I’d like to begin by sharing something from the Book of Romans which many of you know is actually a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the new church he’d just learned about in Rome.   Apparently some Jews has migrated from Jerusalem and taken their faith with them, so Paul was pleased to hear about the new church and its initial success.  Paul know that he would not be able to visit Rome for some time, so he wanted to send a letter of encouragement along with some instruction and training for the new church.

So Paul began his letter and was inspired to write in Romans Chapter 3 verse 23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. 

I know that’s not very encouraging, but Paul was just getting ready by first establishing a basic belief of the Christian faith and then by becoming much more positive.  In fact he was inspired to write 19 of most encouraging words ever in Chapter 5 verse 8 “…God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

That leaves us today in much the same place the Jews were in almost 2,000 years ago.  The apostle John remembered taking note of Jesus and was inspired to write in John Chapter 1 verse 11 & 12 “¹¹ He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.   But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”  And the ‘Living Bible’ continues…”All they needed to do was trust Him to save them.  “

2,000 years later it’s just the same for us.  All we need to do is trust Him to save us, and all we need to do that is a little faith.

The New Testament’s Book Matthew (Matthew 17:20) tells us we can do great things with faith only the size of a mustard seed.  If we choose we can use faith like that and a prayer to become a Christian.  It might be a prayer like this:

Lord I know that I’m a sinner. I believe that you died for my sins. Right now I turn away from my sins and open my heart and life. I accept you as my personal lord and savior. Thank you for saving me now.

So it’s not too hard to become a Christian, and to accept the gift of salvation and eternal life.  What’s harder for us is to act like Christians every day for the rest of our lives on Earth.  To help us with that we can turn back to the Bible and places like:

I have hidden your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

The book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah was a profit who lived about 500 years before Christ and who was generally regarded as not very successful in worldly terms, but who is regarded as very successful in terms of his relationship with our Lord as I think you can tell from his writing and especially what he was inspired to write in “  

Would you like more peace in your life? 

The Bible has lots of places to help us find peace including a verse I like that takes me back to King David and what he was inspired to write in Psalm 85 verse 8  ⁸I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.”

Do you have a special request? 

Something that you’ve been thinking and even praying about?  The apostle John knew the answer to a special request when he herd it and captured this quote in John Chapter 15 verse 7 where Jesus says “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”.

Would you like to have more wisdom? 

The Bible is a literal storehouse of wisdom which it describes pretty well back in Psalms where King David, or maybe his scribe Ezra, were inspired to write about God’s words in Psalm 119 verses 98-100 “ Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments.”

So the Bible has something to help hold us back from sin, something to comfort and even inspire us in challenging times, something to help us find peace, the answer to any request and even gives us access to a storehouse of wisdom.  I know from my own experience that it’s more than reasonable to say the Bible has something for most every aspect of our lives and relationships which it summarizes pretty well in the 2^nd Timothy

2^nd Timothy is actually another letter written by the Apostle Paul to his long time friend and assistant (today we might say Associate Pastor) Timothy on the occasion of Paul’s pending retirement.  Paul knew that the end of his life was near, and he wanted to write this letter to Timothy to encourage and assist him in continuing their ministry. 

By this time Paul had traveled throughout most of the known world, started churches that probably number in the hundreds, and written almost half of what would become the New Testament.  So to describe him as a great leader might be something of an understatement.   But, I’d like to ask you to imagine the anticipation you’d feel if you had the opportunity to hear some of the final thoughts of any great leader.

Now I’d like to ask you to use that feeling to listen to what Paul wrote to us in
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

That brings us back to the beginning.  Remember the Apostle Paul’s’ 19 words of encouragement in Romans Chapter 5 verse 8 “…God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

That same idea is put a little differently in what many people regard and their favorite Bible verse, John Chapter 3 verse 16 where Jesus is quoted saying “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. “

That leaves me with one last verse that I’d like to share and it comes as Jesus is concluding his ministry on earth, just before the crucifixion.  Jesus was traveling with the disciples and had just told them that they knew the objective and the way to there, when the Apostle Thomas spoke up and said (John 14:5) “No, we don’t know, Lord”.  Then Jesus replied with a single clear sentence that I consider a blessing and a burden to Christians.  It’s a blessing because of what it means for Christians.  And, a burden because of what it means for our friends and others who are not.

So Jesus replied as quoted in John Chapter 14 verse 6 saying ““I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

With that I’d like to end with the prayer I shard with you earlier.  Some of you have probably prayed this prayer or one like it a hundred times or more, but others may feeling that ‘mustard seed’ of faith for the first time.  In either case I want to invite you to repeat after me:

Lord I know that I’m a sinner. I believe that you died for my sins. Right now I turn away from my sins and open my heart and life. I accept you as my personal lord and savior. Thank you for saving me now.

Thank you again for this opportunity to share with you.  If you prayed that prayer for the first time today would you give me another moment of your time to congratulate you and offer any assistance?  And if you’re already a Christian Please join me in congratulating, welcoming and encouraging any new Christians who respond!

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