Introduction
Are you feeling lost? Do you find yourself wondering what it all means living in a messed-up and confused world? Are you asking questions like, “Why is there evil in the world?” or “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”
If these are questions you are struggling with, then this article is for you. We’ll examine several steps needed for a human being to find the answers to these questions and, ultimately, find fulfillment.
Step #1: Believe in a Creator God
We witness beautiful art every day. We see paintings and drawings of sunsets, waterfalls, mountains, or wildlife scenery, and never question that there was a creator of the art we observe. Yet, so often, one never considers the Creator of the beauty the artist is portraying on the canvas. Worse yet, we don’t consider the Creator of the creator of the art.
We see a building, a bridge, or a jet airplane, and we know these things were designed by a designer. Yet, again, we so often fail to see the Designer behind the design we see in our planet; the majesty of the universe, life, and the microscopic wonders of our world.
God has made Himself visible to all in many ways, not the least of which is His creation:
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
God makes it clear from His creation that He exists.
A foundational law of science is the law of “Cause and Effect.” That is, no effect can be greater than its cause.
Also, life can only come from life. But life has to have a cause, and that cause is God. There’s truly no way around it – God exists and He has made Himself known through His creation.
Before moving on to Step #2, please read my short article, Who Believes in Miracles? that helps to show why creation best explains what we see and know about life and the universe we live in. It can be found here: https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=203730
Step #2: Believe That God Is The God Of The Bible
Prophecy is proof-positive that God is the God of The Bible, and prophecy is how I came to the Lord. No other book in history has been 100% accurate in predictive prophecy – not even close – and most don’t even try. Nor could any other book be, except that which has been written by the Creator Himself.
The following are selected excerpts from the book, One Heartbeat Away1 by Mark Cahill, and I urge anyone and everyone who is seeking truth to read this book (ordering info is in the Endnotes of this article). These are a sampling of just eight prophecies the Holy Bible predicted concerning the Messiah of God, Jesus Christ, at His first coming.
- Isaiah 7:14reads, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
In Matthew 1:18-25 we read the fulfillment of this prophecy.
God said that He would bring forth a Son from a virgin, and He did.
- The Old Testament also prophesies that, even while occupying a human body in this world, the Savior Messiah would be the Son of God.
“I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7).
This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 3:17, which says: “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
It was again confirmed in Matthew 17:5 – “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”
We see that God said He would have a Son, and He did.
- Furthermore, the Old Testament prophesies that, whoever this Messiah would be, He would be born in Bethlehem. At the time of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem had only about 1,000 inhabitants:
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
Matthew 2:1 shows the fulfillment:
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.”
God said His Son would be born in Bethlehem, and He was.
- Micah also mentions (above) the pre-existence of Messiah:
“whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
When He was in Judea, Jesus Himself said He fulfilled this prophecy when He told some people who opposed Him:
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56–58)
This prophecy is also fulfilled in Colossians 1:17, which says:
“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
God said His Son pre-existed all things, and He did.
- The Old Testament prophesies that the Messiah would rise from the dead. Psalm 16:10says:
“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
We are told by an apostle, in Acts 2:31, that this prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus’ resurrection, and he referred to the above verse:
“He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.”
What an amazing prophecy! Hundreds of years before the Son of God walked on Planet Earth, it was predicted that He would rise from the dead, and He did!
- The book of Psalms describes how the Messiah would die. Psalm 22:14–20describes His death in detail:
“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.”
This amazing description of the physical effects of execution by crucifixion was written hundreds of years before it was used by the Romans. Crucifixion was first practiced about 200 B.C., and first practiced in a Jewish province in 63 B.C. Yet it was predicted in detail in Psalm 22, written by King David, who was born more than 1,000 years before Jesus. Yes, it was predicted that Messiah would die that way, and He did. The fact that His hands and feet would be pierced and that His garments would be gambled for are also striking prophetic details in Psalm 22. Notice how it was fulfilled.
Luke 23:33–34 describes the scene of the crucifixion:
“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
In Matthew 27:35, we read:
“And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”
God said His Son would die in a certain manner, and He did.
- The Old Testament prophesies that the Messiah would be pierced. We have already read prophecies of His hands and feet being pierced, and how they were fulfilled. For example:
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10)
But there was more piercing that took place. John describes how Jesus’ side was pierced, and why — showing that it was because prophecy was being fulfilled:
“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced” (John 9:33–37).
God said His Son would be pierced, and He was.
- Darkness would prevail over the land. Amos says:
“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day” (Amos 8:9).
The fulfillment is described by Matthew:
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45).
What time is “the sixth hour”? The Jewish clock began at 6:00 a.m. So the sixth hour was actually noon.
