John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Many people think of Jesus only in terms of condemnation and guilt, but Jesus wasn't sent to make us feel guilty - we do that ourselves - Jesus was sent for one purpose and that was to save us.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; . . .
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man is come to seek and save that which was lost.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; . . .
The reason Jesus came to earth was to save us. The power of God’s salvation is available to every person who believes. Believing will be better explained a little later.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:10 . . .There is none righteous, no, not one.
All human beings have done things and said things that are wrong. We may have lied, hated, gossiped, murdered, stolen, or been drunk. Because we have sinned, we are guilty.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Wages are what we have earned and deserve. It is what we have coming to us for the works we have done. Because we are guilty of sin, we have earned death. We have death coming to us because that is the fair and just compensation for the sins we have committed. Spiritual death is to be separated from God for all eternity. A gift is something we do not deserve. Even though we deserve death, God desires to give us the gift of eternal life; something we definitely do not deserve.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God didn't wait until we cleaned up our act - God didn't wait until we deserved or earned the right to be saved. We didn't have to "get right" with God in order for Him to love us. He loves us even while we are still sinners. While we were yet sinners and worthy of nothing but death -Christ died for us so we don't have to die.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 . . . 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.
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.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Remember, the reason Jesus came was to make it possible for us to be saved! It is God's pleasure and desire for us to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
We don't deserve God's love. We only deserve death. Even though we deserve death, God loves us enough to provide a way out of death and into life.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
It isn't God's desire that anyone should die. He would rather have everyone live. God wants us to have life and have life to the fullest.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
It was never God's intention for us to suffer wrath or death. It has always been God's desire and plan for us to live with him.
Luke 13:23-24 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, "Strive to enter in at the straight gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
There are many who are trying to find a way into salvation other than the "one way" God has provided. We are to make every effort to enter in through this one way - Jesus.
Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, who God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven whereby we must be saved.
Regardless of the fact so many people in the world today are trying to find salvation, or sometimes their escape, in something or someone else; there is no one else by which we CAN and MUST be saved. There is no person other than Jesus who can save us. There is no other name among men that we can look to for salvation. God said Jesus is the ONLY one.
John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me."
There is no other way or person through which or by which we can be saved. Again, Jesus is the ONLY WAY.
Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Most of us seem to be so busy trying to get the things we think we need that we don't take time for God. If we will make sure we are working for Jesus and for things of righteousness, He will make sure we have what we need to eat, or drink, or wear.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Life can be very hard and is full of pressure and troubles. A life that is dedicated to God will find life to have less pressure and discover God will help us will all the troubles.
Acts 16:30-31 . . .Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and they house.
The greatest question any person will ever ask is "What must I do to be saved." The Bible has a simple and clear answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Believe in the Lord Jesus and you WILL BE SAVED,. The first step to being saved is to believe in Jesus. God sent Jesus to save us. He is the only one who CAN SAVE US.
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to be repent:
Repent means to change direction. When we repent, we turn from the way of sin to the way of God.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God wants everyone to be saved.
Romans 10:9-10 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.
We must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord AND we must believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead. The second step in being saved is to CONFESS with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord" - and to BELIEVE in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Confessing Jesus is Lord and not believing that God raised Him from the dead won't work. Believing God raised Him from the dead without confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord won't work either.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
We don't have to listen to the lies Satan will try to tell us, such as you have been too wicked for too long to be saved. God's Word says that if you call on the Name of the Lord, you will be saved.
Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 13:11-14 And that, knowing the time, that now is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
Acts 2:40 . . . Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
James 1:20-22 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filththiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.
Luke 13:3 . . . except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Frequently when we begin to acknowledge our sins and our wickedness and begin to confess our sins it makes us feel bad and sorrow. When we start to feel the "sorrow" we usually will pull away and do not go through with the confessing and repenting. As long as we stay in the worldly things and attitudes, they will bring us nothing but sorrow and more sorrow. The difference is sorrow brought on by confessing our sins is temporary and will bring us life and peace while the sorrow brought on by the worldly actions are with us always and bring us trouble and death.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
The majority of people are looking for a time of refreshing. We feel worn out and tired from all the fighting and struggling. The only time of refreshing will be found in repentance and cleansing from sins by Jesus Christ.
This is a perfect time receive Salvation - to confess our sins - to be forgiven and purified - to be set free. Please put it into your own words, but pray something like the following:
Heavenly Father, I confess that I am a sinner and I know I only deserve death, but I am asking you to please save me. Please forgive me for my past actions which have hurt others and have offended you. I am sorry for the wicked thoughts I have allowed to occupy my mind. Please forgive me for the sinful words I have spoken. Please Lord, change my heart, my attitude, and my lifestyle. As you help me, I will try to live a life that will bring honor to your name instead of shame. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer or one like it, please find a Christian Believer and make a public confession that "Jesus is my Savior and Lord" and tell them that you believe God has raised him from the dead. Speak with the pastor of your church and tell them you would like to be baptized. If you don’t have a church and you live in the Jasper, Ga. area, please consider making Living Word your church.
Either way, if you have prayed the sinners pray as a result of this material, please send us an e-mail message and let us know so that we can rejoice with you.
