"From Challenge to Change to Courage... God's Master Plan" for your Life!
Lesson 3
by Sharon Leaf
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| God's Master Plan for my life in 1994-95 on WWII ship to transport Russian Jews from Black Sea to Israel |
Part 1 ~ God's Mission
One thing you can be sure of in this crazy, mixed-up world is that God never moves His mission. He plans to save the world, one person at a time by using those who will cooperate with Him to share His plan of eternal life. When I was eight-years-old I remember walking down the aisle of a little southern Baptist church to give my heart to Jesus. When I looked up at my Mama with tears in my eyes, she took my hand and led me down the aisle to where the guest missionary was standing. That night I inherited eternal life but didn't have a clue about the rest of the package. That came in time as I grew older and made some mistakes. That's when I realized that God truly wanted me to be happy.
But lets get back to the basics to where it all began ... at the cross.
When trying to explain to people why God sent His son to die on a cross, I try to keep it simple. Simplicity is hard for the human brain, especially for the intelligent ones who like to analyze everything! That is where our faith comes in. Now I realize that most of you who are reading this know the basics but for those of you who have never heard, read on ...
God created man with free will. He could have created robots that would go around praising Him twenty-four-seven, but He already had that with the millions of angels in heaven. He wanted to give man the choice to worship Him. No robots for the Almighty God!
In this world we are taught to reward good behavior and to discipline bad behavior. I found it hard to discipline my children when they did wrong but I knew it was for their own good. We have judges and juries to decide the discipline/punishment on those who have disobeyed the law. If each criminal, no matter what they did, were sentenced to die for their crime, we would claim the judge ruthless and uncaring.
God, who created the world, had a dilemma. He would ultimately solve this through Jesus. Before Jesus, the sacrificial act of atonement for sin was the slaying of an animal. This was only a temporary measure until Jesus came to prepare the way of our salvation.
The wages of our sin is death without Christ. He paid the price so we might avoid our own criminal charges. God showed mercy on us. He could not ignore the sins of the world, nor could He be merciless and sentence us to die for our sins. Without Jesus stepping in to take our place, we would live a life that ends in death. Jesus is the lamb who died and set us free from our obligation to die. Blood is one of the few parts of man for which medical science has not found a true substitute. The function for blood in our veins is to carry oxygen, the breath of our life. Jesus' blood was royal; it came from God, the Father, through the Virgin Mary.
Jesus' blood is rich. His blood is rich enough to suffice for the debt of trillions. Man's blood is a cleansing system which is symbolic of how Jesus' blood cleanses us. The blood runs through every inch of our body, through miles of veins, capillaries and arteries.
Jesus' unselfish agony brought us eternal freedom. He was God and man, so He had a choice to accept this assignment, for which He did. We will never know the depth of pain and agony, physically and spiritually, that He suffered on that cross ... for you and for me. It was so great a choice that He sweat drops of blood, symbolic of the substance that would set us free from the penalty of sin, which is death.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
There was nothing greater for God to sacrifice than Hi Son. Jesus' blood was the only thing in the entire universe valuable enough to clear the record for all sinners. God, who rules with truth and grace, has to respond to sin, rather than ignore it.
It is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we are spared eternal damnation. While almost all religions evolve around the concept of a godhead, it is the belief in Jesus that promises life after death.
For whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13
At the end of times--which is nearer than we think--Jesus will become the ruler of the earth. Until then, Satan will continue to be the prince of the earth. God's plan for us is companionship with Him now, and throughout eternity! Find your Bible and read for yourself. It's all there for us to enjoy!
Part 2 ~ What must you do to be saved?
It's simple. I'll write it out in a three-step process:
- Repent: Do you believe you have sinned? At eight-years-old, I had a feeling that I needed Jesus as my Savior. Are you sorry? Do you truly desire to strive for less sin in your life? "Whosoever shall confess me before men him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 10:32
- Believe in Jesus: Do you believe He died on the cross and was resurrected to give you life after death? Are you willing to give yourself completely to Jesus? "For by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
- Confirm your decision by accepting Him into your heart: Do you accept yourself as now saved? Will you confess Jesus before men whenever you get the opportunity? And be baptized and serve within your church?
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