This is a powerful message delivered by Charles Larson several years ago. He preached from text in Matthew chapter 5.
Are you sure you’re going to heaven when you die? Or are you willing to chance your eternal soul and possibly end up in hell fire?? Why not make sure of the matter today, while there is still time? The good news is: You can KNOW that you’re going to heaven. The Bible clearly 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.” 1 John 5:13 You see, God wants us to KNOW, and have the matter settled. There can be no misery greater than living life wondering if some day you will lift up your eyes in hell! The Bible so wonderfully makes salvation clear. It is a gift given of God, that cannot be earned in any way of our own doing. “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.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Titus 3:5 Jesus Christ made this wonderful, free salvation possible. “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.” John 3:16 Do you see what the verse says? It is simply BELIEF, or rather FAITH, TRUST, in Jesus Christ that saves. I am so thankful for these following verses that tell of man who sincerely wanted to be saved, and was told how: “Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:29-30 Christ came to this earth, God in the flesh, a perfect man who never committed sin. He sacrificed His life of the cross of Calvary, shed His blood, as PAYMENT for our sin. You see, our sin separates us from a perfect and Holy God. We have no way to approach God in and of ourselves, for He is HOLY, righteous, perfect, and pure. He cannot tolerate sin. So Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world, that we might be reconciled *(bought back) to God. We can come to the Father through Jesus Christ His Son! “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 So what must I believe, more specifically, about Jesus Christ to be eternally saved, you may ask…? You are saved by BELIEVING the good news of the Gospel, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection! When you accept this beautiful truth, that Christ loves you and died for YOUR sins, and arose from the grave FOR YOU, TO SAVE YOU FROM HELL, and you simply say yes to Him (call upon the Lord), in child-like simplicity, offering nothing of yourself or self-righteousness to God, but clinging only to CHRIST’S MERIT and HIS righteousness, YOU WILL BE SAVED. 1 Corinthians 15 says: “1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 BY WHICH ALSO YE ARE SAVED, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” “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.” Would you be willing to put your whole-hearted faith on Jesus to make it to heaven… instead of trusting yourself and your own way? If you say yes, and will trust what the Bible promises to every sinner who would believe on Jesus Christ, would you humbly go to God in prayer and ask Him to save you in the name of Jesus?
