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One hundred and four years ago the modern games were reestablished, and
311 athletes competed in Athens, Greece. You were part of history as the
summer Olympic Games visited Australia. How’s your gold medal knowledge?
Try this test of gold medal facts! 1. The number of countries that participated in Athens in 1886 was: a). 13 b). 22 c). 35. 2. The oldest gold medal recipient was Oscar Swahn of Sweden. He earned his prize as part of the running deer shooting team in 1912 at the young age of: a). 57 b). 64 c). 75. 3. The first female athlete, Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain, struck gold in 1900 when she received her prize in: a). swimming b). diving c). tennis. 4. Whew! That was a long one! The longest Olympic competition ended when Estonian Martin Klein, wrestling for Russia, defeated the Finn, Alfred Asikanien, in a Greco-Roman wrestling match that lasted: a). 9 hr. 20 min. b). 11 hr. 40 min. c). 13 hr. 35 min. 5. The record for earning the most Olympic gold medals is held by: a). Jesse Owens; b). Mark Spitz; c). Ray Ewry. Hundreds of countries. Thousands of athletes. Millions of dollars. Years of preparation. The road to Sidney had been different from the road to Athens, but the goal had not changed. One hundred and four years later, obtaining the gold medal is still the Olympic goal. Who Will Get The Prize? Olympic competition awards an exclusive prize for excellence and obedience. Measurements are precise. Judges are intolerant of rule violations. A single infraction disqualifies a competitor. During the heat of competition, nothing seems more important than winning. Some will know the honor of being crowned a champion—a very exciting moment in time. But most of the athletes, though qualified, will be eliminated. The games will end, the medals will be awarded, and the Year 2000 Olympic Games will be over. For all of their training, discipline, and effort, they will go home without the prize. Life, too, is this way. We pursue many activities –jobs, money, possessions, fame. Our focus is often on temporal rewards that appear to have value. Some day these pursuits will end. Death will come. Life will be over. No one knows when. Then, all that will matter is whether we have obtained the ultimate prize of life. It’s a prize greater than any Olympic medal. No one qualifies for it,yet,anyone can obtain it. The ultimate prize is eternal life. And it’s true. Eternal life is a prize for which no one qualifies; yet, anyone can obtain. This truth is proclaimed in God’s Word, the Bible: "for the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD" (Romans 6:23, from the King James Bible). Disqualified?! Despite all human efforts, good works, and religious activities, no one qualifies for eternal life in Heaven. The Bible states, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin is any violation of God’s standards. In life, as in Olympic Games, a single violation of God’s standards disqualifies a participant from obtaining God’s ultimate prize. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). Sin entered the human race when the first man and woman on earth rebelled against God. Since that day, every person has been born with the sin nature. God is the giver of life and the judge of all to whom He has given life. He is a righteous, holy judge. His judgment against sin is clear. "The wages of sin is death....." (Romans. 6:23). This death is a spiritual and physical separation from God. Sin separates the offender from the offended; it separates you from God who created you. Sin makes impossible any human effort to satisfy God. Sin condemns you to face God’s eternal wrath in hell. Because of sin, every person is born under the condemnation of God. All have sinned speaks of our sins of commission. We have transgressed God’s Law and gone beyond what God permits. “All have . . . come short” indicates our sins of omission. We have failed to do enough to please God’s glorious righteous standard. No one can do that. Consider the marathon race. Competitors train vigorously for months. Yet, an illegal shortcut during the race will negate all the merit of training and disqualify a runner. Another may follow the proper course but fail to run fast enough to win. One violates the rules; the other falls short of a mark. Neither obtains a medal. This is how the Bible describes the effect of our sin as“falling short.” God’s Prize: A Gift of Love The answer to our helplessness is not found in ourselves. The answer is in the character and person of God. As the just and holy judge, God must and will punish all sin. Sin’s wages is death. But see the final words of Romans 6:23, ". . .the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." God is love. He loves sinners. God loves you! And in His mercy, God has provided a payment for your sin through His Son. "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). God the Son became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He ran a perfect race, a