Check this out…we spell hundreds of thousands of words using only 26 American alphabet letters! Now let’s use God’s Alphabet of Christianity – words from the Bible – to bring us life today, tomorrow and forever. Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega” – the beginning and the end. We began with “A” for Able. Let’s move to “B”.
B – as in believe, as in “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God….” (John 1:12) Now, let’s break it down so it can build us up.
> Receiving and believing Christ connects us to God. God says “receivers are believers and believers are receivers”. Receiving flows from believing – “first you believe, then you receive.” Have you read Hebrews 11:6? “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Merely contemplating God falls short – we connect when we choose to “believe and receive” – willful, intelligent actions from mind and heart.
> But what are we to believe? God says, “…believe in His name.” God’s names reveal His nature. Let’s take the name of names, Jesus. His name means Savior. Savior! Savior from our sin, death and judgement. How? Through forgiveness provided through His magnificent, atoning “from death to life” work on the cross. The cross of Christ and the Christ of the cross reveal His nature to us – He loves us enough to save us! He’s our “sin-bearer”, bearing our sins upon Himself upon the cross. Do you have a sin-bearer? All of us sinners can receive salvation by believing in the sin-bearing, loving nature of Christ. Our sins block our way to God. Christ makes a way for us. Do you believe this? First you believe, then you receive.
> Believing and receiving “in His name” gives you and me “the right”. God makes you right through Christ, then gives you the right to become a child of God in Christ. From birth we are all God’s creations, but from believing and receiving we become God’s children – members of His family, taking on His name and nature forever – Christian.
> Are you believing? Are you receiving? Choose Christ and God will give you His name and His nature forever. Choose now – don’t lose the moment of truth, the defining moment. Believe and you will receive.