Brother Brian and Sister Red have asked me just to spend about 10 minutes and explain to you, you know, what the Bible says about how we can know for sure that we're on our way to heaven.
Obviously this is a very joyous occasion, but there's nothing more important than knowing that you have a home in heaven, so I just want to take a little bit of time and just explain what the Bible says.
And the Bible says in Romans 3.23, it says, "Sapakat ang lahat ay nakasala, at hindi na kaabot sa kalawal hati anang dios."
So, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Right? "Lahat tayo ay nakasala."
Nobody's perfect. "Wala sa ati nang perfect." And see, the Bible says in Romans 3.10, "There is none righteous. Walang sinumang matawid."
Only the Lord Jesus Christ was perfect. Only the Lord Jesus Christ was without sin.
We sin each and every single day, every single person.
And see, when we die, there are only two places that we're going to go, either heaven or hell.
You know, "Walang purgatory sa Bible." It's either "Spiritual na buhay na walang hanggan sa langit," or "Spiritual na kamatayan sa impirno."
There's only one of two places. And wherever you go, it is going to be forever.
The Bible says that hell is in the heart, in the center of the earth.
It says, "In death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, lawan nangapoy, ito ang i kalawang kamatayan."
Spiritual na kamatayan. And see, if a person goes there, the penalty, the punishment of hell, it lasts forever.
We don't have a second chance. After you die, wherever you end up, it is going to be forever.
Now, the good news, though, is that God loves us, right? God wants us to go to heaven.
God created us with goals and desires for our life, and He intends and expects us and wants us to go to heaven.
But the Bible says that every single person has sinned and is guilty.
See, in Revelation 21-8, the Bible reads, "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."
Now, that is a list of a lot of really bad sins, right? Like it mentions murderers.
Now, I hope most people would say, "Well, I've never killed anyone," right?
It mentions sorcerers. I hope most people would say, "Well, I'm not a sorcerer," okay?
However, it also said, "All liars shall have their part."
Now, here's the thing. I'm not a murderer. I'm not a sorcerer, but, you know, I've lied before.
See, every single person, at least from time to time, has told lies, and here's the thing.
Revelation 21-8 has a list of a lot of different sins. Some are worse than others.
Obviously, murder is worse than telling a lie. However, if you are on that list just one time, then you're going to be guilty.
The only way to go to heaven is if you are 100% innocent, and if you have just one sin on your record when you die, you're guilty.
Now, see, the Bible said murderers. See, if somebody kills one person, you would say they're a murderer.
They don't have to kill 20 people to be a murderer. Just one murderer makes you a murderer.
So how many lies make you a liar? Just one, right?
I mean, kids on a playground, one of the kids tells a lie. It's like, "You're a liar." Why? Just for one lie.
And see, the Bible said not some liars. It said, "All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is a second death."
So, look, that includes me. It includes all of you as well. See, that's the bad news.
The bad news is that "Karapa Dapa Tayonam" is imperial. We don't deserve to go to heaven because we've broken the rules of God, okay?
But the good news is that Jesus Christ died and paid for every single sin that's ever happened and every single sin that will happen, okay?
Now, here's the thing. Buddha didn't die for you. Muhammad didn't die for you, right?
Nobody else died for you except the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that Jesus Christ died, it said, for the sins of the whole world.
So not just here in the Philippines, but if you went to a Muslim country, Jesus died for all of their sins too.
If you went to a Buddhist country, Jesus died for all of their sins too. He died for the sins of the whole world.
So whether it's a big sin or small sin, so whether it's "Pag Patai" or "Pag Papakamatai" or just telling a lie.
He died for all of those sins, past, present, and future, because it says he died for the sins of the whole world.
We weren't even alive when Jesus died on the cross and rose again. However, he died for all of our future sins.
All the sins you commit in 2021, he died for those, whether it's a big sin or a small sin.
So what the Bible says is that "Namatai si Jesus sa krus et inilibing et muling nabuhay paketapos nang 3 days," right?
