Too many people are waiting for God to act. “Why don’t you do something, God? Look at all the injustice in the world! Look at all the pain!” But God has done something. And now, it’s your move. In the game of Chess, each player takes turns, moving their pieces, in order to eventually leave the opponent’s king defenseless from being captured. I move, you move… I move, you move. But it would be terribly unfair and outright against the rules of the game if I moved again and again, without giving you your turn to move. This is the same way that God has made the world. He has done wonderful things for us — He has moved — but we now need to take our turn and respond to what He’s done. What you are about to hear is the true story of God’s deliverance that He is bringing to the world. This is the Good News. This is the Gospel.

Before the world existed, God was there. God is holy (Leviticus 19:2, 1 Peter 1:16), which means He is in a category all His own, high above all other beings. He is the only one who is truly good (Luke 18:18-19), and He lives in a blaze of glorious light (1 Tim 6:13-16, Exodus 33:20-23, Hebrews 12:14). He always has existed, He exists now, and He will always exist. In the beginning, God made a very good world (Genesis 1:31). He made the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), and He made all kinds of animals to live on the land, in the sea, and in the sky (Genesis 1:20-25). The most special thing He made was human beings, like you and me. He made human beings in His own image, and He made them male and female. (Genesis 1:26-27) God made a beautiful garden, and He put the first man and his wife in the garden to take care of it. God made all kinds of food for the people to eat… They had everything they needed (Genesis 1:11-13, 29-30). And the man and his wife walked in the garden with God and enjoyed talking to Him and being His friends. In the middle of the garden were two special trees. The fruit from the one tree gave people life that lasts forever. And the fruit from the other tree would give people the power to understand good and evil, to choose for themselves what is right and wrong (Genesis 2:8-9). God had told the man, Eternal One: “You are free to eat the fruit from any tree in the garden, except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) Here is the story of what happened next.

Adam: I was walking in the garden with the LORD by my side, Content with His presence, as I bathed in His light. His voice shimmered sweetly, and this it did say: “I love you, dear child” — in the cool of the day. Walking… walking… Peacefully. Walking… walking… What a dream. I was walking in the garden when before me stood That tree of old mention, to know evil and good. Its fruit glowed in brilliance! “I must taste its delight!” So taking I tasted and fell with one bite. Standing… standing… By the tree. Standing… standing… Woe is me! I hid myself from the LORD to disguise my shame, But He called me, and He found me, Judged me for my blame. Leaving… leaving… Expelled from peace. Weeping… weeping… “How can this be?” I was walking in the garden with the LORD by my side, But I fell in judgment. From His face I did hide. Expelled from the garden, I suffered in sin. But He promised a Savior, a vict’ry to win! Waiting… waiting… For the King! Hoping… hoping… Victory!

So, sin entered the world, because the man God created disobeyed Him. And as more and more people were born, they continued to do wrong things: People killed one another, They told lies, They disobeyed their parents, And they hated God and didn’t want to listen to what He had to say. Everyone started comparing themselves with one another and making excuses for their sins: “Well! I’m not as bad as so-and-so!” “If my wife wasn’t so mean, I’d be a much more loving husband!” “Did you see the way I was bullied at school? It was only right for me to get even!” But comparing ourselves with one another is a trap, because none of us is perfect. God has established His perfect standard and given it to us. He has said [that], We are to have no gods except Him alone - He is the only God. Eternal One: “You are to have no gods except Me alone. I am the only God.” (Exodus 20:3, Isaiah 45:5-6) And yet, how many times do we love things, and people, and pleasures more than we love God? (2 Timothy 3:4) God has said [that]: We need to honor our father and our mother. Eternal One: “Honor your father and your mother.” (Exodus 20:12, Leviticus 19:3, Ephesians 6:1-3) That means that we think highly of them and are eager to do what they say, without complaining. God has also said: Do not tell lies to one another. Eternal One: “Do not tell lies to one another.” (Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 12:22,4:24, Colossians 3:9-10) And we might not think this is a big deal, but God loves truth so much that He hates lying. You see, there’s a day coming when all the truth will be exposed. Each of us will stand before God, and we will have to give an account for how we lived our lives. (Hebrews 4:13) Those who have done right will receive life that never ends, but those who have done wrong will receive judgment (John 5:25-29, Romans 2:5-9). If we’re honest, we have all disobeyed God (Romans 3:23), and it left us feeling guilty and ashamed inside. That awful feeling you get is there to show you that you have broken God’s law and deserve punishment. (Romans 3:19-20; 2:12-16) But God doesn’t want us to be condemned! He wants us to be rescued! (Ezekiel 33:11, 2 Peter 3:9) He wants us to come back into fellowship with Him. (Matthew 23:37, Luke 15:11-24) But how? I feel like a slave of sin (John 8:34). How could I ever escape?

