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Do you ever feel like there is something missing in your life?  Do you ever wonder what it will take to fill that void, that empty place within you?  What it will take to make you happy.  To have satisfaction.  To feel fulfilled in life.

Well, I want you to know that this is not just you.  What you are feeling, what you are sensing, is common to man.  All human beings go through this.  Because there is a desire placed within each of us that needs to be satisfied and fulfilled.

The problem is, most of us try to fulfill and make that connection by doing all the wrong things or connecting with the wrong things and wrong places.  Maybe you’ve tried some of the things that I tried, and you still don’t have fulfillment or satisfaction.

Maybe you tried money, making money, making more money.  But you still had that emptiness.  I did.  Money can’t fill that emptiness.

Maybe you’ve tried gambling.  Gambling can’t fill that emptiness.  Maybe you’ve tried alcohol, booze, beer.  Those things can’t fill that emptiness.  You may have a temporary high or a temporary satisfaction, but the next morning when you’re sicker than a dog, you still have that void and that emptiness.  I’ve been there.

Maybe you’ve tried being the life of the party, being popular.  Well, when everyone else leaves and is no longer around, the emptiness is still there.  The void is still there.

Or maybe you’ve tried dope, marijuana, cocaine.  When the high is over, the emptiness is still there.  Maybe it’s been cigarettes for you.  Every time you feel this loneliness come on you, this need to connect, you reach for the cigarette pack.  And when you put out the cigarette, the void and the emptiness is still there.  You’re just one step closer to death because you’re killing yourself with cigarettes.  But the emptiness is still there.

Or maybe you’ve tried some of the pleasures of the world to fill that void, that emptiness within you.  Holidays, vacations.  And when you returned home, the emptiness was still there.  Maybe you even tried moving, a change in location, some new scenery.  But the emptiness was still there.  Maybe, like me, you tried sports.  But the emptiness was still there.  You see, sports can’t fill that emptiness that you have within you.  Maybe you tried sex, maybe you tried friends and friendships, but they can’t fill that void or emptiness that is within you.

Or maybe you tried knowledge, getting a diploma, a degree.  And after you got the degree and you had all the knowledge, you still feel like there’s something missing in your life.  Your job can’t fill it either.  Your profession can’t fill it.  Being a workaholic can’t fill it.  Believe me, I tried it.  I worked and worked and worked, chased after the riches in the world.  Those things could not fulfill the need that I had deep inside of me.  It’s not uncommon for man to have that need.  It’s not uncommon for you to feel that way.

Maybe you even tried religion.  Religion can’t fill it.  Family traditions can’t fill it.  You see, it’s not uncommon that you have this need inside of you.  It’s not uncommon that you feel like something’s missing in your life.

Because in the Bible, in the Word of God, in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 Verse 11 of the NIV Version, it says that God has placed eternity in the heart of man.  That means that God has placed in the heart of every man, woman, and child that there ever was or ever will be, a place called eternity.  God is eternity.

That place inside of every man, woman, and child belongs to the almighty living God.  And that’s what you’re sensing.  That’s what you’re feeling.  You’re feeling a need to fill that place within you that belongs to God.  You’ve tried filling it will all the wrong things.  I tried for many years to fill it with all the wrong things.  Those things don’t fill that void.  The only thing that can fill that void is a relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  It is only through Jesus Christ that you can be connected to the Father and that you can become one with Him, and that empty place within you can be fulfilled.

Yes, there is something missing in your life if you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ.  And yes, you’re going to continue to feel that emptiness until the day that you fall upon your knees, and you call out to God and ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior and come into your heart.

There is no other way.  People have been trying since the beginning of time to fill that void within them by trying all of the things that we have just talked about.

Maybe you have tried many of these things yourself, and you have found that they just don’t work.  Maybe it’s time that you try the only solution, the Son of God, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

So now you know why you feel like something’s missing in your life.  It’s because it is.  It’s because God created a place inside of you that belongs to Him.

Now, would you like to try and fill that void?  Would you like to get reconnected, so that you will no longer feel like there is something missing in your life?

To do that, I want to read a couple scriptures with you.  And I want you to think about what they mean.  We’re going to start in the book of Romans Chapter 3 Verse 23.  And the bible says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Let me say that again, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  So, when you hear those words, what is that saying to you?  Well, if you said that all have sinned, then you heard right, you heard what the Word of God says.  That all means exactly what it says.  Every man, every woman, and every child that there ever was has sinned.  All mankind have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So, if I were to ask you, “Are you a sinner?”  Then your answer would have to line up with what the bible says, “Yes, I am a sinner.”