And he died for all of your sins, no matter how big or small those are.
Now, here's the thing. That's the good news that he died for all of your sins, but that doesn't mean that you automatically go to heaven.
Because, see, the Bible said that there is a hell, and the Bible said that there are people that are burning in hell.
In fact, the Bible says most people go to hell. Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction.
There is something you need to do in order to receive that forgiveness, in order to receive salvation.
See, in Acts chapter 16, the question comes up, "What must I do to be saved?"
That's a very important question. It's something all of us have thought about.
What is required for me? What do I have to do? Do I have to go to church? Do I have to get baptized?
Do I have to quit drinking? Do I have to repent of my sins? Do I have to give all my money to God?
I mean, what is required for me to be saved? What must I do to be saved?
And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." They didn't say, "Live a good life."
Right?
(speaking in foreign language)
No, all it says, or (speaking in foreign language)
All it says is, "Believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."
Now, you might be saying, "I've believed in Jesus Christ my whole life."
Now, I'm sure probably all of us. We grew up with parents that talked about Jesus,
and you believe that Jesus existed, that (speaking in foreign language)
But that doesn't mean you're placing your trust, your belief, in what Jesus did for you.
What you have to do is place your trust, your (speaking in foreign language)
Not your good works, not baptism, not going to church,
but that Jesus died for all of your sins past, present, and future.
Now, here's an example. If I told you, "Well, I think I'm going to go to heaven one day
because I'm a nice person, because I go to church, because I read the Bible."
If that's what I said, then where is my belief? Where is my trust?
In Jesus, or in (speaking in foreign language)
In myself. If I said, (speaking in foreign language)
I'm trusting myself. If I said, "Because I go to church," I'm trusting myself.
If I said, "Because I live a good life," I'm trusting myself.
I might believe that Jesus exists, but I'm not trusting him and what he did for my salvation.
I'm trusting that I'm a good enough person to go to heaven.
And see, the Bible says to be saved, you must quit trusting yourself
and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And see, here's the thing. If you keep 1% of your trust on yourself, it's not good enough.
You must 100% believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Put your full trust on him to be saved.
And the moment you do that, the Bible says you receive salvation.
The Bible says you are saved.
And what happens is all of your sins, past, present, future, (speaking in foreign language)
all of them are forgiven, no matter how big, no matter how small.
And what happens is your soul, not your body, your soul receives salvation or everlasting life.
Because we're all going to die. (speaking in foreign language)
But either your soul is going to go to heaven, where it says it's spiritual.
(speaking in foreign language)
Or it's going to go to (speaking in foreign language)
Going to hell is not life. It's spiritual death forever.
But see, if you receive salvation, if you put your trust on Jesus Christ,
then that means your soul is perfect.
And when God looks at you one day, he's going to say, "100% innocent."
I see no sins. I don't even see a lie.
I don't see one time you talk back to your parents, "I see you being 100% innocent."
Why? Because you took your trust and placed it on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you're immediately spiritually saved, even though one day we will physically die.
John 3, 16. And so here's the thing. What that means is you only have to get saved one time.
Because once you're saved, you are spiritually perfect forever because your future sins are already forgiven.
Which means if you tell a lie tomorrow, you're still spiritually perfect.
If you commit a big sin, if you rob a bank, if you start becoming a drug dealer, if you killed someone,
spiritually you're still perfect because you were already declared innocent
the moment you believed on Jesus Christ and you're spiritually perfect forever.
In John 3, 16, the most famous verse, the Bible reads, "For God so loved the world."
See, not just the Philippines, not just Christian countries, also Muslim countries,
also Hindu countries, also Jewish countries, also Buddhist countries.
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
See, the Bible says the Lord Jesus Christ, he was eternally the son of God.
God exists in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost.
And the Bible says that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Jesus Christ came here, born of the Virgin Mary, he lived a perfect life.
He never sinned one time. He died and paid for all of your sins.
He is eternally the Son of God that came and died and paid for your sins.
It says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
How did he give him? Well, Jesus died on the cross for your sins.