‘Cause I don’t know about you, but I’ve lied before, I’ve disobeyed my parents, I’ve stolen from other people, I’ve desired things that didn’t belong to me, I’ve not always loved God as much as I ought to. Thankfully, God had a plan. He knew that we would disobey Him and make ourselves filthy in His sight. So, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18). Jesus came into this world, conceived by God’s Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-35). He lived a perfect life, doing everything that pleased God (John 8:28-29), and He taught us how to live in a good and right way. He was baptized in water by a man named John, and when Jesus came out of the water, God’s Holy Spirit came on Him and gave Him power. (Matthew 3:13-17) With this power, Jesus healed people who were sick, He gave sight to blind people, He even raised dead people back to life! And for people who had been tormented by evil spirits, Jesus commanded the evil spirits to leave their bodies — and they obeyed Him! (Matthew 4,24; 12:28) But after doing all of these good things, Jesus was hated by the religious people. So they took Jesus and had Him beaten, mocked, spit upon, and killed on a cross (Luke 22:63-65; Matthew 26:67-68, 27:27-31). He was treated like an awful criminal! But Jesus didn’t die because He had done anything wrong — what these religious people didn’t know is that God had planned for this moment all along! Jesus was dying in our place (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15,21)! We had disobeyed God. We had become slaves of sin. We deserved to die. But Jesus gave up His life so we could be set free! (Galatians 5:1) But that’s not the end of the story! After Jesus died, He was buried in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60). Then, three days later, Jesus rose from the grave and defeated death (1 Corinthians 15:3-7)! God had brought Jesus back to life (Acts 2;22-24,32; Ephesians 1:17-21; 1 Peter 1:17-21)! In this way, God showed that Jesus truly was innocent of any crime (Psalm 16:10). If Jesus had ever committed any sins of His own, He would have had to stay in the grave (Ezekiel 18:20), but since He was perfect, He could rightly die in your place and then be raised to life! God showed the whole world that Jesus was not just an ordinary man — He was the Son of God! The promised King! (Psalm 2; Isaiah 9:6-7) Jesus… What a wonderful name.

Most precious of them all — His Name is Jesus. His Name is beautiful — His Name is Jesus. (Philippians 2:5-11) Exalted Savior! Forever and ever, we praise His Name! Above all else, Lord, we sing Your praise! His Name is Jesus. He was born to take the fall — His Name is Jesus. The Savior of the world — His Name is Jesus. Risen Lamb of God! (John 1:29) Forever and ever, we praise His Name! Above all else, Lord, we sing Your praise! (repeat) His Name Is Jesus. And when we cry His Holy Name, there is no shame. (Romans 10:11) Lord, show me the way… You are the way. (John 14:6) Forever and ever, we praise His Name! Above all else, Lord, we sing Your praise! (repeat 2X) His Name Is Jesus… Jesus… Jesus… His Name is Jesus. His Name is Jesus.

So what do we do now? What response do we have to this Good News? The first thing the LORD requires of us is that we repent. When Jesus was here on this earth, He was saying, “Repent! For the Kingdom of God is near!” (Matthew 4:17) And Jesus is still offering us a chance to serve Him as King, if we repent. Repentance means that we change our mind about the wrong things we’ve been doing and decide that we’re not going to live that way anymore. It’s like we were traveling a road going one direction, but then we turn around and start walking the other way. A friend of mine has the simple definition that repentance means you: “admit it, and quit it.” That is, we each need to confess our sins to God (1 John 1:9) — agreeing with Him concerning the specific things we’ve done that have displeased Him — and then choose not to do those things anymore. Repentance comes when we’re fed up with the kind of person that we’ve been and we want to change; it happens when we’re sorry that we’ve disobeyed God. If we’ve been lying, we stop lying and tell the truth. If we’ve stolen things, we give back the things we’ve stolen and choose to be content with what we have. If we’ve disobeyed our parents, we apologize to them and start doing the things that they ask us to do with a cheerful attitude. (Luke 3:8-14, Ephesians 4:22-29) This kind of change of heart is the first thing God is looking for. But time is running out. A day will come when it will be too late to repent (Revelation 2:21; Romans 2:3-4). So repent now. Today is the day to be saved. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Eternal One: “As I live,” declares the LORD God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11) Time’s running out Time’s running out It’s slipping away As you’re digging your grave (Romans 2:5) Don’t die! (Ezekiel 33:14-16) Time’s running out Time’s running out Consider your ways (Haggai 1:5-11) Before it’s too late (Zephaniah 1:14-18) Don’t die! Repent! Repent! Turn away! (repeat) Don’t die! Time’s running out Time’s running out Consider your ways (Haggai 1:5-11) Before it’s too late (Zephaniah 1:14-18) Don’t die! Return! Return to Me! (Zechariah 1:3) (repeat 3X) Don’t die! Time’s running out Time’s running out It’s slipping away As you’re digging your grave (Romans 2:5) Don’t die! (Ezekiel 33:14-16) Repent! Repent! Turn away! (repeat) Return! Return to Me! (Zechariah 1:3) (repeat) Don’t die! Don’t die! Oh… oh-oh… Don’t die! Oh, turn from your sins! Time’s running out… Time’s running out… Time’s running out… Oh, time’s running out…