The material which follows should be of help in living this new life you have been saved to live.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we should fall and commit some sin, let us be quick to repent of it. We should admit to God what we did or said was sin and that we are sorry for having done it or said it. Then we should ask Him to forgive us. He promises that He will do so. Nothing will change our life as much as this process. Nothing will set us free as much as this process. As we confess our sins to the Lord, He not only forgives us of the sin we confess; but He cleanses and purifies us from all the unrighteousness associated with that sin. As we are forgiven and purified, we find ourselves becoming increasingly more free, peaceful, happy, and stronger.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Receiving this Gift of the Holy Spirit is very significant. There are some important promises concerning having the Holy Spirit in our life.
Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
After we are "saved", the Holy Spirit helps us to "just know" that certain things are right and certain things are wrong. We may not know chapter and verse to quote someone, but there is just a "knowing" in our heart what is right and what is not.
Hebrews 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
There are actions which are sins even though they are not against the law of our land and there are actions which are against the law of our land even though they are not a sin. As we confess our sins God forgives us both our sins and our lawless acts.
Hebrews 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
After we are saved, God will help us to know in our hearts and minds what is wrong and what is right. He also says that when He forgives us our sins that we don't have to make any more sacrifices for them. If we will confess our sins, then God says that He will forgive them. When God forgives our sins and our lawless acts, there is no more sacrificing or penance that has to be done as for as God is concerned.
Psalms 103:11-12 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
This is a powerful statement! As far as the east is from the west - no matter how far east you go, you can never get to west. West will always be in the other direction and far away - this is the way it is with our sins and us after God forgives us. Our sins are far from us and we can never get to them again.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
When we hear all of these wonderful life giving scriptures and don't follow through with them and be obedient - it is all in vain. The Scriptures are useless and worthless if we don’t apply them to our lives and yet they are the most precious and valuable thing to the person who does apply them to their daily life.
Matthew 4:19 . . .Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Jesus expects us to tell others what we have found in Him.
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
We bring glory to God when we tell others about what Jesus has done for us and they become believers also. These new believers are the fruit.
Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
When we have turned from sin to Jesus, we need to publicly tell others what Jesus has done for us. Jesus promises to tell the Heavenly Father that He knows us when we publicly tell others that we know Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
Our salvation is a gift from God. It is not the result of any work or accomplishment on our part. We do not earn salvation and so we can not brag about having received salvation. We are saved by grace through our faith.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
When we believe what God's Word says about Jesus and salvation, we can receive eternal life and no longer have to be concerned about death.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus is standing at the door of our heart. We don't have to go out and accomplish any works. We simply have to open the door to our heart. If we will open the door, He will come in.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
When we open the door to our heart and allow Jesus to come in, He then gives us the right to become God's child. Because of our guilt from sin, we do not have this right. But Jesus has the right to be God's child and He gives this to us when we allow Him into our heart.
1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believer on the name of the Son of God.
When we allow Jesus to come into our heart, we now have eternal life. We can know that we have eternal life because Jesus is in us. Jesus has eternal life. He is in us; so we have eternal life. God wants us to know this and that is why He had all these scriptures written for us to read.
Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Once we are saved, our life is to be lived by faith in God and not just by what we can accomplish in works.
Acts 20:32 And now, brethern, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
It is God's Word that builds us up and makes us strong.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
We need to desire to read God's Word regularly and frequently.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
We need to read all of God's Word for it is useful to teach us and train us so that we will be equipped to do the work of God. We may not understand what we read at first, but later as we read another section, we will then get help in understanding the other areas.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
We should remember the devil is roaming about looking for someone that he can destroy. We need to be alert and always looking out for one of his traps or temptations.
Ephesians 6:14-17 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
God has provided us with armor which protects us from the attacks of the devil. Our salvation in Jesus Christ is that which protects our head (mind and thoughts). The Word of God is the sword or the weapon which we are to use against the devil.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore is any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are new.
When we allow Jesus to come in, He makes us a new person. We are no longer the same person that we have been. This new person CAN live a different life.
Galatians 5:16-17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye hall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The old person we were before tries to come back and take over our New Life. It is an enemy to our new life.
1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
God doesn't allow any one of us to be tempted more than we can withstand. And every time we are tempted, He always provides a way of escape. When we are tempted, remember we can resist this or God would not have allowed it to come against us. Also start looking for the way out of this temptation, since God has promised to always provide a way out.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
We must not allow Satan to convince us that we can not live the life of Godliness. We must not allow Satan to convince us that we can't resist his temptations. We must not allow Satan to convince us that we can't serve God. We CAN do anything through Jesus, which is our strength.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Jesus, who is our strength, says He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be make known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
In every situation and at all times, we should thank God, and pray to Him. If we do, His peace will guard our hearts and minds.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
If we stay in Jesus and keep His Words in our heart, He promises to answer our prayers.
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Our usual prayers and request are for the things we want and desire. Our prayers now should be for the things that God wants. We should pray these things in the name of Jesus.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
All of these scriptures have been given to us by God so that we will have the Joy of the Lord.
1 Peter 1:8-9 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
It is important that we meet with other believers regularly for the purpose of building each other up and encouraging one another.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Bob
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