3200 SW 122nd Street
Gainesville, FL 32608 (352)332-4991
Rev. Kevin M. Tiller, Pastor
The Bible Tells Us The Way:
1. The Sin:
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one."
Romans 3:10
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:23
2. The Savior:
"Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Acts 4:12
"...And the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin."
3. The Solution:
"That whosoever believeth in him (Jesus) should not perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:15 also John 3:16-18,36
Repent. Believe. Receive.
Turn from sin, believe God's word, and Receive God's Son.
You may pray this prayer:
"Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins; I here and now turn from my sins and invite you to come into my heart and life and trust you as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Jesus Saves
What does Jesus save us from? Who does Jesus save us from?
Jesus is the most important figure in all of human history. He is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), physically risen from the dead, Lord (Luke 24:34; John 2:19-21) and Savior (Acts 5:30-32). He came to die for sinners (Rom. 5:8) to deliver people from the righteous wrath of God upon us.
Law - Are you a sinner?
I ask you, are you a sinner? Have you ever lied, stolen, lusted, coveted, or been angry with someone unjustly? If you've lied, then you're a liar. If you've stolen, then you are a thief. You've broken the Law of God. God has said "You shall not steal; You shall not lie; You shall have no other gods before Me; You shall not murder, etc.," (Exodus 20:1-17). He has given the standard of righteousness and if you have broken any of God's commandments then you have fallen short of that standard and are under the inevitable judgment of God (1 John 3:4; Isaiah 59:2; Rom. 6:23). When you die, you will face Him and on the Day of Judgment he will deliver the proper judgment to all people. He must because he is righteous and holy.
If you do not like this teaching, then throw away your Bible and turn away from Christ, for this is the message of God's word -- that Jesus came to die for sinners and to save them from the wrath to come.
Jesus is the One you need. You need him alone. Your works won't help you (Rom. 3:10-12; Isaiah 64:6), nor will your sincerity. You can never be good enough and you have nothing to offer God except your sinfulness. It is only by the love and grace of God found in Jesus and His sacrifice that you can be delivered from the righteous wrath of God upon all who have broken His law. Jesus saves you from God. Jesus saves you from God's righteous judgment
.
The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). That means that your sins have caused a separation between you and God (Isaiah 59:2) and the result is death (Rom. 6:23) and wrath (Eph. 2:3). The only way to be saved from the wrath of God, is to be saved from it by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1). You must trust in what Jesus did on the cross to forgive you of your sins and not trust anything else, not even your own sincerity or works. It is Jesus and only Jesus who can turn away the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.
Gospel - the means of deliverance from God's Law
The gospel is historical event where Jesus died for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). His death was a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2). This is the only way to be saved from God's righteous judgment upon those who have sinned by breaking his Law.
Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). He is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6). He alone reveals God (Matt. 11:27). He has all authority in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18). It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath (Eph. 2:3). He can forgive you of your sin (Luke 5:20; Matt. 9:1-8). He can remove the guilt that is upon your soul. Jesus can set you free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes, weakens your soul, and brings you to despair. He can do this because He bore sin in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24) so that those who trust in Him would be saved.
If you are not a Christian, and want to be delivered from the righteous judgment of God, then come to the One who died for the sins of the world. Come to the One who died for sinners (Matt. 11:28). Believe and trust in Jesus. Receive Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14), who died and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4) as your Lord and Savior. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins (John 14:14; Matt. 9:1-8). Receive Christ (John 1:12) and the sacrifice he made on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). Turn from your sins (Acts 3:19). Only He can wash you clean from your sins and only Jesus can deliver you from the future judgment of a holy and infinite God. Pray to Jesus. Seek Him. Ask Him to save you. Put your trust in him.
Cost - Consider what you are doing
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:25-28).
In Luke 14:25-28, Jesus tells us that to be a Christian, to be his disciple, means to take up your cross and follow him. This is why he says you need to count the cost of what it means to become a Christian. You must understand that being a Christian does not mean simply having a feeling, being nice to people, or reading your Bible. It means living for Christ and doing what is right even if it is inconvenient or troublesome. Jesus does not want people who merely desire to be comforted and coddled. He requires that we turn from our sins, that we trust in him, that we live for him. If you are not willing to do this, then "giving Jesus a try" won't do you any good. In fact, it can harm you by giving you a false sense of assurance that you're a Christian, but when your problems are solved, you turn away from Christ.
Picking up your cross does not mean that life is always easy. It means that sometimes it can be difficult. It means that you don't lie to your boss, your spouse, or your friends. It means you work hard and faithfully. It means that you are honest, responsible, respectful, and that you seek to know what God wants you to do with on your life (you find this through prayer and Bible study). It means you live for God, not yourself - even if it costs you.
Being a disciple of Christ is not always easy. But it is always good and it is always worth the effort. So, count the cost before you turn to Jesus.
What do you do?
Praying to Jesus is biblical (Psalm 116:4; 1 Cor. 1:2; John 14:14). You can ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, all of them. In doing this, you are called to repent and believe the gospel.
- Mark 1:15, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
- Acts 16:30, "and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household."
So, you must believe. You must trust Christ. You must receive Him (John 1:12). You can ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins. It is okay to pray to him and confess your sins, trust in him, and be saved.
Note:
I would like to note, that the Jesus of Mormonism (the brother of the devil), the Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses (an angel made into a man), the Jesus of the New Age (a man in tune with the divine consciousness), etc., cannot save you from your sins. Faith is only as good as who you put it in. Only the Jesus of the Bible can do that. Jesus is God in flesh, the creator. God is a trinity and Jesus is the second person of the trinity.