Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

Genesis 1:31

Very Good!

God is both the most powerful being in the universe—the creator of everything—and the absolute best. He is wise, just, merciful, kind, and deeply involved in this world of his. He made you and everyone else, specially and specifically, and everything he makes is good—very good!

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.

Psalm 145:8-9

All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.

Psalm 111:7-8

The Creator

It's a logical conclusion: If God is creator—all powerful and totally good—then he is also the only being with the authority to define what is good and bad—right and wrong—in this world. His moral laws are just like the laws of nature: orderly, helpful, beautiful, and lasting—affecting everyone equally—just like gravity, sunlight, and thermodynamics.

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Genesis 2:15-17

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

Genesis 3:9–11

The First Rebellion

In a tragic act of mistrust, the first humans disobeyed God. Through their disobedience, evil entered the world. In seeking freedom for themselves from God's law, they handed authority to God’s enemy who wreaked havoc on God’s good creation.

You can trace all the evil in our world back to this root of rebellion. With each new generation, evil spread throughout the world and in the hearts of people.

But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.

Psalm 11:4

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

Isaiah 53:6

Our Own Way

Just like the first humans, we become tainted when we reject God's definitions of right and wrong (his commands and his moral laws) and choose for ourselves how to live, calling the shots instead. This is what the Bible calls "sin."

Sadly, all of us have, in some way, turned away from God and his commands to go our own way—following our own ideas and desires instead.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

Gross

To illustrate this, imagine a cold glass of pure spring water on a hot summer day. Nice, right? Okay, now take a little drop of toilet water and mix it in. Want some now? No, thanks! It's an obvious choice.

Even a tiny bit of poo water spoils the whole glass.

It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them.

Isaiah 59:1-2

Far From God

A few of us may realize, on some level, that our sins are dirty and wrong. But whether we feel it or not, all sin has dire consequences. Sin taints our hearts, turning us away from God and his goodness. Just like that gross water, sin spoils all of us, the "whole glass."

And yet, the worst part is so tragic: sin has broken our relationship with God, just like the first humans.

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6

The Attempt

We can't try hard enough to make up for our sins or "climb" our way back to God. All our good deeds are like filthy rags, trying to cover up our shame and guilt, but just don't work. Yet, to compensate, we often try and stop feeling guilty or far from God by doing good deeds: contributing to society, going to church, working harder, or giving to charity.

There is nothing we can do to make up for our sins, or "un-poo" our own lives.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

The Verdict

We have all sinned against a holy and righteous God. Our sins—and the evil we bring into the world—must be corrected. Because God is a good judge, he maintains his goodness by enacting justice against wrongdoing. He takes sin seriously and will punish it.

The penalty for sin was set long ago—in the Garden of Eden: eternal separation from God. But that's not the ending of our story...

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:5

The Judge Steps In

God, this good judge, decided that something had to be done, and so took our desperate case into his own hands. He set aside his eternal glory, wrapped himself in human flesh, and stepped down from his heavenly throne into our messy world—through Jesus Christ.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:7-8

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Who is This Jesus?

Jesus is God himself, God's only son, who entered into our world as a baby—conceived by the Holy Spirit—born into our world just like we are. He lived for about 30 years, teaching about God and showcasing His character and love through his teachings and miracles. He experienced all the same joys, pains, and temptations common to all people. But unlike any other person, though, he lived a perfect life, totally free of sin. Finally, he was crucified—tortured and executed—at the request of the religious leaders of his day.

Through His death, on a cross, Jesus accepted the punishment due for us, instead of us.

Although he had determined that sin's punishment was death, God aimed his own hammer of justice at himself. He took his own retribution upon himself to spare us.

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Romans 3:24-25

A Real Answer

So through Jesus, God himself makes us right with himself. He forgives us of all our sins, washes our guilty consciences, gives us new hearts, and brings us into a completely close relationship with himself. Jesus totally destroyed the havoc of death and reversed the evil that the first humans—and all of us since—brought into the world.

Who does this? Only God—Only Jesus. He determined that the joy of saving us was well worth this steep cost.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."

Ephesians 2:13

Our Response

So what is the right response? We say, "Wow, yes!" We believe that Jesus' death purifies our sin, making our poo water perfectly clean again, and totally restoring our relationship with God. We trust that by Jesus' resurrection, we can walk in a completely new life, free from sin and ultimately, death!

We are saved by God’s grace when we realize our need for a Savior, turn from sin, and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, putting our trust in Him alone for salvation.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Ephesians 2:4-5

A New Power

Jesus died for our sins, but didn't stay dead! God raised Jesus from the grave, putting an end to sin's power over our lives, completely and finally. Through Jesus, God fulfilled his plan to rescue all of His creation from the effects of sin, and give super abundant life to everyone who believes in him.

The ultimate act of love—dying to pardon another person—was followed by the ultimate act of power—resurrection.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Romans 10:9-10

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Romans 5:10-11

A New Relationship

Rather than doing away with humanity, God rescued it. In a breathtaking exchange, God the Son took the punishment for sin upon Himself, and welcomed humanity back into the relationship that was broken. Humanity once again has the opportunity for unity with God and a life of meaning and purpose.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-9

A New Life

Jesus—as the creator and our savior—is the only one with the desire, plan, and power to actually change us. Through his death and resurrection, God gives us a new a new direction in life with new desires and the ability to stop sinning—stop living for ourselves—and live for God and others instead.

