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MEETING LOCATION
5000 Bethel Rd.
Port Orchard, WA
(please do not send mail
to this address)

MEETING TIMES
Sunday Mornings, 10:00 am
Sunday Evenings, 6:00 pm
Wednesdays, 6:30pm

Driving directions

How to find us

MAILING ADDRESS
Calvary Church
of Port Orchard
P.O. Box 151
Port Orchard, WA 98366

OFFICE LOCATION
(Please do not send mail
to this address)
5751 Bethel Rd.
Port Orchard, WA

CONTACT INFO
PH (360) 876-7288
FX (360) 876-7407
Email

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KNOW GOD
By Pastor Jeremy McLellan
November 29, 2008

Men, women, and children throughout the ages have pondered, “Is there a God?” and “If there is a God, how can I know Him?  How can I know the truth?”   Are there any clues or signs that prove God existence and can lead me to know Him?  The answer is yes!  Here are three major “signs” or “clues” that point to God’s eternal existence.

First, consider the Bible. The Bible (Scriptures) begins with, “In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1).  The Bible contains 66 different books penned by 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years.  It is often called God’s love letter to man.  The Bible reveals God’s character and tells us what God expects of us.
The Bible itself declares that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16)  Some reject this as circular reasoning (the Bible is inspired by God because the Bible has a verse that says so), but what except divine authorship can explain the Bible’s accuracy and cohesiveness despite its numerous human authors, writing over a long period of time, something that is impossible from a human perspective?

Other powerful testimonies to the divine authorship of the Bible are the prophecies contained in it. God declares that He alone knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Consider the Person of Jesus Christ. Before Jesus was born, Scriptures told when, how, where, and for what purpose He would be born.  The prophets also described His earthly ministry and detailed the type of death He would suffer, long before crucifixion was even invented as a form of capital punishment (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53).
Another “sign” or “clue” is creation.  The Bible tells us, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).  While many claim that all creation - man, the earth, weather patterns, animals, nature, seasons, the sun, the moon, the stars – are all the result of billions of years of random occurrences, the Bible declares that we (man) and the universe are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14).  As scientists probe the microscopic intricacies of living things, they confront the awesome complexity of that life, which testifies to a super-intelligent Master Designer.  (No sane person would claim that something far less complex, say an automobile, was the result of billions of years of chance occurrences!)  And as we gaze over the vastness of space, we get only a glimpse of God’s great power.  As the Scriptures say, “These are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!” (Job 26:14)

Finally, there is our conscience, that “little voice” inside each one of us that distinguishes between right and wrong. Every normal person, regardless of race or nationality, inherently knows “inside” that it is wrong to lie, steal, and murder.

Unfortunately, most of mankind has ignored this God-given moral guide.  We usually suppress our consciences and make excuses for our bad behavior.  The Bible tells us that rebellion against God’s moral standard is sin and through sin, death entered the world.  (“The wages [earnings] of sin is death.”  Romans 6:23)

In light of this, it is important to address the question, “What happens when we die?”  The Bible states, “It is appointed for man to die once, and then the judgment.” The Bible also tells us that “books” will be opened (Revelation 20:12). One book will contain all the thoughts, words, and deeds of our lives. The other book is the “Book of Life.” God will sentence those whose names are not written in the Book of Life to eternal damnation in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

So how do you get your name written in the “Book of Life” and escape the lake of fire? Know this: because all have sinned (Romans 3:23), it is impossible for anyone to be in the Book of Life based on being a “good person.”  But because God loves us, He made a way to be added to the Book of Life and saved from the lake of fire.  That way is through faith in Jesus, Who died on a cross, taking on Himself the punishment that you deserve (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21) and then rose again to life, proving He is God and is able to grant eternal life to those who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).

To be saved then, you must first humbly admit that you are a sinner and deserve eternal separation from God in hell (Romans 3:23 and 6:23).  Then you must repent (have a complete change of heart) and submit to God instead of rebelling against Him (Acts 2:37‑38, Proverbs 3:33-35).  Agree with God the Father that the only way to be forgiven is to have a believing faith in Jesus, His Son, and agree with Him that Jesus alone is the way to God (John 14:6).

The Bible promises in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Simply confess your sin (agree with God that you are a sinner), ask God to forgive you, thank Him for sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross in your place, and by faith receive His forgiveness.  Then purpose to commit the rest of your life to following and serving Him.

We urge you to act upon this now if you have never done so – none of us knows how much longer we have to live.  Get alone with God now and tell Him that you repent of your offenses against Him and want to devote the rest of your life to Him.  Tell Him that you want to worship Jesus and lovingly follow His commands until He comes again. Then find a church that will faithfully teach you the Bible in a way that Jesus is glorified and lifted up as the only Way to be saved. Ask Jesus to lead you to a church where other believers will surround you, pray for you, and encourage you in your new faith.

If you do this, your life will change, the Holy Spirit of God will fill you and give you spiritual life (John 3:16, 20:21-22), and you will experience a renewed knowledge that there is more to life (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The Bible promises that if any man is in Jesus Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away, all things become new. You will know that after you depart this life, you will receive the promise of eternal life (John 11:25), because you will know God.  Best of all, you will be known by God.

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3 NKJ)

“Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.  But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?”  (Galatians 4:7-9 NKJ)