Meet Jesus
One day, at the beginning of time, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” and he did. He placed a special couple in a garden – a garden paradise. The couple had a marvelous relationship with each other and an intimacy that only the best of marriages approach today. It was wonderful, and the best part of it was that God would walk through the garden with the couple, giving them the highest joy possible – a stroll with God – a walk with the creator – a relationship with the God who loves them. Walking with God made life problem-free. It made the future filled with happy anticipation.
But a terrible thing disturbed their joy. The evil one tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the tree that they were restricted from. God had warned them of dire consequences if they ate of it, and yet they did.
Immediately a rift formed between them. Discovering their nakedness, they covered themselves. This is embarrassing enough, but they knew something else had happened. God would not be happy. They knew he would be looking for them for their walk in the cool of the day. They hid from him.
God knew exactly what happened. He punished them. Now their problems will begin.
Mercifully, God banished them from the garden, because if they had eaten from the tree of life, they would have lived forever with their regret, with their sin. Since then, we have inherited a problem. We are sinners, but God set in motion a plan that would see the children of Adam and Eve restored to relationship with him. God is the lover of souls.
The Problem;
Psalm 14:3, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:3
- No one is good enough. (Psalm 14:3)
- Everyone falls short of God’s standard. (Romans 3:23)
- We are all candidates for God’s wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)
Our sin keeps us away from God. We were created for the same fellowship Adam and Eve enjoyed in the garden, but we can’t have it, as long as we have the problem.
The amazing thing about God is that he loves us too much to leave us in our sin. His love is deeper than our sin and his grace, more powerful than our sin. In his mercy, he found a way to make the problem go away.
The Solution;
Romans 6:23, John 6:40, Romans 3:21
- Death awaits all of us. (Romans 6:23)
- God wants us to believe in Jesus so we can live forever. (John 6:40)
- God cleans us with his righteousness. (Romans 3:21-22)
We are destined to die in our sin, but God has the solution. We would not die, He would. He would hang between heaven and hell and he would do something only God could do. He would die for us!
He does more than take our sin. When you believe, your sin is transferred to Jesus and you are given his righteousness. “But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known.” (Romans 3:21)
Just a Prayer Away
If it is your desire to embrace the one who died so that we can be made right with God you may want to express it in a prayer – a simple prayer like this…
“Lord Jesus, I know I fall short of your standard. I’m sorry and I confess my sin and I receive your forgiveness. Thank you for dying for me so that I can live forever.” Amen.