A Matter Of Priority

            In our lives, there are certain issues to which we must pause and give careful consideration. One such issue is the question: “Why do we have to worship God?”
           Simply, it is because God is the Creator of the world and everything in it, including mankind. He is the Lord of heaven and earth.
          Human beings have always instinctively known this to be true. From ancient times, Eastern tradition and teachings, including ancient manuscripts, have acknowledged that “God begets man.” Confucianism teaches that “God created all creatures, but only man has spiritual life.”

          So the world is God’s creation and we are all His children. He has not only created us, but He is also responsible for maintaining the right conditions for us to live by regulating the earth’s rotation, the sun and moon’s orbits, the climate and harvest conditions so that we can have the right weather conditions, sufficient air, water and food to live....
          Throughout the history of the world, there have been many great men and women who have discovered many truths, achieved great things and passed their lessons on through the ages. However, these men and women were only human. They are not our Heavenly Father, nor are they our Creator. They are worthy of our respect, but not worthy of our worship.

          If we do not worship God, but instead worship something or someone else, we have sinned against God.

Dear Reader,
          In our daily lives, there is a simple truth that each of us rarely gives thought to, which is “Why am I here?”
          Is our existence a mere cosmic accident? A random evolutionary event? No!
          Nothing is more precious to God than human life.
          It must stand to reason that our presence on earth should also have significance and not merely an arbitrary incident.
          No one can say that they are in control of their life and destiny. No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. Only God knows.
          God knows all things in our lives. God knows all things about us, right down to the deepest and darkest corners of our soul. Why? Because He created each of us.
          God is the Creator. The Living God, the Heavenly Father, the Merciful Father, the Gracious Father. When we speak of one of these Names, it means that we are speaking of God.

          In creating us, God allowed us to live two distinct life spans:
          • Temporary life on earth; and
          • Eternal existence in either heaven or hell after life on earth.

          Living on earth lasts approximately one hundred years. This time should be used to prepare for the time of living eternally, after having passed away from the earth.
          During the time of earthly living, no one is perfect. Everyone sins. Sadness, pain and sorrow are the result.
          However, if our sins are forgiven while living on earth, we can enjoy a bountiful relationship with our loving Father, our God. When our time on earth has finished, we can live an eternal life of happiness with God in His kingdom.
          In contrast, during the time of living on earth, if our sins are not forgiven, we will not experience the joy of closeness with our loving Father, our God. When our earthly lives have passed, we will have to live separately from our loving Father forever and be forever punished because of our unrepented sins.
          God is holy, if our sins are not forgiven; He cannot and will not allow us to live with Him in His kingdom.
          When God created us, He wished for each of us to have a close and meaningful relationship with Him as Father and children.
          But regretfully, whether intentional or not, we did not obey God’s wishes. Instead, we wilfully choose to walk our own path that leads ever deeper into sin. We then become caught in a vicious cycle - the more we sin, the further we move away from God, and the more we sin.
          However, God is our loving Father. Even as we have sinned, He still loves us and He is willing to forgive us of our sins. More than that, He is willing to accept us as we are, if we agree to repent of our sins and acknowledge ourselves as His children.
          If you want to return to our loving Father, what should you do? Read on and you will find the answer to this question.

          Let’s pause for a moment and consider the following questions.
          1. Are you accepted by our heavenly Father? Or are you still far from Him? Are you wondering if your life has any meaning? What will happen to your soul when you die?
          If these questions have been vexing you, or they are giving you food for thought, please keep on reading. The answers you will discover within this booklet will change your life, because the answers have been revealed by none other than God Himself .

          2. Have you confessed your sins and God has forgiven you? If yes, you are blessed to have received the greatest gift ever given in the history of mankind.
          Please continue reading so that you can learn more about God to witness His Salvation to those who do not yet know Him, so that they can also experience the sweet love that God has reserved for them.

          3. If you have already received the salvation of God, have you witnessed to anyone? Have you made an effort to learn God’s Word? Why not? Why do you keep silent? Does not God command that we also tell others about His love for them?

          Let’s continue.

