Heaven or where? Shout it out. Hell. Hell. Do you guys believe hell is a real place?
Absolutely it's a real place. It's not a place I want anyone to go to but it is a
real place. This doctrine of hell is under attack by a lot of people. A lot
of people don't believe it anymore but the Bible does say that hell is a real
place. In fact in Revelation chapter number 21 verse 8 the Bible gives us a
list of the type of people that are gonna go there someday. In Revelation 21
it says this but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and
murderers and whore mongers and sorcerers and idolaters. That's a really
bad list right? I hope people in here haven't committed murder right? But
notice this next word it says and all liars shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death. Now I know I
have told a lie before. Have you guys ever told a lie before? Everyone has
right? I'll take some questions after okay? No problem.
Everyone's told a lie before and all this verse is teaching us is that if we
all got what we deserve from God we would all go to hell. But do you guys
think God wants us to go to hell? Of course not right? Because God loves us.
Romans 5 says but God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us. So God showed us his love in a very specific way by
giving his son Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin. Since he was born of a
virgin he had no earthly father. His real father was God in heaven. And so Bible teaches
that God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one the
Bible says. So Jesus Christ being born in the virgin he was 100% man just like us.
Human being, flesh, bone, all that. But he was also 100% God in the flesh. You guys
believe Jesus Christ is God? Absolutely. It's really important. Since he's God he
lived his entire life perfectly, never sinning, never told a lie, never stole,
never disobeyed his parents. He was perfect in every way. And when he was 30
years old he started his ministry. He did a lot of amazing works. He raised people
from the dead. He walked on water. I'm sure you guys have heard how he fed the
5,000. He healed people that were blind and deaf and lepers and did all these
amazing miracles. But the most important thing he did was preaching the Word of
God. Because he preached the Word of God the Jews hated him for that. They ended
up having a false trial where they lied about him and they ended up spitting in
his face, ripping his beard out of his face, putting a crown of thorns on his
head until he bled. They mocked him. They made fun of him and eventually they
drove the nails through his hands and through his feet. He suffered on the
cross dying for about six hours agonizing death that he died on the
cross. But you guys know why he died on the cross? Does anyone want to shout it out?
For our sins. Exactly. The Bible says that he's the propitiation or payment, not for
our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world. So Jesus Christ died for
every person, every nation, of any time period, past, present, and future. He died
for everyone. Now when his body was buried his soul went somewhere for three
days and three nights. Raise your hand if you think Jesus' soul went to heaven when he
died. Raise your hand if you think Jesus' soul went to hell when he died.
So here's the thing in Acts chapter number 2 verse number 31 it says this
about the death of Jesus Christ. It says he seeing this before spake of the
resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in hell. So Jesus' soul
actually went to hell for three days and three nights and a lot of people might
wonder why would Jesus have gone to hell if he's God and if he's perfect. But
remember, where do all of us deserve to go because of our sin? To hell, right? So
since Jesus loves us, he lived the perfect life for us that we can't live,
he fulfilled all of God's laws perfectly, and he went to hell for us for three
days and three nights to pay the punishment that all of us deserve so
that way we don't have to go there. That's pretty amazing, right? That's a lot
of love that he showed us. But thankfully he didn't stay dead. What happened to
Jesus three days after he died? He rose again from the dead, exactly. Physically
came back to his body, he rose from the dead, showed his disciples the holes in
his hands and his side to prove that it was him. He ate a meal with them and he
truly did raise from the dead. But my question is, just because Jesus died and
was buried and rose again, do you guys think that everybody just automatically
goes to heaven now? No, there's one thing that we have to do. This is the most
important thing you could ever know, okay? This question is asked one time in the
Bible. What must I do to be saved? That's an important question that all of us
have to answer. We have to be saved. We have to know what it takes to get to
heaven, okay? And this is the answer that they said. They said, believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. It didn't say go to church and you'll be
saved. It didn't say live a good life and you'll be saved. It didn't say help old
ladies cross the street and you'll be saved. Repent of all your sins and you'll
be saved. There's one thing we have to do to be saved and that's believe on Jesus
Christ. The most famous verse in the Bible, everyone knows it, for God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever what believeth in him
should not perish but have everlasting life. Exactly. And everyone knows that
verse but a lot of people don't understand it because when we ask people
what it takes to get to heaven, they'll say living a good life, going to church,
following God's commandments. But the Bible says all it takes is believing on
Jesus Christ, faith alone in Jesus Christ. Now what does faith mean? It doesn't just
mean that you believe he exists, right? Because let's say that there was a
politician in this classroom and I could say I believe this politician exists.
