Salvation
This is the story of God’s love for you.
The bible tells this love story.…
God creates people to live in a loving relationship with Him.
Sadly, by nature, people run from God.
Hence, people live without a real relationship with God.
And, without God people attempt to find ultimate purpose and peace in something other than God.
Oftentimes, this leads to a life outside of God’s perfect will. We have all been there, missing the mark God sets out for us, also known as sinning.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
But, the good news of the Bible is that God pursues us.
To the first humans, Adam & Eve, after they chose to rebel against Him God asks, “Where are you?” And, this is the question I want you to hear God asking you today.
“Where are you?” Genesis 3:9
God pursues us by trying to capture our attention.
In all the world, God puts Himself on display.
For example, God makes His existence known in creation. We become aware of His presence by this general revelation available to all people.
Like a suitor working to capture the attention of the person sought by dressing attractively, God captures people’s attention by displaying His beauty in creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1 NIV
Through everything God made, [people] can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20 NLT
In the words of famed theologian John Calvin, God “daily discloses Himself in the whole workmanship of the universe.” (Institutes, I.5.1)
But, only being aware of God’s existence does not mean a person has a relationship with God any more than a woman merely recognizing a man’s existence is enough to make a real relationship happen. The woman might know, generally, that the man exists, but she needs a special revelation of his affection for her.
Much more important, though, is the truth that God offers to us a special revelation of Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s clearly spoken word of love to us. God wants all people to live believing more than just that He exists. So, He became flesh and dwells among us.
Christians believe Jesus is God in the flesh.
And [God, the Son called Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV
This special revelation is the clearest declaration of this truth that God wants us to live in a relationship with Him.
Now, this is the part of the story where it is very different from the other human love story. In human relationships, if one person continually runs away or mistreats the other it is reasonable to think they have no chance of a love relationship.
But, God is relentless in his love for us; in part, because we will live fully human only when we are in a right relationship with God. This relentless love is expressed sometimes with gentle nudges in the heart through, for example, a conversation with a caring friend. Other times God speaks more loudly by allowing a difficulty to come reminding us of our need for Him.
Not every person who becomes aware of their need for God chooses to accept His love.
God chooses to love us just as we are.
God pursues us asking, “Where are you?”
When we answer, “I am here. I am needy. I am imperfect. I want a new life.” God wraps His loving arms around us. There is a parable Jesus tells in Luke 15 called The Prodigal Son. The story goes that a man has two sons. One son chooses a life of running from the love of his Father. Luke 15:13 says, “he set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.” He spends his inheritance on worldly pleasures. Then, he goes broke. He is desperate for a change. He decides to return home, broken…dirty…and worn out. He expects the father to punish him for his wayward living. But, the story goes that the loving father sees him coming and in verse 20 we read, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 Like all of us, we come to God when we realize that the best the world can offer will leave us…at best, dirty outside and at worst, dead inside.
When God gets our attention…something must be done about the sin committed while running from Him. God is loving, but He is also holy. So, the cost of sin cannot be ignored. A payment must be made.
Every other world religion requires the person to pay the penalty for their own sin. This is done by good works, religious ritual, or some other human act. But, the bible teaches that God does something different. He pays the price needed to atone for sin.
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
The sacrifice by Jesus to die is the only acceptable payment for our debt to God caused by sin. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
The shed blood of Jesus at his crucifixion is God’s way of erasing the sin that separates you from this relationship with Him.
And, the resurrection of Jesus is God’s declaration of victory over the sin that separates us.
Read carefully about the third day after Jesus was crucified. Two female followers of Jesus arrive at the tomb where Jesus had been laid. They were met by an angel. Look at verse But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:5-6
They are told to go and tell others about finding the empty tomb. And, on the way, they see Jesus, the risen Savior. Matthew 28:9 says, And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Matthew 28:9
The cross and empty tomb are, without a doubt, the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us.
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV
Anyone who believes in this message of God’s love choosing to repent of sin and follow the way of Jesus Christ will experience a loving relationship with God.
Where are you right now? Will you accept?
If so, simply say to God right now, “God, I am done running. I accept your love.” . And, if you do, I want you to imagine God the Father running to meet you. You’ve been away, but now you are home. There is a celebration. Then, you make others aware of this acceptance through a public baptism.
If you already have, can I just remind you that we choose daily to live in this relationship with God. As disciples of Jesus, we choose daily to live in God’s love. This continual “yes” is expressed in regularly gathering with the church for discipleship and practicing spiritual habits to cultivate our awareness of how we live as people loved by God.
Where are you?