthians 15:3b-4 says, “Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”
Everyone who trusts in Jesus has eternal life! Romans 10:13: “For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’“ John 5:24 says, “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever! I John 5:11-12 says, “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” And John 17:3 says, “This is the way to have eternal life – to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One you sent to earth.”
We pray you understand the GOSPEL message and will respond to Jesus! Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
Here's a simple prayer of surrender you can pray to begin your journey with Jesus:
"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving me. I realize that I am a sinner and cannot save myself. I believe that you are God and that you died in my place on the cross as a perfect sacrifice. Please forgive me for my sins. Please come into my life and change me. I surrender myself to you. Help me to grow in you and live for you for the rest of my life. Thank you for saving me and preparing a place in heaven for me.
In Jesus Name,
Amen."