Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical univers, so are
there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.
GOD'S PLAN
LAW ONE
GOD LOVES YOU, AND OFFERS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR
LIFE
GOD'S LOVE
"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"
(John 3:16).
(Christ speaking) "I came that they might have life, and might have it
abundantly" (that it might be full and meaning ful) (John 10:10)
MAN IS SEPARATED
LAW TWO
MAN IS SINFUL AND SEPARATED FROM GOD, THEREFORE, HE
CANNOT KNOW AND EXPERIENCE GOD'S LOVE AND PLAN FOR HIS LIFE.
MAN IS SINFUL
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn
seft-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God
was broken. This self-wil characterized by an attitude of active rebellion
or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
"For the wages of sin is death" (spiritual separation from God) (Romans 6:23)
\ HOLY GOD /
+----------------+
^ ^
^ | ^ |
| | | |
+----------------+
/ SINFUL MAN \
This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf
separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man is continually trying
to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a good
life, philosophy or religion.
HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD
HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD
It is no enough just to know these three laws ...
WE RECEIVE CHRIST BY PERSONAL INVITATION
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.
I open the dorr of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank
You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the
throne of my life. Make me the king of person You want me to be." Amen.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?
If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life,
as He promised.
THE BIBLE PROMISES ETERNAL LIFE TO ALL WHO
RECEIVE CHRIST What about feelings?
DO NOT DEPEND UPON FEELINGS
NOW THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST
Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than
receiving Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what
He has done for you? The very act of thanking God demostrates faith. Now what?
SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN GROWTH
THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD CHURCH
Want to share your discovery?
vinebranch@hotmail.com
© 1997
LAW THREE
JESUS CHRIST IS GOD'S ONLY PROVISION FOR MAN'S SIN. THROUGH
HIM YOU CAN KNOW AND EXPERIENCE GOD'S LOVE AND PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE.
HE DIED IN OUR PLACE
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
"Christ died for our sins ... He was buried .. He was raised on the third
day, according to the Scriptures ... He appeared to Peter, then to the
twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred ..." (1 Corinthians
15:3-6).
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6).
\ GOD |---| /
+--|------| J |----+
| +---+ E +---+
| | S |
| +---+ U +---+
| | S |
| | |
+--v------|___|---+
/ MAN \
This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates
us from God by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our
place to pay the penalty for our sins.
LAW FOUR
WE MUST INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR AND LORD;
THEN WE CAN KNOW AND EXPERIENCE GOD'S LOVE AND PLAN FOR OUR LIVES.
WE RECEIVE CHRIST THROUGH FAITH
WE MUST RECEIVE CHRIST
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John1:12).
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast"
(Ephesians 2:8,9).
WHEN WE RECEIVE CHRIST, WE EXPERIENCE A NEW BIRTH (Read John 3:1-8).
(Christ is speaking): "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears
My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20). Receiving
Christ involves turning from self to God (repentance) and trusting Christ
to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of person
He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God and that He died ont he cross for our sins is not enough.
Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ
by faith, as an act of the will.
The following explains how you can receive Christ
YOU CAN RECEIVE CHRIST RIGHT NOW BY FAITH
THROUGH PRAYER
(Prayer is talking with God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with
the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:
HOW TO KNOW THAT CHRIST IS IN YOUR LIFE
As you prayed did you invite Christ into your life? Because of His promise in
Revelation 3:20, where is Christ right now in relation to you? Christ said
that He would come into your life. Would He mislead you? Therefore, how do you
know that God has answered your prayer? (The trustworthiness of God Himself
and His word, the Bible. In other words, God keeps His Promises.)
"And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life
is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son
of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, in other that you may know that you have
eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13)
Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He will never leave you
(Hebrews 13:5). You can know that the living Christ indwells you, and that
you have eternal life, from the very moment you invite Him in on the basis
of His promise. He will not deceive you.
The promise of God's Word, not our feelings, is our authority. The Christian
lives by faith (trust) is the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word.
This train diagram illustrates the relationship between fact (God and
His Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word), and feeling
(the result of our faith and obelience) (John 14:21).
_____ ___
_H_| | +------+ |-+++---|
/ FACT | / FAITH | |FEELING| |
/--0-0-oo+--oo--oo-+-+oo---oo+-+
engine fuel car passenger car
The train will run with or without the passenger car. However, it would be
useless to attempt to pull the train by the passenger car. In the same
way, we, as Christians, do not depend on feelings or emotions, but place
our faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God and the promises of His Word.
The moment that you, as an act of faith, received Christ, many things happened,
including the following:
1. Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27)
2. Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
3. You became a child of God (John 1:12)
4. You begam the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10;
II Corinthians 5:17 and I Thessalonians 5:18).
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall
live by faith" (Galations 3:11). A lift of faith will enable you to trust God
increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
There is another very important ingredient to Christian growth.
G Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7).
R Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11) - begin with the Gospel of John.
O Obey God, moment by moment (John 14:21).
W Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matthew 4:19; John 15:8)
T Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7).
H Holy Spirit - allow Him to control and empower your daily life and
witness (Galations 5:16, 17; Acts 1:8).
In Hebrews 10:25, we are admonished to forsake not "the assembling of ourselves
together ... " Several logs burn brightly togetherl but put one aside on the
cold hearth and the fire goes out. So it is with your relationship to other
Christians. If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be invited.
Take the initiative; call or visit a nearby church where Christ is honored and
His Word is preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend regularly.
Get your own Free Home Page