ABOUT GOD

I. DO YOU THINK THERE IS A GOD?
          God created humans with a conscience so that we can acknowledge God, although we cannot see God. Such acknowledgment is unconscious but is universal across all different cultures. For example, Vietnamese people say, “Trời ơi!” English speaking people say, “Oh my God!” Jewish people say, “Oh Jehovah!”
          What are other examples of the encompassing existence of God?
          • Farmers in Vietnam regularly call upon God that, “Please God, give me rain so that I can live, so that I can plough my rice fields to have a full harvest, so that I can fill my rice bowls at home...”
          • In the innermost parts of their heart, men and women know that “There is a God.” If a person does something bad, even in secret, they will be afraid that God will know and will punish them.
          • In their daily lives, people know that the food they eat ultimately comes from God (because He allows the rice and wheat to grow), the water they drink comes from God and the very air they breathe belongs to God.
          • The saying is that “When God calls, we say yes”. Life and death is in God’s hands and we have no choice in the matter.
          • When we look and observe the universe and the earth and everything in it, we must acknowledge that there must be a great and all-powerful Creator who created everything.
          • The house in which we live did not naturally exist. It was built by a builder. So how can the heavens and earth and everything in it be self-existing? They had to have been created by an all-powerful God.
          • The “Big Bang” theory proposes that the universe began in one instant from one matter. The question is “Who created the initial matter and who provided the initial energy for the Big Bang?” The clear and direct answer is God.

II. GOD IS THE CREATOR

          The Bible confirms that God is the Creator, because He made all things.
          1. The Bible says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27).
          2. The Bible says, “The LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” (Exodus 20:11a).

ABOUT THE SOUL

I. DOES MANKIND HAVE A SOUL? WHY?

1. Mankind has a soul
          Scientists tell us that humans and animals are made up of various basic chemical compounds and contain more than 65% water.
          If humans have no soul, we are not in any way different to animals and should have no more value than the household domestic cat or dog.
          But in fact everyone has an instinctive knowledge that they are very different and much more valuable than animals.
          This is because each of us has a soul, which is due to God granting humans reason, sentiment and wisdom to know Him.

2. The soul is precious
          Civilised society places a critical value on the sanctity of human life, but this accounts only for the physical presence of human beings.
          However, God looks upon the soul as the most critical and important part of a person. The Bible says, “The body without the spirit is dead,” (James 2:26).
          When a person dies, his/her soul will leave his/her body, resulting in decay of the body within a short period of time. That person’s relatives must then bury or cremate the body, irrespective of how much that person is loved or whether the relatives want to keep that person close to them.

3. The soul is the breath of life
          • The prophet Jeremiah says, “As the LORD lives, who made our souls.” (Jeremiah 38:16 RSV).
          • The prophet Isaiah has written, “The high and lofty One says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “the breath of man that I have created.” (Isaiah 57:15-16).
          • The Lord Jesus had the final word about the soul. “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
          The phrase “forfeits his soul” refers to a soul that is subject to eternal punishment in Hell.

II. DO WE NEED TO SEE TO BELIEVE?

          It seems logical to say “I will believe it when I see it”.
          We often tell ourselves that we will believe in God or acknowledge the existence of a soul, when we can see one or both.
          Yet... let’s consider some examples of things we believe in right now, but cannot see or feel:

          i) We know that our parents love us, but cannot see their love.
          ii) We can feel our conscience and logic, but cannot see it.
          iii) We cannot see oxygen, but without it we will die.
          iv) We cannot see the wind, but we feel its presence.
          v) We cannot see the electrons flowing through a wire, but without it our appliances would not work.

          In this world, there are many things that exist outside of our sight or hearing or consciousness, but that does not stop us from believing in their existence.
          When we consider the orderliness of the universe, the smooth interaction between the sun and moon and earth, the intelligence of mankind, the most stubborn of us must acknowledge deep in our hearts that there is a God who is responsible for it all.

ABOUT THE BIBLE

I. HISTORY OF THE BIBLBE:

          The Bible is made up of 66 different books, written by 40 different authors, spanning a period of 1,590 years.
          The various authors who wrote the books comprising the Bible did not write according to their own thoughts or ideas. They wrote these books under the divine guidance and inspiration provided by the Holy Spirit of God.
          The Bible is divided into 2 distinct parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament.
          The Old Testament is God’s promise to mankind through the Jewish people.
          The New Testament is God’s promise to mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ.
          The Bible is the best-selling book of all times and has the largest readership audience in the world.
          The Bible has been translated into more than 420 languages. The New Testament has been translated into over 1,100 languages.
          The first book of the Bible is Genesis and was written by Moses about 3,500 years ago. The last book of the Bible is Revelations and was written by the Apostle John about 1,915 years ago.
          Amazingly, even though the Bible was written thousands of years ago, it is never out-of-date. The messages contained in its pages continue to resonate today because the Bible is the Living Word of God for all ages, as “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16).

