Just Who IS This Jesus?"He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?""..... Matthew 16:15. Jesus asked this question to His disciples…now the question is presented to YOU.
Who do YOU say Jesus is? PLEASE do not pass over this question without an honest answer. How you answer this question can change your life.
Man’s State Before GodRegardless of what the world may say, man is not ultimately good. Man may be capable of acts of human kindness, BUT, he is not capable of pleasing God.
Hebrews 11:6 says that "without faith it is impossible to please Him." Paul, in Romans 3:9-18, lays out the state of man…that of being totally lost and hopeless
before God by nature. Romans 3:23 says, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” For starters, simply read the Ten Commandments in
Exodus 20 and take an honest look to see if you fit the bill on all of these all the time in every way. I GUARANTEE you, as well as I, do not even come close.
We see that from Romans 3:23 as well as an honest look at ourselves as compared to the standard set in scripture as to how we are to live our lives before
God. Leviticus 19:2 Says, “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." In
Matthew 5:48, Jesus echos that very scripture, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Holy, perfect...according to whom?
Man or the Creator of us all? It is according to the standards of our Creator that we are to live and be holy, perfect.
Our Destiny What is the destiny of those apart from Jesus Christ? Jesus says, in John 3:18, “whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed
in the name of the only Son of God.” Romans 2:8 says, “But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be
wrath and fury.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” There are many other references to the eternal destiny of the unbeliever, but, these make
it clear that it is ETERNAL separation from our righteous and holy God in a place of ETERNAL torment. Scary thought indeed…horrifying!! What hope do we have
apart from him? None…none at all… We only bide our time before the judgment.
HOWEVER, how you answer the question Jesus asks of you, “but who do YOU say that I am,” can change not only your temporary life, but, your ETERNAL destiny.
As you can see, we all, apart from Jesus Christ, are headed to eternal separation from Him. Hebrews 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once
and after this comes judgment.”
So, who do YOU say that Jesus is?See for yourself what the Bible says about that question by clicking on this link and return here when you’re finished reading.
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/A335How Will You Respond To This?If you have answered this question, “Who do you say that I am,” by affirming what the Bible says about Him and surrendering your heart and life to Him according
to the Scriptures...pour out your heart to Him telling Him so. A simple pattern to pray from, from your own heart and in your own words, "Lord, I acknowledge that
I am a sinner lost in my own sin and am in need of the Savior Jesus Christ. I acknowledge His death on the cross as the payment for my sin and that He rose again
the third day and that He ascended to heaven. I receive you now as my Savior and will follow You as my Lord from this day on. Lead, guide, direct, and strengthen
me by the power of Your Holy Spirit that I may know You, love You, and serve You always. It's in the name of my dear Savior Jesus Christ that I pray, amen."
What We Have In HimThe first part of John 3:18 says this, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned.” Romans 6:23, mentioned earlier, also says, “BUT, the free gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 10:9-11 says, “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone
who believes in him will not be put to shame.’” Once we have believed, repented of our sin, and surrendered to His Lordship, we become HIS. “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” John 1:12. Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundandtly," John 10:10
The Bible also teaches us that trials and persecutions WILL come! Jesus said in John 15:19, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you
are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." As you've undoubtedly seen, the world is becoming increasingly hostile and
agitated at Christianity because it points out the sin people live in outside of Jesus Christ. Living for Him, this will come your way in various forms...rejection by old
friends, family, co-workers; sometimes violent or malicious actions/words...
However, as James 1:2-4 puts it, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:11,12 "Blessed are you when men
cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you."
The Scripture shows us that though we were headed for judgment, His grace came that we may have LIFE!! When we become His, we become His fully, not in part…but
completely. Our lives are His and we are to live for Him. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him
who died and rose again on their behalf.” REJOICE our new brother or sister in Jesus Christ, for you are a child of the King and eternally His! Join in fellowship with your
fellow believers for strength, support, growth, and most of all worship and adoration of and in Him!
We would love to help you with the next steps in your life for Christ. The Biblical pattern we have laid before us next is Baptism and becoming a part of the body of
believers, which is the Church. We encourage you, and would love to help, to find a local body of Bible-believing brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ that you may grow
and be encouraged in Him as well as learn from the Word what the Lord has for you in Him and what we are to be about doing for Him. If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact us.
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You are more than welcome to link here or to use the link below and are encouraged to PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOU KNOW! The direct link to this "tract" is available, along
with linkable verses, at the site below:
http://thegreatcommission.myblogsite.com/entry2.html#body
