Where Do Apples Come From?
Apples
come
from God!
The
Bible says, "And God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants
yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed,
each according to its kind, on the earth.' And it was so." (Genesis
1:12)
We have
a
Creator who has provided for all of our needs, from the food that we
eat to shelter and family. And this creator, God, has
provided
for us to have life and to have it abundantly. We need a
relationship with our Creator to have that life, and He has provided
for that too...
Steps to Peace with God
Step 1 - God's Purpose: Peace and
Life
God
loves you and wants you to experience peace and life---abundant and
eternal.
The Bible says...
"We have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal
life." John 3:16
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly." John 10:10
Why
don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned
for us to have?
Step 2 - The
Problem: Our Separation
God
created us in His own image to have an abundant
life. He
did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave
us a will and freedom of choice. We choose to
disobey God
and go our own willful way. We still make this
choice
today. This results in separation from God.
The
Bible says...
"For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God." Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Our
choice results in separation from God.
Our
attempts to reach God
People
have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God...
The
Bible says...
"There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have
hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."
Isaiah 59:2
No
bridge reaches God...except one.
Step 3 - God's Bridge: The Cross
Jesus
Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave. He
paid the penalty for
our sin and bridged the gap between God and people.
The
Bible says...
"For there is one God and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
1 Timothy 2:5
"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to God."
1 Peter 3:18
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8
God
has provided the only way...
Each
person must make a choice...
Step 4 - Our
Response: Receive Christ
We
must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal
invitation.
The
Bible says...
"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." Revelation 3:20
"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He
gave the right to become children of God."
John 1:12
"That 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." Romans 10:9
Where are you?
Will
you receive Jesus Christ right now?
Here is
how you can receive Christ:
1. Admit your need. (I
am a
sinner.)
2. Be willing to turn
from your sins (repent).
3. Believe that Jesus
Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from
the grave.
4. Through prayer,
invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life
through the Holy Spirit.
(Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)
How to
Pray:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a
sinner and need Your
forgiveness. I believe that You died for my
sins. I want to turn from my
sins. I now invite
You to come into my heart and life.
I want to trust and follow You as Lord and
Savior. In Jesus'
name. Amen.
God's
Assurance: His Word
If you
prayed this prayer, The Bible says...
"Everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved." Romans 10:13
Did you sincerely ask
Jesus
Christ to come into your life? Where is He right
now? What has He given
to you?
"For
it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can
boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
The
Bible Says...
"He
who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have 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."
1 John 5:12-13
Receiving Christ, we
are born
into God's family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who
indwells every
believer. This is called regeneration, or the "new birth."
This
is just the beginning of a wonderful new life in
Christ. To deepen this relationship
you should:
1. Read your Bible
every day
to know Christ better.
2. Talk to God in
prayer every day.
3. Tell others about
Christ.
4. Worship,
fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church
where Christ is preached.
5. As Christ's
representative in a needy world, demonstrate your new
life by your love and concern for others.
Praise the
Lord Jesus Christ!