II. THE WRITERS OF THE BIBLE:

          The many writers of the various books in the Bible were different people, who lived in different times, had different careers and experienced different situations.
          And yet, when collected and read together, all their writings miraculously harmonised, with one central theme - the amazing love of God and His way to save sinners.
          We can briefly explore the background of some of the different writers of the Bible as:
           - Moses who grew up as a prince of Jewish blood in the palace of an Egyptian king. He wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, in approximately the year 1440 BC.
           - Joshua who was a Jewish general. He wrote the book Joshua, in about the year 1390 BC.
           - Samuel who was firstly a student in the Jewish temple and then became a Priest. He wrote the 2 books of Samuel in about the year 930 BC.
          - Solomon who was one of the greatest Jewish kings. He wrote the book Ecclesiastes in about the year 910 BC.
          - Amos who was a shepherd. He wrote the book Amos in about the year 755 BC.
          - Isaiah who was a Jewish prophet. He wrote the book Isaiah in about the year 710 BC.
          - Daniel was a Jewish prisoner exiled in Babylon, Iraq. He wrote the book Daniel in about the year 537 BC.
          - Nehemiah was a Governor. He wrote the book Nehemiah in about the year 435 BC.
          - James was the younger brother of Jesus. He wrote the book James in about the year AD 47.
          - Paul was a Lawyer. He wrote many books of the New Testament, including the books to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Thessalonians, etc, in about the year AD 58.
          - Matthew was a tax collector. He wrote the book Matthew in about the year AD 60.
          - Luke was a Doctor. He wrote the book Luke and Acts about the year AD 60.
          - John who was a fisherman and a disciple of Jesus. He wrote 4 books named John and Revelation in about the year AD 90.

III. JESUS FULFILLED THE BIBLICAL PROPHECIES

          Before Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago, His arrival and the miraculous circumstances of His birth was predicted by prophets who lived more than 750 years earlier.
          The birth of Jesus completely fulfilled these prophecies, some examples as follows:

1. The Prophet Micah:
          Micah lived more than 750 years before the birth of Jesus. He prophesied that Jesus will be born in a small Jewish town as “You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:1-2).
          This prophecy was fulfilled and recorded by Matthew as “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,” (Matthew 2:1).

2. The Prophet Isaiah:
          Isaiah was an important prophet in Jewish history. He lived about 700 years before the birth of Jesus and prophesied about the virgin birth of Jesus as “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14).
          This prophecy was fulfilled and recorded in the book of Luke as being “How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34).
          Isaiah also prophesied about the death of Jesus that, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.” (Isaiah 53:9).
          When Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death by crucifixion, it was recorded by Luke that “they crucified Him, along with the criminals--one on His right, the other on His left.” (Luke 23:33).
          At that time there was a rich man named Joseph who had made ready for himself a tomb “that he had cut out of the rock.” (Matthew 27:60).
          After Jesus had died on the Cross, Joseph asked for permission to bury the body of Jesus in the tomb that Joseph had built for himself. In effect, this act completely fulfilled the prophesy made by Isaiah more than 700 years earlier that Jesus will be buried in the place of a rich man.
          These are just some examples of the many other prophesies that are recorded in the Bible (totalling 333), but which cannot be fully recounted in this booklet for reasons of brevity, but suffice to say that all 333 prophecies were completely fulfilled by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

ABOUT MANKIND

I. MANKIND IS CREATED BY GOD

1. God created man:
          The Bible states that “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7).

2. Man was given his own slice of heaven:
          The Bible says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden.” (Genesis 2:7).
          The man was called Adam. At the time of putting him in the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam a clear command: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17).
          But Adam chose to ignore God’s command and ate this forbidden fruit. In doing so, he disobeyed a direct order from God and committed a sin that carries a sentence of death as God had previously warned Adam.