God said that He would make the earth dark at noon, and He did — for a three-hour period!
These are just eight of the 16 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ that Mark lists in his book. I won’t spoil the book for the reader, but it gets way more interesting when it comes to the odds of one man fulfilling just eight prophecies. Again, I implore anyone seeking truth to get One Heartbeat Away as soon as they can; it’s that good!
Step #3: Take the Commandment Test
Have you ever lied? If you say, “No,” then you just lied! Everyone has lied; it’s in our very nature, what the Bible calls a sin nature inherited from the first man, Adam. So, if we’re honest, we have to admit we are liars.
Have you ever stolen anything? Of course, you have, and so have I. What does that make us? It makes us thieves.
Have you ever murdered anyone? Most people, thankfully, can honestly answer no. But 1 John 3:15 says, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
Have you ever committed adultery? Well, if you have, you are guilty. If you haven’t, consider what Jesus said in Matthew 5:28: “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
So, with this in mind, let’s be honest here. In front of a holy and righteous God, using just four of the 10 commandments, we all are lying, thieving, murderers and adulterers at heart. Do you think we are guilty or innocent in the eyes of a holy and righteous God? Whether you want to admit it or not, you know the answer, and you can trust we will be judged accordingly.
But God! Two of the greatest words in the Holy Scriptures. God has provided a way for sinful man to be forgiven through the sacrifice of “God in the flesh,” Jesus Christ, who came and lived a sinless human life and offered Himself up to the Father in payment for our sins.
What do we have to do to have our sins forgiven and inherit eternal life? Only believe. That’s right; Jesus Christ did it all for us. We only have to believe and give our lives to Him.
Amazing, isn’t it?!?!
Step #4: The ABC’s Of Salvation2
A = Admit you’re a sinner.
This is where that Godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God, and there is a change of heart; we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
B = Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and God raised Jesus from the dead.
This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who He said He is.
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
C = Call upon the Name of the Lord.
This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who He said He is. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
Step #5: Repent and Give Your Life to Christ
Now that you know who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for you, won’t you give your life to Him? Trust me, it isn’t a life of rules and regulations, monotony and drudgery; on the contrary, it is a life of freedom, love, and joy that only your Creator can give. He is the reason for your existence and the only way to the Father. (This doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations. We most certainly will; but we have everlasting life in Jesus Christ and a God who will get us there.)
Just admit the obvious: that you are a sinner in need of a Savior who will give you new life. Ask Him to come into your life and change you; and He will. He will give you His Holy Spirit to guide and direct your steps. Read the Scriptures daily; all of the Scriptures – the Old and New Testaments – the only way to clearly know God. If you know the Word of God, you will know God Himself, and you will never be lacking in His love, peace, and joy.
Step #6: Trust in Christ With Your Life
Never forget to trust in the One you have given your life to. Always pray for His will. He always knows best, and will never leave you or forsake you and never let you down. You are bought with a price; the innocent, perfect blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said that we could do nothing without Him and, experience will show, this couldn’t be a more true statement. All of Christ’s statements are true and are life.
Step #7: Follow Christ Wherever He May Lead
There will be times in your life when you just don’t know what to do, where to go, and how you should proceed in life. This is where Christ shines the brightest. Sometimes, we just need to slow down, stop, and wait on the Lord.
While staying true to His Word and knowing it in your heart, He will guide you in the way you should go. There are many ways that God speaks to us: through His Word, mainly; through His “still small voice” in our hearts; and through the admonition, encouragement, and wisdom of other brothers and sisters in Christ. The more you grow in Him and His Word, the more you will give every aspect of your life to Him; and, trust me, you’ll never regret it. He’s faithful even when we are not. Trust in the One who is worthy of your trust and follow Him wherever He may lead.
Step #8: Lead Others To Christ
Please read my article, Answering the Call of The Great Commission, to get some practical tools and ideas on how to share your faith in Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world, leading them to their Savior. You can find that article here https://www.raptureready.com/2020/09/07/answering-the-call-of-the-great-commission-by-mark-a-becker/ or https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=205661
Conclusion
It is my fervent prayer that anyone who has been asking, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?” has found that answer in this article and that they will purchase One Heartbeat Away to help solidify in their hearts and minds their newfound salvation and faith in Jesus Christ.
I also pray that those who do know why they are here and what it is all about will pass the contents of this article on to others who so desperately need to know the answers to these most important of all questions.
Ultimately, God is why we are here, and Jesus is what it is all about!
Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!
Email: mab10666@yahoo.com
Endnotes
- Used with permission from Mark Cahill Ministries. To order the amazing book, One Heartbeat Away, please click here: https://markcahill.org/product/one-heartbeat-away/
- ABC’S of Salvation | Calvary Chapel Kaneohe