GOOD NEWS FOR YOU. The Gospel Story. Promises to Hold Onto. Desmond Ford and Eliezer Gonzalez

Transcription

1 GOOD NEWS FOR YOU The Gospel Story Promises to Hold Onto Desmond Ford and Eliezer Gonzalez

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3 Good News For You Dr Desmond Ford and Dr Eliezer Gonzalez

4 Good News Unlimited Ltd 2016 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this work/publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, print, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Category: Religious/Christian life/inspirational ISBN: Biblical Quotations Where Bible passages have been referenced, the following translations have been used: The Living Bible, New Living Translation, Good News Translation, NET Bible, The Mesage, New International Version, English Standard Version, International Standard Version, Word English Bible. Where no Bible reference appears, the authors have paraphrased the original text.

5 Contents Someone Loves You 1 Our Problem, and God s Solution 3 God s Rescue Plan 7 Jesus: The Heart of the Gospel 11 Good News Spreads Fast 18 The Gospel in Action 20 The Christian Life 23 What Should I Do? 26 Living with the Gospel 34

6 God loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they ve done to our relationship with God (1 John 4:10).

7 1 Introduction Someone Loves You Christianity is about love, hope, and a bright future for everyone forever. Christianity s message is called the Gospel. The word means good news, and that s exactly what Christianity is: it s the wonderful news that there is a God who loves us, who died so God is love we can live forever; (1 John 4:16) a God who accepts us just as we are, and who doesn t demand that we become perfect before he gives us salvation. Christianity s God is a God of love. This book is all about the good news of God s love, what God has already done for you, and how it can change your life. The centre of Christianity is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this earth

8 2 good news for you to die on the Cross so that you, and every person in the world, can live forever in happiness and peace. Christianity is good news, not just for the world, but also for you as an individual. GOD LOVES ME not because I M GOOD but because HE S GOOD

9 3 Chapter One Our Problem and God s Solution The world is a mixture of trouble, sadness, beauty, joy and despair because our first parents disobeyed God and chose to live outside of his Law. There can only be true life in harmony with his Law, so death, misery and sadness descended on the world. But the message of Christianity is that God loved the people he had created so much that he made a plan to rescue everyone and bring us back to happiness and harmony with him. It s no wonder that Christianity is such a joyful message! It s good news because God has rescued us and he promises us life forever with him. What could be better?

10 4 good news for you Because of God s love, shown through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your life can be transformed and you can look forward to a joyful eternity with God. Let s start the Gospel story at the very beginning. We Made a Mess of Our Lives In the beginning, the Bible tells us, God created everything (Genesis 1:1). It was a perfect world. He God s love can created the first transform your people, Adam and life and you can Eve, and gave them look forward to everything they eternal life. needed for a happy and wonderful life. God wanted them to love him, but only if that love was freely given. So he allowed them to choose whether they would love, trust and obey him. You may eat the fruit of every tree in the garden, but one, God told them. It

11 Our Problem and God s Solution 5 is called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and it is in the centre of the garden. If you eat that fruit, you will die. The serpent, who was the devil in disguise, told them God was lying. You won t die, he said to Eve, and God knows it. He is afraid, because when you eat the fruit of that tree, you will really understand the difference between The wages of good and evil, just as sin is death, he does. You will be as but the free wise as God! gift of God is Now, that sounded eternal life very different to through Christ what God had told Jesus our Lord them, and it made (Romans 6:23). Eve wonder. She loved God and wanted to obey him, but she began to doubt. The serpent was very beautiful and the fruit looked delicious and harmless. Adam and Eve both ate the fruit, and

12 6 good news for you in that moment, they broke their loving, trusting connection with God. They suddenly became aware that they were naked, and they tried to hide from God. No one can ever hide from God, and the sinful pair was banished from the garden, because God cannot look on sin. Sin cuts people off from God s protection and from true life. God hadn t planned that people Sin cuts people should die, but death off from God s is the ultimate result protection and of sin. If Adam and from true life. Even had not sinned, they would have lived forever. But now they would die. If it were not for the love of God, that would have been the sad end to the story, and the world would have descended into misery and chaos, until life on earth was eventually wiped out. Now it s time to turn our attention to the good news of God s rescue plan.

