Reasons I Am A Christian
Reasons I Am A Christian
1 Peter 3:15 : But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope
that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, (NIV)
"Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o'er my soul
Like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart."
There are so many reasons why I am a Christian.
Becoming a Christian was the most important decision that I ever made.
Becoming a Christian changed my like forever.
Let me share several reasons why I became a Christian so that you will also
come to see that it will be the most important decision you will ever make.
I needed answers to questions about life.
in 1 Peter 3:15 there is reference to being ready to give an answer to all who ask of our hope in Christ.
Those questions have to do with life itself.
They are the questions we all ask ourselves in our most thoughtful moments.
"Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? How am I going to get there?
How can I be sure about the future?"
At some point in life, almost every human being will ask these questions.
These are questions that point to the most important issues of life.
They ask if there is any meaning or purpose to our existence.
These are questions which deserve real answers.
Jesus Christ is the answer to life's greatest questions.
Christ is the way; without Him people are lost.
He is the truth; without Him life is a lie.
He is the life; without Him all is hopeless.
Christ is the center of our existence; without Him life is meaningless.
He is the proof of God's love to mankind; without Him men live in vain.
Christ is the vine; without Him life is withered and lifeless.
Jesus is the water of life; without Him all men thirst for God.
Christ is the first and last and all that is in between.
Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, and without Him there is no hope.
When I received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I discovered the who, when, what, where
and how of my life.
All those questions are answered in Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the answer to all of the questions that I need answered.
Philosophers may spend a lifetime searching for the truth.
Jesus said, "I am the Truth!"
Sociologists may spend years attempting to find a better way to live.
Jesus said, "I am the Way!"
Psychologists may give their lives to understand the meaning of life and how it should be lived.
Jesus said, "I am the Life!"
Jesus embodies all of life's most important issues and the answer to the deepest questions
of the human heart.
Whenever I begin to question the purpose of my life.
I always look to Jesus.
Whenever the troubles of life come and I am overwhelmed by frustrations,
I only need to look to Jesus.
He is my life and He holds the answers to all of life's questions.
"Since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,
Since Jesus came into my heart!"
I need Forgiveness for sins I have committed.
God is the standard of holiness and righteousness for our lives. We all fall short
Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
There is not a person alive who hasn't committed some serious sins that doesn't
wish he or she could erase from his life.
No matter how good our intentions may be, we often fail to perform to the level of those expectations.
Wrong attitudes, harsh words, bitter reactions, and painful responses, all add up
to produce a load of guilt that we cannot seem to unload by ourselves.
We are constantly reminded of our fallibility every time we sin.
Whether it is what some would consider a minor sin or a tragic sin,
we all need forgiveness for our sins.
We need Jesus who will forgive all our sins, and we need God to remove our guilt
and condemnation.
" There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death. "(Romans 8:1-2)
During World War II, a chaplain came across a young soldier dying on a battlefield.
He took him up gently in his arms and said, "Son, you don't have long to live.
Is there anything I can do for you?"
As he was dying, the young man's life flashed before his mind.
He recalled the sins of his youth and the many times he had broken his parents' hearts
with his rebellious living.
He remembered the times he had turned his back on God
and denied the Holy Spirits conviction him of his sin.
As he looked up into the chaplain's face, the soldier sighed,
"No, sir, there is nothing you can do for me. I need somebody who can undo some things for me."
Charles Spurgeon, the famous Baptist pastor of the nineteenth century, said,
"Sin is a knot only God can untie."
Sometimes our mistakes leave our lives in a tangled mess.
Sin complicates every aspect of life.
Sin will destroy your health, incriminate your behavior, besmirch your character,
eliminate your future, and shorten your life!
But despite all our sins there is good news for every person.
God loves us enough to forgive our sins, to remove our guilt, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
God will forgive every sin, but God will not forgive if we will but repent and seek His forgiveness.
God will cleanse, renew, and forgive if he will just ask Him.
I am a Christian because I needed Jesus to forgive my sins.
I knew that I could not forgive myself or cleanse my own heart until I was sure
that God Himself had forgiven me by the cleansing power of the blood of Christ.
"I have ceased from my wandering and going astray,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And my sins, which were many, are all washed away,
Since Jesus came into my heart!"
I needed help for the problems of life.
Life is complicated.
The longer you live it, the more you realize that.
The pressures of family, job, finances, and friends seem to get more difficult as time passes.
I came to know that I could not face those pressures of life alone.
No matter how much I knew or how clever I was or how secure I felt, I had to face
my limitations and inabilities.
I knew that I needed to depend on Someone greater than myself. I needed a Friend
who was strong enough to pick me up when I fell down and who would care about my needs
when no one else cared.
I needed a Friend who would be there for me even if family and friends deserted me.
I found that Friend in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is a Friend who "sticketh closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24)
He is a faithful Friend who will never fails us in times of our greatest need.
God never changes.
