Steps to Peace with God and How to be Born Again
This gospel presentation is directed more for the young to older adult who has walked down one of the many alluring wrong paths that present itself in this world and have found the path incredibly non-satisfying, empty, enslaving or degrading.
Steps to Peace with God and How to be Born Again with Deliverance from the Powers of Darkness
Step One
God loves you and calls you to turn from your self-directed life and the sinful fruit it produces and be reconciled to Him through the Shed Blood payment of his Son.
John 3:16-19 reads
- 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
- 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
- 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
God's View of Your Inner Nature - Might Come as a Shock to Many!
Romans 3:10-18 reads
- 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
- 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
- 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
- 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
- 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
- 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
- 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
- 17 And the way of peace have they not known:
- 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Matthew 15:18-20 reads
- 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
- 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries (married people engaging in a new sexual relationship without being Biblically divorced), fornications (any sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a women), thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
- 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Galatians 5:19-21 reads
- 19 Now the works of the flesh (self-directed life) are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness (defilement due to moral sins such as lying), lasciviousness (sexual excess without shame),
- 20 Idolatry (honoring or venerating icons and idols for benefits gained), witchcraft (occult practices including drug use seeking benefits from the spiritual world), hatred, variance (disputes with animosity), emulations (jealous or malicious rivalries), wrath, strife (provoking to arguments), seditions (rebellion against parents and others in authority), heresies (holding false ideas about God),
- 21 Envyings, murders (internal thoughts also), drunkenness, revellings (living to party), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do (practice as a way of life) such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Well, if we are willing to be honest with ourselves our inner nature and subsequent behavior make the situation look pretty grim! In reality hopeless! But God!
God in his love for us wants to deliver from being sent to hell. Jesus in his earthly ministry warned over and over again about the reality of hell for those who would not deal with their sin and be reconciled to God through the payment to be made on the Cross!
Let's read about one person who found hope and the way and one person who did not!
Luke 16 v 19-31 reads
- 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
- 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
- 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
- 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
- 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
- 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
- 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
- 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
- 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
- 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
- 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
- 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
- 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Scripture gives Great Warning not to choose to be judged by your life and works but choose the Way of the Cross!
Revelation 20 v 10-15 reads
- 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
- 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
- 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (by the works of the law no person shall enter heaven or any system of rituals and do's and don'ts be it Shintoism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam etc)
- 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
- 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
- 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (the book of life is all those who have been spiritually born again through surrender of the will, repentance about their sinfulness and put their 100% trust in the finished payment on the cross alone)
You may look around this world and lament at the injustices and criminal behavior that people think they are getting away with. But God says, there is one more court appearance for everyone and perfect justice will triumph! Unregenerate peoples knees will be knocking together outside of God's courtroom!
Matthew 12 v 36-37 reads
- 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
- 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
2 Thessalonians 1 v 4-9 reads
- 4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
- 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
- 6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
- 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
- 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
- 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Step Two
Man is born under the power of sin and Satan and is separated from God.
Man is Sinful and Unholy
Psalm 51 v 2-5 reads
- 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
- 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
- 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
- 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
All sin is ultimately against God first and foremost. We have said I will not seek and do your will but I will do my will! Satan was the first self-willed being who still promotes "do as thou wilt".
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant (slave) of sin. (all of us)
Man is Under the Power and Deception of Satan
1 John 5 v 19 the whole world lieth in wickedness (or the power of the evil one)
Revelation 20 v 3 Satan was bound for 1,000 years that he should deceive the nations no more
The Bible calls Satan's reign as the "kingdom of darkness" characterized by everybody practicing sin not even realizing their lost spiritual condition.
Colossians 1 v 13 Who hath delivered us from the power (kingdom) of darkness and hath transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son! When you are "born again" you are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of the Son. (This is a bit hopeful!)
Man Is Separated from God
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man s efforts to reach God through his own efforts, such as a trying to be good, keeping the commandments, keeping the sacraments, following the tenants of one of the many religions; all these efforts fall woefully short; man s heart is a stony sinful one and he needs a heart transplant to a spiritual born again heart. John 3 v 1-8
Ezekiel 36 v 26,27 reads
- 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
- 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Spiritual Blocks - Under the Deception and Power of Satan (including demon possession)
The devil has power to snatch God's word out of your mind and move your mind on to other things Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Luke 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Given the apostasy or departure from the born again Christian faith in these last days many are seeking to be spiritual via different spiritual practices and counterfeit religions. This can lead to demon possession which of course is a serious "spiritual block" to getting born again through Jesus Christ.
In the area of the occult and false religion Satan offers power and secret knowledge. Another area of possible possession is a very strong sin in your life. Judas worshipped the gaining of wealth and Satan was able to enter him. Luke 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. This would be known as the "Faustian bargain" where Satan offered the riches and pleasures of this world in exchange for possession of his soul. Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; Matthew 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
We will see in the next section that Jesus has the power to cast out demons. But the person who is possessed must confess their sin against God for seeking the spirit world in opposition to God s will and ask for deliverance. That deliverance must be followed by faith in Jesus Christ in order to be "born again by the Holy Spirit. You see a demon possessed person has granted that demon the "spiritual place" in themselves that was only meant for the Holy Spirit to occupy. If the delivered person does not come to Jesus and be "born again" with the Holy Spirit things will get worse as the demons will return.