13 7 Chapter Two God s Rescue Plan As we have seen, our lives are not an accident. We are here because God created us. He intended that we would live happy, fruitful lives forever, with his blessing and under his protection. We humans were made in God s likeness to reflect his glory and beauty. And we were to do this through love love for God and love for other people. But, as we ve already seen, disobedience got in the way, and people became separated from God. This could only lead to misery, sadness and death. The human race was condemned unless God could offer us a way back. We learn in the Bible that God always keeps the promises he makes. He shared his plan to save the world from sin with

14 8 good news for you many of his prophets, promising that a redeemer would come to save them. Hundreds of years later, God made another promise to King David, the first king of Israel. God promised that one day a son would be born to a descendant of David, a special son who would restore God s glory to the earth. These promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He had a human mother, Mary, who was a descendant of King David, but he had no human father, for he was the Son of God. He came to this earth for two reasons: to show God s glory and love to the world, and to pay the price to win back his people from the curse of sin. The Bible tells it very simply: God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

15 God s Rescue Plan 9 This is the best-known verse in the entire Bible, because it is the heart of the Bible s message, and the heart of the Gospel God s rescue plan. God s Solution The good news of Christianity is simple. God loves us. He made a plan to The very rescue the people moment we he had created and accept Jesus whom he still loved. sacrifice, God His solution was the declares us perfect solution, but righteous. it came at a great cost. God himself, through Jesus Christ, personally took the consequences of breaking his own Law, so that once the debt was paid, he could welcome back the wrongdoers. Because God has taken our punishment for us, we do not need to be punished. The very moment we accept Jesus

16 10 good news for you sacrifice, God declares us righteous, as if we had never sinned. He gives us salvation the moment we believe. This is what gives life meaning and happiness. Through his death on the Cross, Jesus has built a bridge back to God; he has saved our lives and can fill them with light and joy.

17 11 Chapter Four Jesus: The Heart of the Gospel You can read the story of Jesus life in the Gospels. His birth was a miracle; he had a human mother, but no human father, because God was his Father. Angels announced his humble birth in a stable. For the first thirty years of his life, he Today your was a carpenter, living Saviour is born quietly with his family. in the city of Then came the time David. He is to begin his ministry. Christ the Lord For three years, he (Luke 2:11). preached and taught in and around Jerusalem, announcing the good news that God s kingdom had arrived on earth. He healed the sick, he

18 12 good news for you raised the dead, and he taught people about the love of God. Jesus was completely different to other teachers and preachers. He upset the regular religious people and the important people in the church of the day. Instead of preaching that they must obey all the hundreds of religious rituals of the Jewish religion, Jesus had a new message. He told people about a different kind of relationship with God: Come to me all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you real rest (Matthew 11:28). I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By

19 Jesus: The Heart of the Gospel 13 this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, for God will satisfy them (Matthew 5:6). Whoever comes to me, I will never drive away (John 6:37). The religious leaders of the day were furious, because there was no role for them. People could simply believe and be accepted by God. What a joyful message! But Jesus also told them that God s Law was still important. It was just as important as ever to understand the difference between right and wrong, and to try to act in the right way. The difference was that Jesus didn t demand that people keep God s Law as a way of being right with God. He said that

20 14 good news for you he provided a way of being right with God that was available to all who believed in him. This is where the Gospel comes in. All this teaching was bad enough for the religious leaders, but when Jesus claimed to be God, they became really angry. They arrested him and put him through a trial, then condemned him to the worst kind of death known: crucifixion. Even while he suffered on the cross, Jesus demonstrated that he was God. In spite of his innocence, he freely forgave his murderers. The criminal hanging on the cross beside him recognised him as God and asked him: Remember me when you come into your Kingdom. In that moment, Jesus promised him: You will be with me in Paradise. It took only an instant for the criminal to receive salvation, and it s the same for you. Jesus carried on his shoulders the sins of every person who has ever lived; he bore the guilt of the entire world, so that

