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Got questions? Wondering what life is really all about? Do you find it difficult staying on top of things these days?
It is easy to be a cynic in today’s world. Given the uncertainty of these days. War, terrorism, the economy, the numerous scandals in government, industry and the church have all contributed to the confusion. Life just doesn’t seem to make much sense anymore. Maybe it’s true – “Life is hard and then you die.” Maybe that’s all there is to life? But deep down you know there has to be more to it than that. But what? Where do you find it? Are there answers? Is there something that makes sense of life?
There is an answer and it is found in the pages of the Bible. The central message of the Christian Gospel is really fairly simple. It is a message about God, his creation and his son Jesus Christ. It is a message about life, death and a choice that we all face.
The message starts with a loving Creator.
The Bible states that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation states, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
As the creator, God is ruler over all he made. He created man (men & women) in his own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27) and gave man the right to rule under him as a vice-regent. It was a nice arrangement. God as king – man as his steward ruling on earth. There was joy, fulfillment and contentment. All was well. It was literally a paradise on earth! But something went wrong.
Man chose to reject God’s rule. In Adam, man chose to decide “good and evil” for himself. He did not need God to tell him what to do. Thus man struck out on his own, but the result was tragic (Genesis 3:1-19). Sin, shame and guilt entered the world. Man’s relationship with God changed. Man’s heart changed. So much so that it can now be said of man, “There is none righteous no not one. There is none who seeks for God (Romans 3:10-19).” Rejecting the rule of God – man failed to rule himself let alone the world. As a result of man’s sin murder and hatred became common fare. The question was – what would God do about man’s rebellion?
God’s justice demanded judgment. Immediately man was driven from paradise. Immediately man suffered the consequences of his choice. He was now estranged from his creator and his children would suffer as a result of his rebellion. God had warned, “The soul that sins will die.” Every son of Adam has faced the grim reality that, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
The apostle Paul warns, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…and the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23; 6:23). As you can see we’ve made a real mess of things! God’s judgment sounds harsh – but wait, you haven’t heard everything yet.
Because God loves, he sent his son into the world to redeem sinful, fallen man. Jesus came and lived a sinless life. He perfectly fulfilled the will of God. And then gave his life as a ransom for our sin. As the sinless Lamb of God he died in our place. He was our substitute drinking the wrath of God in our place. (Colossians 1:20-22; Romans 3:23-26; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
This is all by the grace of God. It is undeserved and generous from start to finish. But there is more.
God raised Jesus to life again on the third day as the first-fruit of those who would believe. He conquered sin, death and the grave. And he now offers life and hope to all who will believe on him (1 Peter 1:3).
Well, where does that leave us?
What are we to do?
You are faced with a choice. You can live life your way or you can live it God’s way. You can be lord of your life or you can acknowledge Jesus as Lord of your life. Either way, there are “consequences” to your choices. The choices you make today – have direct bearing on tomorrow. It’s time for some sober thinking. Time to give serious attention to your spiritual life. Don’t wait until it is too late.
You can choose to live your way – you can reject God as your rule and run your own life. But you must understand the results will be tragic. You will stand condemned (Romans 3:23; John 3:18) and face the judgment of death (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27).
Or you can choose to live God’s way – by submitting to Jesus as Lord (Ruler) of your life. You can trust in his work of redemption on your behalf. As a result you will experience life eternal and abundant (John 6:47; John 10:10) and know the peace of God (Romans 8:1; Colossians 1:19-20).
The Scripture is clear:
* “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
* Look to Christ and live! Believe on the Lord Jesus. We would love to talk with you about this glorious truth. Email us at info@tbctulsa.org
We would love for you to come worship with us Sundays at 10:50 am and 6:00 pm and Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm. We are located on the Northwest corner of 41st and Union just west of highway 75.
