Transcription
I'd like to ask you a question: Do you know for sure if you died today, would you go to heaven?
You may say, "I'm not sure if I'm going to heaven." Maybe you've never even thought of it, but the Bible says you could be 100% sure you are on your way to heaven. Now, according to the Bible, you need to understand a few things in order to be able to receive salvation.
The first thing is this: The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." The Bible tells us that sin is a transgression of the law. When we break God's law, we sin, and according to that verse, we've all sinned. I'm a sinner, you're a sinner, and unfortunately, there are wages for our sin. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death."
Now, the word "wages" means payment; it's what you earn. When I go to work, they give me money; those are my wages. But because of my sin, the wages is death. What I earn is death; for the wages of sin is death.
Now when we think of death, most people think of a physical death. But Revelation chapter number 20, verses 14 and 15 says, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire," a reference to hell. It says that this is the second death. "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
So according to the Bible, our wages for our sin is not just a physical death but the second death. You ask, "What is the second death?" It is being cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. What we earn because of our sin is death: a physical death and the second death, which is being cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:8 says, "For the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters"—not so pretty, right? A bad list, right? Murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers. Most people would agree a murderer—oh yeah, they're gonna go to hell. But notice he says, "And all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
The reason that God adds that sin of lying at the end of that list is that he's trying to make a point, and the point is this: We're all sinners. Every human being has lied, and he's trying to say there is none righteous. We've all sinned and we all deserve to go to hell.
Now, that's the bad news. I'm a sinner, you're a sinner, and we're all initially condemned to hell. But the gospel is the good tidings or the good news.
Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death." We understand what that means now, but the second part of that verse says, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The Bible says that God has a gift he wants to give you, and that gift is eternal life.
Now in Ephesians 2:8 and 9, the Bible says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith." The word "grace" means to get something you don't deserve. You didn't earn it; you didn't pay for it. "Are you saved" is a reference to being saved from hell, because I don't want to go there, and I'm sure you don't want to go there.
"Through faith" means to believe. It says, "For by grace are you saved through faith." And that not of yourselves; it has nothing to do with you. Here's why: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
A gift is not something you work for; a gift is something that's given to you. Someone else pays for it, but you don't pay for it. If I gave you a gift and asked you to give me money for it, that wouldn't be a gift. If I gave you a gift but asked you to do something for it, that wouldn't be a gift.
Now, the gift doesn't cost you anything, but it cost the person giving it to you something, and the gift of God is the exact same way. Jesus had to pay for that gift. Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
John 3:16, the most famous verse in 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."
The gospel is this: Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life; he never sinned, never did anything wrong. He died on the cross, was buried. The Bible tells us his soul went down to hell for three days and three nights, and he rose from the grave—not to pay for his own sin, because he had no sin. He died to pay for our sins.
And see, it's already been paid for; the gift has already been paid for. Now, you've got to understand this about the gift: John 3:16 says everlasting life. The gift is everlasting life. That means the word "everlasting" means it'll last forever. Life that'll last forever; it's never gonna end.
John 3:15 says eternal life. "Eternal" means it'll never end. John 3:36 has everlasting life. Romans 6:23 says eternal life. All throughout the Bible, you find this concept: eternal life, everlasting life—life that will last forever, life that will never end.
And according to John 3:36, you get it at the moment you believe. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."
Now, some people think, "Well, I can receive salvation, but once I have it, if I do something really bad, like commit adultery, like murder, or commit suicide, then God is gonna take away my salvation." But if he takes it away, then it didn't last forever.
So we've got to understand that salvation is not something that we earn, and once we have it, it's not something that we keep. The Bible says in Titus 1:2, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."
See, our hope for eternal life is this: God can't lie. If God promised me eternal life, then guess what? It's eternal life! He promised me everlasting life; then it's gonna last forever.
You say, "Well, what if I do something really bad?" Well, it's not of ourselves; it has nothing to do with me. It's a gift that will last forever.
Now, here's the only thing you need to do. Just like any other gift, you get a choice whether you'd like to accept it or reject it. You may ask, "Well, how do I accept the gift of God?" Romans 10:9 says this: "That if"—now it says if, because you get a choice—"thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus."
What does confess mean? To admit. You're admitting you're a sinner; you're admitting that you deserve to go to hell, but you're asking for forgiveness. He says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus."
But it's more than just saying words. He also says, "And shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead."
You're believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the grave as a payment for your sins. He says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead," the Bible says, "thou shalt be saved."
It doesn't say you might be saved; it doesn't say you hopefully will be saved. God says, "I will save you if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart."
I notice you don't have to go to church; it doesn't say you have to get baptized. It doesn't say you have to repent of your sins. It doesn't say you have to do anything. Simply believe and ask him to save you.
If you believe that in your heart, if you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the grave, he wants to give you a gift. It's eternal life.
And why don't you just confess with your mouth right now? I'd like to help you form a prayer. If you believe that, why don't you pray with me right now?
Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I deserve to go to hell. Please forgive me of all my sin and give me eternal life. I'm not trusting in my works; I'm not trusting in my religion. I'm only trusting in you. Thank you for saving me. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer and you believed in your heart, according to the Bible, you're now saved. Do you have eternal life? Congratulations!