God Sees You.
God Cares.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” — Jesus, Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2 —

Luke 4:18-19

THE PROBLEM

If we could get real honest, we live under the weight of guilt and the consequences of our own mistakes. Why? Either through ignorance or sheer will, every person has gone their own way, instead of being obedient to God.To compensate, most of us strive to find a good way in this world—whichever way seems right to us: religion, science, work, charity, escaping... But our good intentions and helpful works are often just a cover—us hoping to work our way into God's blessing.

"All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own."

Isaiah 53:6

"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard."

Romans 3:23

GOOD ENOUGH?

Imagine a cold glass of pure spring water on a hot day. Nice, right? Okay, take a little drop of toilet water and mix it in. Want some now? No, thanks! Even a tiny bit of poo water spoils the whole glass.You may think: "I'm not that bad. I mean, I haven't killed anyone." But even a little bit of wrong thinking in our hearts, or doing, spoils all of us—just like that water.There is nothing we can do to "un-poo" our lives. None of us have the ability to change our bad habits or wash our guilty souls—no matter how much therapy or meditation.And our good intentions, and good deeds, can't give us peace in our souls or forgiveness in our guilty hearts. Only God himself can clean, cover, and change us—we need him to intervene on our behalf.

"It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them."

Isaiah 59:1-2

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 6:23

AMAZING GRACE

Now, Imagine that God is a judge who steps down off his chair to sign his own son into your sentence papers, a sentence that you could never pay except with your life. Jesus, God's son - God in the flesh - lived a perfect life and yet was crucified on our behalf.But Jesus didn't stay dead! He rose from the grave three days afterward. The ultimate act of love - dying to pardon another person - was followed by the ultimate act of power - resurrection. His death washes wrongdoing away and his resurrection ensures power for those who follow him.

"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

"Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood."

Romans 3:24-25

IN GOD WE TRUST

What is our response? We trust in Jesus' death & resurrection - clearing and cleansing our wrongdoing before God - and proclaim that He is Lord of everything, including ourselves. Then we do what the first Christians did, but by faith: follow Jesus.As students of Jesus, following his commands and teachings, God gives us power to live self-controlled, loving, and upright lives. That power comes through the Holy Spirit - a close relationship with God himself - the Bible, and other believers.

"He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them."

2 Corinthians 5:15

"If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.'"

Romans 10:9-10

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Acts 2:37-38

"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer."

Acts 2:42

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:8-9