The GiftSample

So far this week, we have studied sin and sacrifice. Before coming to know Jesus as our Savior our life is marked and defined by win. It is all-consuming and leaves us damaged and hurting. We see that by how Adam and Eve responded in the Garden to God when He came looking for them. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, they immediately ran and hid from Him.

When we enter God’s Presence as sinners, our response is to hide and run if we do not know Jesus. God is Holy and cannot be in the presence of sin. Without the Sacrifice of Jesus, we are not only dead in our sin but guilty and ashamed. Before Salvation, we too might run from the things of God or feel like we need to hide from our sin.

If you are lost and don’t know Jesus or someone you know is lost, the response after hearing the Gospel for the first time may not be running towards Jesus but running away from Him. The reason for this is God’s Holiness and the Light of His Glory shines on sin because God cannot be present where sin is. This is why the Sacrifice of Jesus was necessary.

We are born spiritually dead and separated from God, the Source of Life. Sin had to be canceled out and defeated by a Perfect Sacrifice, someone who never sinned, in order to restore Creation and redeem the people of God. This Sacrifice was Jesus. Without the Sacrifice of Jesus, it would not be possible for us to come before God. Jesus’ Sacrifice washes us of our sins and restores our relationship with God.

If you have confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart that Jesus is Lord then you have experienced the life change that a relationship with Jesus brings. You know personally the Grace that is offered and the Forgiveness that does not have to be earned. Therefore, our response to Jesus should be obedience and worship. Like the Magi, we are to humbly come before Jesus and adore Him.

The way you can share this Good News with others is by sharing your testimony. Your testimony can be broken down into simple parts: your life before Jesus, how you came to know Jesus as your personal Savior, and how your life has changed since being saved. This may seem scary to share with others but God calls us to share His Gospel and what Jesus has done for us. The rest of this week we will be looking at the Life Change that Jesus brings through His Sacrifice.