Jesus, the Son of God, wants to have a personal relationship with you!
That is why Jesus left His throne in heaven and came down to earth. Jesus knew the only way for sinners (and we all sin, falling short of the glory of God) to enter into the presence of God is by atonement for sin.
Someone had to pay the penalty for our sin, thus removing its evil effects from the repentant sinner. Only this action would allow for reconciliation to God, since God can not be in the presence of sin.
Thankfully, Jesus paid the price for all sin.
The debt was paid through Jesus’ suffering on the cross. He endured being mocked and spit upon, accepted cruel fists thrown at His face, suffered a brutal flogging, and was pierced by a crown of thorns. Nails were then pounded through His hands and feet so that His body would hang on a cross. Jesus shed His blood for us on that cross at Calvary. And after six painfully agonizing hours, Jesus died.
Shedding blood was nothing new to the Israelite community. They were sacrificing animals for sin since 1444 BC; when they arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai and God instructed them how to atone for their sin.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
But then, fifteen hundred years later, Jesus’ blood became the final sacrifice for sin.
1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
No other blood could ever be shed that would cleanse us more than the precious blood of Jesus. That’s because there was a different ending to Jesus’ sacrifice than to the animal sacrifice. Sheep that were slaughtered stayed slaughtered. They remained dead.
But Jesus – He arose from the dead appearing to many different people over a forty day period!
Act 1:3 After his [Jesus] suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Jesus sacrificed for our sin so that we are redeemed to God. Jesus Himself needed no atonement for sin, because His life was blameless. He was the pure sacrifice for our atonement. After giving of Himself for us, He asks for one thing in return: for humanity to have a continuing relationship with Him.
Having a relationship with Jesus is easy because He already loves us.
Jesus knew you before you were born and He desires that relationship to continue. He’s just waiting for you to trust Him by taking three steps forward:
1.Believe
Jesus wants you to believe He died then was brought back to life. His disciple, Thomas, had trouble believing in the resurrection until he saw Jesus’ wounds. Thomas was blessed with physically seeing the risen Jesus in His glory. And now, how blessed we are, to have the true gospels of Matthew, Mark , Luke and John, to help us know the example of Jesus, feel His presence and explain to us why Jesus died for us!
John 20:27-29 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
2. Confess
Sin places us away from God. By confessing our sin to Him, God knows we recognize our mistakes, we are sorry, and we can then be close to Him again. By not acknowledging our sin we show disregard to God’s law, essentially saying our way is better than His. That idea is far from true! Nothing we do can ever be better than the One who created us.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
3. Appreciate
Just like you like to hear thank-you for gifts given, God likes to hear our thank-you for all He has done for us. He loves, sustains, provides, comforts, and understands our pain whether we understand His plan for us or not. Remember in the end, your eternity is secured through Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are not a believer I encourage you right now to invite Jesus into your life. He will immediately open up your heart to receive Him. He will love, sustain, provide, comfort, and understand your pain as you begin a new life of faith in Him.
It’s just three steps to Jesus!
Join me next week as I share Bible verses assuring once you believe in Jesus, your eternity is secured.
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