Many people we meet have reduced salvation to saying a prayer or attending church or being good or some other tangible thing that we do and if we do that we’re ok with God.  Unfortunately this often leads to a “Christianity” that some have described as “a mile wide and an inch deep”.  It leads to a “Christianity” that doesn’t change lives.

Here is how does the book of Romans describe The Road To Christ.

Many people we meet have reduced salvation to saying a prayer or attending church or being good or some other tangible thing that we do and if we do that we’re ok with God.  Unfortunately this often leads to a “Christianity” that some have described as “a mile wide and an inch deep”.  It leads to a “Christianity” that doesn’t change lives or if it does only around the margins.

We and people around us need to understand what it mean to put our faith in Christ.  The bible describes salvation as a transformation from what we were to something new and different (2 Corinthians 5:17).  I hope you will listen to the next four podcasts as we discuss "The Road To Christ.” 

What Is Doctrine

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Doctrine is the body of teachings of the Christian faith concerning its central beliefs. Doctrine is grounded in Scripture and aims to maintain the integrity of Christianity by distinguishing it from non-Christian beliefs. Sound doctrine is intended to shape and mould the people of God for life and service in the world.

Christianity doctrine isn’t a feeling but a belief system that is expected to drive our behavior and our emotions.

He Doesn’t Live Like A King

Luke 2:8-20

He doesn’t live like a King. What’s he doing in a manger. What’s he doing where ox and ass are feeding, a stable. That’s not now do King’s live.  This baby’s living conditions didn’t look like the conditions for a King.

He Doesn’t Look Like A King

Luke 2:1-7

Why didn’t they know?  The people who experienced the birth of the messiah thought they knew how Messiah would come.  Why didn’t they recognize Him?

They made the wrong assumptions.  Assumptions can blind us.  Assumptions can make us reinterpret things, so they make sense to us and miss the truth.  They were expecting Christ the king – they got a baby.  He didn’t look like a king and his earthly family didn’t look like a King’s family.

They Should Have Known

Isaiah 9:6-7

What Child is this is a song sometimes sung at Christmas.  The Chorus goes, “This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing; Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

The people were expecting the messiah, the king.  Yet they missed Him.   They should have known.  They knew their history.  He was prophesied in many specific and recognizable ways.  Yet they missed Him.

In this first message we look at why they should have known focusing on Isaiah 9:6-7.

The Heart of Sin

Genesis 3:1-7

The heart of sin is pride - a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements.  A focus on self over God.  It is the thought that I know better than God. Sinful acts are sin but they are not the heart of sin.

Pride can be used in good sense.  We take pride in our work, recognizing God that gave us the ability to do the work, and wants me to do my best.  That’s not what’s happening in the fall Genesis 3:1-7

Satan cleverly invites Adam & Eve to reject Gods authority and take authority that belongs to God.  Pride doesn’t always show itself in fist shaking anger, but often in simple decisions to ignore God and do what I want.

The Marred Image

Genesis 3:8-24

In the beginning God’s perfect Image was reflected in Man and Woman.  They are without shame…without sin. 

However the fall described in Genesis 3:1-7 changed everything.  Sin entered the world and God’s image in man was marred. Sin (the fall) has entered the world and it mars God’s image in us (makes it harder to see God’s Image) but it doesn’t break our relationship.  The reason that it doesn’t break our relationship with God is Jesus, the perfect sacrifice has already paid for every sin we committed in the past, will commit today and will commit in all the tomorrows that we live.  So what are the effects of the fall?  Listen up.

The Perfect Image

Genesis 1:26-27

Men and women are made in the image and likeness of God.  We are not “little gods” but in some way we are like God.  It is important to remember that God’s original creation was perfect.  We have the fall in Genesis 3 and we’ll deal with that next week but here is the picture when things were perfect.  God’s image in us was marred by the fall in Genesis 3 but we were created in His perfect image before the fall.  Here what it means to be made in the image of God.

How Are We To Pray

James 5:13-20

We believe in Prayer, But often We Fail to pray Here we have a verse that confuses many -- V. 15 says “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” We love passages like Matthew 18:19 whatever you ask in my name… yet we also  see throughout the bible that sometimes God doesn’t answer the way the person praying wants him to, for example 2 Cor. 12:8 … three times Paul pleaded to have thorn in flesh removed… and God responded my grace is sufficient.  Yet here James it says the prayer of faith will save…  What is the Prayer of Faith?  I will answer that in the context of our subject, How are we to Pray?