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The Four Spiritual Laws
Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical
universe, so are there spiritual laws which govern your
relationship with God.
 God
LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life
God's Love
"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 NIV).
God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life,
and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and
meaningful] (John 10:10).
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the
abundant life? Because...
 Man
is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God.
Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and
plan for his life.
Man Is Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23).
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but,
because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his
own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken.
This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active
rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of
what the Bible calls sin.
Man Is Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation
from God] (Romans 6:23).
This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is
sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows
illustrate that man is continually trying to reach God
and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a
good life, philosophy, or religion - but he inevitably
fails.
The third law explains the only way to bridge this
gulf...
 Jesus
Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through
Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for
your life.
He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans
5:8).
He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was
raised on the third day, according to the
Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.
After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1
Corinthians 15:3-6).
He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and
the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'"
(John 14:6).
This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf
which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus
Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the
penalty for our sins.
It
is not enough just to know these three laws...
We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's
love and plan for our lives.
We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right
to become children of God, even to those who believe in
His name" (John 1:12)
We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians
2:8,9).
When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth
(Read John 3:1-8.)
We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and
knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self
(repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives
to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to
be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our
sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an
emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith,
as an act of the will. These two circles represent two
kinds of lives:
Which circle best describes your life? Which circle
would you like to have represent your life?
The following explains how you can receive Christ:
You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through
Prayer (Prayer is talking to God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your
words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The
following is a suggested prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the
cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and
receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for
forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take
control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of
person You want me to be."
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it
does, I invite you to pray this prayer right now, and
Christ will come into your life, as He promised.
How to Know That Christ Is in Your Life
Did you receive Christ into your life by sincerely
praying the suggested prayer? According to His promise
in Revelation 3:20, where is Christ right now in
relation to you? Christ said that He would come into
your life. Would He mislead you? On what authority do
you know that God has answered your prayer? (The
trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word.)
The Bible Promises Eternal Life
"The witness is this, that God has given us eternal
life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son
has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have life. These things I have written to you who
believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you
may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13).
Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He
will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). You can know on the
basis of His promise that Christ lives in you and that
you have eternal life from the very moment you invite
Him in. He will not deceive you.
An important reminder...
Do Not Depend on Feelings
The promise of God's Word, the Bible - not our feelings
- is our authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust)
in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. This
train diagram illustrates the relationship among fact
(God and His Word), faith (our trust in God and His
Word), and feeling (the result of our faith and
obedience) (John 14:21).
The train will run with or without a caboose. However,
it would be useless to attempt to pull the train by the
caboose. In the same way, as Christians we do not depend
on feelings or emotions, but we place our faith (trust)
in the trustworthiness of God and the promises of His
Word.
Now That You Have Received Christ
The moment that you received Christ by faith, as an act
of the will, many things happened, including the
following:
-
Christ came
into your life (Revelation 3:20 ; Colossians 1:27).
-
Your sins were
forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
-
You became a
child of God (John 1:12).
-
You received
eternal life (John 5:24).
-
You began the
great adventure for which God created you (John
10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Can
you think of anything more wonderful that could happen
to you than receiving Christ? Would you like to thank
God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? By
thanking God, you demonstrate your faith.
To enjoy your new life to the fullest...
Suggestions for Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ.
"The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians
3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God
increasingly with every detail of your life, and to
practice the following:
Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7).
Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11); begin with
the Gospel of John.
Obey God moment by moment (John 14:21).
Witness for Christ by your life and words
(Matthew 4:19; John 15:8).
Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter
5:7).
Holy Spirit - allow Him to control and empower
your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16,17; Acts
1:8).
Fellowship in a Good Church
God's Word instructs us not to forsake "the assembling
of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25). Several logs
burn brightly together; but put one aside on the cold
hearth and the fire goes out. So it is with your
relationship with other Christians.
If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be
invited. Take the initiative; call the pastor of a
nearby church where Christ is honored and His Word is
preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend
regularly.
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