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Everyone
loves to receive gifts and take advantage of special promotions.
Companies run sales, give rebates, and even give you free gifts
to get your business. But
even as good as their gifts may be, they never meet the real need in our
life.
God has
a very special offer He makes available to every person.
God’s special offer is eternal life.
You see each of us has a problem that will cost us our lives.
That problem is sin or rebellion against God.
God tells us in the Bible in the book of Romans 3:23, "For
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." God knows that everyone has
sinned, which includes you and me.
Just as
you get paid for working, sin also has a price that must be paid.
Sin has a high price, death.
In Romans 6:23 God tells us, "For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our
Lord."
God was
willing and did pay the price for our rebellion (sin) against him.
God let His only begotten Son, Jesus, pay the price for our sin
with His life so He can offer us a FREE GIFT, eternal life.
God tells us in Romans 5:8, "God
demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us."
Amazing, even while we
rebelled against God, Jesus Christ died in your and my place.
Jesus took the punishment for our rebellion against Him, because
He knew we could never endure what we deserve.
A good illustration of this point is an event that took place in
early America.
A
school master was setting forth the punishment for breaking various
class rules. One of the
offences was stealing which carried the punishment of being struck
across the back ten times with a cane.
One day one of the boys in the class informed the teacher that
someone had stole his lunch. Upon
investigation, a small fragile boy admitted taking and eating the lunch. He was instructed to come up front and remove his coat
to receive the punishment for his offence.
When he removed his coat, he did not have on a shirt and everyone
noticed how thin and frail he really was.
It was obvious he could not endure the punishment, but judgment
demanded it be carried out. Then
from the back of the room, the boy whose lunch was stolen spoke up,
“Teacher I realize that justice demands that the punishment be carried
out, but the boy who took my lunch will never survive it, I will therefore
take his punishment for him.”
Just as
the small boy was guilty, we too are guilty
of sin and justice requires punishment. We, like the small
boy, can not endure the punishment of our actions, so Jesus, the one we
sinned against, took our punishment for us.
But Jesus not only died for our sins but also rose from the
dead to offer us eternal life. Jesus
is a living God, loving God, and forgiving God. It is God's desire
that none should perish but all accept His FREE GIFT of Life. (see II
Peter 3:9)
As with
every gift that we are offered whether from a store, a friend, a
relative, or from God, it can only be ours if we accept it.
In Romans 10:9-10, God tells us, "If
you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it
is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with
your mouth that you confess and are saved." Are you ready to accept the free gift of eternal life that Jesus
is offering to you? If so,
pray the following prayer to God.
Dear
Jesus, I realize that I am guilty of sin.
I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the
cross for my sins and were raised from the dead to offer me eternal
life. Forgive me of my sins, come into my life, and be my personal Lord
and Savior. I accept your FREE GIFT of Eternal Life. Amen.
If you
have questions or concerns you would like help with, please call or
write and let us know. We're here to help you understand the love that
Jesus is offering you for free, no matter who or where you are. E-mail
us at pastor@roycebaptist.com,
call 865-483-8926, or write to us at:
Royce Baptist Church
131 S. LaSalle Road
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
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