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Gospel Presentation

Don't read this, if you'll be offended.

Most people think that they are deserving of heaven. They feel they have been good men or women and have lived their lives by the Golden Rule.

Grace. What people need to hear, though, is the Good News that heaven is a free gift. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”—Romans 6:23. God goes on to say in Ephesians 2: 8,9 that heaven is not earned or deserved, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Man. The Bible states that man is a sinner. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” You see, God's standard is perfection. As human beings, though, we forget 99% of all those things we have ever done wrong. Man also cannot save himself. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death.”

God. God is merciful and doesn't want to punish us, though. In Jeremiah 31:3b God says, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” But, God is also just and must punish sin. Exodus 34:7b says, “and that (He) will by no means clear the guilty.”

Christ. God solved this problem of being merciful on one hand and just on the other through the person of Jesus Christ. Christ is the infinite God-man. Jesus is God. This is seen in John 1:1, 14, where it states, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Jesus died on the cross, in our place, to pay for the wage of sin, which is death. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). God has laid to the account of Christ all of my sin and guilt. The Bible says, “By GRACE are ye saved.. . Not of works lest any man should boast.” What is the meaning of grace? Once someone gave an acrostic: G—R—A—C—E, God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

Faith. Faith is the key that opens the door to heaven. The right key to heaven is called faith, saving faith. Some people believe in Jesus Christ the same way they believe in Napoleon or George Washington. They believe that He actually lived. He was a real person in history, but they are not trusting in Him to do anything for them now. This is called intellectual assent. This is not saving faith. Nor is temporal faith, where you trust in the Lord for your finances or other temporal needs. Saving faith is where you trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Being comes before doing. You become a Christian by trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation and then you try to live the Christian life out of gratitude for the free gift of eternal life. Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship to God through the person of Jesus Christ. The religions of the world try to get to God through good works. God says this is not the way to get to Him. Faith is the hand of a beggar reaching out to accept the gift of a King.

Appropriation. Does this make sense to you? Would you like to receive this gift of eternal life? If you would, you need to transfer trust from yourself to Christ. You need to receive the resurrected and living Christ as Savior and as Lord of your life. You need to repent of your sins and desire to be a responsible member in God's forever family.

If this is the desire of your heart, let me lead you in a suggested prayer, where you tell God the following: “Father, I realize that heaven is a free gift and that I have not earned it or deserved it. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and I ask you to forgive me. I know that I cannot save myself. I know you are merciful and love me with an everlasting love, but that you are also just and must punish my sin. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and rose again, in order to purchase a place in heaven for me, which He offers as a free gift. I am trusting in Jesus Christ alone for my eternal life. I accept you, Jesus, as not only my Savior, but also as the Lord of my life. I invite you Jesus into my heart today as my personal Savior and Lord. Come in today, come in to stay. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. In Christ's name, amen.”