This I Believe: It's All About Jesus

Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God.(21)

If you could slap a label on your forehead...

That game where you wear a name on your forehead

Titus 3:3 ESV

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

When we talk about salvation, when we talk about Jesus our savior, when we talk about believing in Him, etc, a lot of us will instantly go into bible coma (similar to the food coma of Thanksgiving). "I've heard it before, why do I need to hear it again?" But just remember this one thing: the most important truth in the world, the one teaching from the bible that can make an eternal difference, the one thing that we need to shout from every rooftop and condo balcony in the Bay Area is also the simplest. And it's this: you need Jesus. And so, this Sunday we'll hammer the nail, we'll push the buttons, we'll make the point that if the salvation story of Jesus is so simple, then why aren't you sharing it with everyone you know? Better yet, why isn't it more evident in your life? Your shoe laces are tied, your shirts not on inside out, you hopefully have the same color socks. All simple things. What about the simple gospel? How's that going?

Titus 3:4–7 ESV

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

(1) He saved us (3:4-6)

the when - when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared

the why - not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy

the how - by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior

(2) So that we might become heirs (3:7)

the result - being justified by his grace

the realm - according to the hope of eternal life

6 Reasons we don’t act like heirs to the kingdom

We don’t care

We don’t realize the value of what we have

We like the get but not the give

We forget that we once were what others are and others can become what we are

We don’t feel qualified to share our faith

We are afraid