QUESTION: Hope for what?
ANSWER: SALVATION –
the forgiveness of sins and saved from its
consequences, to be made right with God, receive
eternal life, and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Footnote from Joel 1:15-19 in the New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible,
Copyright © 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Wheaton, IL. 60189. All rights reserved.
On the cross at Calvary,
Jesus Christ took the punishment of
God's wrath on sin that OUR sins deserve.
Isaiah 53:5-6 (NLT)
We, rebellious and sinful humans, are the reason
that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross at Calvary
– He took the punishment we deserve upon Himself
so that we could be made right with God
and not perish but receive eternal life.
Most people are aware of John 3:16 as you've
undoubtedly seen signs held up by people at
sporting and other public events that state
"JOHN 3:16"
However, verses 18-20 provide the full context,
which are skipped over by many:
John 3:16-19 (NKJV)
QUESTION: So what does that mean?
ANSWER:
After Adam chose to ignore God's warning and
disobeyed Him by choosing instead to listen to Eve –
This is referred to as the fall of man in the Garden of Eden,
Adam's original sin. For an overview of what transpired,
view the Dispensation 2-Conscience MP4 or read the PDF.
– the following resulted:
• Sin entered into God's perfect world
• Perfect communion & fellowship with God was broken
• Mankind lost sight of its purpose – to glorify God
and enjoy Him forever
• The seed of mankind was corrupted
• Mankind inherited a sin nature
• Minds became spiritually darkened and bent
against God and produced a state of depravity
• Innocence was lost
• Death entered the world
• Mankind incurred the penalty of physical death and
spiritual death (i.e., your soul is separated from
God and cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity)
The book of Romans informs us:
Romans 5:19 (NKJV)
Romans 5:8 (NLT)
Jesus Christ paid a sin debt He did not owe
because we owe a sin debt we cannot pay.
There are NOT many paths to God –
that is a false teaching from the pit of Hell.
It is ONLY through Jesus Christ that God,
in His grace and mercy, provided us with
THE WAY to be made right with Him.
Many people say,
"How can I believe in a loving
God who sends people to Hell?"
Wrong question.
The right question:
How can sinful people who are on the road
to eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire (Hell)
refuse to believe in a loving God who
wants to and offers to rescue them?
What's really going on is people are
CHOOSING to believe the lie that
they are not sinners in need of a rescue.
In their pride they think they're better
than they really are and stubbornly
refuse to believe in the only Truth
that wants to save them.
God will not violate their free will
to choose, but will abide by their choice
in the matter. He will give them over to
the sins and lies they cling to and they will
be separated from Him for all eternity.
SIDE NOTE:
Rescued! is a sermon that brings clarity to the decision
to be rescued – if you have not yet accepted
God's gracious gift of eternal life through
Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, please watch and listen.
Sermon Credit: Pastor Carey of Emmanuel Church, Newington, Connecticut.
I edited the length of this video from 80 minutes to 50 minutes.
The full video which contains children singing can be viewed on YouTube.
Your eternal destination
– Heaven or Hell –
is solely the consequence of the choice
YOU MAKE
whether to accept or reject the gift of
salvation through God's One and Only Son,
Jesus Christ.
Very sadly, the majority of people will choose
to remain in darkness steadfastly clinging to
their pride and self-determination to do what
they want and in their rebellion against God
– which is exactly what Lucifer (Satan) did
that got him expelled from Heaven and
conspired one-third of the angels to
join him in his rebellion.
Those who refuse to embrace the Light
that came into the world to save them
will be cast into the Lake of Fire,
– which is the second death –
eternally separated from God
and condemned for eternity.
There is no annihilation.
And why?
Because they refuse to believe in the only
Truth that wants to save them...
they exchange the Truth for a lie.
Jesus sacrificing His life on the cross at Calvary
– punishment that we deserve for our sins –
clearly shows us how serious God views sin.
Sin is rebellion against God and His
precepts and it separates us from God –
sin cannot be in His Holy Presence.
It also reveals to us how much God loves us
by providing THE WAY to become right with Him
through His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ
– while we were still sinners.
Consider that God chose to extend His grace
and mercy to us. He could have just let us be
condemned to an eternity in the Lake of Fire
with no choice in the matter – burning and
burning but never burning up.
BUT GOD DOES NOT WANT ANYONE
TO FACE HIS JUDGMENT AND PERISH,
as Ezekiel 33:11 (NKJV) informs us:
God is love (agape love, self-sacrificing love)
and love always gives a choice, it does not
force getting its way, and in His love for us
– while we were still sinners –
God provided the one and only way to
be rescued from the wages of sin (which
is death) through His One and Only Son,
Jesus Christ.
Side Note: Jesus is God in human flesh.
God is also a just God, therefore sin
and wickedness must be judged as
Hebrews 10:30-31 (NKJV) informs us:
BOTTOM LINE:
Your sin debt will be paid either by:
(1) sincerely believing in Jesus Christ and
His atoning sacrifice on the cross at Calvary,
– or –
(2) you will pay for it yourself in the Lake
of Fire (Hell) for eternity.
GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO REPENT AND LIVE!
Repent means to change your mind; turn away from
the world's way of doing things (self-centeredness,
evil deeds of darkness, wickedness, etc.), which are
an abomination to God, and believe by faith
in Jesus Christ – not in works that you can do or
your religiosity – and accept His gracious gift of
salvation and be redeemed, be made right with God
and saved from eternal condemnation.
Jesus rose from the grave on the third day
after the crucifixion just as He said He would
in Matthew 12:39-40 (NKJV),
Jesus Christ conquered spiritual death and now
offers you the gift of salvation and eternal life.
This gift has to be accepted BY FAITH –
it CANNOT be earned.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB1995)
The man-made religions of the world falsely believe
they can earn their way to Heaven through
their "good works" or by keeping the law – WRONG!
Colossians 2:8 (NLT)
Footnote for 1 Timothy 1:7-11 in New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible.
by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL. 60189. All rights reserved.
GOD HATES MAN-MADE RELIGIONS
AND EMPTY RITUALS.
Isaiah 1:13-17 (NLT)
God wants a RELATIONSHIP with you
through His One and Only Son,
Jesus Christ.
He does NOT want you to perform empty rituals
or go through the motions of man-made religions
and traditions thereby deceiving yourself
into thinking you're "good to go."
Without a sincere belief of faith in Jesus Christ
and His sacrifice on the cross at Calvary,
you're not good to go, you're actually heading toward
eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire (Hell).
Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
Scripture quotations marked:
(NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
(NLT) are taken from the New Living Translation.
Copyright © 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996 by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL. 60189. All rights reserved.
(NASB1995) are taken from the New American Standard Bible ®
Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
(AMP) are taken from the Amplified Bible.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation,
La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
All Scripture quotations were accessed from BibleGateway.com
BELIEVING BY FAITH
IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE
IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE
MADE RIGHT WITH GOD.
HOPE IS FOUND
IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE.
THANK YOU, JESUS!
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