Get Back to the Basics

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Get Back to the Basics By Rick Warren — Mar 25, 2015 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV) God doesn’t want you to doubt your salvation. He doesn’t want you to worry about it. He doesn’t want you to fear being without it. He doesn’t want you to wonder whether you’ll be in Heaven with him. God wants you to settle the issue. To do that, you’ve got to get back to the basics. All great coaches focused on the basics. They never assumed anyone knew the basics. John Wooden always started training camp by teaching his players the correct way to put on their socks! Vince Lombardi started his training camps by famously telling his players, “This is a football.” The basics matter. If we were going to get back to the basics about Jesus, we’d go back to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (KJV). You could summarize the entire Bible in that one verse. It’s the Good News in a verse. In fact, the very structure of the verse points to the Gospel. The verse is 25 words long. The middle word, the 13th word, is the word “Son.” That’s Jesus. The first 12 words are all about God — ”God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten.” The last 12 words are all about you and me — “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That is a picture of the Gospel. The Bible says that God’s on one side, mankind is on the other, and Jesus Christ came to Earth to bring them together. He’s the bridge over troubled waters. He’s the mediator between God and man. Jesus came to bring God and us together. That’s the basics of the Gospel. That’s the most important message in the history of the world. God sent his Son to Earth to bridge the gap between you and him. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, what times are you most likely to doubt God’s power to save you? Why is the Gospel such good news? Which do you think most people find it tougher to do: to admit that they can’t save themselves, to recognize God’s perfection, or to acknowledge that Jesus is the bridge between God and people? One Thing is Needed TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. ...” (Luke 10:41–42, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Do you ever find that you have so much on your “to do” list that you don’t even know what to do next? The question is, is all of that really necessary? Scripture says there is only one thing needed in life and that is to sit at the feet of Jesus. When we sit in His presence, we get to know Him. We hear His voice and He shows us the way that we should go. When we don’t take time for Him, that’s when we feel the cares and worries of the world. Today, take a moment to evaluate how you are spending your time. Tune out unnecessary distractions and tune in to His voice. Make time for Him every single day because that is the one thing that is needed! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, today I choose to set my heart and mind on You. I choose to cast my cares and focus on what’s most important — hearing your voice so I can follow Your ways! In Jesus’ Name. Amen. PS.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BT-3TSLRJ0