As we prepare for our Good Friday service tonight and partaking of the Lord's Supper, our family is meditating on Christ's Death and our sinfulness. I hope from my testimony below, you saw that my emphasis was on God's grace and faithfulness in my life. I can not take any credit for it--nothing I have done or will do in this lifetime can make God find favor in me...only His grace, through Christ's substitutionary death, can save a sinner like myself. All of us are sinners, in fact...and we all deserve death as the just punishment for our sins. God's wrath burns towards sin and those who do not profess Christ as Savior. That wrath was satisfied in Christ's death...He bore our sins on the cross. It is only by God's grace and mercy that we can enter into a new life in Christ. Christ's death took our place and He became sin for us... God's Wrath was satisfied, so we could live.

Romans 5:8-10

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We can't take credit for that. That is why I wanted my testimony to point to God and His faithfulness--not mine. Even my faith in Him is because of His grace.

Titus 3:3-7

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life

I do want to bow the knee to the One who died...giving thanks to God for His gift to us. He was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. Because of our sin, He died...but because of His death, we live.

3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Will you confess and turn from your sins now and see that Jesus has paid the price for your sins?

Will you admit that anything you can do (good works,church attendance,walking the aisle,even baptism alone) can not save you from the wrath of God?

Will you thank God for loving us so much that His only Son died?

Will you admit that God did all of this for you, a sinner?

Will you turn from a life of disobedience and self glorification to a life of living for Christ--by obeying all of His commands?

Will you open your Bible and read from His Word God's plan for you?

Will you join me now as we worship the One who died so that we can live?