He is always the same. His love never ceases. His grace never fails.
He is all I'll ever need and all I'll ever want.
This is my God. He is my sufficiency, my meaning, my purpose, and my very joy in living.
It gives me great comfort to know that I can depend on God.
I know that I am one of His children and that I will always be His child.
I have the absolute assurance that He loves me and will always love me.
"I'm possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure,
Since Jesus came into my heart!"
I became a Christian because I need to be ready to die.
I am a Christian because I want to be ready to die.
Now I am not anxious to die, but I realize that death is inevitable for every person.
The Bible teaches: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
(Hebrews 9:27)
Each one of us will eventually keep that appointment.
each one of us will die.
It does not matter how rich or poor you may be, you are going to die.
It does not even matter how healthy you might be right now, you are going to die.
Fame and popularity cannot keep you from dying.
Wealth and riches cannot buy a reprieve from death.
Isn't it strange that we prepare for everything in life but death.
We go to elementary school, high school, and college to get an education so we can get a job,
make money, and enjoy life.
We plan for the future by saving money and preparing for retirement.
We plan for our vacations, our children's graduation, their college education,
and even for the details of our daily needs.
But many are rushing through life without making preparation for death.
If death was to come to you today, would you be ready to face eternity?
I read a tragic story recently about a young teenager who was in a terrible automobile accident
because she was drunk while driving.
As she lay dying, her mother stood by her bedside and said, "Honey, what can I do?"
The girl looked up at her own mother and said, "I need to know how to die!"
How tragic that this mother had not already taught her daughter to die.
That mother might not have known how to face death herself.
You and I not only need to be prepared to face death ourselves,
but we need to help our children be prepared also.
Search your heart, and ask yourself, "Am I really ready to die?"
If not, you can get ready by making peace with God and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior of your life.
Then, when you come to the end of the road of life, you will be ready to leave behind
this mortal body of clay and all the mistakes of life and step into a glorious eternity with Christ.
"There's a light in the valley of death now for me,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And the gates of the City beyond I can see,
Since Jesus came into my heart!"
I became a Christian because I want to be sure to go to heaven.
Finally, I am a Christian because I believe there is a life hereafter.
I want to be sure that I will go to heaven when I die.
And I want to know that my eternal destination is settled before I ever make the journey.
When I received Jesus Christ as my Savior, I chose heaven as my home.
Jesus is the way that leads to life eternal.
He is the key that unlocks heaven's door.
Without Him, no one will be in heaven.
The Bible teaches hat those who are not headed to heaven are destined to hell.
The teaches that hell is a place of "wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:42).
The Bible also describes hell as a place of darkness and torment and as a place
of fire and brimstone.
Hell is a place of total separation from God.
Hell is a place horrible pain and suffering that will last forever.
Hell is a place of eternal death where its inhabitants die forever and forever.
We cannot comprehend eternity.
How do we imagine something that will never end?
Someone described hell like this: "Imagine that the entire globe of earth were a solid steel ball.
Then imagine that a tiny sparrow flew across the expanse of space once every
ten thousand years and brushed the tips of its wings against that steel ball.
Imagine that it flew off again, only to return in another ten thousand years.
Imagine also that sparrow returning time and time again until the steel ball, the size of the earth,
had totally worn away.
Then it would be that eternity would only just have begun!"
Every person on earth will spend all eternity in heaven or in hell.
You will decide your eternal destination, and you need to make it now.
You can choose between life and death -- between heaven and hell.
No one else can make that decision but you.
The Bible says, "There is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
There is an old story that is told of several men who had died and were trying
to enter heaven.
The story says that there is an angel guarding the gate to heaven.
The angel asked each person trying to enter heaven the same simple question.
"Why should I let you enter heaven?"
The moralist said, "Because of my clean life and morality."
The angel responded, "Depart from me, ye worker of iniquity."
The humanist said, "Because of my concern for others and charity."
The angel said, "Depart from me, ye worker of iniquity."
The religionist said, "Because of my church membership and religious activity."
The angel said, "Depart from me, ye worker of iniquity."
Finally, a young Christian stepped forward, bowed his head, stretched forth his hands
and said, "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the Cross I cling."
To which the angel replied, "Open wide the gates, a child of God has come home."
Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished upon the cross of Calvary provides
the answers to questions, the forgiveness of my sins, the help for my problems,
the courage for my fears, and my assurance for eternity in heaven forever.
"I shall go there to dwell in that City, I know,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And I'm happy, so happy, as onward I go,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o'er my soul
Like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart."
-- Words by Rufus H. McDaniel
Now is the time for you to receive Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. " (Romans 6:23)
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of man be lifted up:
- whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.
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."
(John 3:14-18)
"If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth
that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10
If you wish to be a Christian, then pray this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life.
But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in Heaven for me.
Jesus, please come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me.
I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation
and I receive your free gift of eternal life."
Sermon adapted by Dr. Harold L. White