God's Gift to You
“Hey Chopper, that looks like Jesus in the picture. Who is the other person in
the picture?”
“Allie,
the picture is titled "Hand of God", and that's a self portrait of the artist,
John Russell nailing Jesus to the cross. When he realized that it was his sins
that nailed Jesus to the cross, he decided to draw a picture showing himself as
the person who nailed Jesus to the Cross.”
“This picture really makes you think about the hand of God.”
“What do you mean Allie?”
“Well Chopper, the Bible speaks of the Hand of God in judgment, and
here we see God's hand stretched out in mercy.”
“I see what you mean Allie. They say the Bible is a two edged sword, in a sense
we will either be judged by the hand of God, or be saved by the Hand of God.”
“Exactly.”
“Hey, hold on a minute, I
've
been sittin here listenin to you, and don't understand a word you are sayin.
What do you mean Chopper?”
“Ok Simon, here at The Salvage Yard we are praying daily that God would open our
eyes, that God would allow us to see the world through His eyes. We have prayed
that God would replace our measuring stick with His.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“As we look at ourselves, we begin to reflect on whether or
not we will go to heaven based upon who we are. Perhaps we compare
ourselves against others and come to a conclusion that surely we are good enough
for God to let us
into heaven.”
“However, we are not the gatekeeper to heaven. God is and he has a
measuring stick to evaluate whether or not you should get to heaven.”
“Hey Chopper, perhaps we should look into scripture to find out what God’s
measuring stick is.”
“That is a good idea Allie.”
God Hates Sin
“Looking back in history in the days of Noah, God’s
standards were extremely high. The Bible records the account of Noah this way:”
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people
of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and
Japheth.
Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and
was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the
people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, "I am going to
put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of
them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
Gen 6:9-13 (NIV)
“God found, in his sight, the entire world was corrupt and destroyed the
entire world.”
“In Deuteronomy, the Israelites were wandering in the desert when God took them
to take the land of Canaan. When the Lord told the Israelites to take the land
of Canaan, the Israelites sent twelve spies into Canaan. When the spies returned
two said with God before them they could do anything, ten were concerned about
the giants before them. When the Israelites chose to disobey God and not trust
God, God responded in the following manner:”
Surely not one of these men of this evil generation
shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers.
Deuteronomy 1:35 (NKJV)
“God considered disobedience and lack of trust as he judged
a generation.”
“Hey Chopper, don’t forget to tell them what Jesus said
about faith.”
“Ok Allie. When Jesus said:”
'. . . When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on
the earth?'
Luke 18:8 (NIV)
“Boy you would think that in Noah’s and Moses’ day there
would have been men and women of faith and that God would not have judged an
entire generation. Yet Jesus is also questioning whether he will find faith, any
faith on earth when he returns. Any faith implies even a single man or women of
faith.”
“That’s right Allie God’s standards are pretty high. Perhaps God gives us a
glimpse of how he viewed these generations and possibly ours when he Isaiah
wrote about the following vision:”
Hear, O heavens! Listen, O
earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I reared children and brought them up, but
they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his
owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand."
Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children
given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One
of Israel and turned their backs on him. Why should you be beaten anymore? Why
do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart
afflicted.
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness--
only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed
with oil. Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields
are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown
by strangers.
Isaiah 1:2-7 (NIV)
Are we a Sinful Generation?
“Allie. . . . How does God view our generation today?
Is
it possible that we do not understand? Do you believe we understand God's
standards? Or does God see our sin as he did in
the days of Isaiah? As God looks at us, does he see wounds, welts, open sores
that we are not even aware of? Is God calling us to repent and turn back? In
Noah’s, Moses’, Sodom and Gomorrah’s day God brought judgment on the world, a
generation and cities. Are we a generation that deserves God’s judgment?
Do we
not understand?”
“I too wonder about that Chopper but the Bible is a two edged sword. God is
just but he is also merciful. And I am grateful that his mercy triumphs over
judgment.”
”Me too Allie. You know Isaiah’s vision continues:
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the
evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good;
Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for
the widow. "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your
sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red
like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall
be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 1:16-20 (NKJV)
“In Isaiah God demonstrates both the characteristics of
judgment as people have rebelled and mercy, as people have repented. There is a
huge gap between us and God. It is impossible for us to bridge that Gap, God is
the only one who can.”
“God sure hates the sin in our lives, but God also sent
Jesus for our Sins. Go ahead Chopper tell them about Jesus.”