But repentance isn’t the only thing we’re talking about here. Yes, we need to realize that we’ve sinned; but ultimately, we can’t be saved by just turning our lives around ourselves. We can’t save ourselves. (Galatians 2:21, Romans 3:19-20) We need to believe in Jesus and the Good News of His salvation (Acts 16:31; Mark 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Romans 3:21-26). "What is the Good News?” you ask? Jesus, God’s Son, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life without sin, died on a cross so we could be forgiven, was buried in a tomb, and rose gloriously to new life. He is the King in God’s coming Kingdom, and He provided us the way to be saved from our sins. Now, to believe this Good News means more than just acknowledging that these things I’m telling you are factually true — that’s the first part. But the Bible tells us that even evil spirits believe in God, and yet they tremble in fear (James 2:19)! There is another part of belief that is necessary, and that is to personally trust Jesus with your life. The word “believe” and the word “trust” mean essentially the same thing: If you really believe someone, you trust that what they say is true. And even more than that, if you really believe in someone, you are saying that they are a trustworthy person, someone you could give something valuable to (like letting someone use your car while you’re on vacation) without worrying about what would happen to it. That is how it is with believing the Good News. Yes, Jesus died for us. Yes, that’s amazing! But each one of us needs to personally believe in Jesus to the extent that we’re willing to entrust Him with something valuable — our very lives — without worrying about if He’ll take good care of us or not. Jesus is the only one who can save us. While He was here on earth, Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father (that is, God) except through Me.” (John 14:6) When Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the life, that means that no other path, no other religion, no other person can truly save us. Nothing else will make us acceptable to God. Buddha can’t save us, Mohammed can’t save us, science can’t save us, the enlightenment of the New Age can’t save us, the government can’t save us, being a good person can’t save us — nothing can save us except Jesus Christ. Entrust Jesus Christ with your life. Choose today that your life belongs to Him. Call out to Him and ask Him to save you from your sins. He truly is trustworthy. Place your life in His care. (Romans 10:3-13)

It’s so sweet to trust in Jesus Just to know what He says is true Just to rest upon His promise (2 Corinthians 1:20) And to find I’ve been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! Time and again He has proved to be true Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Lord, I want to be like You (1 Peter 2:19-25; Philippians 2:3-8) Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Oh how sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to trust His healing blood (Ephesians 1:7) Take me by faith beneath the water (Acts 22:16) Of His washing, cleansing flood! (Titus 3:5-6) Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! Time and again He has proved to be true Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Lord, I want to be like You Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Yes, it’s sweet to trust in Jesus, Give up my sin and give up my life, (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) When I do, I find in Jesus Fullness of joy and peace and light (Romans 14:17, Colossians 3:15) Oh yeah! Oh-oh-oh… Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! Time and again He has proved to be true Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Lord, I want to be like You Like You-oo-oo Uh, uh, uh-uh-uh Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! I'm so glad I learned to trust You Precious Jesus, Savior, friend (John 15:15) And I know that You are with me You’ll be with me to the end (Matthew 28:20) Oh yeah! Aw yeah Jesus, Jesus, how I trust You! Time and again You have proved to be true Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Lord, I want to be like You Yes I do! Just like You… Oh! Jesus, Jesus, how I trust You! Time and again You have proved to be true Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Lord, I want to be like You Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh-uh-uh! Ah yeah! Alright! I wanna be like You, wanna be just like You Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh Oh-oh, oh-oh! Oh-oh, oh, oh-oh, oh-oh! And Lord, I want to be like You! Aw yeah

It’s a wonderful thing to trust in Jesus. He is the only way for us to be saved from this evil world and the power of sin. (Acts 2:38-41) He is the one who gives us a life that lasts forever. (1 John 5:11-12; Titus 1:1-2) Now, when we are persuaded that God’s Good News really is true and we decide we want to live God’s way instead of our own way, our next great step is to dedicate ourselves to God and His service1 — we want to leave our past behind. Do you remember that when Jesus was about to start His ministry, a man named John baptized Him in the water, and then God’s Holy Spirit came on Him, giving Him power? (Luke 3:21-22) It is very similar for us now… We, too, come to the water like Jesus did. (Acts 8:36-38) When we are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16, 10:48, 19:5), something amazing happens. God works in that water to give us a bath (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 5:26) and a burial (Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12). Let me explain… When we are dunked in the water, calling on the name of the LORD, pleading with Him to cleanse our conscience (1 Peter 3:21), His Spirit works in that water to give us a bath on the inside and wash away our sins (Acts 22:16), making us as pure as snow. Our conscience becomes clean! But that’s not all. In that same moment, we also spiritually die with Jesus on His cross. Our old life that we used to live is over. No longer are we enslaved to sin! We have, at that moment, died and been buried, spiritually, with Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:12). So, just like Jesus rose from the grave, we too rise up from the water and can live a new life! We don’t have to serve sin anymore! The old life is dead and buried. (Romans 6:1-12) So you see God gives us a bath and a burial — a bath that washes away our past sins (2 Peter 1:9) and a burial to put our old life behind us (2 Corinthians 5:17). All of this is done because we believe that Jesus is God’s Son, the anointed King, who died on behalf of our sins and rose gloriously to new life. Just like Jesus died, we die, so that we can walk in a brand new life, just like He rose victoriously from the grave. This is part of what Jesus referred to when he said that we must be born again, of water and spirit (John 3:5). We’ll talk about spirit in a second. But for now, let’s praise God for this amazing gift of having our sins and our old life washed away! 1. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 61

