Has anyone ever shown you from the Bible how you can know for sure you are going to heaven?

The Bible contains both bad news and good news.  The bad news is something about YOU.  The good news is something about GOD.

We are all sinners

Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

"Sinned" means that we have missed the mark.  For example, when we lie, hate, lust, cheat, break promises, gossip, etc. we have missed the standard God has set.

Suppose you and I each threw a rock trying to hit the North Pole.  You might throw farther than i do, but neither of us would hit the goal. 

In the same way we all fall short of God's standard of perfection.

In thoughts, words, and actions, we don't even come close to perfect.

But the bad news gets worse...

The penalty for sin is death.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death."

When we are hired to do a job, we get paid.  That money is  our wages.  That is what we have earned.

The Bible says that by sinning we have earned death.  That means we deserve to die and be separated from GOD forever.

But GOD made a way for us to live & be with Him forever...

Christ died for you.

Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Suppose you were in a hospital dying of cancer, and I came to you and said, "Let's take the cancer cells out of your body and put them into my body."

If that were possible,

What would happen to me?

What would happen to you?

I would die and you would live.

I would die in your place.

The Bible says Christ took the penalty that we deserved for sin, place it on Himself, and died in our place.  Three days later, Christ came back to life to prove that sin and death had been conquered and that His claims to be GOD were true.

Just as the bad news got worse, the good news gets better...

You can be saved through faith in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace [undeserved favor] you have been saved [delivered from sins penalty] through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of GOD not of works, lest anyone should boast." 

Faith means TRUST….You must depend on Him alone to forgive you and to give you eternal life. Just as you trust a chair to hold you through no effort of your own, so you must trust Jesus Christ to get you to heaven through no effort of your own.

But you may say, “I'm religious." "I go to church." "I'm a good person."

These are all good, but good living, going to church, helping the poor, or any other good thing you might do cannot get you to heaven.  You must trust in Jesus Christ alone, and GOD will give you eternal life as a gift.

Is there anything keeping you from trusting Christ right now?

Think carefully.  Is there really anything more important than your need to trust Christ?

Would you like to tell GOD you are trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior? If you would, why not pray right now and tell GOD you are trusting His Son? 

It is important to understand that it is not a prayer that saves you .  Prayer is simply how you tell GOD what you are doing.

Dear GOD, I know I'm a sinner.  I know my sin deserves to be punished. I believe Christ died for me and rose from the grave.  I trust Jesus Christ alone as my Savior.  Thank you for the forgiveness and everlasting life I now have. 

-In Jesus' name, Amen

John 5:24 explains, "He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

Did you "hear" GOD's word?

Did you "believe" what GOD said and trust Christ as your Savior?

Does "has everlasting life" mean later or right now?

Does it say "shall not come into judgment" or might not?

Does it say "has passed from death" or shall pass?

Eternal life is based on fact, not feeling.

We suggest that you memorize John 5:24 today.

Having trusted Christ as your only way to heaven, here's how to grow in your relationship with Him.

-Tell GOD what's on your mind through prayer (Phil 4:6-7)

-Read the Bible daily, to learn more about Him and learn from Him (2 Tim 3:16-17).  Start in the book of Phillippians

-Worship with GOD's people in a local church (Heb 10:24-25)

-Tell others about Jesus Christ (Mt 4:19)