the Gospel of Jesus

(what he said and why)

What does suffering and justice look like? Why are we so bent on demanding justice when it is only in our favor? What is it about us that makes us live only for ourselves? Isaiah 53:6 answers these questions in part by saying, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all go fall on Him." Read these simple steps below provided by Billy Graham to understand what it means to become a Christain and know the greatest gift of all.


Step 1 GOD'S PURPOSE: PEACE AND LIFE God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life—abundant and eternal. The Bible says ... "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." —Romans 5:1 (NIV) "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." —John 3:16 (NIV) "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." —John 10:10 (NIV) Why don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have?


Step 2 THE PROBLEM: OUR SEPARATION God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God. The Bible says ... "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." —Romans 3:23 (NIV) "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." —Romans 6:23 (NIV) Our Attempts to Reach God People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God ... The Bible says ... "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." —Proverbs 14:12 (NIV) "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." —Isaiah 59:2 (NIV) No bridge reaches God ... except one.


Step 3 GOD'S BRIDGE: THE CROSS Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people. The Bible says ... "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." —1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV) "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." —1 Peter 3:18 (NIV) "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." —Romans 5:8 (NIV) God has provided the only way. Each person must make a choice.


Step 4 OUR RESPONSE: RECEIVE CHRIST We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation. The Bible says ... "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." —Revelation 3:20 (NIV) "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." —John 1:12 (NIV) "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." —Romans 10:9 (NIV) Where are you? Will you receive Jesus Christ right now?


Here is how you can receive Christ:

1. Admit your need (I am a sinner).

2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).

3. Believe and confess that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.

4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

5. Be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

IT ALL STARTS WITH GOD

Genesis 1:27-28

27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

 

Genesis 3:1-7

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

 

Genesis 3:20-21

20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

 

Ezekiel 33:18

18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it.

 

Isaiah 5:16

But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.

 

Psalm 5:4

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.

 

ADAM AND EVE AND THE STORY OF US

Isaiah 53:6

“All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

Romans 3:9-12
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”


Romans 3:23-24

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

 

Isaiah 59:2

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

 

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

2 Corinthians 5:10

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

 

 

FAITH AND REPENTANCE

Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

 

John 1:29

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 

John 1:12-13

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

 

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

John 14:6

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

 

Romans 5:8-9

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

 

Romans 10:9-11

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

 

Romans 10:13

“for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

Ephesians 2:8-10

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

 

Acts 2:37-39

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

 

Acts 4:12

12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

Luke 24:46-47

46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

 

Acts 10:38-43

38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

 

Acts 16:30-31

30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

 

Acts 17:29-31

29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

 

Matthew 28:19-20

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 


2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

 

MY PRAYER

“Dear God, I admit I have made myself a victim of my own morality and blamed You for my problems.[1] Instead of calling You Lord, I called You sadistic and cruel. I blamed You for being indifferent.

 

You are holy, and my sin has separated me from You.[2] I know the wages of sin is death.[3] I have rejected Your love and sacrificial death[4] of Your Son to give me life. I know Your free gift is eternal life through Your Son Jesus Christ. I repent[5] of my sins[6] and believe that in the name of Jesus,[7] I receive forgiveness of my sins.[8]

 

Lord Jesus, I believe I am saved by grace through faith. It’s not of myself;[9] it is the gift of Your Father, and I can’t work for it or brag about it.[10] I confess You are my Lord, and believe in my heart God raised You from the dead for me.[11]

 

I receive You[12] into my heart[13] and believe that in You I have eternal life.[14] Thank you for hearing my prayer,[15] making me Your child, and giving me eternal life.[16] I now follow You.[17] In Your name. Amen.”



[1] James 1:13-16, “13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”


[2] Romans 3:23-24,23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”


[3] Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


[4] John 1:29, “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!


[5] Mark 1:14-15, “14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”


[6] Acts 2:37-39,37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 3:19-21, “19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” Acts 17:30-31, “30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”


[7] Luke 24:46-47,46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Acts 10:38-43,38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”


[8] Ephesians 1:7-8a, “7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us.” Acts 10:38-43, see above.


[9] Titus 3:4-7, “4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 


[10] Ephesians 2:8-9,8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”


[11] Romans 10:9-10, “9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”


[12] John 1:12-13,12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”


[13] John 14:20, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”


[14] John 3:16,For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”


[15] Romans 10:13, “for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”


[16] John 1:12,12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”


[17] Luke 9:23, “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”




If you can find someone besides Jesus Christ 
who has a more pure love, a more intelligent social ethic, 
more humility and courage, willing to die to fix what is broken 
inside your heart, and then take away the barrier between you and God at no cost to you… follow them (see Joshua 24:15)



no greater love

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:16-18).