I’m comin’ to the river where all my sins and stains are washed away… (Acts 22:16) I’m comin’ to the place where I die with You, my old life hits the grave… (Romans 6:1-14) I know this old life has to go, drownin’ in Your crimson flow, (Hebrews 10:4-22) So when I come up outta the water, you know I died… with Jesus. I heard about a Savior; I know He’s the only one. I heard that He died for me; He spilled His precious blood. (1 Peter 1:18-19) And here I am; I’ been stumblin’ in darkness for way too long. Seems there’s been shackles tied to my feet, Slippin’ into ev’ry sin, promises I just can’t keep. So I need You to wash me clean! I’m comin’ to the river where all my sins and stains are washed away… I’m comin’ to the place where I die with You, my old life hits the grave… I know this old life has to go, drownin’ in Your crimson flow, So when I come up outta the water, you know I died with Jesus. Oh-oh! Oh-oh… I died with Jesus! Oh-oh! Oh-oh… I died with Jesus. This heavenly fountain, oh it makes my soul clean! I’ feel like I’ been born again; oh, You’ve change my destiny! (John 3:3-8) Now I stand a free man, (John 8:36) No longer controlled by the sins that brought me low… You gave up Your life for me; Now You live to set me free! (Romans 5:9-10) I’m comin’ to the river where all my sins and stains are washed away… I’m comin’ to the place where I die with You, my old life hits the grave… I know this old life has to go, drownin’ in Your crimson flow, So when I come up outta the water, you know I died with Jesus. Oh-oh! Oh-oh… I died with Jesus! Oh-oh! Oh-oh… I died with Jesus. My heart now beating, I’m risin’ up from outta the grave, (Ezekiel 36:26) A new life started… A new life started! Under the water my sins were drowned. (Micah 7:18-19) Under the water that old life was buried underground. And I don’t have to be that old man anymore! (Ephesians 4:20-24) A new life is born!! I came to the river where all my sins and stains were washed away. I came to the place where I died with You, my old life hit the grave. I know that old life had to go, drownin’ in Your crimson flow, So when I came up outta the water... I came to the river where all my sins and stains were washed away! I came to the place where I died with You, my old life hit the grave! I know that old life had to go, drownin’ in Your crimson flow, Yeah when I came up outta the water, you know I died with Jesus. Oh-oh! Oh-oh… I died with Jesus! Oh-oh! Oh-oh… I died with Jesus! I died with Jesus!! There ain’t no room for that old life anymore. There ain’t no room for that old life anymore. There ain’t no room for the old life anymore. (I’ll rise with Jesus!) There ain’t no room for the old life anymore! (I died with Jesus.)

Jesus told us that we must be born again — born from above. He said that we must be born of water and spirit. (John 3:3-6) We’ve already looked at what it means to be born of water — having our sins washed away and our old life buried with Jesus on His cross — but what does it mean to be born of spirit? Remember how I said that after Jesus was baptized, God’s Holy Spirit came on Him and gave Him power? (Mark 1:9-13, Luke 3:21-22; 4:1-44) That is the same Spirit who wants to live in you and give you the power to live as a child of God (Romans 8:15-16). He gives you a new birth into God’s family and gives you the ability to enter into God’s Kingdom. (John 3:3) This Spirit is known as “the Holy Spirit.” (John 14:26) He is the very Spirit of God Himself. God had promised long ago, “I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27) God knew that in order for us to follow Him the way we needed to, we needed a reset — we needed to be born again. You see, when we repent and are baptized into union with Jesus (Galatians 3:27, Romans 6:1-3), we are forgiven of all the sins we’ve ever committed — and it’s wonderful! But — I don’t know about you — if I were simply to be forgiven without a real change taking place in my heart, I’d just go back to doing the same bad things I used to do all over again. (2 Peter 2:22) Well, that’s where God’s Holy Spirit comes in. We need to be filled up with a new life — God’s life. We need the Holy Spirit. “So, how do I receive the Holy Spirit?” Just like everything else in our salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit by faith (John 7:38-39, Galatians 3:2-6,13-14). Sometimes in the Bible, the Holy Spirit came at the very moment a person heard the Good News and believed (Acts 10:34-38, 11:12-17, 15:7-9). Other times, the Holy Spirit was sought through prayer (Luke 3:21-22, Acts 8:14-17, 9:17-19, 19:6). Jesus said that God is faithful to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him for it (Luke 11:13). If you are not sure if you have received the Holy Spirit, you can pray for God to fill you up. If you need help, feel free to ask another believer to pray for you. This was often done in the Bible (Acts 8:14-17, 9:17-19, 19:6). They will place their hands on you and ask God to fill you up with the Holy Spirit. After you have asked God for the Holy Spirit, just wait and let Him come in. When the Holy Spirit comes and drenches you with His presence, He will fill you up to overflowing. Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). So when you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, you may find that you suddenly burst into a shout of praise, speaking about how good God is and the wonderful things He’s done (Acts 10:46). Or you may experience an urge to speak in a language you haven’t heard before (Acts 2:4). If you do feel an urge for something to come out of your mouth, just speak and let it come out. God is filling you up with a new life (John 7:38-39) — He is immersing you in His Holy Spirit. (Acts 11:15-16) In summary, the Holy Spirit gives us a new life, with a new heart that wants to obey God and hates doing anything that makes God sad (Jeremiah 31:33-34). So when you receive God’s Holy Spirit, God is letting you know that He has given you a new birth into His family (1 John 4:13) — that you have been born again, now not only of water, but also of spirit: God’s Holy Spirit. What now? Live as a child of God, loving and obeying your new Daddy, God your Father, who loves you dearly (1 John 3:1; Galatians 4:6-7; Romans 8:14-17). Rejoice that your name is written in God’s book in Heaven (Luke 10:20), and listen to the voice of His Spirit (1 John 2:27), speaking to you from inside of you and guiding you on the way you are supposed to go (John 16:13). He will give you the power to live this new life.

