Five Simple Truths

Have you ever had anyone ask you how they could become a Christian or if you could explain to them what it meant to be a Christian? Have you ever wondered what you would say to someone that was wanting to understand what it meant to become a Christian?

We need to know what we would tell someone if the moment ever came and we were called to witness to someone who was lost and wanted to know more about Jesus. 1st Peter 3:15 tells us to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who ask you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

One thing is for sure whatever your answer is to someone it must be clear and simple. One thing we need to know about declaring the truth of Christ is that we must strive to declare the truth with clarity!!! Your message should be clear & simple enough for anyone to understand. As believers we need to be careful not to send a confusing message to those who are seeking.

Have you ever attended a class, or maybe heard a lecture or speech and left the building and thought “what did I just hear? What was the point? Did they say anything at all that I could take with me?”

The Christian message when presented as it should be is simple, straight forward and easy to grasp. God certainly doesn’t want people to be confused about His love or His plan for our life. So this morning I am going to share the Gospel with five simple statements.

1. Life is short

? James 4:14 we are told life is like a vapor

? 1st Chronicles 29:15 says that Life is like a shadow

? Job 7:6 says that life is like a swift messenger.

In other words life is fragile and uncertain it is here today and gone tomorrow! No one here knows when this life will end and eternity will begin. I have been on my way to visit someone in the hospital and they died before I got there. I have seen people live when the doctors had given them no hope. I have been to wrecks and accidents where I have seen those that should have lived die and those that died that I thought would have lived.

I’ve seen children and infants die when older folks lived on, Life is short.

We all know or have heard of people living into their 90’s and even over 100 years and think, Wow they have been around a long time, some people when they get up in age say “my goodness where has the time gone, it seems like only yesterday when I was young. Life sneaks up on us and it is short. Methuselah lived to be 969 years old but even that amount of life is short compared to eternity.

2. Eternity is Long

? Suppose a sparrow took a drop of water in its beak from Kemper Lake and flew to Brandon and deposited it in the Ross Barnett reservoir. Then suppose that little sparrow repeated the process until it had emptied Kemper Lake. When this task was accomplished that would just be the beginning of eternity. We cannot fathom the length of eternity in our human mind, eternity is Long, its forever.

? Scripture is clear that our souls will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. In the presence of God or away from the presence of God. The description of heaven is wonderful and we know it will be so beautiful. It will be so great that even the best things we can imagine don’t do justice to how great it will be. The picture of Hell is quite the opposite, it’s a desolate place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

? The good news is that God has provided a way for us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven, and that way is through faith and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior.

3. Sin is Black

? The world is full of sin and we have all been contaminated and there is only one antidote. Sin is rebellion against God, Sin is breaking Gods law. Sin is doing wrong when we know we should do right.

? If we could journey through the halls of hell and talk to its inhabitants we would find all kinds of folk there. Thieves, murderers, good people and bad people, even respectable people. We would wonder why some were there at all. If you asked they would tell you we are here because we did not repent and receive Christ into our lives, we ignored our salvation.