“OK ALLIE, I am getting too the good part . . .. Are you purring Allie?”
”I can’t help it Chopper, every time I hear about how Jesus came to earth and
died for our sins, I start purrrrrring.”
“Like I was saying, sin is serious. In Romans, Paul said:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
We can't reach God by being good
“Trying to be good won't get us there. Going to church
won't get us there. Even feeding starving children in the ghettos won't allow us to
reach God. None of us are good enough to reach God on our own.”
“In Romans 3:23 the Bible says: ‘For ALL have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.’"
“That means EVERYONE is sinful. NO MAN or WOMAN can do
anything good enough for God to forgive his/her sins. God requires a sacrifice
that we simply can't make. Because He loves us so much, God made the sacrifice
for us.”
Jesus' love saves us
“Hey Chopper TELL
THEM THE GOOD STUFF about how JESUS died for us.”
“Ok Allie, in John 3:16 Jesus said: ‘For God so loved the world
that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) will not perish
but will have everlasting life.’ And in Romans 5:8 the Bible says,
"For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
“That’s right Chopper, God sent His son, Jesus, to Earth to
be the sacrifice for your and my sins. Jesus lived a perrrrrfect, sinless
life according to the Father's plan.”
“When the time was right, Jesus laid down His life in order
to save you and me from our sins and God’s judgment. Think of it this way.
Imagine angry men tying you up and preparing to crucify you on a cross. Then,
Jesus steps up and says, "Don't kill him. Kill me instead." Then He lays down on
the cross and takes your place to be killed. In reality, this is EXACTLY what
happened when Jesus died for you and me.”
“That’s right Allie, God loved us so much that he gave up
his only Son. Jesus is the bridge over the canyon that separates us from God.
Because of His sacrifice, God forgives our sins and welcomes us into a
relationship with Him. When we accept Jesus' gift to us, we become holy in God's
sight. Then we can enter into a real relationship with Him.”
“There's only ONE WAY to have our sins forgiven, and to
begin to seek God. Don't be deceived by other ideas regarding Heaven and how we
get there. In the Bible John 14:6 says, Jesus answered, ‘I
am the way and the truth and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through
me.’ This tells us the only way to get to Heaven is to accept Jesus as
the Lord of your life.”
“You know Chopper, I kinda understand now, it's like are we going to accept the
hand of God that reaches out to judge us, or are we going to accept Jesus hand
which was extended in mercy so that we might go to heaven.”
* * * *
* * *
Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart and into
your life as Chopper, Allie and Simon have? If so, this is what you must do.
1. You must realize that you are a sinner. Because of this sin you are separated
from God.
2. You must confess your sin to God and turn away (repent) from your sinful
lifestyle. This doesn't mean you have to be perfect. No one can do that. You can
have assurance that your sins will be forgiven when you ask Jesus to forgive
you.
3. You must agree with God that Jesus is the Son of God, He was raised from the
dead, and He came to save you.
4. You must ask Jesus to enter you heart and be your Savior.
The instant you pray this prayer from your heart, Jesus will be with you and
will never leave you. Your relationship with the God of all creation will begin
in that moment.
Jesus,
thank you for loving me and coming to earth to show me the way. I believe you
died to pay for my sin and You were raised from the dead to give me eternal
life. I want to turn from my sin and place my faith in you right now. Please
come into my life and be my Savior and Lord. Show me how to live and help me to
follow you always.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Here are some things
you will need to do in order to establish and grow your relationship with God.
Remember, relationships take time and effort. This relationship is the most
important one you will ever make. Be real and work at it!
- Talk to
God in prayer each day.
- Read
your Bible each day.
- Share
your decision with a close friend.
- Go to a
church that believes and teaches the Bible and tell the pastor of your
commitment to Jesus.
- Find a
small group of Christians to help you grow in your faith.
If you just prayed and received Jesus as your
lord and savior, you can be assured there's a celebration in Heaven right now!
Your prayer is only the first exciting step in a journey to seek God. You can
expect that as you continue seeking God, you will find He wants you to find Him. Make sure as you take this step that you start
looking for God in your life, for he will begin to show you changes that need to
be made in your life and help you to grow.
Tell the world about your
decision!
If you just prayed and received Jesus as your lord and savior, you can be
assured there's a celebration in Heaven right now! We would like to know about
your decision so we can rejoice with the angels, too.. Please
tell us about your
decision to follow Jesus.
Last changed:
11/08/03
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