A Bargain Struck
This is the story of a great bargain made in your behalf:
Agape (ah-GAH-pay) love is the quality of love that doesn't judge the worthiness of the recipient before giving of itself; it doesn't weigh the probability of getting a good return for its investment before spending its last dime; it looks for nothing in return, except maybe the hope that it will be loved back. In other words, it's not the kind of love in which most of us excel.
Agape is the story of Jesus.
A common theme in drama and literature is man signing over the rights to his soul to Satan, making a forever deal with the devil to gain something of temporary value.
Outwardly, we cringe to think of anyone so shortsighted that he would give up eternity with Christ, for some momentary pleasure, when in fact, this is the condition of all persons.
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "We
all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6)
Even if we're not familiar with the scriptures, the truth of the prophet Isaiah's words bears witness with our hearts, and reveals the stubborn condition of our spirits.
 And there Satan stands, holding up the contract, flaunting the fact that we, having forfeited our souls, now belong to him. And God says,
"Let my children go."
But Satan screeches back, "You can't do that! You wrote the rules! The
penalty for disobedience is DEATH! You set it up that way."
And God admits, "Yes, it is so; but Satan, you're fond of deals. Here's a deal that there's no way you’re going to be able to refuse. I'll die in their place
- my life for theirs."
Satan scowls, "God can't die."
"Then I'll set aside my Godness and walk the earth like any other man; and when the time is right, I'll lay down my life
- you can kill me using the most horrible and most shameful method of
execution you can think of."
And God became man: Jesus Christ lived among us and finally gave Himself as the payment for a debt He didn't owe
- paying a price we couldn't pay. And Satan cackled with glee over the deal he'd
struck...
But three days later, the stone was rolled away from the tomb's entrance, and that entrance became an exit, as Christ walked out of the grave, into the early morning sunlight of Easter Sunday.
And when Satan cried, "Foul!" God just said, "Look at your paperwork."
And Satan stared in disbelief at the papers clutched in his trembling claws, for there, written across the contract in Jesus' own blood, were the words: PAID IN FULL.
We receive as a free gift that for which Jesus paid the highest price. Christ offers us abundant, eternal life in the presence of the One who loves us so much, He chose to die a horrible death rather than be without us. Yes, for us the gift is free, but it cost Him everything.
If being loved like that sounds good to you, you're invited to take the first steps in an adventure that will last for a lifetime.
God Wants You to Know
1. You can know that you have right relationship with God.
"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 5:13)
2. His plan was framed even before the creation of the world.
"This grace was given us in Jesus Christ before the beginning of time..." (2 Timothy 1:9b)
3. The cross was not an emergency plan.
God's Plan to Rescue Mankind
1. Heaven is a free gift.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life..."
(Romans 6:23)
2. It is not earned or deserved.
"God... has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." (2 Timothy 1:9a)
You might ask: "What's that have to do with me? I'm not such a bad person; in fact, I'm better than most."
3. People - all people - are sinners.
"...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has
turned to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6)
4. Man cannot save himself.
"...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)
What does the Bible say about God?
5. God is merciful - therefore He doesn't want to punish us.
"God is love." (1 John 4:8)
"Your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." (Matthew 18:14)
6. But God is just - therefore He must punish sin. He can't just look the other way.
"He does not leave the guilty unpunished." (Exodus 34:7)
So what was God to do? He loves us so much that He didn't want to punish us, but because He is just, He must punish sin.
7. God became man. Jesus was God in human form.
"In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word (Jesus) became flesh and lived for a while among us." (John 1:1,14)
8. Jesus took our punishment for us.
"...he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him..." (Isaiah 53:5)
9. This free gift is received by faith.
"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31)
What's faith? Faith is not merely agreeing that something is true. James 2:19 says that even the demons believe in God. That's not the kind of faith God is looking for.
The faith God is looking for is trusting in Christ alone for eternal life.
What's Next?
1. The choice is up to you.
"...it is not those who hear... who are righteous (have a right relationship) in God's sight, but it is those who obey..." (Romans 2:13)
ADMIT that you have not given God first place in your life, and ask him to forgive your sins.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from every wrong." (1 John 1:9)
BELIEVE that Jesus dies to pay the penalty for your sins and that he rose again on Easter, and is alive today.
"If you confess that Jesus is your Lord, and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
INVITE Jesus Christ to come into your heart and be the Lord (director) of your life.
"To all who receive him, he gives the right to
become children of God. All we need to do is to trust him to save us. All
those who believe are reborn! - not a physical rebirth... but from the will of God." (John 1:12,13)
"Jesus says, 'Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in...'" (Revelation 3:29)
ACCEPT God's free gift of salvation. Don't try to earn it.
"...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)
Our relationship to God is not restored by anything we do, but on the basis of what Jesus already did for us!
You can take these steps by praying a simple prayer of commitment to God
- something like this:
"Jesus, I admit that I have not given you your rightful place in my life
- in fact, I've insisted on being the boss. But the truth is I haven't done a very good job with my life. Please forgive my stubbornness to let you be my God, and forgive me the wrongs I've done.
"I believe you died to pay the penalty for my sins. I believe that even though you were dead, you rose again on Easter Sunday, and you're alive today.
"I know I can't earn or buy what you offer me for free, so I accept
your free gift of an abundant and eternal life."
"I hear you knock, and I'm opening the door. Come into my heart, and
take the reigns of my life."
"Thank you for loving me. Amen."
We'd love to hear from you. If this account rings true in your heart, and you've asked Jesus into your life, or if you still have questions, E-mail:
, or call (724) 628 3510. We'll do our best to answer your questions - help you along the path of life in Christ, and maybe we can even hook you up with a good church in your area. |
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