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:15-21

A New Walk

It's good to compare our "Christian walk" today to the first Christians' lives—walking with Jesus from town to town, wherever he went. In Jesus' time, following him would have meant giving up everything—your job, house, and family—to literally go wherever he goes. It also meant becoming a disciple—or student—of Jesus, allowing him to teach his ways and his thoughts, about everything.

The starting point is to open up to God in prayer...

A Suggested Prayer

"God, I believe that you exist and that you want to give me new life and a new relationship with you, through your Son, Jesus Christ. Please help me as I read the Bible to know who you are, understand what you require of me, and be willing to follow you. Please lead me to a church—other Christians—that can help me. And Jesus, help me trust and obey you for the rest of my life. Thank you, Jesus, for hearing and answering me!"

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, 'Brothers, what should we do?' Peter replied, 'Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.'Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, 'Save yourselves from this crooked generation!' Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer."A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts 2:36-47

The Context

This is the first Christian sermon ever preached—after Jesus died, rose again, and went back to heaven. Peter, one of the men who walked with and followed Jesus, boldly proclaimed Jesus' good news in the middle of Jerusalem, the same town where Jesus had just been tried and executed. And the result was amazing! Many of those men and women who heard were convicted of their sin, believed in Jesus, were baptized, and were added to the church.

Let's consider how we can follow Jesus, today, just like these first believers—the first church.

The Summary

Everyday, we choose to follow Jesus with the help he provides. God helps us obey all his commands and teachings, being self-controlled, upright, and loving in all we do. We live this out by always focusing on Jesus, receiving his Holy Spirit—a close relationship with God himself, learning and practicing the Bible, and walking with other believers. God has designed you to always be in relationship with him. We hear his voice through the Bible and prayer, and when we trust and obey God's words—we grow! God has also designed you to be with other Christians—the Church—to know God better, grow together, discover your purpose, and make a difference in your family, job, neighbors, and all the world.

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

Acts 2:36

Lord & Messiah

To begin, we need to firmly understand who Jesus is and why we should follow Him. As Peter boldly proclaimed—in the very first sermon after Jesus' death and resurrection—Jesus is both the Lord (boss of everything) and Messiah (the chosen one, sent by God, God's only Son, God himself, the only one who saves us and completes all of God's promises)

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Acts 2:37

Pierced & Ready

Willing to follow; Willing to do—When we really understand who Jesus is, and what he did for us, we become willing to do whatever he asks of us, because it's worth whatever the cost of the "ask."

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."

Acts 2:38-39

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Romans 3:24-25

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."

Ephesians 2:13

Repent & Turn

We turn away from selfishness and live for God, thanking and honoring him in all we do—and loving everyone like he loves us.This includes stopping to do anything the Bible calls "sin"—or put another way—"missing the mark." Sin is basically living any way, or thinking any way, other than how God designed and commands us to. It's a lifelong commitment to allow God the place to tell us to do, or not do, something—because He knows best for us and everything / everyone else.

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."

Acts 2:38-39

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

Acts 2:41

Be Baptized

Christianity is not a solo commitment, and begins by publicly proclaiming our devotion to Jesus through baptism. We boldly profess who Jesus is and what he did, with our mouths and our lives.

Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

Acts 2:36-41

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. [...] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

John 16:7,13

Receive The Promise

Jesus told even the first believers to wait until they received his Holy Spirit before going to live and proclaim the good news—It's actually impossible to live the Christian life apart from the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to lead us into all truth.

Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

Acts 2:40-41

Saved & Added

Salvation is lived out every day—not forgiveness of sins, but choosing to stay in the new life God has provided through Jesus. We don't do this alone, but God has designed you to be with him in a new kind of family, a group of people much like his chosen people of Israel: his New Testament Church. God wants us to find other believers that we can link arms with, meeting reguarly in devotion to Jesus and his teachings.

And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts 2:47

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

On His Mission

The Holy Spirit empowers us to be effective witnesses. A witness is someone who has found the good news of the gospel and tells others about it. In short, our mission is the same as Jesus'—to demonstrate and share the good news of the Gospel by telling others about our new relationship with Christ.

Recap

Here's how these first disciples followed Jesus, and is a good example for us to today:

1. Repent of sin & Turn to God2. Be Baptized, Boldly3. Receive God's Holy Spirit4. Be Added to the Church5. Live on Mission for Jesus

Help & Resources

There are lots of ways in which you might need help in life and in your walk with Jesus. Let's look at some of them...

Christian Church

• Every Nation

Every Nation Church NYC is a small Christian church in midtown, that has a multi-ethnic, welcoming culture for anyone who wants to learn about & follow Jesus. The focus: helping people know God, grow together, discover purpose and make a difference.

Homeless Shelter

• The Bowery Mission

Providing compassionate services and transformative community to those struggling with homelessness.

Pregnancy Support

• Love Life!

Abortion is not the only way. There are wonderful and life-affirming alternatives to abortion! We are here to help you every step in your pregency journey.

Abuse, Assault, & Trafficking Help

• Garden of Hope

Through the love of God, Garden of Hope is dedicated to serving, caring and rebuilding the lives of whom have been exposed to domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

Prison Ministry

• Prison in the Wild

Facilitating life change through hope in Christ, supporting those currently incarcerated, offering reintroduction services to those recently released, and investing in the lives of correctional officers at the largest jails in NYC.

Ongoing Life Care

• Gifted Hands NYC

Gifted Hands is a nonprofit organization that provides outreach to New York City’s underserved communities through art programs, giving women the opportunity to create something beautiful with their own “gifted hands.”

By Email

Email me — [email protected]