HEAVEN CAN BE YOUR HOME
If you died today do you KNOW you would be in Heaven tomorrow?
You can! To go to Heaven, you must be SAVED. That means you have been born again, or: born spiritually. Let's see if you qualify to be saved. First, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God? Second, do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins? Third, do you believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead three days after He died?
1 John 5:13 "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."
You can! To go to Heaven, you must be SAVED. That means you have been born again, or: born spiritually. Let's see if you qualify to be saved. First, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God? Second, do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins? Third, do you believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead three days after He died?
1 John 5:13 "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."
we are all sinners
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1. The Bible teaches that you and I are sinners by birth. Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Recognize your condition! Have you ever been on a trip and gotten lost? You pass through a town you're not familiar with and get a little turned around. You don’t want to admit it, BUT...you're lost. You are sincere in your direction, but sincerely wrong if you keep going the wrong direction!
When we think we know the right way to go, but it ends up being the wrong way, we have a hard time accepting the fact that we're lost, don't we? But it doesn't change the fact that we are indeed lost. I can sincerely believe that my efforts to please God and reach Heaven are genuine but what if I'm wrong. That's a big "what if.." I'd hate to be sincerely wrong about my eternal destiny! So what does God say about going to Heaven in the Bible? Here it is: In order to find the way to eternal life with God, I must first admit I am lost...in sin. Romans 5:12 teaches us that since Adam and Eve, the first man and woman on earth, a sin nature has been present in all people. "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:" Sin is any act contrary to God’s laws and commandments, and those sins that I have committed separate me from God. Whenever I have been lost, I have paid some type of penalty. I have been late to a special event and, on occasion, I have received a speeding ticket. Sin also has a penalty. |
the penalty for sin
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2. The Bible further teaches that there is a penalty for being a sinner - namely, death in Hell. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." I don't like that, but that's why I'm telling you how to be saved. I don't want anyone to go to Hell, and you don't have to go to Hell. The “wage” or payment for our sin is spiritual death, and eternal separation from God. When God created Heaven He made it a perfect place. God is perfect, and since we are sinners He cannot allow sin into Heaven or it would no longer be a perfect place. Hell was not created for you and I. God created Hell for the Devil and his angels, but because we are sinners, we deserve to go there as well because of the bad things we've done in our lives. Even as a young boy I remember times that I disobeyed my parents and I hoped they never found out. So, I would try to hide what I did. I recognized I had just done something bad, and it's because of our sin nature we are capable of sin. We need God. And if we honestly look at ourselves we will see how amazing God's love is for us! He is willing to forgive us of EVERYTHING, accept us as His children and allow us into Heaven when we die! And not because of anything we could do, but because of His powerful love for us.
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christ died for us
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3. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid your penalty of Hell for you. Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Because we are sinners by birth, we have no perfect sacrifice to make for our sin. Even our best efforts are stained by sin, so that no matter how good we try to live or how hard we try to make up for our sins, we fall short of what a holy God requires. But, Jesus Christ is perfect, and His death on the cross was a perfect sacrifice for all of our sin. And God will allow Jesus' sacrifice to pay for all our sin. Religion and good works cannot bridge the gap created by our sin. Religions try to create their own ways to God. Their systems may seem logical, but they cannot bridge the gap created by our sin. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” In other words, our thoughts and ways are not what matter. God’s Word the Bible, provides true answers of grace and forgiveness. In Ephesians 2:8–9 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.” By dying on the cross Christ himself became the free gift of salvation to anyone who would receive Him. For us to go to Heaven we have to simply receive Christ as our personal savior.
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accepting the
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4. The Bible teaches that we must receive Jesus Christ as our Savior by faith. John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." and Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Much like a bride and groom receive each other when they exchange vows, you and I must receive Jesus Christ, trusting Him to forgive us of our sins and trusting Him alone to take our souls to Heaven when we die. Even though we were lost and separated from God, He loved us, and because He is love, God sent His Son to die on the Cross and raise from the dead three days later. John 3:16 explains “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.” Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He became the payment for our sin. Now, we do not have to pay for our sin ourselves. By His grace, salvation is provided. In Romans 5:8, the Bible says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” His death on the cross didn't just pay for the sins in the world that had already been committed, if that were the case then only the people alive when Christ died would be going to Heaven. No! His sacrifice on the cross covers every sin we've ever committed or will commit because God's grace covers all! We must place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and eternal life. In order to have a relationship with God and an eternal home in Heaven, we must stop trusting ourselves, our works, and our religions, and place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sin and eternal life. In John 1:12 the Bible says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" That is a promise directly from God that if you will pray to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and turn to Him alone to be your Savior; He promises to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. You can make that decision today by praying from your heart, something like this:
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Dear God,
I know I'm a sinner. I realize that because of my sin I know I don't deserve to go to a perfect Heaven. God I am sorry for my sins and for all the bad things I've ever done. Please forgive me. God, I believe in you! I also believe Jesus Christ is your perfect Son and that He died for my sins on the cross and then rose from the dead on the third day. Lord, I want to be saved! I don't want to go to Hell when I die. Please forgive me of my sins and take me to Heaven! Right now, I ask that you come into my heart and save me. I'd like to receive your son Jesus Christ into my life as my personal Savior and trust in you and you alone to save me and take me to Heaven. I believe in you God. I know you love me, and I ask for forgiveness for all my sins. Please take my soul to Heaven when I die. I trust you Lord, and thank you for saving my soul. Now I know I'm going to Heaven. Amen.
Romans 10:9-10 says "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."
According to the Bible, the word of God, the moment we realize Christ is the only way to Heaven and ask God to save us, in that instant we are saved. God's Word is true. He cannot lie, If you just prayed and asked God to save you congratulations you are now saved!
1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
I know I'm a sinner. I realize that because of my sin I know I don't deserve to go to a perfect Heaven. God I am sorry for my sins and for all the bad things I've ever done. Please forgive me. God, I believe in you! I also believe Jesus Christ is your perfect Son and that He died for my sins on the cross and then rose from the dead on the third day. Lord, I want to be saved! I don't want to go to Hell when I die. Please forgive me of my sins and take me to Heaven! Right now, I ask that you come into my heart and save me. I'd like to receive your son Jesus Christ into my life as my personal Savior and trust in you and you alone to save me and take me to Heaven. I believe in you God. I know you love me, and I ask for forgiveness for all my sins. Please take my soul to Heaven when I die. I trust you Lord, and thank you for saving my soul. Now I know I'm going to Heaven. Amen.
Romans 10:9-10 says "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."
According to the Bible, the word of God, the moment we realize Christ is the only way to Heaven and ask God to save us, in that instant we are saved. God's Word is true. He cannot lie, If you just prayed and asked God to save you congratulations you are now saved!
1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