II. MANKIND COMMITS MORE SINS:

          When Adam chose to ignore God’s command and ate the forbidden fruit, he lost his close and special relationship with God. The Bible recorded that, “The man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?” He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." (Genesis 3:8-10).

1. Examples of sins common to all mankind
          After disobeying God and then hiding from Him, Adam and his wife, were banished from the Garden of Eden. Their children and descendents (the whole human race) began to commit more and more sins, such as, “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Galatians 5:19-21).
          To make matters worse, humans “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. They... worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator.” (Romans 1:19-25).
            There are many man-made religions where animals such as tigers, snakes, monkey, cows, whales, sharks, etc, are worshipped as gods. Other religions worship this man, or that woman. But God, who alone created all things, is not worshipped by all.

2. Instinctive confession to sin
          Everyone will admit, either publicly or privately, that “No-one is perfect.” Everybody knows that “I have many mistakes.” No-one can say with certainty that “I am perfect.” Even if they do, no one will take their declaration seriously.
            This is because all of us know that we have sins in our lives or have committed sins similar to the list previously described in Galatians 5:19-21.

3. Confucius says…
          Confucius, who is perhaps the most famous of all Chinese philosophers, had to admit “I have not seen any perfect man”, after having traveled extensively and taught many disciples throughout ancient China.

4. The Bible says…
          The Bible is unequivocal about the issue. “There is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalms 14:3).
          “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8).
          “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

CONSEQUENCES OF SIN

          God is absolutely holy and cannot ignore sins. As mankind have sinned, they have to be punished.

I. THE FEMALE IS PUNISHED

          Eve was the first person to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit. Afterwards, God said to her that, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (Genesis 3:16).

II. THE MALE IS PUNISHED

          Adam was the second person to disobey God by listening to his wife and ate the forbidden fruit. Afterwards, God said to him that, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19).

III. THE EARTH IS CURSED 

          God said to man, “Cursed is the ground because of you.” (Genesis 3:17). This is the reason for natural disasters (eg. floods, fire, earthquakes, droughts, etc) taking place at random times and not sparing any particular section of human society.

IV. CREATION IS AFFECTED 

          As a consequence of the sins of mankind, “Creation was subjected to frustration...The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:20-22).

V. MANKIND MUST BE SEPARATED FROM GOD

          The most terrible consequence for mankind after sinning against God is that we loses the close relationship of Father and children with God and must be separated from God.
          When Adam and Eve sinned, “God banished him from the Garden of Eden” (Genesis 3:23).
From that time mankind became far from God but regretfully, mankind did not repent or turn back to God.
          Instead, mankind continued to commit many other sins, so much so that, “your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2).

THE SOURCE OF LIFE

          The Bible teaches us that God is “the fountain of life.” (Psalms 36:9).
          Jesus says that, “I am the life.” (John 14:6).
          The Lord “Himself gives all men life and breath” (Acts 17:25).

1- The meaning of the word “life” in the Bible
          The Bible says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36).
          The word “life” in the Bible has 3 different meanings:

a. Physical life:
          When a person is alive, their soul is united with their body. This means they have “life” in their body and their body lives.

b. Spirit life:
          When a person is alive and repents and believes in God during their time of living on earth, their sins are forgiven and their spirit is “alive”, having a close relationship with God.

c. Eternal life:
          When a person who has an “alive” spirit dies, their soul will leave their physical body and go to heaven to live eternally with God.

2 - The meaning of the word “death” in the Bible:
          The Bible teaches God’s command that, “For every living soul belongs to me,…The soul who sins is the one who will die." (Ezekiel 14:8).
          Like “life”, the word “death” in the Bible has 3 different meanings:

a. Physical death
          When a person dies, their soul is separated from their body, which will decay and disintegrate to dust.

b. Spirit death:
          When a person is alive and does not repent or believes in God during their time of living on earth, their sins will not be forgiven and their spirit will be “dead”, as they will not have a close relationship with God.

c. Eternal death:
          When a person who has a “dead” spirit dies, their soul will leave their physical body and go to hell and be separated from God forever, “and shut out from the presence of the Lord.” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
          When people commit sins, it takes them far away from God, who is the Source of Life and also the Source of Blessings. Even though people may engage in everyday activities, they cannot have God’s blessings for their endeavours and they cannot get the peace of mind, as the Bible says, “Your sins have deprived you of good.” (Jeremiah 5:25b).

