The Winning Bet Gospel Tract

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Text Š Mathew Bartlett & Peter Scothern 2015. Cover Image Š Philcold. Design by Blitz Media.

Faithbuilders: A Division of Apostolos Publishing Ltd, 3rd Floor 207 Regent St LONDON W1B 3HH Further copies of this tract from www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk

I grew up around horse racing. In our house all the talk was about the tip for the 2:30 at Chepstow or who was favourite for the 3:30 at Newmarket. I knew the names of jockeys and trainers and I could work out the odds on an accumulator before I was 10!

As a young boy—even though it was illegal—I would sneak in to see my mum in the betting shop where she worked. All the men (it was usually men) were watching the horse racing and exchanging tips. One thing all the punters were looking for was a winning bet, especially if the odds were long. Many times someone would put a pile of cash on a ‘dead-cert’ only to lose heavily. They found out the hard way that the only certainty with gambling is this – the bookmaker always wins.

Of course, there are some things which are certainties in life.

Death, for instance. No one knows when death will come, and we all hope it will not be too soon, but death will surely come to us all. We simply cannot avoid it; it is appointed for people to die. Equally certain is the fact that all of us will one day stand before God to be judged for our sins.

For centuries people have sought for a way to avoid death and to live forever. Many books and films have been made about the subject – it is a problem which vexes the whole human race.

Yet God has already given us the answer to this seemingly insurmountable problem. Jesus Christ came to abolish death and bring eternal life and immortality to the human race.

God’s eternal son left heaven and became one of us, sharing our flesh and blood nature, so that he could die.

Everyone has sinned, and since the penalty for sin is death, all humanity was awaiting punishment of eternal death and separation from God in hell. But Jesus allowed himself to be nailed to a Roman cross and died in our place—bearing our sin—so that we might live forever.

After Jesus had died, his friends took his body down from the cross and laid it in a nearby tomb. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and now he is alive forever. He has immortal and eternal life–and is willing to share it with you.

When you ask Jesus into your life, his spirit enters into your heart, so that you share eternal life with him, and when this happens, all your sins are forgiven and you become a child of God. The death sentence for sin no longer has power over you. Think of it this way: if you committed a crime, and the penalty was a fine—but a friend paid the fine for you—would you have to pay the fine as well? Jesus died to pay the price for your sin so that you will never need to.

God loves you, and he has promised to give you eternal life if you put your faith in his son Jesus. Have you put your trust in the Lord Jesus? Have you asked him to save you from your sin? When you do so, he will give you a life that will never end. And when inevitably death comes for you, you will no longer have to face judgment – instead you will find yourself immediately present with the Lord Jesus, in a place of joy where there is no pain or sorrow forever.