Valleydale Church
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Worship God | Connect with Others | Serve the World

Becoming a Christian

 Being a Christ-follower is NOT:

  • Just BELIEF IN GOD

    "… You believe that there is one God… Even the demons believe that…"
     James 2:19

  • Inherited FAITH OR TRADITION
    "… children of God…born not of natural descent, nor of human decision… but born of God."
     John 1:12-13

  • Religious PRACTICE OR RITUAL
    "…These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain…"
    Matthew 15:8-9

Salvation is not a RELIGION; it is a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ.

"‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord..."
 2 Corinthians 6:18 

1.     GOD DESIRES A RELATIONSHIP WITH MANKIND.

        God CREATED MAN to be in fellowship with him.

        "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image...'"
         Genesis 1:26

        "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless 'til they find rest in Thee."
         -Augustine

        God REVEALED HIMSELF to encourage fellowship with him.

  • In Creation
    "The heavens declare the glory of God... "
     Psalm 19:1

     "… since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities… have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made…"
     Romans 1:20

  • In His Written word
    "You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed… "
     Psalm 119:4
    "Then the Lord said to Moses… ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken from heaven.’"
     Exodus 20:22
  • In Jesus Christ
    "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us "
     John 1:1,14

    " … in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son… "
     Hebrews 1:2     

2.     MAN’S SIN PREVENTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

     Man has a natural desire to be boss and to ignore God’s principles for living.
     The Bible calls this attitude: SIN!
     "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..."
      Isaiah 53:6
     "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
      1 John 1:8
 
     Sin breaks our close relationship with God because it puts us in charge and
     takes God out of His place of authority in our life. It causes us to fear God and try
     to live our lives outside of His will.
     "… your iniquities have separated you from your God… "
     Isaiah 59:2
     "… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…"
     Romans 3:23 
 

3.     GOD HAS WORKED TO RESTORE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MEN

     "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,

     to redeem those under Law, that we might receive the full rights of sons."
     Galatians 4:4-5

     God Himself came to earth as a human being to bring us back to fellowship with Him.
     The only way to relationship with God is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

     "... I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
     John 14:6

     Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection provide the basis for the
     forgiveness of sin and a restored relationship with God the Father.
     "For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
     Romans 6:23
     "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners,

     Christ died for us."
     Romans 5:8

      God has already done His part to restore our relationship to Him. He took the initiative.

     Now He waits for each of us to individually accept what He has done for us. 

4.     WE MUST ACCEPT GOD’S GRACIOUS OFFER OF A RELATIONSHIP BY FAITH IN JESUS.

  1. TURN FROM YOUR SIN.

    "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out…"
     Acts 3:19

    Repentance involves asking for forgiveness, but it is much more. It is a changing of the mind. It is "turning away" from sin and "turning to" God’s plan and desires for your life.

  2. TRUST IN THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST.
    "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
     John 3:16

    "That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
     Romans 10:9

    Our relationship to God is not restored by anything we do, but because of what Jesus already did for us! 
    Religion spells salvation "D-O"; Christianity spells it "D-O-N-E"

    "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith... not by works, so that no one can boast."
     Ephesians 2:8

  3. SUBMIT TO GOD’S CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE
    "… confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord…’"
     Romans 10:9a

    "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
     Colossians 2:6-7

    You can begin taking these steps by praying a simple prayer of commitment to God:
    "...Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
    Romans 10:13
     
    Heavenly Father,
    I know I have sinned.
    I want to turn from my sins and toward you and your plan for my life.
    Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross and rise from the dead so that I can be forgiven.
    I believe that I can be saved by what he did for me, and I place my trust in you alone.
    I want to live your way from now on, so I give my life to you today.
    In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, please let us know so we can help you! Contact Lynn Nipp  and let her know about your decision today.  We'd like to send you some helpful information and see how we can assist you in growing in Christ.