First Students- W.D.Y.B (Week 1)
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Becoming a Christian
Becoming a Christian
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
A decision
A decision
Becoming a Christian revolves around a decision. A decision to say yes and
accept God’s Gift to us. This Gift is grace.
Practical Illustration: Romans (7-143: God’s Boundless and Everlasting Assurance (Grace))
It is the grace of God that saves a person. It is not a person’s own works, religious traditions, or family heritage that save him.
There was a farmer who had a sack of potatoes stolen from his warehouse. He wondered what steps he should take to prevent that happening again. Instead getting the police involved, he placed the following ad in the newspapers: “Whoever stole a sack of potatoes on the 5th of this month is hereby informed that the owner has a sincere wish to be his friend. If he stole it because He was poor and got tempted, the owner will keep the whole transaction secret and will gladly help him to obtain money by means more likely to bring him peace of mind.” A few nights later, when the farmer’s family was about to retire to rest, a man knocked at his door, carrying with him a sack of potatoes. “I have brought them back,” he said. “It is the first time I ever stole anything, and I have felt very bad about it.” “Let it be the last, friend.” said the farmer. “The secret still lies between ourselves.”He spoke to the man faithfully and affectionately about the folly of dishonesty and of the claims of the gospel. He also took him into his employment, and the man became a changed character, living an exemplary life from then on.Just as this kindly farmer sought out, forgave, and helped his offender, so our heavenly Father does with us. The Bible assures us that God will forgive those who come to Him humbly and with repentance. Man does not deserve to be forgiven or saved, but God is gracious and gives man what he does not deserve!
Grace means (undeserving kindness) and it is given to us in Jesus Christ and you accept this gift by, as Romans 10:9 says
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Whoa, undeserving kindness, being saved, what!?
OK. Let’s look firstly at why we are given this gift of grace in the first place.
Sin, our sin
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
Let me see the hands of those who have never done something wrong. The hand of someone who has never lied, cheated on a test someone who is perfect.
None of us are good, and because of that we have all contributed to a broken and sin filled world.
How do we know what is good?
We have perfectly good holy God and creator.
By His words we know what is good and what is Bad.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because of our sin our punishment is death.
Does any one remember the story of Noah?
God’s wrath on full display in the story of Noah.
But God loves us, He loves us so much that He sent His only son to bear the punishment of our sin. We deserved it but Jesus bore it for us.
16 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.
He didn’t stay in the grave though He rose from the dead.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
Jesus rose again to show us He has power over death, Is today that day for anyone here?