Now, let’s continue to look through God’s Word, so that we can fill that emptiness within you before you’re done listening to this tape.  In Romans 6:23, the bible says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Now let me say that one more time.  For the wages of sin is death.  So, what does that mean?  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Because all have sinned, because of our sin nature, the price or the wage that we’re going to pay is death or total separation from God forever.  But God didn’t want it to be that way, so He has given you and I and all mankind an opportunity to accept a free gift from Him, so that we could have eternal life and be with Him forever and that free gift is Jesus Christ.

The last part of that verse read, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So, we all have the opportunity to have eternal life.  Or we can have eternal separation from God.  It’s our choice.  So, we know that the wages of sin is death and eternal separation from God, and we know that all have sinned.

Now, let’s look at John 14:6 and see what the Word of God says.  I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  Now, this is Jesus saying this.  I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Now, think about that.  What do you think that means?  If you said it means that the only chance that you have for fulfillment, the only chance that you have to be connected to the Father is through Jesus Christ, then you’ve answered correctly.  You’ve answered what the bible says.

So, at this point, we know that all have sinned.  We know that the wages of sin is separation from God forever.  We know that the only way to be connected to God or the only way to the Father is through the Son Jesus Christ.

And now we need to look at, well how do I get connected, how do I fill that void or that emptiness in my life.  What do I do about it now?

Now that I know that I’m a sinner, now that I know that I’m going to be separated from God, how do I make things right?

Well, again, let’s look to the Word of God.  Romans Chapter 10 Verses 9 through 11.  If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified.  And it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the scripture says, anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.  Well, what does that say to you?  You’ve been listening, you’ve heard it.  If you confess with your mouth, if you speak it.  If you speak what?  If you speak, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

So, what does that mean to you today?  What does that say to you today?  Well, maybe you’re asking, “But you don’t know what I’ve done.  You don’t know where I’ve been.  Does that include me?  Do you mean that God will really forgive the sins that I’ve committed?  But you don’t know how bad I’ve been.  You have no idea the type of things that I’ve done.”

Well, let me read it to you again.  If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified.  And it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Yes, that includes you.  We all have that opportunity.  We all have that chance.  To have fulfillment in life by reconnecting to the creator.  It’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do with that chance, with that opportunity.  You may be saying right now, “Do the things that I’ve just heard apply to me?  Can I be forgiven?”  Yes, you can.

In II Corinthians 5:15, the Word of God says, He, meaning Jesus, died for all.  That those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

Now, listen to this one more time.  He, Jesus, died for all.  That those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.  What does that mean to you?

What it should mean to you is that the opportunity for salvation was promised to all.  And through Jesus’ death, you have the opportunity to have favor with God.  You have that opportunity to never have to feel that emptiness again.  To never have to feel like there’s something missing in your life again.  To never have to search in a beer bottle or an alcohol bottle or a pack of cigarettes or drugs or money or the riches of the world.  You don’t have to search any longer.  The answer is in Jesus Christ.  You need to make Him Lord of your life.  You need to ask Him into your heart today.

In John 3:16, the Word of God says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God so loved the world, He loved the whole world, that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth, that whosoever, anyone that chooses to believe will not perish and have everlasting life.  Do you want to make yourself one of those today?

One of that whosoever.  Do you want to choose today to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, so that you will not perish but have everlasting life with God.

Are you ready to fill that empty place, that void, that missing part of you?  Are you ready to be connected today to God and have fulfillment in your life?

It’s your choice.  I can only offer it to you.  I can’t do it for you.  It’s your choice.

Romans Chapter 10 Verse 13 says, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  It’s time, my friend, it’s time for you to call on the name of the Lord, so that you can be saved, so that you can be connected back to God and have fulfillment in your life.

It’s not accident that you’re listening to this tape right now.  Jesus is calling out to you.  In Revelations 3:20, the Bible says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will sup with him and he with Me.

Friend, Jesus is knocking on the door to your heart today.  He’s saying, “Let Me in.  Let Me in.  Let Me fill that empty place within you.  Let Me help you to be reconnected to My Father.  Let Me help you to have fulfillment in life.  Let Me help you, so that you will have eternity with God in heaven.  Let Me help you.”  Jesus is calling to you.  He wants to help you.  He wants to help you.  He won’t force his self upon you.  But cry out to Him today.

Say, “Jesus, come in.  Jesus, come in.”  Open the door to your heart.  Let Jesus come into your heart this day.  Call upon the name of the Lord today.  Maybe today you’re saying, “I want to get right, but I’ve just done too much.  I’ve gone too far.”

And I’m telling you today that the only way that you’ve gone to far is if you’ve rejected Jesus Christ.  Cause when you reject Jesus, if you go to your grave rejecting Jesus, there is no forgiveness to that.  The only place that awaits when you have done that is the fires of hell.  And, my friend, hell is real.

Do you know today if you were to die whether you’d go to heaven or you’d go to hell?

Well, you need to know because they’re both real.  You can have life in fullness with God in heaven for eternity, or you can have the raging fires of hell for eternity.  That choice is yours.

