Pastor Tony Jeffrey
1. God is the Creator—He created mankind. God wanted someone who would appreciate His glory and attributes, who would praise and worship Him, and would walk with Him in intimate fellowship. So, He created Adam and Eve. He wanted them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and rule and subdue His wonderful creation. In order for Adam and Eve to willingly love God and desire fellowship with Him, He gave man a free will to choose and determine if they would do so. Tragically, they succumbed to Satan’s lies and deceptions. They chose to rebel and become their own god. As a result, their state of innocence was lost and it was replaced by a corrupt mind, will, and emotions. Sin entered the world through Adam’s transgression and with it death. Therefore, every descendant of Adam is born with a sin nature, commits acts of sin, and dies.
2. As a result of this event, which Christians call the fall, all human beings are now born into a family that has made themselves the enemy of God, is alienated from Him, is the servant of sin, and has no hope of self-reparation—the family of Adam.
3. The effect of the fall was so deep-seated in human nature that Adam, as the father of the race, passed onto each of his descendants a sin nature. We are members of a race of people who are constitutionally unable to please God, and we all share in the family likeness. Because Adam chose sin and self over God, he is the progenitor of a fallen, doomed race. Their very nature is to choose away from God. As a result, our nature is sinful, corrupt, and depraved. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), there is no one who is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10), we are dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1), and our hearts are desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).
4. Because God is a holy and just God, He cannot allow sin in His presence. He therefore must judge sin, and His judgment upon all mankind is physical death, spiritual death, condemnation, and eternal punishment in Hell for our sins (Romans 5:18).
5. This is Bad News!
6. But the Good News is that because God is also a God of love and mercy, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and take the punishment we deserve upon Himself. He was mocked, ridiculed, beaten, falsely accused, and crucified for us as our substitute. He was buried and rose again from the dead, proving that He was truly God and His message was true—He was the Messiah and God in the flesh (John 1:1-14).
7. Jesus’ sacrificial death, as our substitute, is the demonstration of God’s love for us. It enables God to offer us the free gift of forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. But as it is with any gift, we must receive His gift. How do we do that? By placing our faith and trust in Him. Once you receive Him as your Savior by faith, you are born again by the Holy Spirit and are placed as a member in God’s family!
8. The last thing Satan wants is for anyone to receive this free gift of salvation. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy us and see us live in Hell with him where he will spend eternity. His greatest tool to deceive us is to make us believe that we can get into heaven by something we ourselves do or choose not to do, in other words, by self-effort. For example: “I think God is going to let me into heaven because I have tried to be a good person, or I guess I’m a Christian, I was raised in a Christian home and we went to church, or I think I will be in heaven because I am better than a lot of people I know.” All of these are wrong answers from God’s perspective, because no person will be made right with God by self-effort (Galatians 2:16). This tragic deception by Satan will send a person straight to hell! The truth of salvation is that God did all the work—we did nothing! We can only receive the gift of salvation by acknowledging our sin, our need of a Savior, and placing our faith and trust in what Jesus did for us to save us. We are not saved by having faith in ourselves!
9. I so desire that everyone here today has the assurance that you are a born-again believer, not because of your good works or church membership or involvement, but because you have confidence that you have placed your faith in Christ for your salvation. You are not afraid to die, because you made this decision at some time in your life, and you know it has changed you. You don’t just know information about Jesus; you know Him personally. You love Him!
10. When he asks you why He should allow you to spend eternity with Him, you will be able to boldly answer, “Oh Lord, it is not because of anything in me but only because of your amazing grace, your unconditional love, and your sacrificial death on the Cross for my sins. I have put my faith in You to be my Savior! I can say, “Because I have received Jesus, I am the child of one who is God, and that is why He will let me spend eternity with Him!”
Come join us and learn more about God’s plan for your life! Fellowship At The Ranch Church meets Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in the Robson Ranch clubhouse.