Thank
you for your interest in Calvary Revival Church’s web site,
and especially your interest in Salvation. Salvation in Jesus
Christ is the most wonderful, wonderful thing there is, and
salvation is a free gift. It is not something that we earn,
not something that anybody merits, but salvation is something
that Jesus has earned for us. It’s something that Jesus has
made available for us through his death, burial and resurrection.
Through His personal sacrifice, salvation has been made available
to everyone. Not just a special group of people, not this person
or that person, but salvation has been made available to everyone
who calls upon the name of Jesus, the Lord!
Also
Salvation is a free gift. It’s not something that anybody can
pay for; it’s not something that anybody can possibly earn.
It’s a free gift. The bible talks about in Roman 6:23, that..
"the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ our Lord."
It talks
about in Ephesians 8:2,
"that by grace are ye saved through faith and not of
yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should
boast."
So it
is the gift of God. It is not something that anyone could say
that I have earned, because that’s not possible. So know today
that salvation is a free gift to you. That Jesus Christ paid
a very high price for our salvation. It is a free gift to you
and me. We simply have to receive Him as Lord and repent of
our sins in order to be saved.
Let’s
look at some things that salvation is not.
Salvation is not attending Church. You have some who
feel like if I go to church or become a member of a particular
church, then I’m saved. That is not the case. There are a number
of people who do attend a church and attend church faithfully,
but they may not necessarily have a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. Also…
Salvation is not doing good things. Here again, that
is in and of itself, trying to earn or merit salvation, which
is not possible. Jesus has already done what is necessary to
be saved. So doing good or being good is not the way a person
receives salvation. So salvation is a free gift. It is not attending
church or doing good or being good. Also….
Salvation is not water baptism. Some people feel like,
well, if I just get baptized, I’ll be saved. Well, baptism is
something we do after we get saved in order to identify with
Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. It’s not something
that will result in salvation, but it’s something that the person
who has received Christ as Lord does after making the decision
to receive Christ as Lord.
Let’s
look also at Romans 10: 8-10. The scripture says,
"The word is near you even your mouth and your heart,
that is the Word of faith which we preach. That if you confess
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raise Him from the dead, then you will be saved."
That means anyone who does this will be saved. It’s no respecter
of person. It doesn’t matter what you have done, what kind of
things you have committed, because no one was born saved. The
bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that,
"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Jesus
Christ was the only person who came into this world sinless,
but everybody who was born into this world, except Jesus Christ
was born in sin. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to
be saved. It is possible for everyone including you to be saved.
The scripture says you will be saved, for with the heart one
believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation. So you simply believe in your heart that
God raised Christ from the dead and confess Jesus Christ as
Lord of your life with your mouth. As I spoke earlier, all of
us have encountered sin. All of us have engaged in sinful activity.
It is also important for us to repent of our sins.
If you
would like to make Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, I’m going
to ask you say the following simple prayer. Because receiving
Christ as the Lord of your life is actually engaging in covenant
relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Jesus said himself
in John 14:6. He says,
"I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes
unto me less he be driven by the Father."
So the
only way you and I can come to the Father is to come to God
through Jesus Christ. He is the way, He is the truth and He
is the life! The only way a person can get to God is through
Christ Jesus. It’s not through this religion or that religion;
it’s through Jesus! It is only through the Son of God that we
can be saved. So, if you want to make Jesus Christ the Lord
of your life, which will be the greatest decision you will make
in your life. The most important decision you will ever make
in your life is to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.
There is no greater decision and no greater benefit. To think,
I can exchange my sins for His righteousness. The word of God
states that
"He who knew no sin became sin for us that we may become
the righteousness of God in Him."
So,
think about that. You can become righteous with God. You can
get right standing with God, simply by repenting of your sins
and asking Christ to come into your life. Believing in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, Jesus exchanges your
sins for His righteousness. There is no greater deal than that.
No greater blessing than that and, the moment that happens you
become a new creature and your name is recorded in the Lamb’s
Book of Life. Your name is actually recorded in heaven after
we say this prayer. Your name is written, yes in Jesus’ Book
of Life! So, think about that, so after you say this prayer
your name is recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
So,
won’t you say this prayer aloud. Yes, it’s important that you
say these words, this very profound prayer aloud:
| Lord Jesus, I need you. Forgive me, cleanse me and make me brand new. I believe in my heart that you are the Son of God, and that God has raised you from the dead. I ask you Lord Jesus to forgive me of my sins and I thank you for doing it. Thank you for forgiving me of all the sins I’ve ever committed and giving me your righteousness. Thank you now for coming into my heart. Thank you for becoming my Lord and my Savior. I confess you today as the Lord of my life. |
If you
prayed that prayer, then you have become a new creature in Christ
Jesus. Old things have passed away and all things have become
new! You are a brand new person, and you are standing before
God as if you have never sinned before. The slate has been wiped
totally clean and you are brand new!
Now
it’s important for you to engage in training. It’s important
for you now to begin to receive teaching and understanding the
basics of Christian life. It’s important for you to get plugged
into a good local church that teaches and preaches the Bible,
that really gives instruction in the Word of God, so that you
can grow in your understanding of God, His Word and His principles.
So it’s very important, now, that you receive discipleship.
That’s what discipleship is; training, becoming a pupil of Jesus
Christ, becoming one who learns about the One who has saved
you now. So that’s a very important step for you, now that you’ve
accepted Jesus Christ into your life and made Him Lord of your
life. It’s very important that you receive instruction, that
you become a part of a dynamic local church where the Bible
is being preached and taught in authority and total understanding.
So it’s very important that you engage in a good local church.
I thank
you today. Thank you so much for accepting Christ as the Lord
of your life. Thank you so much for allowing me to share Salvation
with you. I rejoice with you for making Christ Jesus the Lord
of your life.
Minister
Don Johnson
Director, New Life Ministry |