Life Walk Lesson 111: What it Means to Receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour
The most important thing we can do, to start the day, is to spend time with our Heavenly Father, in prayer and getting to know Him by reading the Bible.
Today, I’d like to begin with the Book of the Gospel of John.
In John 3:16-18 from the Amplified Translation, it says:
16 “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world, that He even gave His One and Only Begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him as Savior shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, that is to initiate the final judgment of the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him as personal Savior and Lord is not judged.
For this one there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation;
but the one who does not believe, and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord is judged already.
That one has been convicted and sentenced, because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the One and Only Begotten Son of God, the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him.”
The Apostle Paul also reminds us in Romans 8:1, where he writes:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation, no guilty verdict, no punishment for those who are in Christ Jesus, who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior.”
In Isaiah 43:25, God Himself declares:
“I, only I, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”
The most important thing we can do in our lives is to give our whole heart, and all that we are to God, because:
John 6:37 says:
37 “All that My Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out. I will never, never reject anyone who follows Me.”
Our best outcomes in life will come when we put our complete trust in God to love and take care of us, because in John 10:10 Jesus says that “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.”
However Jesus describes Himself as the One Who
“…came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance, to the full, till it overflows.”
That is what life in the Family Kingdom of God is supposed to be like. And if it is not yet our experience, we continue to pray and ask God to intervene in our life circumstances until it is.
Jesus Himself makes it clear, in John 15, that we will be times when we are surrounded by those who hate Him, and us, because we follow Him — because the devil, and all who follow the devil, hates God.
I am reminded of what King David says, in Psalm 23:5
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
In John 1:14 from the Amplified Translation, John writes:
“And the Word, Christ, became flesh, and lived among us; and we actually saw His glory, glory as belongs to the One and Only Begotten Son of the Father, the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, Who is full of grace and truth, absolutely free of deception.”
Jesus teaches His disciples, and all who follow Him, in John 14:6
6 “… ‘I am the only Way to God and the real Truth and the real Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’ ”
Even in the Old Testament, in Exodus 20:2-3, God speaks to Moses and says:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
4 “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, or manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship].
5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
This is the same God, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom we pray and ask for forgiveness of our sins — the breaking of any of these Ten Commandments. Under this Law, a person died for their own sins. And even the next generations suffered the consequences of the sins of their ancestors when they hated God and refused to walk with Him.
Because Jesus came to earth, and died in our place, we are no longer guilty, when we turn away from sinning against God. When we follow Jesus and His way of doing things, we can be forgiven if we don’t do all He asks. And He teaches us how to live righteously.
Now let’s read what Paul wrote in Romans 10:9-10
9 “…if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart a person believes in Christ as Savior resulting in his justification —that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses his faith openly, resulting in and confirming his salvation.”
In verse13 Paul writes,
“whoever calls on the name of the Lord in prayer will be saved.”
The most powerful way we can pray to our Father in Heaven, is to pray the very words He taught us to pray in the name of Jesus.
Let’s pray as Jesus taught us in Luke 11:2-4
[And I love the way it is written in the year 1599, in the Geneva Bible]:
2 “And He Jesus said unto them, ‘When ye pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come: Let thy will be done, even in earth, as it is in heaven:
3 Our daily bread give us for the day:
4 And forgive us our sins: for even we forgive every man that is indebted to us:
And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew’s account of this prayer, in the 6th Chapter of his Gospel, adds these words at the end: “for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.”
Take great comfort in these words recorded in Hebrews 7:25 which says:
“Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God].”
In John 10:29 Jesus says:
“My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
In John 14:15-17 Jesus says:
15 “If you really love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper
[Greek: paracletos; One Who comes alongside to Help you, the]
(Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—
17 the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.”
Prayer
So, if you have never done so, let today be the day that you confess that Jesus is Lord and Savior not only of the World, but of your heart also.
Declare it with me in prayer:
Jesus is the only Lord and Savior of my life.
Because it is written in the Scriptures, I believe in my heart that Jesus came to earth, in the flesh, and died for my sins, so that I could be forgiven.
Thank you for forgiving me of all my sin. I renounce all evil ways, and accept Your way of doing things, Father.
I will never be abandoned, rejected, or condemned for anything in my past, because I now walk with Jesus, and no one can take me out of our Father’s hands.
I believe in my heart that You, Father, raised Jesus from the dead, and He is alive and lives to continually intercede for me, speak with me, and show me how to live in the Family Kingdom of God.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Father, so that I can get to know You better.
Because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are now part of a huge Family, a Heavenly Kingdom.
Jesus described Himself, metaphorically, as a Vine in a Vineyard. Our Heavenly Father takes care of this Vineyard Himself. In this metaphor, Believers in Christ are the branches growing and maturing and bearing fruit on that Vine.
