Have you ever been somewhere to stargaze?

It’s hard to find good places to look at stars in Florida. In order to see and appreciate the stars you have to wait for the darkest time at night and find a place with no light. Stars can’t be seen during the day and can only be appreciated in the darkest conditions. Similarly, In order to appreciate the Gospel, what Jesus has done for us, we must understand the dark backdrop of why Jesus came to die.

In order to understand the Good news, we need the bad news

The bad news is that we are all sinners in need of a savior. The bible teaches that we were dead in our trespasses and in our sins. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves! The Bible says we are in rebellion against God. We were headed to hell because of our sin. The wages of sin is death, meaning that the payment for our sin is death. Many people want a world free from sin, they want God to get rid of sin once and for all. But if God were to do that he would have to get rid of us all, for all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory!

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

What is the good news then?

The good news is the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact the word gospel means good news. The gospel is best summed up in this verse: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus, the son of God, loved us so much, that he gave his life up willingly for our sins. He who knew no sin became our sins on the cross, that we might become the righteousness of God!

Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

So what must I do to be saved?

This is a very good question! Many people, when they heard about Jesus, asked this same question! The answer is simple, nothing. There is nothing I can do to be saved. Jesus is the savior, he is the only one who can save and salvation is found in no other name but Jesus. You do not need to do anything. The only thing Jesus wants from us is to humble ourselves, know that we are a sinner and that we can’t do anything to earn God’s affection. When our heart is humbled by God’s grace and mercy, we are able to stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting in the one who can save us. We place our trust in Jesus because he alone has the power to save. Trusting in Jesus allows us to turn away from the life of sin we were on and turn towards following Christ. This is called repentance. We must turn away from sin and turn towards Jesus, the author of our salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-10“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

God chose you

The decision to follow Jesus is so encouraging because we know that before you decided to follow him, He decided to choose you to follow him. It wasn’t us who first loved God, but that he first loved us. So before we talk about what it means to follow Jesus, be encouraged that God has chosen you and this good work that he has started in you, he will bring it to completion.

Ephesians 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

What does it mean to be saved?

Your response to follow Jesus came from a heart that desires to be rescued. After all isn’t that what being saved is all about? To be saved we are admitting we are in trouble and in need of saving. The Bible teaches us that if we place our trust in Jesus, he will save us from our sins. Why do we need to be saved from sin? The word of God tells us that the penalty of sin is death.

He saves us from the Penalty of Sin | Justification

In Christ we are saved from the Penalty of sin! This means we are eternally secure in christ! The punishment for our sins has been placed on Jesus who was our substitute on the cross. He took on our penalty so that we would never have to. Rest assured that your sins have been forgiven and we have been justified by Jesus. To “justify” means “to declare righteous” or “to put into a right relationship.” Justification is the act of God whereby those who put their faith in Christ are declared righteous in God’s eyes, and are set free from guilt and punishment for sin.

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

He saves us from the Power of Sin | Sanctification

But what happens if I still sin? Well, although Jesus died to take care of the penalty of sin, we are still going to have to resist the power of sin in our lives. Although Jesus has redeemed our souls, we still live in a body of flesh. Our sinful flesh will cause us to want and desire things that appose God’s will. Thanks be to God that we have to Holy Spirit who now resides in our hearts and minds! The Spirit of God will empower us and will begin to save us from the power of sin that will try to reign over our lives. Although we will struggle with sin, no christian will be able to make a practice of sin. The Spirit of God will cause us to repent and turn away from sin as He sanctifies us. To “sanctify” means “to set apart” or “to declare holy for God’s service.” Sanctification is the process by which the believer is more and more separated from sin, and becomes more and more dedicated to God’s standard of righteousness.

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

He saves us from the Presence of Sin | Glorification

This process will continue throughout a christians life till the day they meet Christ face to face. In that day you will be given a new body that no longer desires to sin, it is on that day we will be saved from the presence of sin once and for all. But until that day comes, we will continue to run this race with endurance and we will persevere. We have the victory in Jesus name! So God not only delivers us from the guilt of sin (justification). He not only delivers us more and more from the power of sin (sanctification). He also delivers us ultimately from the presence of sin (glorification). Glorification is the future perfection which will take place when the believer inherits his home in Heaven, and lives eternally in a new body.

1 Corinthians 15:42-49“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”

Baptism is like a wedding ring!

