Step
One
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 only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting 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
Two
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 a freedom
of choice.
We chose
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
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
Three
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
Four
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.)
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 assures you that many wonderful
things have happened!
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 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
"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 everyday 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.
If you have just made a commitment to Christ, please
let us know. We would like to send you Bible study materials to
help you grow in your faith.
© 1998
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Compliance with copyright
restrictions
requires that no portion of this version of Steps to
Peace with God may be reproduced in any form without written permission
of the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association, P.O. Box 779, Minneapolis,
MN 55440, U.S.A..
Illustrations by Andrew Wright
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