At the age of 41, I was diagnosed with an inoperable and incurable stage IV cancer. As you can imagine, this was not in my plans and came as a great surprise. Through it all, the Lord has given me a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that is amazing! How is this possible? One of the main reasons this is possible is because I know, beyond all doubt, that I will go to Heaven when I die. Knowing this is not based upon my opinion or feelings but upon the Word of God.
If you were given a diagnosis such as I was, would you have the peace of knowing where you would spend eternity? The Bible clearly teaches that we can know Heaven is our eternal home. 1 John 5:13 states, “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." Doesn't it make sense that since the Bible says we can know we have eternal life, it would explain how we can know?
The Bible does indeed tell us how we can know we have eternal life in Heaven.
1. We must acknowledge that we are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” That word "all" is inclusive! No one is exempt! We are born sinners. Romans 5:12 says, “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." For something to be a sin, it doesn't have to be a "big" sin, for sin is any time we disobey God.
2. Because we are sinners, we do not deserve to go to Heaven, but we deserve to go to Hell. As Romans 5:12 states, sin was passed on to us from Adam but so was death. The Bible explains that after our physical death, we deserve a "second death," which is separation from God forever in Hell. Revelation 21:8, “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.” This is a hard pill to swallow, but I like it for one reason. I can look you in the eye and say, "I'm no better than you, and you're no better than me. I'm a sinner, and you're a sinner. I deserve to go to Hell and so do you. We're all in the same boat!"
If this were all there was to it, we would surely have no hope; but the Bible goes on to give us the remedy for our dire situation.
3. Jesus paid for our sins when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Eternal life is a gift. You can do nothing to earn it! Romans 4:5 states, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth [declares righteous] the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Just like a gift is purchased for you, eternal life was purchased for you by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross! Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth [proved] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Since we are all sinners, we needed someone perfect to take our place. Jesus did that by dying on the cross for us, and He didn't stay dead! He arose from the grave! Romans 6:9 states, “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion [power] over him.” Jesus is able to give us eternal life because He conquered death! The grave had no power over Him!
4. There is only one way to receive the gift of eternal life. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That word "whosoever" is another inclusive word. It means anyone! In context, the word "call" does not mean to call on God to help you out of a hard circumstance, such as cancer. It means to call to place your trust in Jesus to take you to Heaven.
Jesus did everything to make the way to Heaven easy for us, but it was not easy for Him. He suffered, bled, and died for each one of us. Will you please accept His gift of salvation and put your trust in only Jesus to take you to Heaven?
If you would like to trust Jesus today to take you to Heaven, just pray to Him and tell Him! I will give you an example of what to say, but these are not special words. You must mean them sincerely from your heart, "Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I deserve to go to Hell. Thank You for dying on the cross for me. I put my trust in You, Jesus, and only You to take me to Heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me. Amen."
If you truly believe this and have asked Jesus to save you, He has given you the gift of eternal life, and you will go to Heaven when you die! This is just the beginning of a peace that passes all understanding and joy unspeakable!
If you were given a diagnosis such as I was, would you have the peace of knowing where you would spend eternity? The Bible clearly teaches that we can know Heaven is our eternal home. 1 John 5:13 states, “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." Doesn't it make sense that since the Bible says we can know we have eternal life, it would explain how we can know?
The Bible does indeed tell us how we can know we have eternal life in Heaven.
1. We must acknowledge that we are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” That word "all" is inclusive! No one is exempt! We are born sinners. Romans 5:12 says, “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." For something to be a sin, it doesn't have to be a "big" sin, for sin is any time we disobey God.
2. Because we are sinners, we do not deserve to go to Heaven, but we deserve to go to Hell. As Romans 5:12 states, sin was passed on to us from Adam but so was death. The Bible explains that after our physical death, we deserve a "second death," which is separation from God forever in Hell. Revelation 21:8, “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.” This is a hard pill to swallow, but I like it for one reason. I can look you in the eye and say, "I'm no better than you, and you're no better than me. I'm a sinner, and you're a sinner. I deserve to go to Hell and so do you. We're all in the same boat!"
If this were all there was to it, we would surely have no hope; but the Bible goes on to give us the remedy for our dire situation.
3. Jesus paid for our sins when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Eternal life is a gift. You can do nothing to earn it! Romans 4:5 states, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth [declares righteous] the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Just like a gift is purchased for you, eternal life was purchased for you by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross! Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth [proved] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Since we are all sinners, we needed someone perfect to take our place. Jesus did that by dying on the cross for us, and He didn't stay dead! He arose from the grave! Romans 6:9 states, “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion [power] over him.” Jesus is able to give us eternal life because He conquered death! The grave had no power over Him!
4. There is only one way to receive the gift of eternal life. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That word "whosoever" is another inclusive word. It means anyone! In context, the word "call" does not mean to call on God to help you out of a hard circumstance, such as cancer. It means to call to place your trust in Jesus to take you to Heaven.
Jesus did everything to make the way to Heaven easy for us, but it was not easy for Him. He suffered, bled, and died for each one of us. Will you please accept His gift of salvation and put your trust in only Jesus to take you to Heaven?
If you would like to trust Jesus today to take you to Heaven, just pray to Him and tell Him! I will give you an example of what to say, but these are not special words. You must mean them sincerely from your heart, "Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I deserve to go to Hell. Thank You for dying on the cross for me. I put my trust in You, Jesus, and only You to take me to Heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me. Amen."
If you truly believe this and have asked Jesus to save you, He has given you the gift of eternal life, and you will go to Heaven when you die! This is just the beginning of a peace that passes all understanding and joy unspeakable!
© 2020 Lighthouse Baptist Church