In the beginning, God created man to spend eternity with Him, but man chose to sin against God thus creating a gulf between a holy God and sinful mankind.
Romans 3:23 (NKJV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Every one of us is born with a sin nature. Nobody has to teach us how to throw tantrums, tell a lie or have evil thoughts. Sin doesn’t necessarily have to be murder, theft or rape. A sin is a sin whether it is big or small in God’s eyes, and the penalty for sinning against God is spiritual separation from God.
All of us will die one day, and we will be judged for the sins in our lives by God after we depart from this earth.
There are those who attempt to use good works to appease God because of the sins in their lives, but nobody can use philosophy, good works or religion to reach out to God or cause Him to accept us. These are futile efforts because God’s holiness makes it impossible for sinners to come into contact with Him.
John 3:16 (NKJV) 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.
Therefore God pursued us with His love by sending His only begotten Son to reach out to us. His love expressed through the crucifixion on the cross filled the gulf that separated mankind from a holy God, and we are forgiven because of Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross.
Jesus who was sinless took upon all of our sins on the cross. He took our place on the cross and was judged for sin on our behalf. Jesus’ death and shed blood wiped our slate clean—all our sins and lawless deeds are forgiven, and caused us to have a right standing with God.
God wants us to enjoy an abundant life that is filled with love, joy and peace once we have had our lives restored with Him. God gives everyone the right to become His child if we choose to receive Jesus Christ into our hearts.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
We are a child of God and a new creation once our sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ, and we begin a new life with God.
Romans 10:9 (NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
We need to invite Jesus into our lives personally by acknowledging that He is our Saviour. There will be no more judgement for those who believe in Jesus because Jesus was judged on our behalf by God on the cross, and even though we will die one day, we will have everlasting life.
Sermon Series: Arise and Build (Part 3)
好消息的故事
起初，神创造人是为了与祂共度永恒, 但人却选择犯罪得罪了神, 从而在圣洁的神和有罪的人类之间就有了一条鸿沟。
罗马书 3:23因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀；
我们每个人生来就有罪性。 没有人需要教我们如何发脾气、说谎或有邪恶的想法等。罪不一定非得是谋杀、偷窃或强奸。无论大小，在神眼中罪就是罪，得罪神的惩罚就是在属灵上与神分离。
我们所有人都有一天会死, 在我们离开这个世界之后，神将审判我们生命中的罪。
因着生命中的罪，有些人试图用善行来取悦神，但无人可以用哲学、善行或宗教来触摸神或使祂接受我们。这些都是徒劳的，因为神的圣洁使罪人不可能与祂接触。
约翰福音3:16神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。
所以神用祂的爱来寻找我们，差祂的独生子来触摸我们。祂通过被钉在十字架上所表达的爱填补了人类与圣洁的神之间的鸿沟，并且因着耶稣在十字架上所流的宝血，使我们的罪得蒙赦免。
那无罪的耶稣在十架上担当了我们所有的罪。祂在十架上替代了我们的位置，为我们的罪受审判。 耶稣的死和流血涂抹了我们的过犯 – 我们所有的罪和不法的行为都被赦免了，让我们在神面前得以称义。
一旦我们的生命与神恢复后，神要我们享受丰盛的生命, 就是被爱、喜乐和平安充满的生命。如果我们选择接受耶稣基督进入我们的心中，神就会赐给每个人成为祂儿女的权柄。
哥林多后书 5:17若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人，旧事已过，都变成新的了。
我们是神的儿女和新造的人，一旦我们的罪藉着耶稣基督的宝血被赦免，就能开始在神里面过新生活。
罗马书 10:9你若口里认耶稣为主，心里信神叫他从死里复活，就必得救。
我们需要承认耶稣是我们的救主，亲自邀请耶稣进入我们的生命。那些相信耶稣的就不再被定罪，因为耶稣在十字架上已经为我们被神审判, 虽然有一天我们会死去，但我们将拥有永生。
讲章系列：兴起和建造（第三部）
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