Again, I can’t make it for you.  But I can tell you that there’s nothing you could have done that God won’t forgive you for.  He forgave murderers in the Word of God.  He forgave prostitutes.  He’s forgiven alcoholics.  He’s forgiven drug addicts.  He’s forgiven homosexuals.  He’s forgiven those that have committed adultery.  He’s forgiven mankind for every sin imaginable.

You’re no different.  He can, and He will forgive you if you will bring those sins to Him.

But first you have to answer this question, “Am I a sinner?”

Let’s look again to God’s law to help you answer that question, “Am I a sinner?”  In the book of Exodus Chapter 20, God gives the world the Ten Commandments.  The first of those commandments is Worship no other gods.  The second is You shall not make any idols.  An idol can be anything that we give our affection to, that we give our time to.  For some people, it could be money.  For another, it could be their job.  To another, it could be their house or their car, the things of the world.  The things that we idolize are usually the things that we give our most attention to.  Do you give most of your attention to God or to the things of the world?

The third commandment, You shall not use the name of God irreverently, nor use it to swear.  Have you ever used God’s name to curse somebody?

The fourth commandment, Observe the Sabbath as a holy day.  On that day, you are to do no work.

The fifth commandment, Honor your father and your mother.  Have you honored your father?  Have you honored your mother?

The sixth commandment, You must not murder.  But in Matthew 5:22, Jesus even took it further and said, If you are only angry, you are in danger of judgment.  Do you hold anger against someone?

The seventh commandment, You must not commit adultery.  In Matthew 5:28, Jesus took it a step further, And anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Have you ever looked at another human being with lust in your heart?  Then you’ve committed adultery.

The eighth commandment, You must not steal.  It doesn’t matter how big it might have been or how small it might have been.  There’s no value placed on it, no amount.  It doesn’t matter if it’s something you stole when you were a child.  It doesn’t matter how long ago it was.  Time doesn’t cure the sin.  Have you ever stolen?  If you’ve stolen, what does that make you?  If you answered a thief, you’ve answered correctly.

The ninth commandment, You must not lie.  Have you ever lied?  Oh, well, it was just a small little lie.  A lie is a lie.  It doesn’t matter how small or how big.  It’s still judged the same way.  Have you ever lied?  What does that make you?  It makes you a liar.

The tenth commandment, You must not be envious.  You must not be envious of your neighbor’s house or want to sleep with his wife or have the things that are his.  Have you ever been envious of things that weren’t yours?

When you stand before God, before Jesus Christ on judgment day, you are not going to be judged by the standards of the world.  You are not going to be judged because you think you’re better than your neighbor or you have done things as bad as this person or that person.  You’re going to be judged by the laws that God has given us.

God has given us the Ten Commandments.  If you have lied, you have transgressed or broke God’s law.  If you have looked at a person with lust, you have broke God’s law.  If you have stolen, you have broke God’s law.  If you have not honored your parents, you have broke God’s law.  After hearing this, are you a sinner?

Let’s look at another scripture now to see what God’s Word, what the Bible says about those that transgress the Ten Commandments or break the laws.  Those who are thieves, those who have been liars, those that have been adulterers.

In the book of Revelations Chapter 21, staring in Verse 5, And the one sitting on the throne said, see I am making all things new.  And then He said to me, write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.  It is finished.  I am the A and the Z, the beginning and the end.  I will give to the thirsty the springs of the water of life as a gift.  That gift is Jesus Christ.  Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

The blessings belong to those that accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God and ask forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.  But then it goes on and it says what will happen to those who transgress or break God’s law.  But the corrupt and murderers and the immoral and those conversing with demons and idol worshippers and all liars, their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.  This is the second death.  For those that transgress God’s law, for those that break the Ten Commandments, for those who are liars and thieves and adulterers and murderers, eternal separation from God is where they’re headed.

It sounds pretty hopeless.  Who could obey the Ten Commandments fully?  What’s the answer?  What do I need to do?  Well, you need to bring those things under the blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus came to fulfill the law.  Jesus is the only one that could live and abide and keep the law.

You don’t have a chance without Jesus Christ.

Earlier we looked in God’s Word and we saw that it said that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  All have sinned and fall short of obeying his commandments.  Now, we need to personalize it.

And you need to come to that place where you can say, “I have sinned.  I have transgressed God’s law.  I am a sinner.  I have lusted in my heart.  I have broke the commandments.  I have stolen.  I have lied.  I have done these things.  I have violated God’s law.”  You need to personalize it.

You need to admit that yes, you are a sinner.

You see, you really have two issues to deal with right now.  One is that void, that emptiness that we’ve been talking about.  It is only through Jesus Christ that you’ll have fulfillment, and that void will be filled.  But it is also only through Jesus Christ that the sins that you have committed can be forgiven and saved from the fires of eternal hell.

