When you get to the end of this life and pass over to the next, Jesus is not going to ask you what church you attended or what denomination you are a part of.  He’s not going to ask you to give Him a weekly attendance chart or a score card of how many committees you served on.  He’s not going to give you a quiz about what you can and can’t recite.  The question at that moment is, “do you know Him?”, not “do you know OF Him?”, but “Do-You-Know-HIM?” 

 

You might answer, yes, He is the Son of God, or yes, He died on a cross and rose again. These are true, but even Satan knows these things. (James 2:19) I cannot share with you messages about joy without sharing with you my source of joy.  His name is Jesus and if you don't already know Him, let me tell you about my Friend.

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Who is this Jesus and why was there a need for His death and resurrection?

Jesus is God’s Son; He was born of a virgin and therefore was a man of both flesh and God.  He was sinless.  To clarify, sin is any transgression against God.  Can you boast perfection?  No, of course not, none of us can.

 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23 NIV

 

Does God allow transgressions in Heaven? No

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NIV

 

Why then did someone with no sin offer Himself in our place to be a sacrifice for the sin in our lives? (2 Corinthians 5:21)

As one without sin, He was the only one who could be that perfect atonement for you and me.  Why would anyone, especially a King of Kings, do such a thing? It was because of Love! Ultimate Love!

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16 NIV

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God desires to have a relationship with His created.  And yet, after Jesus endured the cross and defeated death in an act of love for us, He still doesn’t force a relationship.  The choice to believe in His deity is yours, the choice to believe what He did and why is yours.  The choice to call Him both Savior and Friend is yours.  Mind you, there is but only one truth and the choice you make will not change the truth.

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"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 NIV 

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And how do we make that choice?

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Romans 10:9 NIV 

 

What does it mean that Jesus is Lord? 

By definition, “lord” is a person or deity that has supreme power and authority.  When you declare “Jesus is Lord”, you are acknowledging His authority. Friends, everything in this world will tell you that you are in control, that you have the power to be, act, think whatever you want. And you know what? You do have the free will to either hand the steering wheel over to the Lord, or you can retain it and try to steer yourself.  You might think that you’ve done a pretty good job so far so why stop now?  Here’s why.  Who’s perfect, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent?  You or God? If you choose to be lord of your own life, just how long will that last? A lifetime? Do you really want to walk through this life trying to be your own pilot?  Then what about eternity after that? You only have this present life to make this choice for eternity.

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What happens for those who choose to believe Him and declare Him Lord?

 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12 NIV

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So today, what do you choose?  Do you want to know of Him?  Or do you want to know Him?  The ultimate choice is yours.  

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" But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15-16 NIV

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He is both my Savior and my Lord and He is my reason for joy!