There are so many voices Speaking to me… There are so many choices I make daily… But now Your Spirit lives inside of me, And now my life belongs to You, (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) So I’ll listen as You guide me; I’ll choose to follow You… Sometimes I feel pulled; Sin calls me by name, (Genesis 4:7) Whispering in my ear, (It wants me enslaved!) Speaking so sweetly, “Come drink of this pleasure!” (James 1:13-15) And Lord, it calls me! I don’t know how I can endure… But You told me, “Hang on ’til the end! (Matthew 24:13) “Trust Me; I’ll help you stand. (2 Timothy 4:16-18; Psalm 91) “I’ll give you a way to escape.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) So I choose to trust and obey. Following Your voice, Over and above all the noise (Hebrews 12:1-2) That beckons me to follow, But I’ll only follow the cross (1 Corinthians 2:2) I have made the choice To praise Your Name above all the pain, (Romans 8:17-18) To know that You’ve called me by name, (1 Peter 2:9) To serve You no matter the cost (Luke 14:26-33) Of following Your voice (John 10:27) I don’t know where this road is going, But I’ll take hold of Your hand; You’ve promised to lead me All the way to Your promised land (John 10:27-28) Doesn’t mean the road won’t be rough, Doesn’t mean there’ll be no pain, (John 16:33) But I know the glory will outweigh All this temporary suffering (Romans 8:18) Following Your voice, Over and above all the noise That beckons me to follow, But I’ll only follow the cross I have made the choice To praise Your Name above all the pain, To know that You’ve called me by name, To serve You no matter the cost Of following Your voice Shut up, all you other voices! (John 10:5) I ain’t got no time for you! His voice is the only One that gives me life (John 5:25) Shut up, all you other voices! I ain’t got no time for you! His voice is the only One that gives me life Shut up, all you other voices! I ain’t got no time for you! His voice is the only One that gives me life Shut up, all you other voices! I ain’t got no time for you! His voice is the only One that gives me life Oh-oh! Following Your voice, Over and above all the noise That beckons me to follow, But I’ll only follow the cross I have made the choice To praise Your Name above all the pain, To know that You’ve called me by name, To serve You no matter the cost Of following Your voice, Over and above all the noise That beckons me to follow, But I’ll only follow the cross I have made the choice To praise Your Name above all the pain, To know that You’ve called me by name, To serve You no matter the cost Of following Your voice