You see, without Jesus Christ, your destiny is hell.

My friend, you have a need.  You have a need.  You need a savior.  You need Jesus Christ.  You can not continue to search in the world to fill that emptiness, that void within you.  As you continue searching in the world, you’re doing all of these things that are causing you to break God’s law, pushing you further away from God.

You must confess your sins for what they are.  Be truthful between yourself and God.  Admit, “Yes, I am a sinner.”  Admit, “Without forgiveness, I am doomed to hell.”  Admit, “I have a need.  I need a savior.”

Are you a sinner?  If your answer is yes, then we need to go on.  Do you want forgiveness of that sin?  And your answer again needs to be yes.  You need to have forgiveness of that sin.  And God will forgive you of that sin.

And you need to believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and that He rose again.  Do you understand that?

Do you understand that God sent His son Jesus Christ into this world to pay the price for all mankind?  That Jesus hung on that cross.  He shed His blood for you.  He died for you, so that your sins could be forgiven and that you could have favor and be reconnected to God.

It’s not enough to understand that, but are you willing to now ask for forgiveness?  Are you willing to surrender yourself to Jesus Christ?  He wants you to.  God wants you to.  Are you ready this day to invite Jesus Christ into your life and into your heart?

It’s your choice.  Maybe you’re saying, “No, I’m not ready.  Part of me just isn’t ready.  No, I can’t make that commitment.”

And my question to you is why?  Why can’t you make that commitment?

What’s holding you back from making that commitment?  What does the world got to offer that is so great, that is so good, that you are willing to risk being separated from God throughout eternity.

Remember, we went over all those things earlier in this message.  Money didn’t help you.  Gambling didn’t help you.  Booze didn’t help you.  Popularity didn’t help you.  Dope didn’t help you.  Cigarettes can’t help you.  Pleasure didn’t help you.  Vacations didn’t help you.  Sports didn’t help you.  Sex didn’t help you.  Friends didn’t help you.  Diplomas and degrees didn’t help you.  Jobs and professionalism and being a workaholic didn’t help you.  Religion didn’t help you.  Family traditions didn’t help you.

Knowing all this, again I ask you why?  Why aren’t you ready today to be reconnected to God, so that you will no longer have to feel like there’s something missing in your life?

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command the blinders of the enemy to be removed from every person listening to this tape.  I command the tongues to be loosed and set free of every person listening to this tape.

And I ask you right now to say this prayer with me, the prayer of salvation.  “Lord Jesus, I need you in my life.”

Say it with me right now.  Don’t let the enemy stop you.

“Lord Jesus, I need you in my life.  I believe you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross for me.  Please forgive me for my sins and create a clean new heart in me.  Renew my spirit, so that I can hear Your voice.  I accept you as my Savior and my Lord.”  I want to welcome you now into the kingdom of God.  Don’t let the enemy talk you out of what you just did because you have been saved.  You have been born again.  You have been reconnected with the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You never again have to fee like there’s something missing in your life because you have fulfillment now.  Because that place within you that belonged to God has now been given to God to inhabit through His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

I want to urge you now to go to someone that you know that’s a Christian, that’s a believer, and confess with your mouth to them what you have done, that you have asked Jesus Christ into your heart and you have given Him your life.  Find a church and start attending on a regular basis.  Start reading the bible every day.  Start praying every day.  If you need help finding a church, call us.  We want to help you.  We can be reached at 219-787-9933.  Or you can write to us at 815 South Babcock Road, Porter, Indiana 46304.  Or you can visit our website at www.step-by-step.org.

As a new believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I’m sure you already sense that love of God that has entered your heart.  I remember when I first came to know Jesus, and that love just poured into my heart.  It flooded me, and I had to share it with others.

And I know you’re going to want to do the same.  So, let that love that the Holy Ghost has shed abroad in your heart, let it out.  Take this tape that you’ve just listened to to someone else that you know that has felt like something is missing in their life.  That has felt like you felt.  You see, they’re out there.  They’re all over the place.  They’re on the job.  They’re in the streets.  They’re in the schools.  They’re everywhere.  They’re all around.  People that feel like something is missing in their life.

And you now have the answer in Jesus Christ.  Take this tape to one of those people.  Share it with them.  Talk to them.  Tell them how Jesus has filled that empty place in you and you no longer have that void and that emptiness.

Now, before you do anything else.  We want you to contact us at jim@step-by-step.org, and let us know that you have made that decision today to serve Jesus Christ as your lord and savior.

And if you have a desire to share this tape with others that you know, please feel free to duplicate it and give it to as many people as God puts on your heart.  And I’m sure there will be many of them.  So, God bless you.  Welcome into the kingdom of God.  God loves you, and we love you.

Jim & Carla Barbarossa
Step By Step Ministries
www.step-by-step.org

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