3. Sentence for sin:
          The Bible clearly states that “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).
          “Death” in this instance means not only the physical death of the body, but also the death of the spirit and the existence of eternal separation from God and punishment in hell.
          A person can be extremely rich and have everything in this world, but if their sins have not been forgiven by God, they cannot have the peace of mind or true happiness, because this person is “spiritually” dead.

4. Can a person redeem their sins through their own actions?

        In the presence of an absolutely holy God, everyone must confess that, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6).
          For any words or actions that make us think “We are good and worthy”, it can never satisfy the standards of God and is as useless as dirty rags in His sight.
          The ancient philosophers recognized that, “If you do good all your life, it is never enough - one malicious deed will surpass it all." (1).

          This still holds true today. Consider - We try not to break the law all our lives. But if one day, we were to break the law once, we will still receive a punishment notwithstanding all the other times that we observed the law.

          Let’s consider an example.
          A man has dedicated his whole life to performing charitable acts. He volunteers for good causes, uses his own car and pays for petrol with his own money to take many invalid patients to doctors and hospitals free of charge.
          One day, in a moment of inattention, he runs a red traffic light and his car hits a pedestrian, but luckily causing only bruising and a broken leg. The man (driver) is sued by the pedestrian and goes to court.
          The judge asks the man, “Were you responsible for the injuries to this pedestrian?”
          The man answered, “Yes, sir. But I have been using my car for many years and have helped many people in need. I acknowledge that it was my mistake, but the pedestrian is unharmed except for one broken leg. Surely all the good deeds I have done in the past are worth more than a broken leg?”
          The judge replied, “No, you have broken the law, you have done the crime and now you must be punished in accordance with the law.”
          This simple example illustrates the point that God has given mankind certain laws and they are not meant to be broken. Once mankind has committed a sin against God, they fall short of His holy standards and are no longer good enough to make amends for their sins by themselves.
          But in having fallen short of God’s standards and expectations, must all mankind be cursed by God and be banned to the eternal fires of hell in punishment for their sins?

GOD’S SOLUTION - SALVATION

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

I. ABSOLUTE PRINCIPLE – THE PRICE OF SIN IS DEATH

          As children, we must obey the rules laid down by our parents. As students, we must obey the rules of our school. As adults, we must obey the rules of our workplace, or society.
          If we break these rules, or act against them, there is a price to pay. We may be grounded as children, expelled from school as students, or lose our job or imprisoned in jail as adults.
          So it is with God and our sins. We have been given certain rules that God want us to follow (eg. do not lie, do not steal, do not worship other gods, do not blaspheme, etc).
          When we do not follow these rules, or break them, we have sinned against God, and we must pay a price for it. God is very clear and adamant about it, “For every living soul belongs to me...The soul who sins is the one who will die." (Ezekiel 14:8).
          As God is holy, the price He demands for sins against Him is absolute. Death is the only price acceptable and sufficient to pay for a sin against God.
          The Bible clearly confirms God’s position on sins that, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22).
          Why must blood be shed? Because blood is essential to life, “For the life of a creature is in the blood.” (Leviticus 17:11).

II. JESUS – THE PERFECT REDEMPTION

          God is just. He has said that if we sin, we must be punished. But at the same time, He also loves us as His children and does not want us to suffer, because He knows that, like the man who ran over the pedestrian, there is nothing we can do that is good enough to redeem our sins in His sight.
          But if our sins demand a perfect price of redemption, and if we are not good enough to provide it, what can be done?
          In His love and mercy, God decided to provide an alternative solution to save sinners from death, which is to send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is perfect in every way, into the world to die in our stead.
          This act is the central theme of Christianity. “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).
          The Bible is confirming that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1Timothy 1:15).

III. JESUS LIVED AN INNOCENT LIFE

          During the time Jesus lived on earth, He spoke out against injustices and made enemies amongst the leaders of society at that time because He was not afraid to point out their faults and hypocrisy.
          These leaders of society were in turn envious and afraid of Jesus. They schemed and plotted to have Jesus arrested and sent to Governor Pilate, who held the power of life and death over Jewish society at that time.

