Hi, this is Pastor Roger Jimenez from Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California.
I'd like to take a few minutes and speak to you about how you can know for sure that you
are on your way to heaven.
First John 5 13 says this, "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, and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God."
This verse explains to us that we may know that we have eternal life, and I'd like to
talk to you about how you can know for sure that you are on your way to heaven.
First, you must admit that you are a sinner.
Romans 3 10 says, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one."
The word righteous is referring to someone who's without wrong.
You and I might say someone who's perfect, and here the Bible says there is none righteous,
or we could say there is none perfect, no, not one.
Romans 3 23 says this, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
The Bible defines the word sin as the transgression of the law.
When we break God's law, we've sinned.
So for example, God says I shouldn't lie.
If I tell a lie, that's a sin.
God says I shouldn't steal.
If I steal something, that's a sin.
And this verse says, "For all have sinned."
That word all includes everyone.
That means that I'm a sinner.
That means that you're a sinner.
Secondly, we must realize the penalty of our sin.
Romans 6 23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Bible says that there are wages for our sin.
The word wages means payment.
It's something you earn.
When I go to work, what I earn is money, but when I sin, what I earn is death.
Now, this verse is not simply referring to a physical death because in Revelation chapter
20 verses 14 and 15, the Bible says this, "And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire.
This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
You may be wondering what is the second death.
Well, notice what it says.
They were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
See, when someone dies physically, that's just the first death or the initial death.
But when that individual then gets thrown into hell, the Bible calls that the second
death.
And in Romans 6 23, when it said, "For the wages of sin is death," it's not just referring
to a physical death, but it's also referring to the second death.
See, we need to understand that our sin has condemned us to hell.
Revelation 21 8 actually gives us a list of who's going to hell.
The Bible says this, "But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers
and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters," and that's a pretty bad list.
Most people would say a murder is a pretty bad sin.
But 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 here's what you need to understand.
We've all lied.
The Bible says, "Let God be true, but every man a liar."
And the point that God's trying to make when he adds that sin at the end of the list that
we've all committed is that there is none righteous, is that we are all sinners and our
sin has condemned us to hell.
And you may be able to say and I may be able to say, "Well, I've never killed anyone, but
I've at least told a lie before," and that's enough to send us to hell.
James 2 10 kind of puts it all together.
It says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty
of all."
Thirdly, you must accept that salvation is a free gift.
Romans 6 23 said, "For the wages of sin is death."
We understand what that means now, right?
The payment of sin is death, not just a physical death, but the second death being cast into
the lake of fire.
The second part of that verse says this, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
And the Bible says that God has a gift He wants to give us and that gift is eternal
life and it's through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8 says, "For by grace are you saved through faith and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Verse 9 goes on to say, "Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Now let me use an illustration to explain this concept.
Let's say today was your birthday and I was going to give you a gift.
Let's say I was going to give you this Bible and I said, "Here you go, happy birthday.
What would you have to do for this Bible to become yours?"
Well, all you'd have to do is accept it.
Now if I said, "Well, you know, this Bible cost me $10.
I'm going to give you this free birthday gift, but you need to give me $10.
Is that a gift?"
The answer is no.
Because as soon as you give me money for it, now you're paying for it.
It's no different than you going to the store and buying it yourself.
What if I said, "All right, I'm going to give you this free birthday gift.
You don't have to give me any money for it.
All you have to do is wash my car.
Is that a gift?"
The answer is no.
Because as soon as you're washing my car, now you're working for it.
Now you're earning it.
See, a gift by definition is free.
You can't pay for it and you can't earn it.
That's why the Bible says, "Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Salvation is not something we earn by the way that we live our lives or by being religious.
Some people think, "Yes, but you have to repent of your sins to be saved."
They think that you have to turn away from your sins in order to go to heaven.
But here's what you need to understand.
In Jonah chapter 3 and verse 10, the first part of the verse says this, "And God saw
their works that they turned from their evil way."
Here we see an example of people who turned from their evil way and God referred to that
as works.
So see, if you believe that you have to repent of your sins or turn away from your sins to
be saved, you are actually adding works to salvation and salvation is a free gift that
is not of works.
In Matthew 21 and verse 32, Jesus said this, "For John came unto you in the way of righteousness,
and ye believed him not, but the publicans and the harlots believed him.
And ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards that ye might believe him."
See the Bible teaches that repentance is a change of mind.
And here we see Jesus saying you did not believe, and if you would have repented, you would
have believed.
See repentance in regards to salvation is simply going from unbelief to belief, or from
believing in the wrong thing, trusting in your works or in your religion to save you,
and turning from that to trusting on the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Fourthly, you must believe that Jesus Christ paid for your sins.
Romans 5, 8 says this, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us."
You need to understand about the Lord Jesus Christ that he was not just a man, he was
not just a prophet, he was not just a good teacher.
Matthew 1, 23 says this, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth
a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted as God with us."
One of the names of Jesus was Immanuel, which means God with us.
Now why would you name a child God with us?
Well, because he was God with us.
He was not just a man, he was God in the flesh.