21 Jesus: The Heart of the Gospel 15 everyone who asks can be free of the curse of sin and death. Jesus physical suffering was terrible, but his spiritual suffering was even worse because he was cut off from God, his Father. He experienced a world without God and without Jesus bore hope. This was the the sins of the terrible blackness entire world, so that crushed the life that everyone out of him. who asks can After six hours of be free of the suffering on the cross, curse of sin Jesus gave a great and death. cry of victory: It is finished! Then he committed himself to his Father in death: Into your hands I give my spirit. The Roman soldiers came to check that he was really dead, and ran a spear through his side into his heart. The Bible tells us that blood and water flowed out. Jesus was buried by his friends and

22 16 good news for you disciples in a tomb nearby. His disciples had believed that he was the saviour of the nation, and they couldn t understand what had happened. Many of them just vanished and tried to return to their normal lives. On the morning of the third day after his death, Jesus friends arrived at the tomb to tend to All who trust his body, but they in Jesus discovered an sacrifice will empty tomb. Angels automatically at the entrance be part of God s announced to the kingdom. astonished women that Jesus had risen from the dead. For many weeks afterwards, Jesus appeared again and again to his disciples and other close friends. He reassured them, comforted them, and instructed them about what he expected of them. He told them that they had a great work to do for God, and he would send the Spirit

23 Jesus: The Heart of the Gospel 17 of God to be with them to give them the strength to carry it out. Their job? To tell the world about the good news of God s salvation. To announce to everyone that one day the sad, sinful world would end forever, and the perfect kingdom of God would begin. Their message? All who trust in Jesus sacrifice will automatically be part of God s kingdom.

24 18 Chapter Five Good News Spreads Fast News as good as this can t be held back. It spreads fast like wildfire. The first Christians were on fire with love for Jesus, gratitude to God for his amazing sacrifice, and excitement that their despair had been transformed into hope and joy. They didn t just tell the story of Jesus death and resurrection, wonderful as that was. Nor did they just recount the stories of his life and teaching, although they were important and inspiring. They explained why Jesus died and rose again. It wasn t just a plot by the religious leaders to get rid of a nuisance preacher. Sure, it was the crucifixion of an innocent man, but it was meant to be! This was God s plan to rescue all people from their sinfulness. Jesus death and

25 good news for you 19 resurrection was God s solution to the problem of sin. God treated Jesus, who was sinless, as if he was sinful, so that he could treat sinners as if they had never sinned. Jesus took the punishment for sin for everyone who has ever lived, so God can be just in forgiving sin and declaring sinners righteous. Jesus resurrection was the final proof that he had conquered sin and death as the Son of God. Once he had paid the price, Death could For by the not hold him. blood of Christ No wonder the we are set free, Gospel spread fast that is, our sins across the thenknown world. This are forgiven. How great is the was the best news grace of God! these people had ever heard, and they were prepared to live and die for their Saviour. And so it is today: Jesus wants everyone to hear the Gospel.

26 20 Chapter Six The Gospel in Action The religious leaders of Jesus day believed that everything they did would either earn them salvation or prevent them from earning salvation. They didn t want to hear that they were powerless to earn their own salvation. It s the same for us. Joining a church will not rescue you from sin, nor will leading a good life, nor helping people who are in trouble, nor attending church, although you will probably want to do all those things when you have accepted Jesus free gift of salvation. Jesus told a story to illustrate how salvation works. There were two men praying in church. One was a religious teacher, who spent his entire life making sure that he followed every rule of his

27 good news for you 21 religion. He even did more than was required, to make sure that he was better than other people. He was very smug about how good he was, so he chatted to God about it in a loud voice: I m really glad I m not like other people, he told God, glancing around and spotting a tax collector praying in a dark corner of the church. I fast twice a week and I give more generously than necessary to the church. The tax collector, on the other hand, was too timid even to lift his eyes towards heaven. All he When you truly could say to God believe in Jesus was this: God, sacrifice for you, be merciful to you will trust him me, a sinner! to stand before Jesus left no God in your place. one in any doubt about the outcome. God, he said, heard the sincere prayer of the tax collector, and gave him salvation, but turned away from the pride and arrogance of the religious

28 22 good news for you leader. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 18:14). So it is with us. We cannot do anything that will help to save us. The Bible tells us about the only thing we can do. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). If you truly believe in Jesus, you will trust him. You will trust him to stand before God in your place. You will trust him to cover your sinfulness with his perfect righteousness. And you will trust him to show you how to do his will. Jesus said: Don t be troubled. Believe in God and believe in me (John 14:1).

