Hi, this is Pastor Jonathan Shelley and I wanted to ask you the most important question
someone could be asked. If you were to die today, are you 100% sure that you would go to heaven?
A lot of people think that they would because they're a pretty good person, they go to church,
they try to help people. But according to the Bible, those are good things, but they'll never
get us into heaven. That's not sufficient to get us there because in Romans 3.23 the Bible says,
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Now a sin according to the Bible would be
if we break any of God's commandments, lying, stealing, disobeying our parents. And if we were
honest, we would realize that we've all sinned. The Bible says there's not a just man upon the
earth that doeth good and sinneth not. And because we've sinned, there's a punishment for our sins.
The Bible says in Romans 6.23, "For the wages of sin is death." So we're all going to die one day.
And if I were to die today, there's one of two places my soul could go. It could go to heaven
or it could go to hell. Now hell is described in the Bible as being a place of eternal punishment
and torment. It says in Revelation 20.10, "And the devil that deceived them was cast in the lake of
fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night
forever and ever." So hell is described as a horrible place, eternal torment. It says there's
no rest day nor night. It's weeping and gnashing of teeth. And I don't want anyone to go there.
But unfortunately, the Bible says that we all deserve to go to hell. It says in Revelation 21.8,
"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 burned to the fire and brimstone,
which is the second death." Now if we were honest with ourselves, we've all at least told one lie.
And according to that verse, not only are murderers deserving of hell, but even liars.
So if I get what I deserve, the Bible says I would go to hell. Now that's a problem because
we've all sinned, we've all told a lie. But the Bible makes it clear that God doesn't want us to
go to hell. God has provided a way for us to be saved from hell. In order for us to understand
what we have to do, we have to first understand what God did for us. The Bible says in Romans 5.8,
"But God commended his love toward us and that while we're yet sinners, Christ died for us."
So the Bible says that God sent his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth to take the penalty
and punishment for our sins. Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. He became a man. He lived a
sinless and perfect life on this earth. Jesus Christ, he performed a lot of wonderful miracles,
proving that he was the Son of God. He even said that he was the Son of God. But the Jews did not
believe him. They rejected him and they delivered him to Romans to be crucified. Now even though
Jesus Christ went to the cross, he willingly went. The Bible says that he wanted to die on the cross
for our sins. And the Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ was without sin. It says that he was
at all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. So even though he went to the cross, it wasn't
for his sins. It was for our sins. The Bible says he who bear our sins and his own body on the tree.
So every sin you've committed, I've committed. The whole world, past, present, and future,
was put upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Now when he died on the cross, the Bible says that his soul
actually descended into hell for three days and three nights. But he was not left there. It says
in Acts 2.31, he was not left there. The Bible says that he was risen again. And the Bible teaches
that the gospel is those three things. The fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins,
was buried, and rose again. And it makes it clear that Jesus Christ paid for every single sin.
He did all that was necessary for our salvation. But there is one thing that's required of us. And
the question's even asked in Acts chapter number 16. "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Now a lot
of people would think, "Well, I've got to go to church. I've got to clean up my life. I've got to
turn over a new leaf." A lot of different things that people would suggest might be necessary. But
according to the Bible, they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." So
according to the Bible, it's simply by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ that someone would be
saved. It's not by going to church. It's not repenting of your sins. It's not any good works
that you do. It's simply putting your faith in what Jesus already did for us. An easy way to
understand what believe means is to trust. Now we sometimes get confused. Some people would say that
they believe Jesus Christ exists. But to help you understand what it means to believe on someone,
the Bible makes it clear that it means to trust them. Now you probably all believe that police
officers exist. But does that mean that you trust every single one of them? And the same thing exists
with Jesus Christ. Many people, they go to church and they believe certain facts about the Lord Jesus
Christ. But they're not trusting his death, burial, and resurrection as the payment for their sin.
But they still believe that through their good works, through their turning from their sin,
that's what's going to get them into heaven. And it's very clear that they're not really
trusting Christ. They're still trusting in themselves. Now John 3, 16, it puts it all
together in one verse. 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." So as soon as someone
believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they have everlasting life. That means they could never go
to hell and they have it forever. The Bible also likens everlasting life with the phrase eternal
life. The Bible says in John 3, 36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." That's
present tense. So as soon as someone believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they're not only saved,
but they also have eternal life. And in fact, in John chapter 1, 12, the Bible even says that when
you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you become a child of God. It says, "But as many as received him,
to them gave you power to become the sons of God, even of them that believe on his name."
