Why Jesus? What about all the other religions? March 6, 2016
Why Jesus? Questions Doesn’t science disprove or remove the need for God? With so many religions, how can you tell which one is right? Don’t they all basically say the same thing?
Why Jesus? What is a religion? 1. Answers questions about “Why”, “Purpose” 1. Why are we here? 2. What is our purpose? 3. What are basic problems we face? 4. How do we overcome those problems? 2. For some people, science is their religion 1. Agnostic/Atheistic Materialism
Why Jesus? Religions Are Different They answer the “Why” and “Purpose” questions very differently
Why Jesus? Not Interested in Religion Religions are man’s attempts to know God, to be a better person, or achieve the “ultimate” destiny Mostly about what we need to “do” Lots of rules People (we) fail, stop, get discouraged and don’t do what we are supposed to Religion doesn’t fix us
Why Jesus? Jesus Is the Answer Jesus is who I follow Not Christianity Jesus claimed to be God…And proved he was Jesus says, “Follow me” A relationship, not rules Love the Lord Your God with all your heart Love your neighbor as yourself Jesus paid for our sins. He fixes/changes us
Why Jesus? Know Jesus It is not what you do but who you know! Jesus knows you – he wants you to know him Jesus loves you – he wants you to experience his love
Why Jesus? Our problem We have all sinned and we are separated from Jesus because of our sin – Romans 3:23 Lying, hating, lusting, gossiping, anger, slander, stealing, jealousy The penalty of sin is physical death and separation from God – Romans 6:23 Once we’ve sinned, there is no way to undo it
Why Jesus? Good News! Jesus loves us even in our sin Even if we don’t believe in him or if we hate him Jesus paid the penalty for our sin He physically died on the cross and was separated from God the Father – Matthew 27:46 Even while we are still sinners – Romans 5:8 The free gift of forgiveness is available for everyone We just need to ask – Romans 10:13
Why Jesus? What should I do? 1. Recognize that you have sinned 2. Recognize that you cannot fix yourself 3. Ask Jesus to forgive your sin 4. Start to follow Jesus