29 23 Chapter Seven The Christian Life When you say yes to Jesus, and accept his sacrifice, you become his follower a Christian. The Christian s life revolves around the Cross of Jesus. Jesus suffered and died on the Cross to pay the penalty for God s broken Law. The exact moment you ask Jesus into your heart is the exact moment Jesus saves you from Satan. Christians rejoice that they no longer live under a death penalty and that they already have salvation. But Jesus death hasn t removed us from this world. That will come later. Until then, the world is a mixture of sin, misery and death, as well as beauty and reminders of God s goodness. Some religions claim that if you are

30 24 good news for you good enough, you will be wealthy, have perfect health, and you will be able to have everything you want. But Christianity isn t a magic charm to protect us from pain and suffering. Accepting Jesus sacrifice isn t the end of Jesus suffered problems in this life. to prepare the Christianity is not a way for us to lottery ticket that live in perfect will make us rich. happiness, The Cross doesn t peace and joy mean that Jesus for eternity. suffered and died so we could avoid all the troubles of this life. The story of the Gospel reminds us that Jesus suffered more than we will ever need to suffer. He suffered to prepare the way for us to live in perfect happiness, peace and joy for eternity. We know that because of Jesus death and resurrection, we need not fear death, because it is not the end. We can look forward in faith to the time when he will

31 The Christian Life 25 return to raise those who have died in this life. The Gospel floods the world with light, and it gives meaning to life and death. It teaches us the meaning of death: death is not the end, and eternal life is waiting for everyone who accepts the true Gospel. How we think about death makes all the difference to how Death has no we live. Our lives can fear for the only find meaning in person who Christ. trusts Jesus. Jesus said I am the life, and I am the truth. He is the truth about all things, including life and death. The apostle Paul tell us: If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8).

32 26 Chapter Eight What Should I Do? The Apostle Paul wrote to the early Christians to help them understand the meaning of the Cross. Many of these letters became part of the Bible because they explain the meaning of the Gospel and the Christian life. Paul tells us that the Cross of Jesus doesn t just mean that Jesus died for us. It is also a symbol of how a Christian is dead to the world of sin and evil, and alive to salvation in Jesus and to living a life in harmony with God s Law. He wrote to the Roman Christians: Should we keep on sinning when we don t have to? For sin s power over us was broken when we became Christians and were baptised to become a part of Jesus Christ. Through his death, the power of your old

33 good news for you 27 sinful nature was shattered. It was buried with him when you were baptised, and when God brought Jesus back to life again, you were given his wonderful new life to enjoy (Romans 6:1-4). This is how a person comes to belong to Jesus. God s Law sees us on the Cross with Jesus as he pays the price for everyone s sins. God s Law sees us as new, perfect people because Jesus lived the perfect life. We re not under the control of sin and the devil any more. We ve given our lives to the perfect Jesus. Remember John 3:16: God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Love was the foundation of Jesus sacrifice for us. When we accept his sacrifice, love will also drive our lives: love for God and his Law, love for doing right, and love and respect for everyone around us. Life is good when we live it in the love of God.

34 28 good news for you The Cross symbolises the death of our old life. Because of Jesus sacrifice, we are free to praise God by choosing to live the life Jesus wants us to live. This means we ll choose to do the things Jesus did, and we ll reject the things he rejected. Jesus didn t mind that people mocked him, nor should we. He was patient even when people didn t appreciate him. He was kind to everyone, not just the people who were kind to him. Like Jesus, we must be content with little and expect to suffer much. We must follow his example and be guided always by love for God and everyone around us. Coping with Life s Pain The gospel also gives us a practical example of how we can cope with the trials of life. Jesus suffered, but he didn t suffer forever. He died, but he didn t remain in the grave forever. In spite of the darkness of those terrible hours on the Cross, Jesus kept the

