I'd like to ask you a question, do you know for sure if you died today would you go to
heaven?
You may say I'm not sure if I'm going to heaven, maybe you've never even thought of it, but
the Bible says you can be 100% sure you are on your way to heaven.
Now according to the Bible you need to understand a few things in order to be able to receive
salvation.
The first thing is this, the Bible says in Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God.
The Bible tells us that sin is the transgression of the law.
When we break God's law we sin and according to that verse we've all sinned.
I'm a sinner, you're a sinner and unfortunately there are wages for our sin.
Romans 6.23 says for the wages of sin is death.
Now the word wages means payment, it's what you earn, when I go to work they give me money,
those are my wages, but because of my sin the wages is death, what I earn is death for
the wages of sin is death.
Now when we think of death most people think of a physical death, but Revelation chapter
number 20 verse 14 and 15 says and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, a reference
to hell, it says this is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the
book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
So according to the Bible our wages for our sin is not just a physical death but the second
death, you say what is the second death?
Being cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death.
What we earn because of our sin is death, a physical death, the second death which is
being cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21.8 says for the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers
and sorcerers and idolaters, now that's a pretty bad list right, murderers, whoremongers,
sorcerers, most people would agree a murderer oh yeah they're going to go to hell, but notice
he says for the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers
and sorcerers and idolaters and at the end of that list he says this and all liars shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second
death and the reason that God adds that sin of lying at the end of that list, he's trying
to make a point and the point is this, we're all sinners, every human being has lied and
he's trying to say there is none righteous, we've all sinned, we all deserve to go to
hell.
Now that's the bad news, I'm a sinner, you're a sinner and we're all initially condemned
to hell, but the gospel is the good tidings or the good news.
Romans 6.23 says for the wages of sin is death, we understand what that means now, but the
second part of that verse says but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
The bible says that God has a gift he wants to give you and that gift is eternal life.
Now in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 the bible says for by grace are ye saved through faith.
The word grace means to get something you don't deserve, you didn't earn it, you didn't
pay for it.
Are ye saved is a reference to being saved from hell because I don't want to go there,
I'm sure you don't want to go there.
Through faith means, the word faith means to believe.
It says for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves has nothing
to do with you, here's why, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.
A gift is not something you work for, a gift is something that's given to you, someone
else pays for it, but you don't pay for it.
If I gave you a gift and asked you to give me money for it, that wouldn't be a gift.
If I gave you a gift but asked you to do something for it, that wouldn't be a gift.
Now the gift doesn't cost you anything, but it costs the person giving it to you something
and the gift of God is the exact same way.
Jesus had to pay for that gift, Romans 5, 8 says but God commended his love toward us
in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
John 3, 16, the most famous verse in the Bible says 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.
The gospel is this, Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, he lived a sinless life, he never
sinned, never did anything wrong, he died on the cross, was buried, the Bible tells
us his soul went down to hell for three days and three nights and he rose from the grave.
Not to pay for his own sin because he had no sin, he died to pay for our sins.
And see it's already been paid for, the gift has already been paid for.
Now you got to understand this about the gift, John 3, 16 says everlasting life, the gift
is everlasting life, that means the word everlasting means it will last forever, life that will
last forever, it's never going to end.
John 3, 15 says eternal life, eternal means it will never end.
John 3, 36 says everlasting life, Romans 6, 23 says eternal life, all throughout the Bible
you find this concept, eternal life, everlasting life, life that will last forever, life that
will never end.
According to John 3, 36 you get it the moment you believe, he that believeth on the son hath
everlasting life.
Now some people think well I can receive salvation but once I have it if I do something really
bad like commit adultery, like murder, commit suicide, then God is going to take away my
salvation but if he takes it away then it didn't last forever.
See we got to understand that salvation is not something that we earn and once we have
it it's not something that we keep.
The Bible says in Titus 1, 2 it says in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie
promised before the world began.
See our hope for eternal life is this, God can't lie, if God promised me eternal life
then guess what, it's eternal life, if He promised me everlasting life then it's going
to last forever.
Say well what if I do something really bad, well it's not of ourselves, it has nothing
to do with me, it's a gift that will last forever.
Now here's the only thing you need to do, just like any other gift you get a choice
whether you'd like to accept it or reject it.
You may ask well how do I accept the gift of God?
Romans 10, 9 says this, that if, now it says if because you get a choice, he says if thou
shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, the word confess means to admit, say what
am I admitting?
Well you're admitting you're a sinner, you're admitting that you deserve to go to hell,
but you're asking for forgiveness.
He says if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, but it's more than just saying
words, he also says and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead.
You're believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried and rose from the grave
as a payment for your sins.
He says if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, the Bible says thou shalt be saved.
It doesn't say you might be saved, it doesn't say you hopefully will be saved, God says
I will save you if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart.
Notice you don't have to go to church, doesn't say you have to get baptized, doesn't say
you have to repent of your sins, doesn't say you have to do anything, simply believe and
ask him to save you.
If you believe that in your heart, if you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross
for your sins, was buried, rose from the grave, he wants to give you a gift, it's eternal
life, then why don't you just confess with your mouth right now, I'd like to help you
form a prayer.
If you believe that, why don't you just pray with me right now.
Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I deserve to go to hell.
Please forgive me of all my sin and give me eternal life.
I'm not trusting in my works, I'm not trusting in my religion, I'm only trusting in you.
Thank you for saving me, amen.
If you prayed that prayer and you believed in your heart according to the Bible, you're
now saved, you have eternal life, congratulations.