Now that you know the truth, make sure that you continue in the truth (Colossians 1:21-23) and bear fruit for God. There is so much deception in the world — so many things that can turn us off course from following God — but we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and keep trusting and obeying Him. (Hebrews 12:1-3) Even though obedience isn’t the root of our salvation (that is, we can never be good enough to earn our salvation and free ourselves from our slavery to sin and our eventual judgment), obedience is a fruit of our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10). What I mean is, the Holy Spirit inside of us changes our lives so much that our very desires change so that we want to obey God. He leads us into all truth (John 16:13), convicts us when we sin (John 16:8), and produces a new life in us of goodness and rightness, purity and holiness (Romans 14:17). These are all fruits of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus told His disciples that we need to remain in Him if we want to bear all of this good fruit. He said that He is like a vine, and we are like branches. (John 15:5) We need to remain connected to Him — in love and obedience — so He can produce His fruit in our lives (John 15:4,9-10). But Jesus also said that if any one us is a branch that doesn’t produce any fruit, the Father cuts off that branch (John 15:2). In fact, He said that if we do not remain in Him, we are like branches that are thrown away and wither. Now, that branch is no longer good for anything, so it is thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:6) But Jesus didn’t call us out of our old lives just so that we could burn. He chose us so that we would bear fruit and God would receive glory because of the amazing work He does in our lives. (John 15:8,16) Let me put it to you this way… God’s message — this Good News that I’ve been sharing with you — is like a seed (Luke 8:11). And each one of us can be a different kind of ground… Some of our hearts are hard like pavement… The seed tries to get in and plant itself in our hearts, but it can’t find any good crack within the pavement. The seed doesn’t sprout at all; instead, birds come by and eat the seed. This is you if you hear this message but don’t understand it. (Luke 8:5,12) Others of you will hear this message, and you will love it. But just like a seed planted in rocky ground, the seed won’t take deep root in your heart. As soon as this message starts to bring you trouble or persecution — maybe from friends or family or the government — you will abandon the faith, just like a plant without much root being scorched by the sun. (Matthew 13:5-6,20-21) Yet others of you will hear this message, and you will be excited about it for a while. But soon, you’ll start thinking about other things — all the worries and concerns of this life and how to be successful here — money, possessions… The message in you will be just like a seed that, as it sprouts and grows, gets choked up by thorny ground, and you will not bear fruit for God. (Matthew 13:7,22) But some of you will hear this message, and you will understand it, and you will go deep with God and build a real relationship with Him where you love Him and He loves you and you are eager to do what He says and tell others about Him. It won’t matter who comes against you or who speaks bad about you. It won’t matter if this message causes you pain or suffering or if you end up in jail for the message (Hebrews 10:33-35) or even if you die for Jesus (Revelation 20:4). All that will matter to you is loving your God and Savior, and you will endure all the way to the end and bear a lot of good fruit, just like a seed planted in good soil, which grows and grows and produces a big harvest. (Matthew 13:8,23; 24:13) And know this, as we are working out this new life, God is likewise working in us (Philippians 2:12-13); He doesn’t leave us stranded – He loves us and is eager to complete the work He’s started in us. (Philippians 1:3-6; Hebrews 13:5) So I urge you, search your heart (2 Corinthians 13:5). Salvation isn’t only about one decision you make one day and then the rest of your life is just the same as it was before. If I’ve been saying anything, I’ve been saying that truly being saved means God gives you a new life, where the whole course of your life is now changed (2 Corinthians 5:17). As the apostle Paul said, “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, Continue to live your life in Him.” (Colossians 2:6-8) So, remain in Him. Obey His voice. He is saying, “This is my command: Love one another.” (John 15:17) And if you remain in Him, He will bear fruit in your life. (John 15:5)

Love and joy and peace and patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control— God, make that fruit grow! (Galatians 5:22-23) I can do nothing without You Abiding is the only way to bear fruit (John 15:4-5) So I will remain in Your love (John 15:9-10) I give You permission to prune… (John 15:2) He gives us the… Love and joy and peace and patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control— God, make that fruit grow! (2X) We wanna stay connected to the vine, Otherwise our branches will die We wanna stay connected to the vine, Otherwise our branches will die (John 15:2,6) But if we stay connected, He gives us the… (John 15:4-5) Love and joy and peace and patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control— God, make that fruit grow! (2X) I can do nothing without You Abiding is the only way to bear fruit (John 15:4-5) So I will remain in Your love (John 15:9-10) I give You permission to prune… (John 15:2) He gives us the… Love and joy and peace and patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control— God, make that fruit grow! (2X) We wanna stay connected to the vine, Otherwise our branches will die We wanna stay connected to the vine, Otherwise our branches will die (John 15:2,6) But if we stay connected, He gives us the… (John 15:4-5) Love and joy and peace and patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control— God, make that fruit grow! (3X) (Everybody say,) God, make that fruit grow! (Everybody say,) God, make that fruit grow! (Everybody say,) God, make that fruit g-g-g-g-grow!

Because Jesus has completely transformed our lives and bought us out of our sins by His blood (Ephesians 1:7), He is our Master – our Lord – and we want to obey Him (Luke 6:46) – not out of some begrudging duty, but out of our love for Him, because He loved us so much (1 John 4:15-21; John 15:9-10). One way that we obey the Lord Jesus is by following the last words He gave before He ascended to Heaven. Here’s what He said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18b-20) These last words of Jesus have commonly been referred to as “The Great Commission.” Jesus wants us to tell others about Him and about all that He’s said (2 Corinthians 5:20); He wants us to train up people (2 Timothy 2:2, Hebrews 5:12) — to “disciple” them in His teachings. You see, each one of us has some baggage of old ways of thinking and living that we got from this world. But now that we are citizens of God’s Kingdom, we need to learn (and help others to learn) the “law of the land,” as it were – the way of life that our King, Jesus, has instructed us to live. (Romans 12:2; Matthew 5-7; Ephesians 4:17-32) But as we go out into uncharted territory, where the Kingdom rule of Jesus is not yet manifestly present (Romans 15:20-21), know this: we do not go alone! Our King, Jesus, promised that He is with us every step of the way (Matthews 28:20, John 14:18, Hebrews 13:5). He has been given all authority in Heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18, Ephesians 1:17-23, Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 2:9-15), and He has vested us with His authority (Luke 10:1-20, John 20:21). So where evil spirits would hinder the advance of the gospel or give people torment, we can tell those spirits to leave in the Name of Jesus (Luke 10:17-20, Luke 9:1-2)! Where sickness is present, we can pray for people in the Name of Jesus, and God’s power can heal them. (Mark 16:17-18, Acts 3:1-16, James 5:14-16) You see, our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). That is, we’re not fighting against people. Sure, as we tell people about Jesus, people might certainly oppose us (2 Timothy 3:12-13, 4:14-15) — they might mock us or even harm us (Matthew 24:9; Revelation 20:4) — but ultimately, they are not our true enemies. They are merely captive to do the evil one’s will. The evil one, the devil, has blinded their minds so that they can’t see the glorious light of the gospel and be saved (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). So, we should pray for them, that God would grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, so that they may be saved. (2 Timothy 2:25-26) God will prepare your way before you (Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 3:5-8) and soften people’s hearts so that they are ready to hear what you have to say. A person that God has readied in this way is called a “person of peace” (Luke 10:3-12). Be prepared to answer whatever questions they have and tell them about the amazing God you now know and how He has changed your life (1 Peter 3:14-16; Mark 5:18-20)! Disciple them, baptize them, teach them – show them what this new life is all about (Acts 5:19-21, Matthew 28:18-20). So, with all of this in mind, let’s tell others about this amazing Good News of God’s salvation (Romans 10:15; Acts 5:42)! And let’s train these new believers, discipling them like apprentices — equipping them to live this new life and modeling for them what it looks like (1 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Philippians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 11:1) — knowing that Jesus is with us every step of the way (Matthew 28:20; Joshua 1:9).