John 1, 1 says, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word
was God."
John 1, 14 says, "And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Just Timothy 3, 16, the first part of the verse says this, "And without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh."
See, the Bible tells us that God was manifest in the flesh.
It tells us the word was made flesh.
It tells us the word was God.
These are all references to Jesus and the fact that he was God in the flesh.
Because he was God, he was also without sin.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
The Bible says about Jesus that he knew no sin.
And what you need to understand is that the Gospel is this, that Jesus came to this earth.
He was born of a virgin.
He was God in the flesh.
He lived a sinless life.
He never sinned.
And he died on the cross, not to pay for his own sins because he had no sins.
He died to pay for our sins.
The Bible says that he was buried and he rose from the grave three days later as a payment
for our sin.
The Bible tells us that for those three days and three nights, his body was buried, but
his soul went down to hell.
Acts 2, 31 says this, "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that
his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."
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."
See, the gospel is that Jesus, through his death, burial, and resurrection, paid for
our sins, and not that we pay for our sins by living a good life or being religious.
There's a fifth thing you need to understand about salvation, and that is that salvation
cannot be lost.
If you look at the last part of John 3, 16, it says, "But have everlasting life."
John 3, 15, the verse right before says, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life."
All throughout the Bible, we're told that God wants to give us everlasting life, which
is life that will last forever, or eternal life, life that will never end.
Now, let's say God said, "I'm going to give you everlasting life starting right now, eternal
life starting today, life that will last forever.
It's never going to end."
When would that life end?
Would it end five years from now?
No.
Would it end a thousand years from now?
No.
It's never going to end.
Now, what if God said, "I'm going to give you everlasting life"?
Then let's say, hypothetically, that five years from now, you walk in a bank, and you
rob the bank, and you kill somebody.
Do you think God would take away your everlasting life?
Well, He can't take it away, because if He takes it away five years from now, then it
didn't last forever, and that would make God a liar.
Titus 1, 2 says this, "In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before
the world began."
See, the Bible says that our hope for eternal life is that God cannot lie.
When God makes a promise, He keeps it, and if He says, "I'm going to give you everlasting
life," then it will be everlasting.
Now, don't misunderstand what we're saying.
We're not saying that because you're saved, you can run around robbing banks and killing
people.
Of course, we understand that on this earth, there are consequences for our sin.
We understand that on this earth, we reap what we sow, and on this earth, God does chastise
us and disciplines us for our sins.
But what you need to understand that once God saves you, once He gives you everlasting
life, He'll never take it away.
The beautiful thing about salvation is that when God forgives you of your sins, He forgives
you of all your sins, your past sins, your present sins, and your future sins.
Lastly, you must call upon Jesus Christ to save you.
If I said I was going to give you a gift, and I went out and I bought this Bible, I
wrap it up, I put a bow on it, I put a tag on here and I write your name, and I said,
"Here you go.
Happy birthday."
Today you said to me, "Thanks, but no thanks," and you rejected my gift.
Did this Bible ever become yours?
No.
Why not?
Because you did not accept it.
Now was it paid for?
It was paid for because I bought it.
Was it meant for you?
It has your name on it, but it never became yours because you did not accept it.
The gift of God is the exact same way.
Jesus Christ already paid for it on the cross, and He offers it to all of us freely, but
we get a choice whether we'd like to accept it or reject it.
Now, if you could accept a gift of God, would you do it?
Well, the Bible tells us how you can do that.
In Romans chapter 10 and verse 9, it says this, "That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus."
The word confess means to admit.
What are you admitting?
Well, you're admitting that you're a sinner, and you're admitting that you deserve to die
and go to hell, but you're calling upon Christ to save you.
Romans 10, 13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
And you need to understand that it's not just saying words that saves you.
Romans 10, 9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus."
But it goes on to say this, "And shalt believe," that's the faith, "in thine heart."
What are you believing?
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 my sin.
Not that I pay for my sins by living a good life or doing good things or turning from
my sin, but that His sacrifice was enough to purchase my salvation.
The Bible says this, "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," it 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."
I don't know if you noticed, but everything I showed you came straight out of the Bible.
If you believe what I've showed you from the Word of God today, if you're willing to admit
that you're a sinner, if you realize that your sin has condemned you to hell, if you
accept the fact that salvation is a free gift, which means you don't earn it, you don't work
for it, if you believe that Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh, died, was buried,
and resurrected as a payment for your sin, if you understand that salvation cannot be
lost because it is the gift of eternal life and it will last forever no matter what you
do, if you believe all of that, then I would like to help you form a prayer.
I want you to understand this is not a magical prayer.
The prayer in and of itself does not save you, but God tells us that when you confess
with your mouth and if you believe in your heart, He will save you.
So if you believe all that, just repeat after me, "Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and
I deserve to go to hell.
Please forgive me of all my sin and please give me eternal life.
I'm not trusting in myself, I'm only trusting in you, amen."
If you believed in your heart and you called upon Christ to save you, I'd like to congratulate
you because according to the Bible, you are saved and you never have to worry about where
you will spend eternity.
Thank you very much for listening to this video.
God bless.