PRAY!
Read Acts 16:16-34 (CSB)
A Christian looking for guidance and instruction would look to the Bible.
It is the place where the Christ of Christianity is found.
It is the place where His reason for coming is explained.
It is the place where what He accomplished here is explained.
It is the place where God’s one and only way of salvation is explained
What is your worldview? Or should I ask “what is your view of eternity?”
Is there a God, does He care… get involved in things down here?
Is there life after death?
Is there more than one final destination beyond death?
Can we do anything to obtain or avoid any of the destinations beyond death?.
Such fundamental questions are answered definitively in the Bible
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written over about
fifteen hundred years by about forty different authors.
Authors from many different walks of life.
Some authors were kings, some were peasants, fishermen, herdsmen,
a physician, a tax collector and more.
It was written in different times and places
(including three different continents) using three different languages.
Yet, despite its diversity, the Bible tells a single unfolding story:
God the Son became human. His motivation was love for fallen humanity
His mission was to provide a way of salvation, a way of overcoming
the fall, overcoming sin…
I would like to take a moment to explore what any genuinely seeking person,
would find with a serious look into that Bible.
First, I would like to consider what the Bible says about itself.
The word “Bible” is not found in any major versions, but we can see
the word “Scripture” over 50 times. (Word of God 44X)
These are words that have God’s wisdom and authority behind them!
In the book of Daniel 10:21 they are called “The scriptures of truth”.
In the Bible truth is not relative, it is absolute and that is what the Bible claims for itself 2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pe 1:20,21, John 10:35,2:19, 1 John 3:8
So the scripture says of itself, it is God breathed, it is absolute truth,
and it cannot be destroyed!
God’s unbreakable rule is you must decide for yourself
God’s command to me is to make the way of salvation known to you so you can make an enlightened choice… choose wisely.
We have a Problem that needs to be Fixed
(Man’s Ruin Through Sin)
We have a Provision that needs to be Found
(God’s Remedy Through Sacrifice)
We have a Path that needs to be Followed
(Man’s Responsibility Through Submission)
First, people, by nature do not always do the right thing.
They do things that are contrary to the will of the God of the Bible.
He calls that sin.
God’s burning desire is to make Himself known and develop a relationship
with us.
His vehicle for that is His word, the Bible, and His Son, the Lord Jesus.
The Bible makes it very clear that God is love, and God does love!
God begins in the first part of the Bible, called
“the Old Testament ”, to reveal Himself.
It describes a time before the Lord Jesus was born.
After that, the second part is called “The New Testament”
The New Testament (New Covenant) is God’s agreement with humanity
It was established by the death of Christ; and after his resurrection it was published through the Gospel
The Gospel by which the salvation of men is secured,
Matt. 26:28; Luk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25
Listen to Paul describe the Gospel:
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to
you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved,if you hold fast to the word I preached to you
—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that
he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with
the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2,3-4, ESV)
A new situation is seen as the Lord Jesus, the Christ or Messiah
“takes centre stage” as it were.
While there is a wealth of knowledge, understanding and wisdom to be gain
in the Old Testament, it will remain a bit blurry… out of focus
without at least a cursory grasp of the NT.
As we read the NT it is as if we turn the focus adjustment of a projector…
a crystal-clear image comes into view.
Things which in the OT were said to be coming in the NT
are seen fulfilled and explained.
Someone, not reading deep enough might consider
the Lord Jesus as just a man.
But with a closer look we read in Isaiah of the Old Testament of someone
called “Immanuel”. Is 7:14
The New Testament, in the writings of Matthew, identifies that person
as the Lord Jesus and clarifies that “Immanuel (Emmanuel)” means
“God with us” Mat 1:23
As John writes in his gospel
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God”
And a bit farther down the page we read – John 1:14 (CSB)
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us
Farther again we read John 1:18 (CSB)
No one has ever seen God.
The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the
Father’s side- he has revealed him.
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father” (John 14:9)
Paul wrote 1 Tim 3:16
“God was revealed in the flesh” or “He was shown to us in a human body”
The writer of the Hebrews begins describing the Lord Jesus as
“the shining out of God’s glory, the exact representation
of His essence”.
So, in the Lord Jesus we see God’s further revelation of Himself to us.
Now that we have learned that the Lord Jesus came as “God with us”, we can then ask more exactly why He came.
This takes us back to our
Problem that needs to be fixed
(Man’s Ruin Through Sin). We may ask “Do I have a problem with sin?”
The OT answers “there is no one who does not sin”, and the
NT states “all have sinned”.
We might respond “So what!”
OT “the person who sins will die”. NT
“the compensation due sin is death”,
“sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death “
A deep read into the Bible tells us this death is much
more than the physical death we all face.
It is eternal separation from God to a place of eternal punishment.
This death is totally unnecessary!
We have all sinned, so we all start under the sentence of death.
How is a God of absolute justice going to carry out
justice, and still show the love He has for us?
This brings us to the
Provision that needs to be found
(God’s Remedy Through Sacrifice) We read in the final book of the Bible
“Jesus Christ ~ the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins
at the cost of his own blood” (NET)
This is the result of the cross on which He died while being punished for our sins and having none of His own.
Rom 4:25
Jesus was handed over to die for our sins.
He was raised to life in order to make us right with God.
The Lord Jesus, our saviour, is a living saviour…
He was raised from the dead
He had no sins of His own, and so the death of the Son of
God is taken by God as payment for our sin.
Paul spoke of “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”
Gal 2:20
So, to sum up, we have a PROBLEM! – that problem is sin
God has made a PROVISION – that provision is the sacrifice of a substitute… God’s Son, the Lord Jesus.
Now finally we need to know the
PATH that needs to be followed
(Man’s Responsibility Through Submission)
The PROCEDURE that brings salvation
We have a PART, a responsibility – something God requires us to do
to gain salvation… total deliverance from our sin.
First, we need to take sides with God against ourselves by
acknowledging we are sinners.
This is stated by a number of NT writers, and by the Lord Himself.
This is repentance,
acknowledging our sin, and seeking to do something about it…
to be free from it.
Then we must believe.
Accept the fact that the Lord’s punishment and death
paid in full our debt of sin.
The Bible states Acts 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”
This man had already showed his repentance
Acts 16:29,30,31; Mark 1:15, in his writings sums it up well
“Repent and believe the good news!”
John 3:16 (NCV)
God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son
so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.
And finally, one last message from God: Acts 17:30
“God overlooked peoples ignorance”.
But there comes a time when they are no longer ignorant!
Then the command goes out “Repent and believe”
(Acts 17:30)
Deuteronomy 30:19 (CSB)
I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that
I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.
Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
PRAY!