Wanted - ALIVE!

Find out why God wants you.

All scripture references are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

INTRODUCTION

This book was prepared to show you why you are wanted by God Himself. Most people don't even know why God put them on this earth. I encourage you to read this, and find out the reason you are alive and what god had planned for you in this life and beyond. I pray that this book will be a blessing to you, your family, and friends, and that it will also help you to understand God's master plan for mankind.

Bro. Larry Hample

Founder / Director

Albany Rescue Mission

604 North Monroe Street

Albany, Georgia 31701

(912) 435-7615

Chapter 1

WANTED ALIVE BY

GOD THE FATHER

II 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.

Before we can go on, we must understand that all the questions that may arise can only be answered by God's Holy Word. God's word is the final authority, not the word of man.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The word of God was not inspired by man. God alone gave the word to man.

II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

II Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Let us go back and take a closer look at the first verse in this chapter.

After reading and studying this verse, you will see that it is not God's will that anyone should perish. I says the Lord is not slack concerning His promise. What promise? The promise is the gift of eternal life to those who realize that they are sinners, repent of their sins, and trust in His only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save them. The first thing we must understand is that we all have the same problem. We are all sinners at physical birth. This sin nature we inherited from the first people God created, Adam and Eve.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Now that we see that we are all sinners, let's see why God is longsuffering and not willing that any of us should perish. There is a penalty, or payment, because of our sin nature.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It says the wages (payment) for our sins is death. Let's look at this death. There are two deaths spoken of in the Bible. The first death is separation for our physical bodies. When a person dies, their spirit and soul leave their body and the body dies and goes back to the earth. But, the spirit and soul never die. Now let's look at the second death. The second death is reserved for all those who reject God's only plan for salvation.

Revelation 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Now we see there is a real hell, the final destination of all sinners who do not repent and trust Christ as their savior. But the Bible gives a record of where people go who have rejected God's free gift. Let's look at the rich man who died rejecting Christ and went straight to hell at physical death.

Luke 16:22-24 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Now you see there is a real hell, and real flames and fire, and those who reject Christ will be tormented there forever.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Let's set the record straight. It is never God's fault if, when we die, we should end up in hell. It is always our fault because we have rejected god's love, refused to repent, and failed to trust the Lord Jesus Christ as savior. God never has, or will, have any other way to be saved.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Before we can go on to Chapter 2 and see what part God the Holy Spirit performs in bringing us to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven, we must first understand what God meant when He said that all should come to repentance. the Lord Jesus said:

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

If we do not repent of our sins, there is no hope for man. We must understand that our works or goodness has nothing to do with being saved. In other words, we cannot save ourselves.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

What is real repentance? It is not just being sorry you have sinned. Most of us are sorry about a lot of things we have done. When we do something wrong we are sorry we got caught. We can be sorry about a lot of things, but that is not true repentance. It must be a Godly sorrow that leads us to true repentance. Like the prodigal son in Luke 15, when he finally ended up in the hog pen (and by the way, everyone of us have our own hog pen of sin), the Bible says he came to himself. In other words, he came to the end of himself and realized there was nothing he could do about his sin nature. He could only look to God for mercy and trust God to do for him what he couldn't do for himself. True repentance will bring about a change of mind, which leads to a change of your heart (spirit and soul), which will lead to a change in your will. In other words, it will be His will (God's), not your will. That is the only way once can come to God. Only when we have truly repented can we call on God for his mercy and forgiveness of our sins. Jesus said you can't even believe the Gospel unless you repent. This belief means more than just a head knowledge. It means to trust in him completely for salvation.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Chapter 2

WANTED ALIVE BY

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

God's Arresting and Convicting Agent That Will Bring You to Christ

God the Holy Spirit plays a very important part in bringing us to realize that we must trust the Lord Jesus as our only way to heaven. First of all, we must understand how the Holy Spirit works, what He does, and why He was sent into the world. The reason we must understand this is because He is used and abused and misrepresented and misunderstood., because of a lot of unscriptural teaching about the Holy Spirit that goes on today in a lot of the churches within the Christian movement. Without going into great detail here, look to the other side of this book, "Who Is A Real Christian?" It will be in more depth there. But for now, know this: anyone who teaches or elevates the Holy Spirit above the Son Jesus or even over emphasizes His power and attributes in their services on a regular basis is in error. There is too much confusion going on today in many churches because of these unscriptural teachings concerning God the Holy Spirit. Let us remember, the Bible says:

I Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

The greatest authority on the Holy Spirit is the Lord Himself. He tells us why God the Holy Spirit was sent and what He will do. This is what the Lord had to say concerning God the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John.