1. The Decision to Crucify Jesus:
          After considering the false charges and accusations levelled against Jesus, Governor Pilate was not able to find Him guilty, as recorded by Luke “Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man." (Luke 23:4).
          Several times, Governor Pilate contemplated releasing Jesus because He was not guilty of any wrongdoing, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." (John 19:4).
          But the Jewish leaders of society were extremely concerned that their best-laid plans will be for nothing, so the final time that Jesus was brought out before them, the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." (John 19:6).
          Right to the end, the person (Governor Pilate) with the ultimate responsibility for making the final judgment as to the guilt or innocence of Jesus did not find any fault with Him.

2. Bible attests to Jesus’ innocence:
          • Saint Peter speaks of Jesus as, "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:22).
          • Saint John says that, “in him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:5b).
          • Saint Paul says that Jesus is the one, “who had no sin.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
          • The writer of the book Hebrews says that the Lord Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).

IV. JESUS VOLUNTEERED TO DIE:

          So was Jesus arrested and crucified because He was overpowered by the guards and soldiers of the society leaders at that time? Or did He willingly allow Himself to be taken, beaten, shamed, and crucified?
          If we have to ask this question, then we do not know Jesus, or understand His nature. He is a man, born of woman, but also the Son of God.
          Amongst His many miracles, Jesus raised his friend, Lazarus, after he had been buried for 4 days. The Bible recorded that at his tomb, “Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face” (John 11:43-44).
          Another time, Jesus said to a fig tree, “May you never bear fruit again! Immediately the tree withered.” (Matthew 21:19).
          On one occasion when Jesus was in a boat with his disciples and they were caught in a raging storm at sea, Jesus “rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” (Mark 4:39).
          Therefore, who can capture or kill Jesus without His permission? If He wanted to stop them, Jesus could have said one word and all the soldiers and guards who were there to take Him into custody would have dropped dead immediately.
          But that was not part of God’s plan. Jesus volunteered to die because He was fully aware that His death was for the redemption of our sins and to do so meant that “I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:15).
          We have previously read that in God’s judgment, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” So it was part of His divine plan that Jesus should volunteer to be crucified and shed His blood until the very last drop to atone for all sinners for all time. This is why the Bible says, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1John 1:7b).
          Jesus died for us so that we can have life.
          But God’s plan did not end with the death of Jesus. The good news is that He did not die forever...

V. JESUS HAS DEFEATED DEATH TO GUARANTEE US LIFE

          After Jesus was crucified and died on the Cross, His body was buried in a tomb.
          On the third day, Jesus conquered Death by arising from the dead and walked triumphantly out of the tomb.
          The Bible makes it clear that, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
          Jesus lived to guarantee His salvation for us.
          In the name of Jesus, we will be raised by God in the Day of Judgment when Jesus will return to this world.
          At that moment, “with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of Go... the dead in Christ will rise first,” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). For those who believe, we will be caught up together with them to meet God in his Kingdom and we will live in heaven with Jesus for eternity.

VI. JESUS LIVES TO MAKE US A PROMISE

          In all human history, there is only one person who has claimed to triumph over death. That person is Jesus. He has risen from the dead to promise that we too can defeat death.
          Jesus has made us this promise, “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40).
          “The Father raises the dead and gives them life; even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” (John 5:21).

VII. JESUS LIVES TO PROVE HIS POWER TO GIVE LIFE

          The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He rose again from the dead after three days.
          In the Bible, there are stories of people who have been raised from the dead through God’s powers given to the prophets, or by Jesus. But none of those people have claimed to be God, or claimed that they can grant everlasting life and power over death to those who believe in them.
          Only Jesus has made this claim and has this power. Only Jesus is the Saviour of the world, as the Bible has confirmed that, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved." (Acts 4:12).
          To believe in Jesus, or to be saved by Him, is to be forgiven of our sins and will no longer be punished for the sins we commit in the eternal fires of hell.
          Once we have believed in Jesus, we will become the children of God and will live eternally with Him in His Kingdom.

