Welcome to the Road Less Traveled…many have journeyed down this road searching for answers to fill that void in our hearts that no matter what you try to fill it with in life, nothing on earth quenches the thirst that your soul cries out for…The Living Water, the eternal spring, found only in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let’s begin by using this poetic license to give you a glimpse into who God is…check this out!
Did you know that you were created by design? You were created in the image of God, in the likeness of him. You were created for a purpose…
Genesis 1:26-28 NIV
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
You know, Jesus was talking with a Samaritan Woman at the well one day, here is what he told her about this living water…
John 4:4-15a NIV
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Realizing that we want this living water, where do we go from here? Let’s take the next step and reflect on the following message below, it is a key part in understanding our need for the Living Water, and why we need Jesus Christ and can’t just simply waste this precious time living out our life here, missing this GIFT that God has presented to you, to save you from an eternal separation from Him, but time is of the essence… Check this out!
Once you have had some time to reflect on these truths found in God’s Word, we can move towards the solution God provided in Christ, knowing we could not save ourselves, knowing we deserve death for our great sin, we move to the next question…
What is this story about sin and the garden of Eden?
GOD WALKED WITH Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, in the beginning, because there was NO SIN, nothing holding Him back, he could look into the fullness of their faces, because all was well. Then this happened…let’s take a look!
We know God hates sin as evidenced by his being the great Judge, destroying entire cities for their sin. Modern churches often preach how God Loves sinners, but the bible also says he hates evildoers (sinners). Is this a “Love-Hate” relationship…No of course not, this next presentation will bring this home, and bring you even closer to understanding the Hope we as Christians have in Jesus Christ…HOPE IS COMING, SALVATION is coming, because GOD in his WISDOM, had a plan to redeem His people…Let’s Go!
Let’s bring this concept even further home, let’s bring the comparison of Judgement and Grace closer home…
I pray you are starting to see the picture of the cross of Christ, and what it meant for God to put ALL His WRATH that you and I deserve for our sin, upon HIS own precious Son to die a sinners death on the cross…for you and I! Jesus Christ, who in the garden of Gethsemane, sweat blood and tears for you, here is the conversation with HIS daddy (God the Father)…
Matthew 26:36-46 NIV
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
You can see the sorrow that Jesus is feeling here, yet He went to the cross and died a sinners death on the cross for you and I, taking our place, and ALL the WRATH of God upon himself….THAT IS the GREATEST of Love one can have, no greater! (John 15:13) – Jesus called us friends, and layed His life down for you and I…
Here is a story paralleling what you have heard here from scripture, when Jesus teaches Nicodemus, let’s check it out!
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d]
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[e] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g]16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 3:1-21 NIV 1984
This is a life decision, The book of Romans tells us that to receive the gift of Salvation through Christ Jesus, we must do these things, by Faith. Knowing how much God Loves me, and paid the penalty for MY sins, so we can be together again in union with God, and have the gift of Eternity spent with Him in heaven.
And as we learned earlier, we can’t earn our way into heaven, it is a free gift for us to simply accept, and walk by faith in Christ the rest of our lives allowing God to work within you… We do this by first:
- Acknowledge I am a sinner, and need Jesus…
- Believe Jesus died for my sins, rose three days later conquering death.
- Confess my need for Christ by calling on the name of the Lord.
Romans 10: 9-11 NIV 1984
9 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. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]
If you made this decision today or are even praying about making this decision we celebrate you! When even ONE sinner comes to the Lord in repentance, the angels celebrate! (Luke 15:7)
Luke 15:7 NIV 1984
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
We recommend you finding a good Bible based church, and get connected with a community of other believers in Christ to help you grow more deeper in your new relationship with God and help you learn how to allow the Holy Spirit of God work within you. As a new believer, here are a few encouraging thoughts from the scriptures…
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV 1984
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
Romans 8:38 – 39 NIV 1984
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We would love to talk with you and help you through the start of your new relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit our Facebook Page and message us, and we will contact you back to talk more.
Would you like to get connected and meet one-on-one right away via Google Meet so we can walk alongside you during this critical part of this journey with Jesus, consider visiting our Sent 6:7 Page to get connected in a bible study group!