Imagine you're making a long journey on foot across a barren stretch of desert. The sun is high and hot and the air is dry. The heat radiates from the sand, and you feel as if you are being baked in an oven. To make matters worse, you ran out of water 5 miles back and your mouth is parched. Suddenly, ahead you spy a little green oasis. With your last bit of energy, you push yourself forward until you reach it: a tiny spring of clear, cool water surrounded and shaded by a grove of luscious green trees. You drop to your knees and, plunging your face into the water, you drink until you can't drink anymore. How do you imagine that would feel? Wouldn't that drink be the most satisfying thing ever?
But you can't stay at the oasis. Your journey isn't over. As you walk away into the desert you can already feel your mouth getting dry. You'll need another drink soon. But who knows when you'll reach the next oasis, and you can't turn back or you'll never make it to your destination. All you have left is the memory of that delicious, cool, clean water, and how refreshing it was.
Isn't life a bit like a desert? We sometimes trudge seemingly endlessly in search of little oases where we can quench our thirst. And we often don't know what we're thirsting for. We try anything we can to quench the thirst. We might fill our time with entertainment, work, family, pleasure, or sometimes alcohol or drugs or other things. These things seem to work for a while, and so we keep going back to them, over and over again. But as soon as we turn away, the thirst returns. Sometimes, in fact, the thirst gets worse, as if we took a huge gulp of saltwater.
Why is this? Quite simply, it's because we keep trying to quench our thirst with things that were never meant to quench it!
In the Bible, we read that after God created the entire universe (Gen. 1:1), he appointed humans as his special creation to oversee everything He had made (Gen. 1:26-27). He put them in a beautiful garden with everything they needed to live and enjoy life (Gen. 2:8-9). Most importantly, He gave them Himself (Gen. 3:8). But these humans rejected God's gift to them, and because of their sin, they were expelled from the beautiful garden (Gen. 3:1-24). Since that time, humans have thirsted for that "living water" of God's own Spirit (Ps. 42:1-3, Ps. 63:1). They have searched for it everywhere, but nothing, other than God Himself can give them what they need to quench their thirst (Isa. 58:11).
It is as if, when sin entered the world, the human heart, which had been created to be a beautiful garden watered by God's Holy Spirit, became a vast desert, empty, dry, and dead. Any attempt to quench its bottomless thirst is sure to fail. Only one thing can quench the thirst. Only one thing can bring life back to the lifeless desert of the human heart. God himself.
And so, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to bring this life giving water of life back to the hearts of his precious creatures. This is why Jesus said in John 4:13-14, "Everyone who drinks [regular] water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Wow. Jesus says there is a way to quench our bottomless thirst! Forever! Doesn't that sound like the most refreshing thing you've ever heard? And how do we get this "living water" that Jesus is talking about?
In John 6:35 Jesus says, "Whoever believes in me shall never thirst" and in John 7:37-38, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"
It's that easy! All you have to do to drink deeply of the living water is to believe! But believe what? Believe in Jesus, yes, but what exactly does that mean? It means, first of all, that we need to believe that His Father, God, is real, and that Jesus himself is real. And we need to believe what he said about himself, and what the Bible, God's Word, says about him: That he is the only way that we can be saved from our sins and be brought back to life (Jn. 14:6, Acts 4:12, Eph. 2:4-5).
The bad news is that we are all sinners and we are spiritually dead, with hearts like parched deserts, destined for a fiery Hell when our physical life is over (Rom. 6:23a, Rev. 20:15). But the good news is that Jesus says that he can quench that thirst and extinquish the flames! He has paid the penalty for our sin in full and He now offers us the free gift of eternal life (Jn. 3:16, Rom. 6:23b)! And if that's not enough, He wants to have a personal relationship with you!
The Bible, which is God's message to humanity, tells how you can have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Through this relationship, you can be completely forgiven of your sins past, present, and future and begin to truly live with the hope of eternal life. Coming to know Christ isn't complicated, but it can be difficult as you must face your own sin and acknowledge that there is nothing you can do to save yourself. But the good news is that you don't have to do anything, because Jesus has already done it all for you. All that remains is for you to trust Him and accept the free gift of forgiveness and life that He offers to you.
First Steps
The following outline describes the steps one must take to enter a living relationship with Christ. If you have any questions or would like further clarification, we would love to speak with you and assist you as you seek to know Him. See the bottom of this page for information on how to contact us.
1. Confess that you are a sinner
Some people think that they are pretty good, but God doesn't see it that way. Each one of us is a sinner.
"All have sinned, and fallen short of God's glory!" (Rom. 3:23)
2. Understand that you deserve death for your sin
This can be hard to accept, but it is true. God is holy and righteous and He cannot tolerate sin.
"The wages of sin is death!" (Rom. 6:23)
3. Admit that there is nothing you can do to save yourself
Our natural tendency is to try and work off our sins and live a good life. That won't work.
"All our good deeds are like filthy rags!" (Isa. 64:6)
"By grace you have been saved... Not of works!" (Eph. 2:8,9)
4. Believe that Jesus paid for your sins by dying on the cross and He rose from the dead
This is the good news! On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for all of your sins!
"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures... and He was buried and rose again." (1 Cor. 15:3,4)
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!" (Acts 16:31)
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God
has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Rom. 10:9)
5. Trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and accept His free gift of salvation
Jesus has paid it all. Trust Him now!
"The Gift of God is eternal Life in Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 6:23)
Next Steps
If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, that's not the end. In fact, it's just the beginning! You have embarked on an exciting adventure that can lead to great joy in your new life in Christ. However, the Christian life is also not without dangers and pitfalls. God has provides many resources to help you grow and get to know Him better. The following are what we consider to be essentials for each believer, regardless of how long you have been a Christian.
1. Read your Bible regularly
As a Christian, the Bible is your guidebook, your food, and your window into God's heart.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every
good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
"But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
of God.'"" (Luk. 4:4)
2. Spend time in prayer
In coordination with reading your Bible, prayer is your lifeline to God.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God..." (Philippians 4:6)
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)
3. Attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church
The Church is called the "Body of Christ." It is a place to learn, grow, and worship together with other Christians.
"Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually." (1 Cor. 12:27)
Contact Us
If you have just made a decision to trust Christ for salvation, we'd love the hear about it! We'd also love to assist you as you begin your new life. Please stop by, call us at 267-603-3476, or email us roxbiblechapel@gmail.com to tell us about your decision or for more information.