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.......In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly
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.......Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child, and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give HIM the throne of his father David, and HE will reign over the house of Jacob forever; HIS kingdom will never end."
......."How will this be," Mary asked, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called THE SON OF GOD."(Luke 1 : 29-35)
So, Jesus, The Son of God, came to us in human form......why? TO SAVE US FROM SIN. Do we NEED it, though? What does God say?
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is noone who does good, NOT EVEN ONE." (Romans 3 : 10-12)
"There is no difference, for ALL have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God."
(Romans 3 : 23)
The cost?
"The wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord." (Romans 6 : 23)
Why death, though?? Well, "...the law requires nearly everything to be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there IS NO FORGIVENESS." (Hebrews 9 : 22)
Well, here's the bad news, then. If you think you are alive right now, you're NOT. The Bible says that you were born spiritually dead. God IS NOT in you right now, has never been in you. You were born DEAD.
Well, when I die, I'll just sleep then. You can have God, I just don't need him. I won't care.
Ummmmm, that MAY be a problem, though.....read on...
"He will punish those who do not know God or do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the Majesty of HIS power..." (2 Thessalonians 1 : 8-9)
"And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever." (Revelations 14 : 11)
Jesus says: "He who is not with me IS AGAINST ME, and he who does not gather with me SCATTERS....Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, BE AFRIAD of the ONE who can destroy both body and soul in HELL." (Matt 12 : 30, 10 : 28)