35 What Should I Do? 29 vision of God and heaven in his heart, and it helped him to bear the pain and horror of that ordeal. Jesus knew God as his Father, so he knew how much God loved and cared for every living creature from tiny sparrows and beautiful children I am leaving you to evil men. with a gift peace Even though of mind and it felt as if God heart! And the had abandoned peace I give isn t him, he kept God s fragile like the words in his mind. peace the world On the Cross, he gives. So don t be quoted the Bible. troubled or afraid In the worst pain (John 14:27). and torment, he trusted God and never lost his faith. This is a wonderful example of how people who accept Jesus sacrifice on the Cross can live their lives. Our life on this earth prepares us for our eternal life with God. The trials and

36 30 good news for you problems we face are our own crosses. It s encouraging to think that they can never be as bad as the Cross Jesus suffered. If we truly accept the cross of life s troubles, it helps to take us closer to God. There s only one thing that has lasting meaning in this life, and that s the eternal life of perfection with God in heaven. Our trials help to keep our eyes on God s love and on the prize of eternal life in him. Remember that Jesus Cross was bearable to him because he lived in two worlds, not just one. Heaven and God were always in Jesus mind. In his first and last sayings on the Cross, he uses the word Father. He knew who he was, he knew his mission, and he knew he was not alone. Trusting God for the Journey Life is a long and sometimes painful journey. It s a rough road, and we never know what difficulties will be around the

37 What Should I Do? 31 corner. The great thing is that we don t need to worry about any of our troubles, either now or in the future. God tells us that all our troubles will eventually bring good to us. Eternal life for us is the prize that Jesus won on the Cross. Every Only day, every moment of eternal life life and every choice we with God make in thought, word has lasting or deed, is important. meaning. Everything has meaning and value, whether we are sweeping a room or preaching to a thousand people, because we are preparing for the kingdom of Christ. Paul s letters to the early Christians contain wonderful promises, such as this one: You have become a part of him (Jesus), so you died with him when he died and now you share his new life and shall rise as he did (Romans 6:5). Did you know that there are about three

38 32 good news for you thousand promises in the Bible? A promise is a statement telling someone that you will do something We know that in the future. When all things work people promise you together for something, you can t good to those be absolutely sure who love God they will keep their (Romans 8:38). promise, but when God makes a promise, you can trust it completely. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are confused, but not driven to despair. People might hunt us down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

39 What Should I Do? 33 This is why we never give up. Though our bodies will eventually die, our spirits have fresh hope every day. The troubles we have now are small and won t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that will last forever! So we don t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that can t be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we can t see will last forever (2 Corinthians 4: 16-18). The faithful love of the Lord never ends! The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. I called on your name, Lord, from deep in the pit. You heard me when I cried for help. Yes, you came when I called; you told me, Don t fear. Taken from Lamentations 3.

40 34 Chapter Nine Living with the Gospel Jesus made it very plain that God cares about what we do. God s Law is still the foundation of the universe. But the Gospel tells us that we can t be saved by trying to keep God s Law, because the Law demands perfection, and because of Adam and Eve s disobedience, none of us can possibly be perfect by ourselves. The only way we can be saved is by accepting Jesus sacrifice on the Cross. This is called being saved by grace God s gift. If we have accepted God s gift, it s natural that we will want to keep his Law. It s not possible for someone to accept the gift, but to continue to live a life that deliberately breaks God s Law. One of the best examples of how the Gospel works is the story of the criminal

41 good news for you 35 on the cross who asked Jesus for salvation. He couldn t do anything to make up for his crimes, because he was hanging on a cross. He did the only thing he could: he acknowledged he was guilty and asked Jesus for salvation. He believed the words of forgiveness and the promise that Jesus spoke to him. If you are serious about following God, you must keep your attention on him. Loving God isn t something you can do only when you feel like it. One day, a Jewish scholar asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment. Jesus didn t choose one of the Ten Commandments. He replied: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. He went straight on to say: The second is: You must love others as much as yourself. No other commandments are greater than these (Mark 12:30-31).

