THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
“If you were to die within the next hour,
are you 100% sure that you would go to Heaven?”
“If you were to die within the next hour,
are you 100% sure that you would go to Heaven?”
THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
“If you are not 100% sure, wouldn’t you want to know within this hour?”
“If you are not 100% sure, wouldn’t you want to know within this hour?”
Like most people, you’re not really sure that there is life after death, a heaven or a hell. But, just suppose there is and the Bible is true. That means you will spend eternity in hell with no hope - no hope forever! If I should be wrong, no big deal. But it will a big deal for you. You ought to at least take a few minutes to read and to consider the following biblical proposition:
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 5:12)
The one thing that will keep you from going to Heaven at death is your sin! God said that ALL have sinned. He didn't leave anyone out. If you will be honest with yourself, you must admit that you are included in this verse. You are a sinner first of all because you inherited a sinful nature from your parents, and they from their parents, etc. … all the way back to the first man, Adam. That sinful nature has been passed on to you.
You are not only a sinner by nature, but your are a sinner by choice, You, like everyone else, have disobeyed the clear commands of God. Just as it only takes one incident of theft to make you a thief, it takes only one sin to make you a sinner. There are no “good sinners” or “bad sinners” before a holy God all stand guilty before Him and unworthy of Heaven! For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10)
The Bible states that there is a specific penalty for sin – DEATH. And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Romans 5:12) For the wages of sin is death … (Romans 6:23) You cannot pay for your sins by going to church or by having someone administer to you the sacraments or by being baptized or by doing good deeds or by keeping commandments, etc., etc. The only payment that will clear your sin account is death. The Bible describes death as both physical and spiritual. The word death means “separation.” Physical death occurs the moment your soul is separated from your body. The Bible warns that after the death of the body, there is something far worse - a second death! Read this truth for yourself: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8) The Bible is clear: there are “wages” that must be paid as the price of committing sin -- suffering a second death in the eternal lake of fire, literally, to be eternally “separated” from God. You cannot offer another payment for your sins. God is emphatic: the wages of sin is death. Your reasonable arguments to the contrary will not change this fact.
But, here’s the good news – for you in particular, God has sufficient loving grace. He loved you so much that He provided the sacrifice of His only begotten Son to pay your sin debt. Consider this Bible declaration: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) He did not want you to go to Hell, even though you deserve to do so; yet, as a holy and righteous God, He could not allow you as a sinner into His perfect Heaven. Even as a just judge would not turn a convicted murderer into society until his crime was paid for, the Righteous Judge of the universe will not permit the ungodly into the purity of Heaven. Your reasonable arguments to the contrary will not change this fact.
The sinner’s sin must be paid for, and that is exactly what God in His love did for you! 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. (John 3:16) God came in the incarnate person of Jesus Christ to shed His blood and to die in your place for one purpose - to pay the debt for your sins - death! You can’t pay anything for your sins; you must simply receive the gift of salvation, that is, the Saviour paying your sin debt in full with His precious blood. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (John 1:12) Receiving His gift involves two things on your part: repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21) Believing upon Him to be God’s Son (John 7:38) and repenting of your sins that He paid for on the cross is the way to receive eternal salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans10:13) When you repent of your sins and believe that Jesus Christ paid for those sins, you are a member of His family, a born again child of God. (John 3:1-7)
Consider this present opportunity of sins being forgiven and of an eternal destiny in Heaven this way: receiving Christ is as simple as opening the door and inviting Him in. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20) The eternal Christ stands ready to come into your life, forgive your sins, and make you a child of God. However, He will come in by your invitation only.
I am asking you right now to humbly bow your head and, yes, if appropriate, to get down on your knees, inviting the Lord Jesus Christ into your life.
The following is just a suggested prayer for salvation. Read through the prayer first. You have a willful choice: to call on the Lord or not. If it is your sincere desire to get right with the holy God of the universe, then pray the following sinner’s prayer of repentance and faith:
“God be merciful to me a sinner. I confess to You that I am a sinner deserving Hell. I repent of all my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe Jesus paid the penalty for all my sins on the cross and I believe that He arose from the dead. You promised in your Word that you would not refuse anyone that comes to you by repentance and faith, and I am claiming your promise for my lost soul. Thank you for saving my soul, and I will spend the rest of my life learning to live and to serve you. Amen.”
For all that call, He promised, "...I will come in.” This is not “a” maybe, not “a” hope so, not “a” perhaps, but a sincere guarantee by the omnipotent One who shed His blood and arose from the grave to save you.
Again the original question: “If you were to die within the next hour, are you 100% sure that you would go to Heaven?” The answer now is “yes.” The difference between Heaven and Hell is the Lord Jesus Christ living within you. Paying the price for your sin, Christ now lives in your heart, promising,I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5) The Apostle John stated it this way: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life … (1 John 5:13) No matter when you die, you have eternal life. Eternal life begins the moment that you called upon Him for salvation. Eternal life starts at the “beginning” of the Christian’s life in Christ, not at physical death.
God expects you to obey Him after you become a member of His family. You closed your prayer awhile ago with this commitment: “I will spend the rest of my life learning to live and to serve you.” God’s first command after you are saved is to follow the Lord in water baptism - then they that gladly received his word were baptized … (Acts 2:41) Repentance takes place within - when you turn away from sin and self and turn to Christ as Lord and Saviour. Water baptism pictures that event. Baptism (by immersion only) is an outward testimony of the cleansing from sin that took place in your heart. Also, baptism is a sign of identification with Christ – you want everyone to know that His death, burial and resurrection was for you. As soon as possible, God expects you to be baptized by the authority of the local church and to start serving Him. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47)
If you have been saved as a result of reading this presentation, please notify us by emailing us your name and address (city, state, zip code) and phone number. If you are in need of further information, please contact us as we are here to serve you. Sanjuans4Taiwan@gmail.com
