A. WHAT IS LIFE’S MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION?
(There’s various ways to ask it, but the answer is the same)
“Do you know for sure where you’re going after you die?”
“ Do you know for sure you’re going to heaven when you die?”
B. WHY IS IT LIFE’S MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION?
1. Because life is short compared to the length of time you’ll be dead.
2. Because you can change your mind while you’re alive but not after you die.
3. Because whatever you believe now, if it isn’t the truth, it won’t save you from death — you’ll be making the biggest mistake of your life! So better check it now while you can still do something about it!
C. IF I COULD TELL YOU HOW YOU COULD KNOW FOR SURE THAT YOU COULD GO TO HEAVEN WHEN YOU DIE, WOULD YOU LISTEN? (To prove it, read on…)
E. THE BIBLE MAKES A VERY CLEAR ARGUMENT (7 STEPS!) FOR HOW YOU CAN KNOW FOR SURE.
#1. WHY DON’T ALL PEOPLE GO TO HEAVEN AUTOMATICALLY WHEN THEY DIE?
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10) Compared to God, nobody on planet Earth is righteous — that is, “have always done, always will do, and will always want to do RIGHT, whatever the cost.” Only GOD has always done, and always will do, RIGHT, forever. If everybody in God’s universe had done RIGHT, history wouldn’t be the mess that it is now! The fact is EVERYBODY has done WRONG at one time or another while here on earth, what’s to keep people from doing wrong in Heaven?
Therefore GOD will let nobody into heaven who hasn’t learned life’s most important lesson, the lesson of SIN.
#2. WHY IS NOBODY RIGHTEOUS ENOUGH TO GO TO HEAVEN?
“ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) That’s God diagnosis of the problem. What SIN means is disobeying God’s commands. Breaking his law. Have you ever lied, stolen, cheated, abused, or otherwise violated another human being? Then you have broken God’s law. Whether it’s the 10 Commandments or the Golden Rule, remember all righteous, just laws stem from the one UNIVERSAL LAW, the law of love. “Love God, and love one another” is the ultimate universal law. Love does no harm and means no harm to anyone or anything in God’s creation. Period. That’s why there’s nobody here on earth righteous enough to go to heaven— we have all at one time or another broken God’s UNIVERSAL LAW.
#3 WHERE DID SIN COME FROM ANYWAY?
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12. The first man, ADAM , sinned the first sin, and we all inherited his sin nature. We all have freedom to choose, but because of our selfishness we tend to choose what works for US, even if it hurts God or others. We choose WRONG almost by default— that’s our “default setting”— and it takes a special effort of will to choose right (and most of the time most of us don’t want to make the effort.) So ADAM and EVE started it, but you and I have had our chance to stop it, and although we may have tried, if we’re honest we’ll admit we’ve failed. We’ve inherited the sin nature and we’re passing it on to our children.
#4. WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DONT DEAL WITH OUR SIN NATURE?
Ultimately a lifetime of yielding to our sin nature kills us. “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23 We die because of sin. God did not intend for anybody to die. It was not part of his plan. God intended for all of us to live forever. Only sin interfered with His plan.
#5. IS THERE AS WAY OUT OF THIS?
Yes there is. God has provided a way. “But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
NOW DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND!
God doesn’t save you from death just because he loves you and is willing to overlook your sin. He doesn’t “forgive you” just because he wants to forgive you, or he has to forgive you (like he’s your grandfather and it’s expected that he forgives you because you’re “family”). In fact, he can only forgive you if the penalty demanded by the law for your sin is paid in full. Did you know that?
Did it ever occur to you that even God has to obey the Law? That God can’t excuse careless lawbreakers by waving a magic wand over them and declaring them “forgiven” ? The only way God can forgive sin is by paying the price demanded by the Law. Even He can’t just brush the law aside and do “favors” for people he likes. It costs to forgive sin.
#6. WHAT DID IT COST GOD TO FORGIVE YOU YOUR SIN?
If the LAW says sin must be paid for by DEATH, the only way God could forgive your sin debt is to pay for your sin by the death of Jesus Christ, his son. You broke the Law, He paid the penalty.
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8
It says that Christ was our SUBSTITUTE. He was physically tortured and put to death on the cross to pay for YOUR sin and MINE. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit”. 1Peter 3:18
Christ’s death paid our penalty so we can be forgiven and set free
SO WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
“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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9 to 13
If you will admit you’re a sinner , and that you can’t save yourself, and that you need Jesus Christ to save you, just call on him to save your soul. And you CALL by praying to God with your mouth and believing in your heart.
PRAY THIS PRAYER: GOD, I’ve always known that sin is wrong, but now I know it will kill me, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I understand now that Jesus died to pay my penalty for me. Right now, as best as I know how, I ask you to forgive me my sin and save me. Please Jesus, save me and come into my life & show me how to live― and when my life is over take me to heaven. AMEN
#7 HOW DO I KNOW THIS WILL WORK?
The BIBLE gives many assurance verses, such as these:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. John 11:25,26
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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
The BIBLE is a LEGAL DOCUMENT. Because the Bible makes an iron-clad legal promise in words that can’t be interpreted any other way, you can rest your SOUL on these promises. If God promises you eternal life if you will take his son as your substitute and saviour, you can be sure He keeps his promise.