VIII. JESUS HELPS US TO HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

          God is absolutely holy.
          Although He loves us as His created children, He has to separate Himself from us because of the sins we commit.
          The more we are separated from God, the more sins we commit, and the further we move away from God. The cycle keeps on repeating until we die and then our souls will have to face eternal punishment.
          Let us imagine that a deep abyss exists between God and mankind.
          God is on one side and we are on the other – God’s side is holy and our human side is sinful.
The two sides are so far apart because of the sins committed by mankind, that no matter how hard we try, we can never be righteous enough to approach God.
          Into this abyss steps Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God and He is the only person in all human history that is completely sinless and innocent in God’s sight. Therefore, only Jesus can act as a bridge between the holy God and sinful man.
          This is the reason why the Bible says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1Timothy 2:5).

 IX. SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

          If we believe and confess that Jesus died on the Cross to redeem our sins, God will forgive our sins.
          Once we have made the commitment to call the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit of God will help us to begin and maintain a close personal relationship with God. We will be allowed to call God our heavenly Father.
          The Bible teaches us to believe in Jesus, because “to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12). How blessed we are to have this privilege!
          I would like to provide a quick testimony about my own life and my personal experiences in following the Lord Jesus Christ.
          He has blessed me so much that hopefully his blessings will be evident in my testimony, to help you come to your own decision to follow Jesus.
          In fact, anyone who really believes in Jesus will also be able to share with you the abundant blessings in their own lives.
          I was born into a Christian family. When I was 12 years old, I decided to accept the Christian message that Jesus died on the Cross to save me. At that time, I prayed to the Lord to forgive my sins and asked Him to accept me as His child. I was also baptized in that same year.
          During my formative years, the Vietnam War was raging all around me. I grew up in battle, and matured in war.
          Leading up to the end of the war in 1975, everyday of my life was surrounded by the sounds of war and gunfire and heavy fighting. Many times, death brushed by in short distance to me.
          One time, when I was travelling by coach from Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, back to my hometown of Rachgia, the coach was caught up in a heavy crossfire between the North and South Vietnamese armies. In my mind’s eye, I can still see the dead bodies from that battle lying by the roadside.
          Another time, I was an administrative officer attending a village meeting in the local community hall with approximately one hundred people. A bomb had been placed in the hall and when it exploded, there were nine people injured and five others died around me, yet I emerged unscathed.
          Even though I was living in a war zone, I was always at peace because I had placed my faith in God. I was reassured that “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalms 23:4).
          Although I did not want to die, I was not afraid of death, as I knew that if I were to die, “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
          When the Vietnam War ended in April 1975, I found myself on the losing side, but still alive and surviving, despite the war having lasted for thirty years, all of my adult life. I thank God for his great mercy and love.
          From that time to now, my family and I have been tested many times. I was sent to prison for 6 years because I was on the losing side of the war. My family had to leave Vietnam as boat people. We came to Australia as humanitarian refugees and had to rebuild our lives from nothing. Through it all, we relied on God as our source of refuge and strength, and found that God is Gracious, Almighty and Loving. He has always provided us with everything we needed.
          As it is written in the book of Psalms, I believe that, “No one whose hope is in [God] will ever be put to shame.” (Psalms 25:3).
          I often sit back and consider the blessings God has granted to my family and me, including my wife, myself, three children, one daughter-in-law and one son-in-law (my youngest son remains single). Whenever we can, our family reunions are full of joy and laughter, and we always give thanks to God, because of His great love for us. He has led my family every step of the way to receive his Blessings on a daily basis.
          Now that I am retired, I have lots of time to look back in retrospect and consider my life of following God for more than fifty years.
          Although there were dangers on numerous occasions, grinding poverty and uncertain times, I can also see clearly many blessings.
          I do not have enough words to give praise to God for all the good things He has done for my family and me.
          Many times, I have sinned against Him. And yet, He has mercifully forgiven me and generously allowed me to continue to follow Him.
          God has supplied me when I was needy. He stayed with me when I faced misfortune. He comforted me when I lose heart. He cared for me when I was hurt. He consoled me when I felt hopeless. He showed me the way when my faith was caught in an impasse...
          God has been so graceful to me and has blessed me for all of my life, so that I can truthfully say that I have had a fully blessed life on earth.
          I know that one day I will leave this world to go to the place of my Saviour Jesus Christ, who loves me and sacrificed His life for me. I will live with Him forever, as He has promised to me that, “you also may be where I am.” (John 14:3b).
          I cannot give thanks enough to the Lord Jesus, that by His blood, I have been so blessed in this life and in the next life as well.
          Dear reader, by the grace of Jesus Christ and His salvation, a normal person like me can have so many blessing in life.
          The blessing of God is not reserved for a particular person, but for all people who are willing to believe in Jesus. He said, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (John 6:37).
          Dear reader, if you haven’t done so, you should accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savour at this very moment. If you do so, God will shower His blessings upon you in this life and also in the next.
          The Lord Jesus Christ will never refuse you. Please do not refuse Him.

