God Made Us
“In the beginning, God created…” Genesis 1:1
It all began in the beginning with God. He created us, the universe, and everything in it. We were made in God’s image to enjoy and delight in everything He made and gave us. Life was in a garden. Love was beautiful. The world was thriving with life. Evil was not known. If you have ever felt as though life is not as it ought to be, it is because it’s not. We were made to enjoy God, enjoy life and enjoy the world. All that God gave us was very good. Living in His design for us was a delight. But it is not that way any more.
Read it in the Bible Genesis 1-2, Psalm 89, Revelation 4
People Defy God
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” 1 John 1:8
We find in every human heart now, the desire to defy God. We want to live life our own way. All of the good that God created and His wonderful will for our lives, we push aside. Sin is when we seek our will over against God’s. It is like a spiritual disease. Not only do we do wrong against God and others, we want to do it. We find our human relationships broken and we feel far from God, because we are. We need hope. We need help. We need a Savior from our sinful selves.
Read it in the Bible Romans 5, 2 Thessalonians 1, 1 John 1
Jesus Came to Save
“There is salvation in no one else” Acts 4:12
Knowing how lost we were, Jesus came to the rescue. He was completely human and the Son of God. He lived the life we didn’t. Everything His Father asked, Jesus willingly did. He was the only obedient person in all of creation. And to our shock, He was cruelly and unjustly crucified! Why? For our sin. Jesus suffered and died on the cross as our substitute. The punishment we earned for our sin, Jesus took on the cross. He came to set us free from sin and guilt. He came to give us a new life with God. He came to restore all that humanity lost since creation. He came to give us a whole new self from the inside out.
Read it in the Bible John 10, Matthew 28, Acts 4
We Turn and Believe
“Repent and believe in the gospel” Mark 1:15
Each of us has a choice to make when we hear about what Jesus did. Will we turn and believe? We need to admit our sin. We need to ask forgiveness from God. We need to turn and believe that Jesus died for our sins in particular. We ask God to come into our lives. We ask him to make us new. We want to be restored children of our heavenly Father. Each person who turns and believes will experience God’s forgiveness. God will come into their lives and make them truly alive. God wipes away our guilt, sets us free from our past and gives us a new life that loves and delights in Him. Have you turned to Him? Please reach out to us at bill.shoemaker@westchurchpeabody.org.
Read it in the Bible John 3, Acts 17, Ephesians 2