John 16:7-16 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

You can see from these verses that it is not the job of the Holy Spirit to glorify Himself or draw people to Himself. His job is to reprove the world of sin. That means He comes to censure charge us with a fault (sin) face to face his convicting power. He is to chide, to reprehend, to blame us, to convince us of fault (sin), to refute, to disprove. He will excite a sense of guilt. His first and main purpose is to bring us to the Lord Jesus Christ. He does this by convicting us of our sin nature and by showing us we cannot save ourselves. He will bring us to the end of our self-righteousness, showing us we must trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ and not our goodness, in order to get to heaven. Jesus also said:

John 15:26-27 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

So now we also see that when one does repent and trust in the Lord for their salvation that God the Holy Spirit indwells us never to leave us. This is not all the Holy Spirit does. He also teaches us and helps us to understand the Bible.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

God the Holy Spirit will help you pray and also help with your infirmities or illness without the aid of a faith healer.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

God's power and filling by the Holy Spirit is given to us to help us live a holy life and to be the witnesses to help bring people to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Chapter 3

WANTED ALIVE BY

GOD THE SON,

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Now we need to take a look at God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you made it this far in this book, don't stop now. This is where it gets good. This is where the Savior of the world comes on the scene. This is where the greatest love story ever told is played out. This is where mankind has the opportunity to be saved from his sins, of which he cannot save himself. This is where God Himself comes down from heaven and lays down His life in order to pay for our sins. You see God is sinless, man is not. Man was separated from God in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, death both physical and spiritual passed upon man. Man then became unable to have fellowship with God because of his sin nature. In order for man to get that fellowship back and receive the promises of God, man's sin debt had to be paid in full. In the Old Testament God tells of His plan to send Himself in the person of His only begotten Son, the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son given would be born of God sinless born of a virgin both God and man. In other words, God incarnate in the flesh. Let's take a look at the Old Testament scriptures that prove that the Lord Jesus Christ is the promised and only begotten Son of God, sent into this world in order to die and shed His blood in order to pay in full our sin debt.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Now let's go to the New Testament to see the fulfillment of these promises from God.

Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Now we see the fulfillment of God's prophecy to send His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, born to Mary when she was a virgin. This is also the fulfillment of the best known verse in the Bible.

John 3:16-18 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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Now listen to Jesus tell why He has come to this world.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

A prophecy from Isaiah says:

Isaiah 53:3-6 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

It would take another book to list all the scriptures that point to the Lord Jesus Christ as God's supreme sacrifice, the Lamb of God. Jesus was born to die; born to die for you and I. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ was not an afterthought with God. It was the fulfillment of all the scriptures.

I Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Now we move to the betrayal of Judas.

Luke 22:1-6 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. 3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. 5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. 6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

Luke 22:21-22 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!

Luke 22:47-48 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?

Even Peter denies knowing Christ.

Luke 22:54-62 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. 57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. 60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Now the scene moves to the trial of Jesus.

Luke 23:1-27 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. 3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. 4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. 5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. 6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. 7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. 8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. 9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. 11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. 13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: 15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. 16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. 17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) 18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) 20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. 21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. 22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. 24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. 25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will. 26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.

Now we go to the place called Calvary where Jesus was crucified. Christ was crucified on a Wednesday, the Jew's High Sabbath, Passover.

John 19:14-16 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

John 19:30-31 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

You see, in order to fulfill the scriptures, Christ had to be in the grave 3 days and 3 nights before He could rise from the dead. The Jewish day in Israel begins at 6 o'clock in the evening. That would mean that Christ could have rose from the dead at any time after 6 p.m. Saturday evening, but no one went to check the sepulcher until dawn on Sunday morning.

The Lord Jesus was not the only one who rose from the dead that day. After His resurrection it says:

Matthew 27:52-53 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Keep in mind, if Jesus would not have risen from the dead, faith in Christ as the only begotten Son of God would have ended right there and then. There are many infallible proofs that Christ rose from the dead. If He did not rise from he dead, then how do we account for the missing body. If the Romans took it, they would have produced it and put an end to the speculation right then. And, if one of the disciples took the body to fake the resurrection, it would not have lasted long. He would have known He was dead. Then how do you explain the joy of the Apostles who all went home dejected and defeated when Christ was put to death. The Bible records that only the Apostle John went all the way to Calvary with Jesus and His mother Mary.

John 19:25-27 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Not only did the Lord Jesus rise from the dead, show Himself to those who believed on him walk the earth for 40 days and then ascend back to heaven.

Acts 1:2-11 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

You also can be assured if you trust Him for your salvation, that He is coming again to receive us unto Himself.

John 14:1-6 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

If you have read this book and you are not sure that when you die you will go to heaven, or you may have never really repented to God of your sins, you may want to trust Him now.

FIVE THINGS GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW

We are all sinners.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

We all owe a sin debt.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

We cannot save ourselves.

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.

Jesus has already paid our debt.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We must all get right with God and trust Jesus as our personal savior.

Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Romans 10:9 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.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

After that, if you would like to trust the Lord now, you can pray and ask Him to save you. Keep in mind, it's not this prayer that saves you; it is trusting what the Lord Jesus did for you by dying on the cross for your sins.

Lord Jesus, realizing that I am a sinner and knowing that you paid for my sins on Calvary and rose from the dead, have mercy on me. Forgive me of my sins. I trust you as Lord and Savior. Amen.