Does that mean that I trust him? Not necessarily, right? So the difference
between believing someone exists and putting your faith and your trust and
your confidence in someone. In order to get to heaven you have to trust or
believe that everything Jesus did for you is 100% sufficient to take you to
heaven. Not the things that you do. Because if you're trusting in the things
that you do to get you to heaven, the Bible says you won't make it. Because we
can't trust in ourselves to get to heaven, we have to trust 100% in Jesus
Christ. The Bible says, for by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of
yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. If
salvation was by good works, we would be able to brag or boast about our good
works. But we shouldn't brag, right? We shouldn't be boastful or brag. Now I
don't actually believe this but what if I said to you guys, hey I'm going to
heaven because I'm a really good person and I always do what's right and I read
my Bible every day and I pray every day and I go to church every week. Who would
I be trusting in? Myself or in Jesus? Myself, right? Because I'm saying here's
all the things that I do. I do this good. I go to church. I, I, I, right? What if I said
hey I'm a sinner just like everyone else but I believe that Jesus died on the cross
for my sins that he was buried and rose again from the dead. I'm only trusting
him to take me to heaven. Now who am I trusting in? In Jesus, right? So what we
have to do to be saved, we have to change our mind and take the faith that we have
in ourselves or in our religion and put it a hundred percent on Jesus Christ. Now
of course God wants us to do good works. He wants us to read the Bible and pray
and go to church and do all these things but none of those things can ever save
you. Not only is salvation just by faith alone but the Bible also says salvation
is a gift. The Bible says for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So the Bible says that God wants to
give us a gift. This gift is called eternal life but you can only get it
through one person and that's Jesus Christ, okay? What if I said hey class I
want to give you guys Bibles as a gift today but all you have to do is pay me a
hundred dollars. Would that be a gift? Of course not, right? If I said hey class I
want to give you all Bibles today but all you have to do is wash my car. Is
that a gift? Of course not, right? So same thing with God. God isn't saying hey
look, salvation is a free gift. All you have to do is perfectly follow all the
commandments, go to church, never sin, be a good person. That wouldn't be a gift,
right? None of us are able to live up to that standard. That's why a gift is
completely free and who pays for the gift? The giver or the receiver? The giver,
right? So the giver of the gift is Jesus Christ. He paid for it with his blood. He
paid for the gift and he gives it to us freely. All we have to do is believe on
him, put our trust in him and he gives us that gift. That gift is called eternal
life. How long does eternal last for? Forever, exactly. So let me ask someone a
question. Do you guys think that if someone has eternal life that it's ever
possible to lose their salvation? Who says yes it's possible to lose your
salvation? Okay. Who says no it's not possible to lose your salvation? You guys are
right. There's a couple reasons for this. Number one is because it is eternal,
right? And you can't lose something that's eternal. That wouldn't make any
sense. Also, God's not gonna go back on his promise. He's not gonna say, hey
salvation is by believing in Jesus Christ and then go back and change his
mind later, right? Us as mankind, we can lie to each other but God's not gonna
lie to us. Jesus Christ, three times in one verse, promised that we can never
lose our salvation. In John 5 24, Jesus said this, verily verily I say unto you
he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, half everlasting
life. So he says if you believe, you right now have everlasting life. And how long
does everlasting last for again? Forever, right? So you're not gonna have
everlasting life today and then lose it tomorrow because then it was never
everlasting, right? But not only do you have everlasting life but he says also
you shall not come into condemnation. Condemnation means hell. So he says if
you believe in me not only do you have everlasting life but you'll also never
go to hell. You'll never have condemnation, he says. And then at the end of the verse
he says this, but is passed from death unto life. The moment you put your faith
in Jesus Christ, you're saved forever and have eternal life. Salvation is not a
process, a lifelong struggle of doing good and hoping your good outweighs your
bad. It's one moment of time putting all of your faith in him. Once you do that
Jesus says you're passed from death unto life and you're saved for forever. Not
only that, he says that when you believe in him you become the sons of God. When
you believe in him you become this child. Now I have three children and when my
children do bad, do you guys think that I punish them or kick them out of my
family? I punish them, right? I correct them. I'm chasing them for doing wrong.
But I don't kick them out of the family, right? Same thing with God. Once we're
saved, if we do commit a really big sin, God's gonna punish us on this earth but
he's not gonna take away our salvation. He's not gonna send us to hell. Just like
when my kids do wrong, I'm not gonna kick them out of the family. I'm not gonna do
something extreme like that. I'm just gonna correct them because I love them.
You know a good example of this, you have saved men in the Bible like King David
who committed adultery and murder who is still in heaven. Why is that? Because
salvation has nothing to do with your works. That's why. It has nothing to do
with being good or being bad. It's where you've placed your faith. Now let's say
that someone does commit that sin and they're saved. God can take away your
money, your health, your kids, your spouse, your job. God can punish you on this
earth for your sin but he's never gonna take away your salvation. Does anyone
want to shout out why? Because it's the gift of God, right? And that gift is
eternal life. Once we have that gift, you have it forever. You can never lose it,
okay? Now this whole time I've been explaining to you guys that all we have
to do to get to heaven is believe on Jesus Christ. Now the question is how do
we believe in him? How do we put our faith in him? Romans chapter 10 verse 9
is gonna give us that answer. It says that if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Then it says for whosoever, that's us, right?
Whoever. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So
the only way you can put your trust in Jesus Christ is by praying and asking him to save me.
And so what I want to do, I want to lead the class in a prayer and I want you to
pray this out loud, repeating after me, only if you believe this in your heart.
Only if you believe, number one, that you're a sinner that deserves to go to
hell. Number two, if you believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, that he
was buried and rose again from the dead to pay for our sins, that you believe
that salvation is only by faith alone in him, it's not of works, it's not by going
to church, not by cleaning up your life, it's only by putting faith in him. And
that you believe that once you're saved, you're always saved. Because if you
believe you can lose your salvation, you're trusting yourself to keep your
salvation, you're not trusting Jesus. So if you believe those things, if you want
to ask Jesus Christ to save you, I'm gonna lead everyone in a prayer. Don't be
shy, just repeat after me out loud if you believe that, okay? Let's all bow our
heads and pray. Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know I deserve hell, but I
believe you died on the cross for my sins, that you were buried and
rose again from the dead. I'm only trusting in you and not in myself.
Please give me eternal life.