Time is runnin’ out for this old world I wanna finish the task You gave to me Time is runnin’ out for this old world Help me, God, to reach the nations, To tell about Your wonderful love I know they might not hear it, But that’s a risk I gotta take To do what You say I am livin’ for the King, (Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalm 2) Exalted in the Heavens, (Philippians 2:9-11) Triumphant over principalities (Colossians 2:10, 13-15, esp. 15) I am livin’ for the King The One who walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52) Is comin’ on the clouds onto the scene (Luke 21:27; Matthew 24:30, Daniel 7:13-14) Oh-oh! I am livin’ for the King We’re on a mission from above, (John 20:21; 2 Corinthians 5:20) Teaching others everything that You’ve said (Matthew 28:19-20) We’re on a mission from above You’ve sent us out to reach the nations, (Psalm 86:9; Revelation 15:4) To tell about Your wonderful love I know they might not hear it, But that’s a risk we gotta take To do what You say We are livin’ for the King, Exalted in the Heavens, Triumphant over principalities We are livin’ for the King The One who walked on water Is comin’ on the clouds onto the scene Oh-oh! We are livin’ for the King No matter the opposition, We’re Your humble servants; (Luke 17:10; Romans 1:1) Though trouble, though sickness, (John 16:33) Though death may come, (2 Corinthians 4:8-11) We won’t deny Jesus! (Revelation 14:12-13) And you can’t really kill us — Through Christ we’re alive! (John 11:25-26) We are livin’ for the King, Exalted in the Heavens, Triumphant over principalities We are livin’ for the King The One who walked on water Is comin’ on the clouds! We are livin’ for the King, Exalted in the Heavens, Triumphant over principalities We are livin’ for the King The One who walked on water Is comin’ on the clouds onto the scene Oh-oh! We are livin’ for the King Oh-oh! We are livin’ for the King Oh-oh! We are livin’ for the King

We’re just about done here. But before we go, I want to talk about the end of all things… There is a day coming when Jesus is not only going to be King in the hearts of those who trust Him, but He will come back down to the earth to rule and reign in person. We who have already been brought into His Kingdom will reign with Him. (Revelation 20:4-6; Acts 1:11) But, do not be deceived! There will be (and already have been) many who claim to be this Savior, this Messiah (Matthew 24:4-5). One of these will be the “anti-Messiah” who will deceive a lot of people and even produce miracles and other amazing signs that defy the laws of nature. People will believe that this really is Jesus or some other magnificent Savior (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). But do not listen to them! (Matt 24:23-24) Jesus said that when He comes back, everyone will see Him (Matthew 24:27-30, Revelation 1:7). Everyone in the whole world will know that this is Jesus — even the people who hated Him. The glorious hope for those of us who trust in Jesus is that when Jesus returns, He will draw up all of us — dead or alive — to Himself and transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21) — bodies that will last forever. And so, we will forever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). But, while we will be comforted at seeing Jesus, others will be terrified and hide their faces from Him, because the great day of God’s judgment has come (Revelation 6:15-17; Isaiah 2:10-21). But it will be too late. Each person will be judged based on what they’ve done — good or bad — and those who rejected God’s forgiveness — those who refused to submit their lives to King Jesus — will be damned, eternally lost, suffering forever without God. (Revelation 20:11-15; Daniel 12:1-3; John 3:18; Isaiah 66:24, Luke 13:22-30) But if you’re listening to these words, there is still time (2 Peter 3:8-13). As it was written long ago, “Kiss the Son” — that is, submit to King Jesus — “or He will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities … But what joy for all who take refuge in Him!” (Psalm 2:12)