Just a Few Examples of spiritual practices that may/will lead to demon possession.
Yoga - the main Hindu spiritual practice. Trust me it is not stretching and just physical exercise. Many of the poses are worshipping/calling upon false deities. At some point as you advance in Yoga the demonic spirits will ask to come in to be your guide and friend.
Worship or veneration of Icons and Idols as well as praying to the dead
The first, the Icons and Idols have a demon behind them (1 Corinthians 10 v 9,10) and the second praying to the dead is the sin of Necromancy forbidden by God in (Deuteronomy chapter 18 v 11). The only prayer accepted is praying to God the Father through the blood sacrifice of God the Son.
Channelling - this practices seeks a spirit to speak wisdom through the human vessel. Of course this is a demonic spirit possessing the vessel (see all of the occult practices in Deuteronomy chapter 18 which caused God to judge and destroy the Canaanites due to demonic possession)
Witchcraft - white or black - is seeking spiritual power and influence from the spiritual realm to the physical realm, in both types the spiritual sources of power is demonic.
Drug Use - opens up the person to an altered state of consciousness and the occult and loosens the bond between the mind, the will and the body, making demon possession a possibility.
Step Three
Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him as Mediator you can know forgiveness, personal freedom from fallen spirits and experience God's love and will for your life.
God will not grant entrance into heaven by trying to keep the law. His Law was meant to point us to the payment on the cross by His Son as the means to entrance to heaven.
Galatians 3 v 21-26 reads
- 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
- 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
- 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
- 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster (tutor) to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified (pardoned in God s courtroom) by faith. (the law was our tutor to show us we could not keep the law to gain entrance to heaven)
- 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (under the law)
- 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
He Died In Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (full payment for every person who will ever live)
2 Corinthans 5 v 20,21 reads
- 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
- 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (substitutionary atonement the infinite sinless one taking upon himself the penalty for my sin, opening the door for my pardon)
He Rose from the Dead!
"Christ died for our sins... He was buried... He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures... He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
He is the Only Way to God!
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me'" (John 14:6).
He Sets People Free Mentally and Emotionally!
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
He Sets People Free from Demonic Bondage and has Authority over them!
Hebrews 2 v 14,15
- 14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
- 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Matthew 8:16 When the evening was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Revelation 20 v 1-3 reads
- 1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
- 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
- 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Counting the Cost
- 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
- 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
- 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
- 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
- 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
- 36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
- 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
- 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. There is nothing that needs to be added to this payment. It covers 100% of the sin of everyone who ever lived. The word God uses is "propitiation" which means "paid in full in Gods courtroom". 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Step Four
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and forgiveness and his will for our lives.
We Must Repent of Our Sins (be willing to turn from all sin and the self-directed life)
Act 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Act 17:31 Because he 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
We must repent of any occult, spiritual practices or false religions that opened us up to demon deception and/or possession See Deuteronomy chapter 18 (witchcraft, channeling spirits, astrology, praying to the dead etc) as well as practices such as of Yoga, Reiki, or other practices that seek spiritual power outside of the Biblical Jesus Christ.
We Must Personally Receive Christ
John 1 v 12 As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name
We Receive Christ Through Faith or Trust in the Cross
Ephesians 2 v 8,9 By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as result of works that no one should boast
When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Spiritual Birth (Ye Must Be Born Again)
(Read John 3:1-8.) Jesus strongly said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again from above to enter the kingdom of God". Notice he did not say you must be a better person or try harder to keep the law!
We Receive Christ Through Personal Invitation
Revelation 3 v 20 (Christ speaking) Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from the sinful self-directed life (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
These two circles represent two kinds of lives the unsaved kingdom of darkness life, and the saved life reconciled and at peace with God:
Self Directed Life | Christ Directed Life |
---|---|
S - self is on the throne | t - Christ is on the throne |
t - Christ is outside the life | S - Self is yielded to christ |
Interests are directed by self, resulting in sinful behavior manifesting in myriads of ways, lack of inner peace, discord, frustration | Interests are directed by Christ, resulting in harmony with God's will and the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control |
Which circle best represents your life?
Which circle would you like to have represent your life?
The following explains how you can receive Christ:
You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The prayer itself is not a magic set of words but is only effectual if sincere repentance and believing on the Son is present in one's inner being. Ask God for help to repent and believe if you need.
The following is a suggested prayer:
"Heavenly Father I come to you in the precious name of your Son, I renounce (name the occult practices or spiritual practices or false religion I have practiced) and ask your Son to deliver me from these fallen deceiving spirits that I have let into my life. I know that I am a sinner by inner nature with a stony heart and that I have lived my life for myself and not for You. I renounce my life of sin and self and believe in your Son s shed blood payment alone on the cross for my sin. I receive your Son as my Savior and Lord. Take up residence on the throne of my will and make me the person you want me to be. Amen"
(Diagrams and parts of this message were used from the free booklet How to Know God Personally by Campus Crusade for Christ)