Calvary Chapel Living Hope

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said that He came that we may have life, and that more abundantly. It often seems that people think of God as a cosmic killjoy, or as One out to make our lives miserable and full of rules and regulations. But according to what Jesus Himself said, this is simply not true. He came to give us a life better than what we could have without Him. In Jeremiah 29:11-13 God says:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart"

He says that His thoughts are to give us a future and a hope, His thoughts are of peace, and not of evil. God's first concern is for our eternal destination. This is the most important aspect of our future, we will be there forever. However, His blessings and His peace are for now also. He wants us to have an abundant and peaceful life in this lifetime too. That abundance and peace is found in a relationship with Him and that relationship can only come through Jesus Christ. Why is that? Why only through Jesus Christ? Let's consider the following:

• God has told us that Heaven is a free gift, we cannot earn it and we certainly do not deserve it. See Romans 6:23 and Ephesians 2:8 and 9. Why can't we earn our way? Why don't we deserve it? If we can't earn it and do not deserve it, then how can we get there? To answer why let's consider the following:
• The Bible teaches (and if we are honest we know from experience) that all men and women are sinners. Because we are all sinners, we cannot save ourselves. See Romans 3:23 and Proverbs 14:12. This helps us to understand why man cannot save himself. This becomes more clear when we understand what the Bible teaches about God.
• The Bible teaches that God is merciful, therefore He does not want to punish us. It also teaches that He is just, therefore, He must punish sin. See 1 John 4:8 and Exodus 34:7. This creates an apparent problem for God, which he foresaw and has solved in the person of Jesus Christ.
• The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the infinite God-Man. That is, He is 100% God and He is 100% man. See John 1:1 & 14 and John 20:28. The Bible also teaches that He came to earth to live a perfect life in order to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sin and to purchase for us a place in heaven which He offers to us as a free gift. This is something we could never have done on our own. So, how is this gift received? Good question.
• This wonderful gift is received by faith. Faith is the key to heaven. Faith, saving faith, is not simply believing intellectually that Jesus Christ existed or even that He is the Son of God. The devil believes that, the demons believe that. In fact the Bible says that they believe that, and they shudder. See James 2:19. Simply believing that Jesus existed and that He is the Son of God does not obtain for us a place in heaven. Saving faith also is not the same as temporal faith. That is, believing in God for temporary things like medical needs, financial needs, or other temporary things. Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation.

If I believe in a good doctor, it does not mean that I believe he exists, it means I trust Him and will listen to him. The same is true of our salvation. We must come to the place where we realize we have sinned against God and need His forgiveness. We must realize that this can only come through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus taught this in His earthly ministry, "Turn from your sins and believe the good news, for the Kingdom of God is at hand."

Do you want to know where you are going to spend eternity? When you lay your head on your pillow at night, do you want to be sure you will spend eternity in heaven if you die in your sleep? Do you want the abundant life that Jesus came to give you? Then you need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 that He stands at the door and knocks, and if anyone hears His voice and opens the door He will come in and have fellowship with Him. That fellowship He speaks of is an intimate relationship, a friendship. Imagine that, a friend of the Creator of the Universe! Do you want that? Then simply place your trust and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Turn to Him, follow Him, learn of Him and grow in Him. May we suggest a prayer to God that goes something like this:

"Dear God, I confess that I have sinned against You. I am sorry for my sin and I give my life over to You now. Please come into my heart, come into my life and be my Lord and my Savior. Help me to turn from my sin and to live for You every day. Fill me with Your Spirit, with Your power, fill me with all You have for me. I want to live for You from this day forward. Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me and providing for me an eternity in heaven. I commit my life to You now. In Jesus name I pray, amen."

If you have prayed this prayer and surrendered your life to Christ, we would love to know about it. We would love to help you in your new relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have a Bible, we would like to give you one and help you get connected with a local Bible teaching church where you can spend time with others who have made the same decision you have. We encourage you to talk to God through prayer and hear from Him through His Word (the Bible). We also encourage you to tell others about your new relationship with God. Please contact us so we can come along side of you in your new relationship with God! Welcome to the Family of God!

Pastor Steve
Calvary Chapel Living Hope