life of complete obedience and with no sin. His perfect life demonstrated His qualification to be God’s substitute for you in the penalty for your sin. He loved you enough to die on a cross to take the punishment for your sin, and He rose from the dead to give evidence that you may have eternal life. God commended his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Eternal life is a gift from God. You cannot buy it or train for it, compete for it or earn it. It is a gift received when you place your personal faith in Jesus Christ. An Olympic medallist could choose to give someone his medal. That would be giving a prize, obtained by one who qualifies, to one who does not. Jesus made this choice for you when He died on the cross and arose from the dead to pay for your sins. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God," (I Peter 3:18). "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," (Ephesians 2:8, 9) The Prize is for You! To obtain God’s gift of eternal life, you must believe on the name of Jesus Christ and receive Him as your personal Savior. Please understand what it means to believe on the name of Jesus Christ. It is not merely to believe that He lived, that He taught, that He died, or even that He arose from the dead. To believe on the name of Jesus Christ means to place upon Him the entire debt of your sin and to admit your need for His righteousness in your life. Consider the pole vaulted. He faces a height he cannot reach. He knows the height and his need for a pole. He selects a pole he accepts as strong enough to carry him. Others tell him of its strength and he agrees with what he learns of it. When he jumps with it, he trusts it to carry him. While others watch and wonder if it will work, he personally commits himself to its strength to lift him. He believes in it! To believe on the name of Jesus you must: 1. KNOW: recognize the facts about sin—God’s judgment, Christ’s payment, your need of the Savior. 2. AGREE: accept these Biblical facts as true. 3. TRUST: commit the debt of your sin and the future of your soul to Jesus alone. Sinners fall short of the righteous standard of God’s holy law and select many poles to try to reach the height that God’s holiness demands. Some choose the pole of religion;they trust in their membership in an organization. Others select the pole of good works; they trust that the goodness of their human effort will be accepted by God. Some select poles of assumption; they trust that God will bring everyone to heaven. God warns about false ways, no matter how reasonable they may seem. None of these poles is tall enough nor strong enough to carry you to the height of righteousness God demands. Only in Jesus Christ can anyone reach the mark God requires. By the authority of Jesus Christ, believers are born into the family of God. When you believe on the name of Jesus Christ and receive Him as your personal Savior, you immediately become God’s child. You join God’s team! "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). Believe Today! Few of us will ever receive an Olympic medal, but God’s greatest gift of eternal life is available to all. Because of our sin, none of us qualifies for that gift. Yet, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, anyone can obtain it. Today, you can have eternal life when you trust the entire debt of your sin to the work that Jesus did for you on the cross: 1. CONFESS to God your sinful condition, helpless to do anything to save yourself. "There is none that doeth good, no, not one," (Romans 3:12). 2. BELIEVE the truth of the Bible, that Jesus Christ died to take the punishment for all of your sin, and He arose from the grave to provide everlasting life. " Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. . . and . . . He rose again the third day according to the scriptures," (I Cor. 15:3,4). 3. RECEIVE Jesus Christ as your Savior; trust Him alone to save you from your sin. "Be Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved," (Acts 16:31). The following prayer may express the desire of your heart to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Pray now: Thank you, God, that you love me. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ the Lord, to die to take the punishment for my sin. I know I cannot save myself. I now repent of my sin. I receive Jesus Christ as my only one Savior and Lord. I accept your gift of eternal life. Thank you for forgiving me and saving me from my sin. Thank you for allowing me to be born into your family today. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. Good Luck!!! After you prayed this prayer, you are a new creation now! You must live your life as the King son, as one of God son. Please Click here and send us your biodata (Click Here !!!) If you want get a follow up guidances to live this your new life. Write your personnel email address. Send email Click HERE If you still have any question, send us, Click HERE. For Follow up Guidances, Click HERE. |
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