Waiting, tirelessly waiting For You to come here And speak to our hearts We need You, day by day we need You Oh how we love You Don’t turn us away We are small, but You are grand Eternal life is in Your hand (John 10:27-30) So we come with open hearts We bow before our precious Lord You’ve changed us, completely remade us (2 Corinthians 5:17) Oh, precious Jesus We love to sing Your praise You find us, and You always remind us You’re the One we can completely trust So we won’t go our own way We are small, but You are grand Eternal life is in Your hand So we come with open hearts We bow before our precious Lord Light our lives with holy love Don’t let us fall from up above We repent of all our sin And choose to do what we once did (Revelation 2:4-5) Jesus Christ, the Blessed Son Eternal God, our Lord did come (John 1:1,14) He’ll soon return with trumpet sound The dead will rise up from the ground (1 Thessalonians 4:16) Glorious sight, that Blessed Day The veil of sky is peeled away The stars will all fall to the ground In Jesus Christ, our hope is found! (Revelation 6:12-17) We’ll reign with Him, as kings and priests, And partake of the marriage feast The holy bride, chosen by God, Made spotless by His cleansing blood! (Revelation 1:5-6, 5:9-10; 19:6-9) Death is swallowed in victory! Clothed with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50-57) Ever with our blessed God— Us with Him and Him with us! (Isaiah 9:6-7, 1 Thessalonians 4:17) We are small, but You are grand Eternal life is in Your hand So we come with open hearts We bow before our precious Lord (repeat) Light our lives with holy love Don’t let us fall from up above We repent of all our sin And choose to do what we once did And we cry Day and night, “Please would You come soon!” (Revelation 22:20, 1 Corinthians 16:22) (repeat 9X)

So there you have it… I’ve told you, as best as I know how, the Gospel. And now, my question to you is, What move will you make? You’ve heard the Good News about Jesus. Will you trust Him? Will you turn away from your sins? Will you be baptized and leave your old life behind? Will you receive His Holy Spirit? Will you continue to obey Jesus while you wait for Him to return? The decision is up to you. It’s your move…

Turn from your sins, Let Jesus in, Trust in the Savior, Follow the Lord, Be baptized in water, Receive the Holy Spirit — It’s a fresh start; You’ll get a new heart; You’ll be born again.

If you have decided to trust in Jesus and make Him your Lord, congratulations! There is celebration in Heaven whenever a sinner repents and comes to believe in the Savior. (Luke 15:7) What should you do now? My suggestion is to get a Bible. If you’re wondering about which version to get, find one that is easy enough to read without being a complete paraphrase. Something like an NLT Bible or NIV Bible should be great. But also, no matter which version you get, take confidence in the fact that just about any Bible version available these days is quite accurate and still represents what God has said. (Isaiah 40:6-8) Why do we read the Bible? It is God’s Word to us. In other words, God is speaking, telling us about who He is and how much He loves us and how He wants us to live, and so much of what He is saying is found in the Bible. God inspired people, all throughout human history, to speak His messages; and now, we can read these messages in the Bible. The Bible is here to teach us and correct us so that we can be thoroughly equipped for every good work that God has prepared in advance for us to do. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Ephesians 2:8-10) What else? I recommend that you start fellowshipping with a local group of believers (Hebrews 10:25). Together, the Bible calls believers “the Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27). In other words, it is only when we work and function together that we fully make Jesus’ presence known on this earth. Each one of us serves a valuable function – no matter what we look like or what our background is – as we encourage one another, love one another, and help each other grow. (Ephesians 4:11-16) What kind of church should you join? Ideally, you want to fellowship with believers who truly follow Jesus and don’t just say “I’m a Christian” on Sunday, but then they live however they want during the rest of the week. You want to fellowship with people who truly love Jesus and want to follow Him wherever He leads. You want to fellowship with people who believe the Bible and know that it is God’s Word; people who don’t try to explain away the things that it says because “it’s no longer relevant to our culture.” No, God’s Word is true – it is an anchor that grounds us so we don’t get swept away by all the passing trends in this world (Ephesians 4:14). So, it is great if the leaders in your local fellowship likewise believe this. Also, pray to God. Remember, He is Your Father now, and His Spirit lives inside of you. He is more than able to show you exactly where to go and how to live. He brings you encouragement and reminds you that you are His child. Continue to celebrate that your name is written in God’s Book in Heaven (Luke 10:20). And now, go out and do life with other children of God – your new brothers and sisters in Christ (Hebrews 2:11) – and tell other people about this wonderful Savior named Jesus that you have met. And remember, life won’t always be easy (John 16:33), but Jesus has promised that He will always be with you – even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20)

For the rest of the night, be my delight, ’Til I wake and I hear You again For all of my days, be my song of praise Let my tongue tell of all that You’ve done For You… are my God and my strength, my shield And You… have been near to my heart; I love You And You… are my God and my strength, my shield And You… have been near to my heart; I love You For the rest of the night, be my delight, ’Til I wake and I hear You again For all of my days, be my song of praise Let my tongue tell of all that You’ve done For You… are my God and my strength, my shield And You… have been near to my heart; I love You And You… are my God and my strength, my shield And You… have been near to my heart; I love You I rejoice in You… I rejoice in You… For You… are my God and my strength, my shield And You… have been near to my heart; I love You And You… are my God and my strength, my shield And You… have been near to my heart; I love You For the rest of the night, be my delight, ’Til I wake and I hear You again For all of my days, be my song of praise Let my tongue tell of all that You’ve done