2017 EngMar

MARCH, 2017 1
THE GOOD NEWS
MARCH , 2017
MONTHLY CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE
SIN BRINGS DEATH
In God’s Word, the Bible,
we learn that death came into
the world because of sin.
“Wherefore … by one man sin
entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans
6:23). You and I die because
we are sinners, we have
forfeited our right to live on the
earth. “All have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God”
(Romans 3:23).
JESUS DIED FOR US
Did Jesus die because He
had sinned? No. Listen to the inspired
Word: “In Him is no sin”
(1 John 3:5); “Who did no sin” (1
Peter 2:22); “Who knew no sin”
(2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore,
death had no claim upon Him.
But, blessed be His Name, He
“gave Himself for our sins” (Galatians
1:4). It was love to you
and me that caused the Lord Jesus
Christ to come down from
heaven and die on Calvary’s
cross. It was love to us that held
Him on that shameful cross until
He had finished the work of
atonement to the glory of God.
A holy, righteous, just God
cannot let sin go unpunished.
On the cross the Lord Jesus
bore God’s judgment against sin
in our stead, as our substitute;
and now God is offering not only
forgiveness, but also justification
to the repentant sinner who
believes in Jesus. He is “just,
and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
God showed His approval of that
mighty work by raising the Lord
Jesus from among the dead and
seating Him at His own right
hand in heaven (Mark 16:19).
JESUS IS THE WAY
There is no other way a sinner
can be saved but through
the atoning death of the Lord Jesus,
“I am the way, the truth, and

2 THE GOOD NEWS
the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).
“Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other
name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must
be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
Why did Jesus die? Have
you ever realized that it was
your sins that caused Him to die
upon the cross, or ever felt your
need of Him as your personal
Saviour? As you read this little
message, He looks down from
heaven upon you, and He reads
the thoughts and intents of your
heart. He knows your attitude toward
your sins, as well as your
attitude toward the One who
wants to be your Saviour.
TURN TO HIM TODAY
Even if you are a stranger to
me, God knows all about you. I
urge you not to lay aside this paper
until you have settled this
great question and have received
the Lord Jesus Christ as
your personal Saviour. Once
you see the seriousness of your
sinful condition before God, you
will never get rest of conscience
and heart until you have trusted
the Saviour of sinners. He made
“peace through the blood of His
cross” (Colossians 1:20). We
are “reconciled to God by the
death of His Son” (Romans
5:10).
If you do not trust Him now
as your Saviour, you will meet
Him in eternity as your Judge.
For God “hath appointed a day,
in the which He will judge the
world in righteousness by that
Man whom He hath ordained;
whereof He hath given assurance
unto all men, in that He
hath raised Him from the dead”
(Acts 17:31).
Won’t you flee to Him now
for refuge while it is the day of
salvation? “We pray you in
Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled
to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Forgiving someone after
they’ve sinned against you can
be difficult—but God forgives all
of our sins, as long as we humbly
ask.
As a young girl, I once saw an
old black-and-white Cecil B.
DeMille film on the life of Jesus,
titled “King of Kings.” The film
was very moving, and when I

MARCH, 2017 3
watched the crucifixion scene, I
began to weep. I realized Jesus
had died for me and that my sin
had nailed him to the cross.
I knelt down beside my bed
and confessed my sin to God
and told him I was sorry. I
thanked Jesus for dying for my
sin and asked God to forgive
me. I told him I believed Jesus
had risen from the dead, and I
invited him to come live in my
heart. I don’t remember any dramatic
sensation afterward, but I
knew my sin had been forgiven
and I had been born again. That
prayer began a love relationship
with Jesus that is more real to
me than any other. And I would
like to share it with you.
Only God, through Christ,
has the power to forgive sin
(Matthew 9:1–8). It doesn’t matter
how big the sin is or how
small, it doesn’t matter how long
ago it was committed or how recently.
It doesn’t matter whether
it was spontaneous or malicious.
God will forgive you if you come
to him at the cross of Jesus
Christ.
God forgave the men who
nailed his Son to the cross (Luke
23:34). So why wouldn’t he forgive
you when you ask? What
do you think is beyond the forgiveness
of God? Abortion?
Adultery? Abuse? Hate? Hypocrisy?
Doubt? Divorce? Drunkenness?
Or Immorality? Or Murder?
Or…? You fill in the blank.
There is nothing you have ever
done that he cannot or will not
forgive when he is humbly
asked.
A few years ago I found myself
searching for a way to explain
this to a woman who had
been on death row for multiple
murders and would be executed
within hours of my visit. Tears
glistened in her eyes as she
looked at me beseechingly,
needing assurance of the salvation
she had claimed by faith six
years earlier. That very night
she would be stepping into eternity,
and she was desperate for
reassurance of her forgiveness
by God.
I asked her if she had ever
been to the ocean, and she nodded
“yes.” I asked her if, as she
had walked along the shore, she
had seen small holes in the sand
where ghost crabs had darted in
and out. Again she nodded. I
then asked if she had seen any
larger holes, like those made by
children digging. Beginning to
look puzzled, she said “yes,” she
had seen holes like that. I persisted
gently to see if she had
ever seen huge holes created by

4 THE GOOD NEWS
machines dredging a channel or
burying pipelines on the beach.
Her brow furrowed as she again
acknowledged a quiet “yes.” I
then leaned toward her and
pressed my point, “Velma, when
the tide comes in, what happens
to all those holes?” A soft light
began to gleam in her eyes, and
a smile played at the corner of
her lips as I answered my own
question. “All the holes are covered
equally by the water, aren’t
they? God’s forgiveness is like
the tide that washes over all the
‘holes’ of your sins and covers
all your sins equally.” Velma
stepped into her heavenly home
fully assured of her acceptance
by God.
Praise God for the sacrifice of
Jesus that is sufficient to cover
all of your sins. All of them! Even
“small” sins like gossip or worry,
“medium-size” sins like losing
your temper, “large” sins like
murder—all are covered equally
by the blood of Jesus.
By trusting in Christ’s sacrifice
on your behalf, you’ll never
be held accountable for the guilt
of your sin. Jesus has taken the
punishment for you. The price
for your redemption has been
paid! You are forgiven! Eternal
life is yours! Heaven is open!
But you and I must repent of
our sin to him personally, specifically,
and honestly if we want to
receive forgiveness. The Bible
says that “if we confess our sins,
[God] is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness” (1
John 1:9).
Here are some next steps:
• PRAY: Dear God, please
forgive me of all my sins—past,
present, and future. Thank you
for sending your Son as my Saviour,
so I can spend eternity with
you.
• READ the Bible to learn
more about God.
• ATTEND a Bible-teaching
church where you can worship
God and get to know other
Christians.
ENGLISH SERVICES
SYDNEY: 51-57 Kingsway, KINGSGROVE, 2208, Sundays 10:00-11:30am
MELBOURNE: 161-167 Peel Street, NTH Melbourne, Sat 7:00-8:00pm, Sun 11-12:15 pm
Radio - Melbourne: AM 1422 3XY, Mondays 9:30-10pm
Also, please visit our website: www.GreekFreeChurch.org.au
Printed by Good News Magazine, PO Box 17, Northcote, VIC 3070