The Roadmap to Jesus

You’re at that point. The point where you can continue trying to live life on your own, or turn your life over to the One who created you. Possibly, you don’t think there’s any reason for change. You think you’re handling things just fine on your own. You don’t think you’re doing anything that would warrant a trip to hell if you don’t choose Jesus.

I’m not here to convince you one way or the other. I’m going to let God speak for Himself the way He likes to speak best – through His Word, the Bible.

Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

I want you to look at that verse very closely. See it? The second word? ALL. All includes you. You have sinned. You were born into this world as a sinner because of the first man, Adam, who sinned against God. There’s no way out on your own.

Because you are a sinner, you have eternally fallen short of seeing God. You can’t make it to heaven on your own. You can’t live a good life by itself and expect to reach heaven. You can’t pay your way into heaven. You are a sinner. Trust me, I know that’s a hard thing to face, but I’m only telling you what God says.

Isaiah 53:6

“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

Here again, we see the word “ALL” at the very beginning of the verse. All of us have strayed away from God to follow our own decisions and choices. You are included in the “all.” You have strayed. You are following your own mind and making your own choices. How is that going for you so far? Will the choices you are making help or hinder you in your relationship with God? If you are following your own path, you have strayed from God, and according to what he says in Romans 3:23, you won’t see him.

Yet (this first word of the second sentence is very important), the Lord laid on him the sins of all. There it is again, "all" - that includes you. The “Lord” in this case is God, and “him” is Jesus Christ. God gave him all our sins at the cross. Yes, your sins, too. Jesus paid the price of death in your place for your sins.

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I’ve already shown you in God’s Word that you have sinned. I know, you’ve never murdered anyone, or stolen a car, or committed any crime that would land you in jail. However, there are a multitude of sins you are secretly hiding inside that God sees. It’s these sins, like lust, idolatry, pride, fear, and others from your past, that lead to death. Somehow, someone, somewhere, has to pay for your sins. Otherwise, you’re going straight to hell with no opportunity for salvation before you die.

But God freely gave up his only son, Jesus Christ, to be the ransom for your sin. See, Jesus is that someone, somewhere, who somehow freely paid the wages of your sin. He chose you to save. However, you still need to choose him.

Hebrews 9:27-28a

“And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people…”

You are going to die. There’s no denying that. If we agree on anything, it is that you (and I) will stop breathing somewhere down the road. You don’t know when or where, but all humans across the board agree that our bodies are temporary.

Hebrews confirms this – as does your experience – but the writer of this book goes on to say that after the destiny of death, you will be judged. Just as you are destined for judgment after your physical death, so was Jesus Christ destined to be the sacrifice for your sins. Who would choose this destiny to die for someone born 2000 years later? Jesus Christ would, and he did.

He chose to do this so you could choose God and have freedom from sin, judgment, and eternal death.

Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates his deep love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

(Check out Debbie Mama's video "Life is in the Blood HERE)

Read that verse like this: “God proves his deep love for me by doing this: While I was still living in my sin as a sinner, Christ died for me.”

I get chills when I read Romans 5:8 when I make it more personal. To think that God (who I cannot fully comprehend) loves me enough to send Jesus, His only son, to take my place in death, humbles me! But it’s not just me he loves. It’s you he loves just as much! He didn’t just say, I love you, he PROVED it!

You’re thinking you first need to clean up your act. You’ve got bad problems. Your life is a mess. The second best part of this verse reminds you that you don’t have to get it altogether before recognizing your sin and accepting God’s free gift of eternal life. The verse says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died…” You’re not going to be able to clean up enough to come to the holy, pure, righteous God – that’s why he sent Jesus. Take a look at the next verse…

I Peter 3:18

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit…”

Jesus Christ left heaven to be born as a human into this world (Matthew 1:18-24). He left heaven, became human, and died to bring you personally to God upon your death. He is righteous, you are not. Neither was I before I accepted the free gift of Jesus’ death on a cross for my sin. The free gift is available for you at any time.

Ephesians 2:8-9

“God saved you by his grace because of your faith. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

God’s loving gift of salvation is received because you believe, because of your faith that Jesus died for your sin – for you. He doesn’t want you to be a robot; that’s why he gave you free will to make this choice. However, he also knows you inside and out. He knows you need help to make the choice that will bless your temporary life on earth and your eternal life in heaven.

The help He gives is called grace. Grace comes to you when you believe He can and will save you. Grace covers the sin that separates you from Him. Grace came in the form of a man, his son, Jesus Christ. You didn’t, and won’t, have anything to do with the gift. You're doing good things will not credit you a place in heaven. Only your faith and belief, along with God’s gift, can guarantee it.

Titus 3:5-7 backs this up by saying, “…he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace, he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”

John 1:12; Rev 3:20

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Pssst, there’s that ALL word again. Just wanted to point that out. By believing what God has been saying through all these verses, you are adopted by God. You have the right to be called His child and share in the glory I talked about in Romans 3:23.

Can you hear his voice through the scriptures? Have your eyes been opened to the fact that you have sinned, and if you don’t believe, you lose the privilege of becoming his child, that you are a part of the “all?”

If so, open the door and receive him. He’s knocking, patiently waiting for the door to open.

Let’s pray this prayer together:

Dear God,

            I realize today I am a sinner. I have been hiding my sin from people, but I can see now that I cannot hide it from you. Thank you for your free gift of eternal life. I believe that Jesus is your son and that you sent him to die in my place. I understand I cannot earn my way into heaven, but you have proven your love to me by sending Jesus to take on my sin. Thank you for adopting me into your family. Thank you for loving me enough to feel the pain of the death of your son. Thank you that he is now alive and waiting for me to share in eternal life. Amen.

God’s Promise: John 5:24; I John 5:13

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

These are just some of the promises you can count on. You have “heard” his word today by reading this blog. You believe that God sent Jesus to take on your sins. Now you can count on the promise that you will not be judged or condemned. You have crossed over from death into eternal life!

Praise the Lord! Welcome to the family of God!

Conclusion

Please let me pray for your new relationship with God. Click here to send me an email about the decision you took today.