The wedding ring is a symbol that a person is married. When we wear a wedding ring it is to show people that at some point I committed myself to spend my life with another person. The ring doesn’t have any power over the marriage or to keep the marriage together it is simply something to show others that you are married.

Baptism is an Outward Expression of an Inward conversion

Baptism is a lot like a wedding ring. In the same way that a ring doesn’t make you married, getting baptized doesn’t mean you are saved. Anyone can wear a ring. Just because someone wears a ring doesn’t mean they are in a relationship. When a person wears a ring we assume they are married. It is a symbol of your commitment to your spouse. Baptism doesn’t mean you are saved, it is an outward expression of your inward conversion. This means that when I go into those waters to get baptized, I’m not doing it to get saved, I’m doing it because I am saved. A wedding ring is a public declaration of my love for my spouse. In the same way, baptism is a public declaration of my love for Jesus and the work he has done in my heart.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Why do we baptize in water?

All throughout the history of the Bible, water has been a symbol of God’s cleansing work. It symbolizes the cleansing and washing away of sin. So although baptism doesn’t actually wash away our sins, it is symbolic that Jesus has already washed away all of our sins. When we are immersed in the waters it also symbolizes the death and burial of our old self. Then we rise out of the waters a new person, in the same way Jesus rose from the grave. So we go into the water in obedience to Jesus’ command! To not get baptized is to walk in disobedience to Jesus. After all Jesus lived a life without sin and yet got baptized as a symbol of the forgiveness of sin. He did it as an example for us and to fulfill his obedience to his heavenly Father.

Romans 6:3-4 “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Why do I have to get baptized?

Jesus commands us to be baptized. In an act of obedience and faith, we do as Jesus has commanded us. Jesus himself was baptized! Baptism is a symbol of washing away our sins, and even though Jesus had never sinned, he still got baptized as an example for us to do likewise. So as you get ready to jump into those waters, remember what Jesus did on the cross for you. Remember that this is a public declaration of your faith in Jesus. You are doing it out of obedience to Jesus. And finally, you do it as an example to those whom you will lead to Jesus. To go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

What does it mean to be a disciple?

By definition, a disciple is a follower, one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. A Christian disciple is a person who follows Jesus Christ and accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of salvation through Him. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the indwelling Holy Spirit to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christlike. This process requires believers to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to examine their thoughts, words, and actions and compare them with the Word of God. This requires that we be in the Word daily—studying it, praying over it, and obeying it. In addition, we should always be ready to give testimony of the reason for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15) and to disciple others to walk in His way. According to Scripture, being a Christian disciple involves personal growth characterized by the following:

True Disciples Put Jesus First

The disciple of Christ needs to be set apart from the world. Our focus should be on our Lord and how to please Him in every area of our lives. We must put off self-centeredness and put on Christ-centeredness.

Mark 8:34-38 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

True Disciples Follow Jesus’ Teachings

We must be obedient children and doers of the Word (James 1:22). Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God (1 Samuel 28:18). Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me” (John 14:21). Jesus is also the perfect example of obedience as He lived a life on earth of complete obedience to the Father even to the point of death (Philippians 2:6–8).

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

True Disciples Bear Good Fruit

Christian disciples should live fruitful lives, displaying the fruit of the Spirit, good works, and “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11). Technically, producing fruit is not our job; our job is to abide in Christ, and the fruit will come (John 15:1–8). God’s goal is that we produce “much fruit” (verse 8), as Christ uses us to bring about blessed change in a broken, fallen world.

John 15:5-8 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

True Disciples Love Other Disciples

Love of other believers is an evidence of our being a member of God’s family (1 John 3:10). Love is described in 1 Corinthians 13:1–13. These verses show us that love is not an emotion; it is action. In order to love, we must be doing something and involved in the process. One way to show love is to think more highly of others than of ourselves and to look out for their interests (Philippians 2:3–4). Another way to show love is to be patient and not take offense at every provocation (1 Peter 4:8).

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

True Disciples Make More Disciples

Disciples multiply. One of the last things Jesus said to His disciples before His ascension was the command to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This involves evangelism—sharing the gospel and urging people to repent and believe in Christ—but it also involves discipleship. Christians should be actively engaged in training people who will in turn train others. That’s the pattern we see in Jesus’ ministry: He trained eleven men who spent the rest of their lives as disciple-makers, training others to also become disciple-makers, and so on. We see this pattern also in 2 Timothy 2:2.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”