Literature
Tracts for Law Enforcement:
So Great Faith
By Your Words
Do You Know Your Rights?
It Is a Fearful Thing
The Great White Throne Judgement
Do You Know Him?
Tracts for Non-law Enforcement:
Jesus of Nazareth is He the Only Begotten Son of God?
Muhammad or Jesus the Prophet Like Unto Moses
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN
 |
Every year many of police officers are killed in the line of duty. They died protecting fellow officers, citizens or their community. This truly is the supreme sacrifice. No other sacrifice can be compared to giving your life so others can be safe and protected from harm. Society surely owes a debt of gratitude to these slain heroes. |
“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.
The sacrifice of a police officer giving his life to save others is a partial example of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you. Have you ever wondered why Jesus Christ died on the cross and why Christ's death is so important to Christianity?
Have you ever wondered why Christians talk so much about the shed blood of Jesus Christ? Before you can understand the importance of Christ's death, you have to understand the nature of God and man's lawful relationship to God. God has revealed in the Bible is holy, righteous and just and because of this, God can not have fellowship and condone unrighteousness. God's holy nature demands that He must punish unrighteousness which is better known as sin. If God failed to punish sin, He would cease to be holy, righteous and just God's holiness, righteousness and justice were revealed in the 10 Commandments.
These Commandments not only showed God's holy character but were given to man for a penal code. God deals with you directly through a legal system and just as there is a penalty for breaking man's law, so there is a penalty for breaking God's law. When God's law is broken, it is called sin:
"Whoever commit sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." 1 John 3:4.
There is a penalty for sin which is both physical and spiritual death (separation from God): "For the wages of sin is death." Remember for God to remain holy as His nature demands, He must execute the death penalty (separation from Him) for sin. This separation in eternity is known as hell:
"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire…" Matthew 25:41
The Bible reveals that man is in open rebellion against God's laws and every human being has committed sin: "There is none righteous, no, not one;" and thus separated from God: "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you."
This rebellion by man can be seen, as even the simplest of God's laws is readily broken: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain..." Virtually everyday I hear the name of the Lord Jesus Christ used as a curse. God's name is precious to Him. and using His name in vain is a sign of deep rebellion against God. This rebellion brings with it the spiritual death penalty. You might think using God's name, as a curse is not serious but the Law Giver says it is a capital offense. When you test your life under the entire divine penal code, surely you have to say,
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." I John 1:8.
Even though man is in rebellion against God, God still loves man. The very center of God's nature is love. Although man, because of sin deserves Hell, God desires that no one should perish:
"The Lord is not...willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.
In love, God sent Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God. Christ willingly went to the cross so you would never have to face Hell:
"...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame...” Hebrews 12:2.
God's love for you is not in empty words but in action. Words are easy to say but the real test of love is in action. God proved His love for you by sending Jesus Christ:
"For God so loved the world (you), that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (you) believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
God manifested the fullness of His love by allowing His Son to die in your place:
"Hereby perceive we the love of God because He laid down His life for us…" 1 John 3:16.
There is no greater evidence of God's love than Jesus Christ dying for you:
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.
You often see pictures of the Lord Jesus hanging on the cross with a beard, neat looking and with a recognizable face; However, the Bible reveals a totally different picture. The Bible states the internal pressure of becoming sin was so great that, in agony, Christ sweat blood. The Roman soldiers literally plucked His beard off His face. The Roman whip ripped open His back and it turned raw. The garrison of soldiers beat his face. These soldiers spit upon Him and made a crown of thorns which they drove into His head. On the cross, nails causing terrible pain pierced His hands and feet. His bones were not broken but torn out of joint. Spiritually, the Father separated from Jesus as He cried out, “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?” Christ literally was a bloody mess, unrecognizable as a human being:
"As many were astonished at Him, His appearance was so marred beyond human semblance." Isaiah 52:14.
Please do not take sin lightly. The death of Jesus Christ shows you the wrath of God toward sin. You also can see the love of God, in that, Jesus Christ was willing to pay the price so you can go free. The cross satisfied both God's love and holiness. The full penalty for sin was executed on Jesus Christ, and through faith in the risen Christ an escape was provided from Hell. Without faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no escape from Hell:
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36.
A police officer dies because a criminal is in rebellion against authority, so Christ died in your place because you are in rebellion against God's authority. If a police officer took a bullet meant for you, every drop of blood that was shed would be precious. Because Jesus Christ shed His blood to pay the price for sin, so His shed blood is precious to Christians:
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, But with the precious blood of Christ..." 1 Peter 1:18,19.
Is the shed blood of Jesus Christ precious to you or was His death just the death of another man? If you understand sin and its penalty and the love of God, then the shed blood of Jesus Christ truly will be precious to you. Please do not reject God's love gift to you:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the (love) gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23.
Think how awful it would be if people were to mock the death of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. How much more awful is it to mock God by rejecting the shed blood and death of Jesus Christ!
Right now you can have assurance that God forgave your sin with the penalty of eternal death. You can have the power in your life to break the hold sin has over you. To receive forgiveness and God's power, you must apply the death of Christ and His resurrection to your life. You can do this now by faith in following God's love plan of salvation:
• Confess the resurrected Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life. The Lord Jesus has paid the full penalty of your sin. And, if you receive Him as your Lord and Savior, He will apply His death for sin to you;
"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9,10.
• This confession means repenting (turn away) from your self-centered life to making Jesus Christ the center of your life:
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Acts 3:19.
• When you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior the resurrection power of the Lord comes into your life. His power breaks the hold of sin. He gives you God's love, peace and power. No matter what your circumstances are, you can have God's peace in your life:
"These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33.
• Because Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, you can have assurance of eternal life:
"I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish." John 10:28.
• You can experience God's power in your life, right now, by a simple prayer to God: "God, I understand that Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for all my sin. I realize Jesus Christ, in love, died on the cross for me and then rose from the dead. I now repent of my self-centered life, and confess I want Jesus Christ to be both my Lord Savior. I also realize because of my faith in Jesus Christ you have given to me eternal life. Thank you in Jesus' name."
"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.