WHERE ARE YOU HEADED?
You might be pretty sure where you will be later today or tomorrow, but can you say for sure where you will be next week or next year? The uncertainties of life make it hard to know where we are headed; the farther away something is, the more unpredictable it becomes. Maybe this is why so many people are unsure of where they are headed for eternity—it can seem so far away. But is eternity really a mysterious unknown?
CAN YOU KNOW?
There is no need to wonder if you will go to heaven after you die. Having a "wait-and-see" or "hope-so" attitude is not what God intended. In the Bible, God says that you can know that you will go to heaven.
"These things have I written unto you...that ye may know that ye have eternal life." 1 John 5:13
Can you say that you are 100% sure that you would go to heaven when you die? ☐ yes ☐ no
If you're not sure, you will see next how you can know.
HOW DO YOU GET THERE?
God’s map is clear. His directions are simple. The hardest part is for us to admit that we are on the wrong road, and headed in the wrong direction. It’s hard for us to face up to the cold reality that we don’t measure up in God’s sight. Basically, it’s hard for us to repent, to acknowledge before God that we are wrong and He is right—that we are sinful and He is holy. So let's start with the first step.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
The word sin means to voluntarily depart from a moral rule, specifically God. Basically, it's disobeying God. We've all been there. We've all done something that we know was wrong. Can anyone say that they've never lied, even a little one? Nope. Sins can be anything from a wrong word, thought, attitude, and even an action.
This Bible verse says that sin causes us to "fall short." That means to miss the mark or to come up short of a requirement. And that requirement is God's glory, His perfection. So what's wrong with that? If everyone does wrong things, what is the big deal?
Next, let's look at why sin is so wrong:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
You know what wages are. It's what you earn to be able to pay the bills. It's what you've earned from your work. Well, God compared the consequences of sin to wages. What does our wrong doing earn us? Death. And this is the type of death that the Bible describes here:
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Revelation 20:14
Physical death is when we cease to function with a physical body. It may not seem possible, but physical death is not the end of existence. Eternal death is separation from God in hell. It is the fate of everyone who has sinned.
That was all of the bad news. Here is the good news:
"But God commendeth [proved] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
First, you should know, God loves you very much. And because He loves you so much, He proved it by sending His Son to dying on the cross, in your place, to pay for the penalty of your sins. His death made a way for you to escape the wages of your sins and to gain access to Heaven when you die.
"He that believed 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." John 3:36
How do you connect the fact that you've sinned and deserve to pay for those sins and the fact that Jesus died for your sins? Belief. You must believe in Jesus. Believe and accept His gift of paying for your sins.
"This 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 10:9
Believing is not just admitting that Jesus really existed or that He was a good example.
Believing is trusting Jesus (and only Him) for saving you from your sins. You must have faith that He died for you, and that He rose from the dead after being buried for three days. You can believe in Jesus. You can accept Him as the One Who can save you, your Savior.
One last question. God has been waiting for forever to meet you and become friends with you. He was willing to die for and did. Wouldn't you want someone like that in your life? Wouldn't you want to go to Heaven to be with Him when your time on earth is over?
WHAT DO YOU DO?
You know, it's so simple. The Bible says:
"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.." Romans 10:10
Step one: believe in your heart
Step two: confess (pray)
You can express your faith and believe in Jesus through prayer. You could pray something like this:
Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that I deserve Hell. I believe in You. I believe that You died on the cross, to pay the penalty for my sins, and rose from the dead. Right now I am putting my faith in You only to forgive me from my sins and I accept Your free gift to save me from my sins. I accept You in my heart as my Savior.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING NOW?
If you just made the decision to accept Jesus to save you from your sins, congratulations! Remember, you didn't do anything to get yourself saved, God did all of the work on the cross. And you can't do anything to get yourself unsaved. Being saved has nothing to do with how good you are or how good you stay after you get saved.
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. John 10:28-29
God promises that once you're saved, you're always saved. He's got you secured and He'll never change that.
LETS TRY THE QUESTION AGAIN
Can you say that you are 100% sure that you would go to heaven when you die? ☐ yes ☐ no
If you made the decision to ask Jesus to save your soul, or if you have more questions, please call us and let us know.