Our galaxy. Our universe. Our world. Our being. Everything we are and everything around us was made by The One and Only Creator God.

Now Creator God has A Son. His name is Jesus.

Many of you grew up learning about creation and God. Others may feel completely lost and confused by these concepts.

It is ok.

Jesus’ story is one worth telling. It’s one worth learning again and again. I am delighted to share His story.

You and I are sinners. From the time we are born, we are sinners. Sin can be defined as the bad choices we make which separate us from God. We desire to commit wrong actions and often do not think of the consequences which are guaranteed to follow. Our sins create a blockade between us and God. God is perfect and He hates sin. Because we are sinners and because God is perfect, we cannot exist together relationally until our sin is removed. While we live in sin, we are separated from Him to live in darkness, alone. In the Bible, the book of Romans states, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 ESV). Nothing we do will allow us to attain perfection with God. Even if we do a million good things, our unconfessed unforgiven sin taints us. We risk earthly and eternal rejection from God if we continually live rejecting Him, because our sin makes us unworthy. We must repent and be cleaned from our sins. There is but One in existence that has the power to make us clean.

His Name is Jesus.

God sent His Son Jesus Christ to be born in human form and live on this earth among us. Jesus dwelled at the right hand of God in heaven before coming to earth. When He became a man, His sole purpose was to show the love of His Father God in heaven and then make the ultimate sacrifice for us by dying on a cross. Jesus Christ came to live, love and die. He lived a perfect sinless existence. He loved unselfishly and deeply and He sacrificed Himself so that no one would be eternally condemned.

Why would He do that?

Jesus desires personal friendship with us and He knew the only way for us to have our sin removed and be connected with God the Father, was to gather all our sin, place it upon Himself and die with it on a cross. Again and again in the Bible, we read how Jesus showed He was the Savior of the world. You would think this amazing gift would be embraced easily. For some, it was. For others, they laughed at Him. He was met with disbelief by scoffers and ultimately sentenced to death for His outrageous proclamations, as He labeled Himself the Son of God. At the young age of 33, He was led up a hill carrying His own cross. His hands and feet were nailed to the wood of the cross and He was hung upright to die. When Jesus took His last breathe, His Father, our God in heaven had to look away because our dirt, our sin covered His perfect Son. BUT, When Jesus died, so did our sin. Many wept at His death and when I think about what Jesus endured for me, my heart aches. He did this for me. He did this for you. Again in Romans we see what is said about our Jesus, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 ESV)

After the death of Jesus, He was placed in a tomb. Many people grieved the loss of Jesus who was their friend, family and Savior. Jesus came to live like us, but also came to die like us. Many other religions claim their ‘god’ is the ‘one true god,’ but after other gods died, they stayed dead. Jesus died, but not forever.

Three days after Jesus was laid in the tomb, He rose from the dead and proved death could not control His power. When He rose, death was conquered. His rising is symbolic of the newness we experience when we die to our sin and are risen to new life in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Visualize a cross in your mind. Imagine two cliffs across from each other. On one side you stand with the world, the temptation and every fleshly desire seeking to destroy you. On the other side stands Jesus with His arms open wide to take your sin and guide you in new life. Picture the cross laid flat to connect the two cliffs. Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The cross represents our ability to connect with Him. Without the cross there is no connection. Because of the cross, we have salvation. It is at the cross where He can become your friend, your guide, your God.

How can I know Jesus?

Ask. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV) Simply put, Jesus desires a personal relationship with you. He is a personal God. He desires friendship and openness. All you have to do is tell Him you want that. Share with Him how you are tired of struggling and want to live differently. Express your desire to pursue Him and become a Follower of Christ. Ask Him to forgive the sins you have committed and let Him know you desire a relationship with Him. You do not need lots of knowledge or to fix things first before following Christ. Cease striving and turn to Him.

You can say or sign something like this:

“God, thank you for loving me and sending your Son Jesus to live on this earth as an example of your love. Thank you for sending Him to the cross to die in my place, so I can be forgiven. I have been selfish in how I have lived my life. I have made many mistakes and sinned against you. I don’t want to do this on my own anymore, I need your help. I put my faith and trust in you Jesus. I believe You are my friend and want to lead me in the ways you have created for your glory. Please forgive me from all I have done and guide me, so I may honor and glorify you in my life. May my life be a shining light for others to see You and know you. Thank you for giving me a new life and making me a new creation by having a relationship with you. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer for the first time and truly meant those words in your heart, CONGRATULATIONS! You are now royalty, a son or daughter of the Most High King!

As we close, I encourage you to take time alone with God to consider your new path in life as a Follower of Christ. Ask Him and LISTEN deeply to the changes He is leading you to make in your life to avoid temptation and sin.

As a Christian, we are called to be connected with Jesus through the following ways:

For some of you, after learning the story of Jesus you might feel unsure about what you think. You might need some time to process this. Maybe you are afraid to follow Jesus for fear of what you’ll have to sacrifice. Following Jesus isn’t easy. The world will not make sense to you at times, you will feel rejected and you may even be mocked for your faith. But following Jesus is worth it. Following Jesus will fill your life with peace and joy. Nothing I say or do can describe it for you until you experience it for yourself. The decision to follow Jesus is personal and comes with a responsibility to passionately pursue Him. When it comes to your life on earth you have two options. You can turn away from the world and towards God for a relationship or you can turn away from God and follow the world. Whatever decision you ultimately make in this life will have lasting eternal consequences. When you die, you will spend eternity in one of two places; heaven or hell.

Those who have rejected God, will face eternal separation from Him in hell, a place of darkness, of fire and continual suffering. “And throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:42

The redeemed followers of Christ will be welcomed into a glorious heavenly kingdom to dwell with God forever. An eternally safe place without fear or pain, surrounded by God’s glory. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying, no pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4

 

Heaven and hell are real places and the realness of eternity is not something to be taken lightly. Once you die, there will be no opportunity to change your mind. It will be too late if you have rejected Him.

If you have accepted Christ, please send me an email and let me know! I would love to know your story and how we at Deaf 316 can pray for you. If you are in need of a bible or have questions, please let me know!

With the Hope of Jesus,

Lindsey Berger