Does God Love Me?

The Answer is YES!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perich but have everlasting life." John 3:16 (NKJV)

1 REALIZE

Realize and admit your spiritual need.

One thing that every single human has in common is the fact that we are imperfect. The word the Bible uses for our spiritual imperfection is "sin". Wow! Sin, what a heavy word; but sin simply means, "to miss the mark." God's mark is perfection. For God himself is completely perfect, we on the other hand, are not.

Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

In fact God is so perfect and righteous, sin cannot even be in His presence and God must and will judge sin. What is the judgment on sin? Death.

Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death."

Being honest with God and realizing your spiritual need is the first step in how to know God.

2 RECOGNIZE

Recognize that Jesus took the judgment of our sin.

God, understanding our condition, provided the solution sending His only son to earth! Jesus Christ, being God in human flesh and perfect not only in His nature, but also in all of His ways, took the judgment of sin upon himself when He died on a cross 2000 years ago. The cross was a brutal form of capital punishment in Roman times in which one would be nailed to, and suspended from, a wooded cross. Jesus committing no sin and no crime, willingly hung on this cross to bear the penalty for our sins. Because Jesus was God in the flesh, three days later He rose from the dead, defeating the power of sin and death.

1 Peter 3:18: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit."

Romans 5:6-8: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

God is not only a just God, but a loving God as well. He must judge your sin, yet God loves YOU with an everlasting love. That is why he sent His Son to deal with your sin.

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

In one act, God judged sin and demonstrated His incredible love for you.

3 RECEIVE

Receive God's free gift of eternal life.

God's gift is free to you but it wasn't cheap. It was very expensive. In fact, it's so expensive there is nothing you could ever do in your entire life to earn or purchase it. This gift cost the very life of God's own son. Yet we can simply receive by faith God's gift of forgiveness and an eternity with Him in heaven.

Romans 5:18: "Through one Man's (Jesus) righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life."

Romans 6:23: "The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

When we put our faith in Christ, God no longer looks at us as a "sinner" separated from Him, but as a completely perfect child with the righteousness of Jesus purchased for us by His death.

Today, receive God's complete and total forgiveness.

4 REPENT

Repent from your current direction.

A simple definition for this word repent is "to change your mind." This means that we simply realize that we are going the wrong direction. Stop where you are. Make a 180-degree turn, and go the right way.

This also may mean that we need to change our mind about who we think God is, or what we think of His true character. Many people today have an incorrect or warped view of God.

God has revealed himself through His son Jesus, and will continue to reveal Himself to you through the Bible. Know this, God loves you and has an incredible plan for your life, but you must follow Him.

Jeremiah 29:11-13: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Repent and follow Jesus.

5 REJOICE

Rejoice in the reality that your sins are forgiven, God has accepted you as His own child, and you are going to heaven.

You were created to know God. That is why God created you in the first place, to be in relationship with Him. When this happens, you come to terms with the reason for your existence and all heaven rejoices.

Luke 15:10: "I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

We can live out our lives in assurance that we are right with God, with the joy that nothing will separate us from the love of God, and having the confidence that we are going to heaven.

If you want this forgiveness of sins and this hope of heaven, simply pray this prayer and mean it from your heart.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins. I give my life to you right now and ask you to be my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, we'd like to rejoice and pray with you we can also send you a New Believer’s Bible. Please contact us to let us know of your decision to receive Jesus.

5/11/2008

Exodus 2:1 - 2:10

Chris McCarrick

Mother's Day