Let’s hear is own words about those who believe in Him.
John 15:1-17
1.“I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit].
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have given you [the teachings which I have discussed with you].
4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me.
5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
8 My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.
9 I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you].
10 If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.
12 “This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you.
13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.
14 You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you.
15 I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.
16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.
17 This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.”
The Apostle Paul tells us what this fruit that Jesus speaks of is. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul writes:
“ But the fruit of the Spirit, the result of His presence within us, is love: unselfish concern for others, joy, inner peace, patience: not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting; kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Encouragement
No matter where you are on life’s journey with God, you have help from the Holy Spirit of God Himself, Who comes to live inside you, when you ask Him to. Then you can live as Jesus showed us how while He was on Earth.
Acts 10:38 says, “…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with great power; and He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.”
1John 3:8 reminds us:
“The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
The Apostle John reminds is in 1 John 2:6
“Whoever says he lives in Christ, that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior, ought as a moral obligation to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.”
This is the Prayer Jesus prays for you:
John 17
1. When Jesus had spoken these things, He raised His eyes to heaven [in prayer] and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You.
2 Just as You have given Him power and authority over all mankind, [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him [to be His—permanently and forever].
3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.
4 I have glorified You [down here] on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do.
5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory and majesty that I had with You before the world existed.
6 “I have manifested Your name [and revealed Your very self, Your real self] to the people whom You have given Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept and obeyed Your word.
7 Now [at last] they know [with confident assurance] that all You have given Me is from You [it is really and truly Yours].
8 For the words which You gave Me I have given them; and they received and accepted them and truly understood [with confident assurance] that I came from You [from Your presence], and they believed [without any doubt] that You sent Me.
9 I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You;
10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and [all things that are] Yours are Mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 I am no longer in the world; yet they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.
12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and protected them, and not one of them was lost except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to You; and I say these things [while I am still] in the world so that they may experience My joy made full and complete and perfect within them [filling their hearts with My delight].
14 I have given to them Your word [the message You gave Me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it.
15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth.
18 Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world.
19 For their sake I sanctify Myself [to do Your will], so that they also may be sanctified [set apart, dedicated, made holy] in [Your] truth.
20 “I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message,
21 that they all may be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me.
22 I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one;
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know [without any doubt] that You sent Me, and [that You] have loved them, just as You have loved Me.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given to Me [as Your gift to Me], may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 “O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has never acknowledged You [and the revelation of Your mercy], yet I have always known You; and these [believers] know [without any doubt] that You sent Me;
26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them [overwhelming their heart], and I [may be] in them.”
The Grace to Live for Christ
This grace and mercy in which we now live in Christ comes with great power and benefits by which we can help others.
In Ephesians 4:7-9, he writes to the Church at Ephesus, in modern day Turkey:
7 “Yet grace [God’s undeserved favor] was given to each one of us [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and abundant] gift.
8 Therefore it says,
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And He bestowed gifts on men.”
The Apostle Paul informs us of the gifts God gives those who believe in Him. In 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, he teaches us God’s way of living.
Let’s look at it together:
1 Corinthians 12
1 “Now about the spiritual gifts [the special endowments given by the Holy Spirit], brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led off after speechless idols; however you were led off [whether by impulse or habit].
3 Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is [my] Lord,” except by [the power and influence of] the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers].
5 And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served].
6 And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them].
7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good.
8 To one is given through the Holy Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit;
9 to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same Holy Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit;
10 and to another the working of miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues.
11 All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same Holy Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.
12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For by one Holy Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [spiritually transformed—united together] whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Holy Spirit [since the same Holy Spirit fills each life].
14 For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs].
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?
16 If the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole [body] were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But now [as things really are], God has placed and arranged the parts in the body, each one of them, just as He willed and saw fit [with the best balance of function].
19 If they all were a single organ, where would [the rest of] the body be?
20 But now [as things really are] there are many parts [different limbs and organs], but a single body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 But quite the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [absolutely] necessary;
23 and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honor; and our less presentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
24 while our more presentable parts do not require it. But God has combined the [whole] body, giving greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 so that there would be no division or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.
27 Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function].
28 So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a new message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of [unknown] tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire and strive for the greater gifts [if acquiring them is going to be your goal].
And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love].
1 Corinthians 13
1 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction].
2 And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing.
3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.
4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.
5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.
6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail].
7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].
8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part [for our knowledge is fragmentary and incomplete].
10 But when that which is complete and perfect comes, that which is incomplete and partial will pass away.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
12 For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].
13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.”
Blessing
Live in Christ, walk in love, and be blessed to be a blessing, with whatever gift God has given you to help others live well, whether they are in the Family Kingdom of God or not.
You might be the reason someone else gets to know God for themselves.
