Do you know for certain that you have
God wants you to be sure.
The Bible says: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)
The Bible says: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)
Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked you, "Why should I let you into heaven?" What do you think you would say?
You may not know what you would say. But ...
You can know, because God loves you and has a purpose for your life.
The Bible states it this way, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
You may not know what you would say. But ...
You can know, because God loves you and has a purpose for your life.
The Bible states it this way, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
God's purpose is that we have eternal life!
- We receive eternal life as a free gift.
- We can live a full and meaningful life right now.
- We will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.
Eternal life gives meaning to life.
Yet ... Our sinful nature keeps us from fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. Thus ...
Our need is to understand our problem.
- We are all sinners by nature and by choice.
- We cannot save ourselves.
- We deserve death and hell.
It is true that:
God is holy and just and must punish sin, yet He loves us and has provided forgiveness for our sin. Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
The GOOD NEWS is that God has provided for the forgiveness of our sins.
God's provision is Jesus Christ
- Jesus is God and became man.
- Jesus died for us on the cross.
- Jesus was resurrected from the dead.
That is good news ... but the only way Jesus can affect our lives is for us to receive Him. The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)
The choice is ours. Thus ...
Our response is to receive Jesus
- We must repent of our sin.
Repentance is not just feeling sorry for our sin.
"They should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." (Acts 26:20)
Repentance is turning to God through Jesus and away from sin. It is like a U-turn.
As we turn ...
- We must place our faith in Jesus.
Faith is not just believing facts about Jesus.
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." (James 2:19)
Faith is trusting in Jesus.
It is like taking a trip on an airplane. You will never make the trip until you trust the plane enough to board it.
To trust in Jesus means ...
- We must surrender to Jesus as Lord.
Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is not just saying we give our lives to Jesus. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."(Matthew 7:21)
Surrendering to Jesus as Lord means giving Jesus control of our lives. That is, we must give all me know of ourselves to all we know of God.
To give Jesus control of our lives is like driving down a highway with another person. As long as you are driving, you are in control. If you realize you don't know the way, but the other person does, you might say, "You take the wheel and drive." Then the other person is in control and the two of you take the route he or she chooses.
Three important questions:
- Does what you have been reading make sense to you?
- Is there any reason you would not be willing to receive God's gift of eternal life?
- Are you willing to place your faith in Jesus right now and turn from your sin?
You need to ask the Lord Jesus to save you.
Read this prayer and see if it says what you want to say to God:
Dear God, I know that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross and was raised from the dead. I know I have sinned and need forgiveness. I am willing to turn from my sins and receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Call on the Lord in repentance, faith, and surrender, using these or similar words of your own; and Jesus will become you Savior and Lord.
Welcome to the family of God. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, you have just made the most important decision of your life. You can be sure you are saved and have eternal life.