XI. DEATH SPARES NO MAN.

          Dear reader, everyone has to face their mortality sooner or later. Death will come to us all, whether we like it or not.
          After we breathe our last, “the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
          When we die, our bodies will decay and disintegrate. Our souls will be called before our Creator.
          The Bible confirms that, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27).
          Death is not the end. It is just a transition to the next life. After we die, our souls will be called to judgment in front of God.
          Anyone who is found innocent (has committed no sins) will be given everlasting life. Anyone who is found guilty (have committed sins) will be punished in the fires of hell for all eternity.
          Dear reader, are you perfect? Have you done something wrong to others, even in secret? Are you a sinner before God, who is your holy Creator?
          A person will be judged by God according to what they have done on earth. If they have sinned, they will be sentenced to spend eternity in hell – without any parole period. A fate too terrible to imagine!
But all is not lost…..God has prepared a salvation plan for you.
          The plan is that you should believe in Jesus as your personal Saviour, because Jesus “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,” (Revelation 1:5-6).
          On the Cross, Jesus bore all the punishment of our sins, in order to redeem us from all our wickedness. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1).

XII. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE IN JESUS?

          The Bible teaches us that we cannot save ourselves through our own efforts.
          Salvation is therefore a precious gift of God. He gives it freely to whoever believes in His Son, Jesus Christ.
          Salvation from God cannot be exchanged for good works or charitable acts of man.
          The Bible clearly states that salvation is “the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
          So to “believe” in Jesus means:
          i) That you confess you are not a perfect person.
          ii) That you admit you are a sinner before God.
          iii) That because of your sins, you deserve to be punished.
          iv) That Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has no sin, died on the Cross in your stead (1Corinthians 15:3).
          v) That you accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord of your life. What does this mean? Imagine that your heart is a throne. Previously you were sitting on that throne, in control of your life. Now, you invite the Lord Jesus to sit there instead, and be in control of your life from now on.
          vi) That you agree to repent and turn away from your sinful ways to follow Jesus.
          In accepting Jesus, you will not lose anything, or have anything to lose. You are accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour so that you can be forgiven by God right now.
          When buying a car, the first thing a clever person will do is to buy insurance to mitigate the risk of something happening to it and losing the car.
          If a car is worthy of buying insurance, what about your soul? How much is it worth? Do you have insurance for your soul?
          Believe in Jesus and accept Him so that He can insure your soul for eternal salvation and an eternal life with Him in the kingdom of God.
          A song made famous by Joe Cocker starts with “Who knows what tomorrow brings?”
          The Bible says that “a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23).
          This is why the Bible goes further and teaches that, “now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
          A proverb common to all cultures and race tells us that, “Do not delay today, what needs to be done tomorrow.”
          Indeed, “who knows what tomorrow brings?”

XIII. BELIEVING IN JESUS

          If you wish to accept and believe in Jesus right now, you can say the following words, either silently or aloud:
“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. I believe that your Son, the Lord Jesus died on the Cross to pay my debt. I now accept that the Lord Jesus is my Saviour and my Lord. Please forgive my sins and save me. Please accept me as your child. I thank you. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. A-men.”
          If you say these words sincerely with all your heart and believe in their meaning, the Lord Jesus has promised that, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” (John 6:47).
          In repenting of your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour, you have received the salvation and eternal life promised to believers. The Bible teaches that, “all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12).

          Congratulations! You are now a child of God, a part of His family.

          Please find a Christian Church near you and go there to see a Pastor to ask and learn more about the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
          May God, our Loving Father, grant you health, peace and blessings in the days to come. May He guide you and keep you on the road He has reserved for you.

Rev Thanh Huu Tran

msthanh18@hotmail.com