42 36 good news for you The only way you can obey this command is to fix our attention on Jesus. Turning Bad into Good Even through the pain and torment of the cross, Jesus was able to offer salvation to the criminal beside him. Both Jesus and the criminal let go of their own pain and suffering and looked outward to each other and to God. Focusing on God is a certain way to fill our lives with joy, even when we have pain and difficulty. There is usually something positive to be found, even in the worst situation. Doctors now know that people who think happy, positive thoughts are generally healthier and cope with illness better than those who focus on negative thoughts. Keep Things in Their Right Place Luke s Gospel tells us the story of Jesus visit to the home of his friends Lazarus,

43 Living with the Gospel 37 Martha and Mary. Mary sat at Jesus feet and listened to his message while Martha was getting everything ready for the meal. Martha was annoyed, and asked Jesus: Don t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the meal all by myself? Tell her to help me. Jesus said, Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. Only one thing is necessary. He was talking about our Love God with relationship with all you heart God, which Mary and love others as had put first. Jesus much as yourself wasn t saying that (Mark 12:30,31). they didn t need to eat, but he was reminding Martha that if we are to find happiness and fulfillment in this life, we must put God first. You can never lose God s love or his salvation while you have accepted Jesus sacrifice on the Cross. If you have this, you are truly wealthy: all the other things of

44 38 good news for you life don t make you rich and they can t make you happy. Conscience is our Life Vest If you were to fall overboard from a ship, you would be much safer if you were wearing a life vest while waiting to be rescued. God has given you a life vest, and it s called your conscience. He planted this instinct in your mind to help you distinguish good from bad. In the same way that a life vest can t lift you out of the water to save you, your conscience can t save you and it can t make you perfect. But when you stand perfect before God because of the Cross, your conscience helps you see the difference between right and wrong. Because of the Cross, you will want to choose right rather than wrong. The Bible s message is simple so simple that people sometimes don t believe it. In this life, we will always be sinners, but

45 Living with the Gospel 39 because we are constantly repentant and accepting Jesus sacrifice for us, we are perfect and sinless in God s eyes. This is the good news of the Gospel. The Joy of the Gospel The Gospel is a story about joy and love. It is just as exciting and joyful now as it was for the early Because of Christians. The the Cross, we gospel story isn t want to choose something to keep right rather quiet about. When than wrong. its joy hits us, we want to dance and sing, and tell everyone around us how wonderful it is. Matthew s Gospel says that finding out about the gospel is like learning that there s a pot of gold buried in some vacant land. The man who has found the pot of gold is so happy, he sells everything he has and buys the land so the gold will be his. The Gospel is the same: when we truly

46 40 good news for you see how wonderful it is, we ll be happy to give up the things that seem valuable so we can have what s truly valuable: salvation in Jesus Christ. As you read the Gospels, you can put yourself into every story. Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead: on the Cross he takes away your death sentence and gives you life instead. Jesus gave sight back to the blind man and hearing to the deaf Nothing man: through him, you is more can see and hear all the important beauty and wonder than our of God s love. Jesus relationship cured the man who with God. was paralysed: his love helps us walk God s path instead of the devil s. When you accept salvation through Jesus sacrifice, God sees that you are as perfect as Jesus. He declares you innocent. As you keep looking at Jesus on the Cross,

47 Living with the Gospel 41 you gradually become more like him and sin becomes less powerful in your life. This is sometimes called walking with Jesus, and it s the key to a joyful life. Always Joyful A joyful life doesn t mean we won t have troubles. In fact, we are sure to have troubles. In every Therefore, as one of our troubles, you received we can remember Christ Jesus that Jesus suffered the Lord, so more, but that he walk in him is alive and gives us (Colossians 2:6) the strength to cope with any problems in this life. The world can be a difficult place. You might be experiencing misery and trouble at this very moment. But when the light of the gospel shines, you see that your life is beautiful and valuable. It has a pattern and meaning, because you are perfect in God s sight and he cares about you.

48 42 good news for you The Christian message is one of hope and joy. The moment you accept it, your salvation is assured. This Gospel of Jesus love and salvation is the best story, the most beautiful picture, and the greatest song in the world. Make it yours today. don t give up because GOD s loveandgrace are there always and will never NEVER fail you

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52 GOOD NEWS FOR YOU The Gospel Story The news is good! Yes, there s a lot of bad news in the world, but the good news eclipses it. If you sometimes wonder whether life has any meaning or purpose, this book is for you. If you ever feel despairing and hopeless, this Good News will change that - forever. ISBN > goodnewsunlimited.com