He gave himself for us. Then it says that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have everlasting life. Whosoever believeth in him.
So anybody that believes, no matter how good or bad they are,
the Bible says they will receive everlasting life.
Now here's the thing, we receive everlasting life by placing our trust
and putting it on the Lord Jesus Christ.
So the question is, when do we receive everlasting life?
Is it at the moment we die? Or the moment that we believe?
The moment that we believe. Because that's how we receive everlasting life.
See, the moment you believe on Jesus Christ, your soul receives everlasting life.
Now here's the thing, how long is everlasting? It's forever.
"Buhay na walang hangan." Not "Buhay na walang hangan" as long as you don't do something bad.
No, no, no. It's everlasting life. It is eternal life.
So whether you do good or bad, God can't break his promise.
Here's the thing, if you receive everlasting life today and 20 years from now
and you go to "Ekalawang kamatayan," is that everlasting life? No.
What the Bible's saying is, when you believe on him, you will never go to hell no matter what.
It's impossible why you have everlasting life.
Here's the thing, this is your spiritual birthday.
This is the chapter that says you must be born again.
Now how many times are you born physically? One time.
My son was born January 28th, 2018.
If or when he acts makulit, he's still my son.
He doesn't have to be born again physically to be my son again.
He was born one time and he will always be my son.
Now here's the thing, no son, no daughter is perfect.
They make mistakes. They do things that are wrong.
They're going to make you mad sometimes.
And as a parent sometimes you have to punish and discipline those children.
But they're still your children.
And as a parent, don't you love those children no matter what?
I mean, even if they do a lot of things wrong, your love for that child is forever.
It's the same thing with God.
We are all God's creation. That doesn't mean we're all God's children.
Because the Bible says you must receive everlasting life by putting your trust in him.
And the moment you do that, you are his child.
Now here's the thing about having a child.
You know, the mas makulit they are, the bigger mas mata'as is the punishment.
But they're still your children.
Meaning, if my son does something really bad,
and he just throws something at me and throws a big fit,
his punishment is going to be mas mata'as.
Because what he did was, you know, mas bad.
It's the same thing with God.
Let's say you receive everlasting life today, and let's say tomorrow you tell a lie.
Telling a lie is not the biggest sin in the world.
Well, let's say, though, you committed murder.
Well, that's a pretty big sin.
Remember, Jesus died for all sins, though.
Here's the thing, if you committed murder,
your punishment is going to be mas martindi salupangito.
In this life only.
Because spiritually you have everlasting life.
So you will pay for your sins in this life.
But if you have everlasting life or salvation,
God already promised you're going to go to heaven whether you're good or bad.
So he says it is everlasting life.
So how do we do this?
Well, we do this by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
He that believeth 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.
The people that go to hell, they never believed on Jesus Christ.
They never received eternal life.
They never took their trust and put it on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the result is they're going to spend forever in hell.
But if you believe on the Son, you're immediately born into God's family.
And you're His child forever.
When a person is born, it's the mom that does the work, it's not the baby.
When it comes to being spiritually born into God's family, who does the work?
Is it us that become His children or was it Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ did the work.
We don't have to do any work, we just believe on Him.
The Bible says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
See, eternal life is a gift.
Now a gift means willang kabalit, willang bayad, willang condition, no strings attached, right?
And so if I say I've got a gift for you for Christmas, but I need 20 pesos because this cost me 100 pesos, right?
Is that a gift?
No, my kabalit.
Now it's a less expensive Bible, but you're still paying for it, right?
And see, a gift means willang kabalit.
So if I say here's a gift, but you've got to give me something, it's not a gift.
Or if I say, you don't have to give me anything, but, you know,
[speaking in foreign language]
wash my car, clean my house, [speaking in foreign language]
Is that a gift?
No, my kabalit.
Because you're having to do works in order to receive this, okay?
It's the same thing with God.
God said eternal life is a gift, okay?
The gift of God is eternal life.
So if God says here's a gift, but you've got to start coming to church to receive that.