So as soon as someone believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they become a child of God. The Bible says
in Galatians that we're all children of God by faith. Now as being God's child, God would still
punish me if I break his commandments. The Bible does not teach that being saved is a license to
sin, but rather it's the fact that we will be punished severely on this earth for our sins. If
I lie, if I steal, if I cheat, God will make sure I get punished on this earth. But I could never lose
my eternal life and I could never change the fact that I'm God's child. Just like your children
could never stop being your children, the same exists with God. So it's important to understand
that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have eternal life, that we have all our sins paid
for and that we become a child of God. Now the Bible says in Romans 6.23 where we started, "For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The
Bible makes it clear that God wants to offer you eternal life freely and it's a gift. To understand
that in an earthly example, if I were to offer you this Bible today and say you had to give me a
hundred dollars, that would not be a gift. Most people would understand you would be paying for it,
therefore it's not free. Additionally, if I said, "Hey, I want to give my Bibles a free gift today,
but you got to wash my car first," that's not a gift either because you would be working for it.
And the same is with salvation. God does not offer salvation to you that needs to be paid for or
worked for. You must simply receive it by faith. Now there's one last point that I wanted to cover
with you so you could know for sure you have eternal life because the Bible says in 1 John
chapter number five verse 13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the
Son of God, that ye may know that you have eternal life." So according to the Bible, we can actually
know for sure we have eternal life. It says in verse 10, "He that believeth on the Son of God
hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not
the record that God gave of his Son." So according to the Bible, there's only two people in this
world. There's people who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation and there's people
who are trusting something else. Those who are trusting Christ will go to heaven when they die
and those that are trusting in themselves will go to hell. Now the Bible further elaborates on the
record. It says, "And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in
his Son." So salvation is only through God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's not another way to
heaven. Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me." So eternal life can only be received through the Lord Jesus Christ. But the Bible also
says that he hath given to us, telling us that salvation is a gift. If you think you have to
be a good person, you have to go to church, you have to turn over a new leaf, you're not believing
that salvation is a gift. You're still trusting in yourself. You're trying to pay for it and you're
denying the record that God gave of his Son. Additionally, the Bible says that the gift is
eternal life. If you think you could lose your salvation or you think you have to maintain good
works in order to keep it, you're ultimately not trusting in the finished work of Christ. You're
still trusting in yourselves. And the Bible makes it clear that you would not be saved. In order to
be saved, you must put all of your faith in what Jesus already did for you. So let me ask you a few
quick questions. Do you believe that you're a sinner? Yeah, we've all sinned. The Bible makes
it clear because we've sinned, we would actually deserve to go to hell if we did not believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ. But the Bible teaches that God doesn't want you to go there. The Bible says that
Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again. If you want to put all your
faith and trust in that to save you, the Bible says that God will give you eternal life in that
moment. So it's not trusting in yourself, it's not trusting in your good works in the future,
it's solely trusting in what Christ already did for us. And the Bible makes it clear how someone
can believe in Jesus Christ. It says in Romans 10 verse 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." So the Bible makes it clear if you believe the gospel, you would pray and tell
God that's what you believe, and you could know you're saved not because you said a special prayer,
but because you believed it in your heart. If I prayed and asked God to save me, but I didn't
believe it, it would never save me, even if I prayed a thousand times. The Bible makes it clear,
even if I prayed and asked him to save me and I was trusting in myself or thinking I had to be a
good person, I also would not be saved. And lastly, if I thought I could lose my salvation,
ultimately I'd never put all my faith in what Jesus Christ already did for me and I would still
not be saved. So if you'd say today I want to put all my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
let me help you word a simple prayer. You can just repeat my words, but it's not the words that
matter. It's simply putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father,
I know that I'm a sinner and I deserve to go to hell, but I believe that your Son Jesus Christ
died on the cross for my sins, was buried and rose again. Please save me and give me eternal life.
I'm only trusting in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, not in my own works. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen. Now, if you said that prayer and you meant it in your heart, the Bible says you can know for
sure you're saved because you put your faith in what Jesus already did for you. And then as soon
as you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible says you have eternal life in that moment,
meaning it would be impossible for you to ever go to hell. No matter what sin you commit in the
future, because the Bible says that Jesus Christ has paid for all of our sin. That's the good news.
That's what the Bible declares. And if you just trusted Christ for the first time, I would recommend
that you get a King James Bible and you find a Bible believing church to get plugged into.
If you have any questions, you could always call us or contact us. God bless you and have a great day.