Does Heaven seem out of reach?
Are you tired of feeling hopeless and as if you have something missing in your life? Do you feel like there is more to life, but just don't know what it is? Do you worry about life after death? Well we have the answer! Jesus.
There is one thing different about being a Christian than being a part of any other religion. Being a true Christian is not a religion, but a relationship with our LIVING Savior Jesus Christ. People have caused chaos and confusion with the good news of Jesus by adding rules and creating an unloving burden that Jesus never intended. Some have used Jesus' name to commit crimes in history because of these man-made rules. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Jesus is love. He gave His life for us and rose again triumphing over death. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
God is our loving Father who is holy (perfect) and can't allow anything less in heaven. We are not holy. In fact, according to God's Word, we are sinners. Some people may live a better life than others, but in the end we are all equal in the fact that we are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Because of sin there must be a payment for that sin, Romans 6:23a "For the wages of sin is death."
Fortunately there is a second half to that verse. God has a gift for us, if we are willing to receive it, Romans 6:23b "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Through Jesus we can receive eternal life. His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave took away our sins. He bears our sins for us.
Because it is a gift there are no works required to receive this gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Through the grace of God, Jesus interceded for us and took our sins away and bore our punishment. All we must do is have faith and believe. It is that simple. You just need to admit that you are a sinner before God, acknowledge that God demands payment for your sin, realize that Christ died for your sins and accept Christ as your Savior and Lord. Romans 10:9 states, "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."
A simple prayer to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior can be something like this: "Dear Lord, I recognize I am a sinner. I turn from my sin. I, here and now, take Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life."
If you have done that or have any questions please e-mail Pastor Murr at pastormurrhbc@yahoo.com.
There is one thing different about being a Christian than being a part of any other religion. Being a true Christian is not a religion, but a relationship with our LIVING Savior Jesus Christ. People have caused chaos and confusion with the good news of Jesus by adding rules and creating an unloving burden that Jesus never intended. Some have used Jesus' name to commit crimes in history because of these man-made rules. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Jesus is love. He gave His life for us and rose again triumphing over death. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
God is our loving Father who is holy (perfect) and can't allow anything less in heaven. We are not holy. In fact, according to God's Word, we are sinners. Some people may live a better life than others, but in the end we are all equal in the fact that we are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Because of sin there must be a payment for that sin, Romans 6:23a "For the wages of sin is death."
Fortunately there is a second half to that verse. God has a gift for us, if we are willing to receive it, Romans 6:23b "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Through Jesus we can receive eternal life. His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave took away our sins. He bears our sins for us.
Because it is a gift there are no works required to receive this gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Through the grace of God, Jesus interceded for us and took our sins away and bore our punishment. All we must do is have faith and believe. It is that simple. You just need to admit that you are a sinner before God, acknowledge that God demands payment for your sin, realize that Christ died for your sins and accept Christ as your Savior and Lord. Romans 10:9 states, "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."
A simple prayer to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior can be something like this: "Dear Lord, I recognize I am a sinner. I turn from my sin. I, here and now, take Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life."
If you have done that or have any questions please e-mail Pastor Murr at pastormurrhbc@yahoo.com.
To all who mourn and need comfort,
To all who are tired and need rest,
To all who are friendless and want friendship,
To all who are lonely and want companionship,
To all who are homeless and want sheltering love,
To all who pray, and to all who do not, but ought,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
And to whosoever will come,
This Church opens its doors and,
In the name of Jesus our Lord, says –Welcome!
To all who are tired and need rest,
To all who are friendless and want friendship,
To all who are lonely and want companionship,
To all who are homeless and want sheltering love,
To all who pray, and to all who do not, but ought,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
And to whosoever will come,
This Church opens its doors and,
In the name of Jesus our Lord, says –Welcome!