Is that a gift?
No, because you've got to do something.
Or here's a gift.
My son, Jesus Christ, he died and paid for every sin.
So all you got to do is get baptized.
It's not a gift.
If he died and paid for every sin, you don't have to do anything except believe on him.
It is a gift.
And if he required anything, well, you've got to quit drinking.
It's not a gift.
You don't have to do anything except just believe on him.
Put your trust on him.
And once you receive that gift, it's yours, right?
If I gave somebody a gift for Christmas,
and then I say, you know, a week later, you know, oh, I'm mad at you, right?
[speaking in foreign language]
And then I take this back.
Was that a gift?
No, because a gift means no exchange, right?
God promises eternal life is a gift.
Meaning, if you believe on Jesus Christ and you receive eternal life,
even if in five years you do something wrong, God's not going to take it back.
Because he promised it's a gift, which means no exchange.
And that gift is eternal or everlasting life.
It never ends, no matter what.
Okay?
This is what the Bible teaches.
This is great news, because we're going to make mistakes,
but God promises I have a gift for you if you believe on me.
The gift of God is eternal life will never be taken back.
Now, I'm just going to give you a couple quick examples, and we'll be done here.
But here's the thing.
If eternal life is a gift and it lasts forever, and you receive that gift today,
what that means is that if in one day you commit a big sin like, you know, murder,
God will not take back that gift and send you to hell.
Because he said it is eternal life, meaning you will never go to Icalo and Comethion.
That's why he says hell is a place of death, not life.
If you have eternal life, no matter what, you're still safe.
Well, some people say, "Well, okay, I see that, Brother Stuckey."
There's people that committed murder that went to heaven in the Bible.
But you know, there's people that committed suicide that went to heaven in the Bible as well.
Because people say, "Well, if I commit suicide, that's a mortal sin."
Look, you'll never see the Bible talk about a mortal sin, okay?
The reason why suicide does not send you to hell is because of a thing.
If this is my soul, Akin Kalaluwa and Akin Katawan.
One day, I killed Akin Katawan Long.
But see, my body is going to die one day.
It's my soul that has everlasting life.
That's why you see Samson, King Saul, Ahithophel, characters in the Bible who became very sad for various reasons.
And they took their own life.
But here's the thing, you can kill the body.
You can't take your soul, though, and kill that.
You have eternal life when you believe on Jesus Christ.
And that is a great promise that when you believe on Him, He is your Father forever.
And there's nothing that you could ever do to lose your salvation, okay?
Just one last verse and I'll be done.
The Bible says in Romans 10-13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
See, realize salvation or receiving everlasting life, it happens only one time.
You're only born one time.
You only have to get forgiven for all your sins one time.
It happens just one time.
Now, you might have prayed to God a million times, but the key is that you believe in your heart that this gift is eternal life.
And when you pray and ask Him for that gift, He will save you forever.
Now, what I'm going to do is I'm just going to bow my head and say a prayer.
And there's a lot of people I'm talking to today, so I don't know what you believe in your heart.
But if you believe this, you can either say it silently or you can say it out loud.
And if you believe these words, if you believe it in your heart, God will save you today and give you eternal life.
So let's just quickly pray.
Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us to be here today.
And, you know, I believe that You died and paid for all of my sins.
I believe You're offering me a free gift, and I'm trusting You for my salvation.
I've changed what I believe about eternal life.
It's not by works. It's not by living a good life.
I believe on You. I'm trusting You to give me this gift of eternal life here today.
Please save me, Jesus. Amen.
Now, if you meant that prayer inside of your heart, then the Bible says you're saved and you're on your way to heaven.
Now, some of you might have heard this and you might say, "Well, that's interesting, but I still have questions."
I just want to encourage you that, you know, we're going to be here, obviously, for several hours.
And anybody at our church would love to just show you more information about that.
If I'm busy, you're welcome to ask anybody else at our church.
And they will just show you that the greatest gift of all is eternal life, right?
Thank you for your time.