Settle in
Take a deep breath. Turn off notifications on your phone. Ask God to help you understand the love and power of the cross and respond to it with how you live.
Thought starter
Read Romans 3:23-24 slowly, then read it again:
You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail. [24] Yet they are now saved and set right by His free gift of grace through the redemption available only in Jesus the Anointed.
Romans 3:23-24 Voice
Everyone sins, and sin hurts God, others, and ourselves. God knew we needed a rescue plan from the sin we get stuck in, so he planned for Jesus to die on the cross. All the harm we cause—to ourselves, to others, and to God—was paid for by Jesus’s sacrifice.
Just as Jesus came back to life, we get to start over and move forward. That was God’s plan all along. Through Jesus, God paved a road back home to himself. Because of Jesus, we get to be close friends with God, and become new people every day by accepting God’s forgiveness.
Here’s what we’ll learn in this Quick Quiet Time:
- Jesus died to pay the price for our sins.
- The forgiveness we get because of the cross is a gift, not something we earn.
- Accepting the gift of God’s forgiveness changes us from the inside out.
The debt: Jesus died for you.
The first thing I did was place before you what was placed before me, that which matters most: that Christ died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says.
1 Corinthians 15:3 MSG
Truth bomb:
Jesus died so we could be debt-free.
- Every single person has sin—none of us is perfect. We can’t undo our sin, and it’s too much to pay for ourselves.
- Because of this, we owed a debt we could never pay. Jesus stepped in and paid it with his life.
Metaphor moment:
Our sin is like an overdrawn bank account. Our spiritual account is billions in the negative. Jesus doesn’t loan us righteousness; he deposits his own money into our account.
The deposit: Jesus’s death had a purpose.
And when your flesh was still uncircumcised-dead in transgression and swathed in its sinful nature-it was God who brought us to life with Him, forgave all our sins, and [14] eliminated the massive debt we incurred by the law that stood against us. He took it all away; He nailed it to the cross …
Colossians 2:13-14 Voice
[Jesus said,] “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels-a plentiful harvest of new lives.”
John 12:24 NLT
Truth bomb:
When Jesus died, he was sacrificing his own life so that we could have a second chance at life with God.
- His death wasn’t symbolic. Jesus was physically buried. He entered the darkness so we could walk in the light.
- A seed must be buried before it brings life. Jesus was buried in the tomb so that through his resurrection, we could live a new life.
Reflect:
- What sins keep you stuck? How do they affect you and other people?
- How do you feel about the fact that those are the sins that Jesus died for?
The defeat: Death is conquered.
The Good News is about his Son… [4] and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:3-4 NLT
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power [20] that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT
Lightbulb moment:
When Jesus died, he didn’t stay dead. God raised him to life.
- The empty tomb is the ultimate victory. Because Jesus beat death, he can give us a new life that never ends.
- When we have a relationship with God, we have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That means we can overcome anything!
Write it down:
- What’s one thing you need God’s power to overcome?
The delivery: God’s grace is a free gift.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [9] Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
Lightbulb moment:
Jesus paid our debt so we don’t have to. He gives forgiveness to us as a gift.
- Grace means undeserved kindness. That’s what God gave us when Jesus died on the cross.
- We don’t earn this. We don’t deserve it. We simply receive it.
Reflect:
- What are ways you are trying to earn what God is trying to give you for free?
The decision: It’s your move.
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 NLT
When the people heard this, they felt guilty and asked Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do?” [38] Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:37-38 NCV
Truth bomb:
God can’t give us what we won’t take
- The door is open. It’s our choice to step through it by believing in God’s power, confessing the sin that’s keeping us stuck, and following Jesus.
Metaphor moment:
Imagine being lost at sea, and a lifeboat arrives. We can believe the boat exists, admire it, or talk about it. But we are not saved until you get in.
The big picture
“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 NLT
Before we could make any moves, God moved first. He loved us, and our grateful response is to love him back.
Jesus came to rescue the world—and that includes you. How will you respond to his love?
Humor break!
What’s Jesus’s favorite direction? Across!
Bring the inspiration with you
Save this phone wallpaper to remind you to be real today!
