How You Can Be Sure You'll Live Forever With Jesus After Death!
First) Physical death will come to you sooner or later! Only those
fortunate enough to be caught up by Jesus at the rapture will escape
physical death. When you die physically your spirit will leave your
body and return to God for reward or punishment. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7.
Even if your spirit hangs around for awhile before you go to the light
and return to God, sooner or later you will appear before Jehovah your
creator and judge. James 1:17-18. Hebrews 9:27.
Second) There are 2 places to go after you die.
A) There is Heaven. A great place! Jesus said that there were many
mansions in his Father's house and that he was going to go and
prepare a place for us. But he would not stay there and leave us
alone. Instead, he promised he would come back and get us so we could
be with him. John 14:2-3. Acts 7:56.
B) There is Hell. A terrible place. Luke 16:19-31. Matthew 7:13-14.
II Peter 2:4
Third) Jesus made it possible for you to go to heaven.
There is nothing you can do yourself to earn your salvation. Good
deeds cannot purchase forgiveness and eternal life for anyone.
Ephesians 2:8-10.
(Imagine a friend gave you the most expensive diamond in the world
for your birthday. Also suppose your total worth was just one
dollar. Would you tell your friend, "I can't accept such an
expensive gift from you, take my dollar as payment for it?" To
offer your dollar as payment for such a priceless gift would be
insulting and invite your friend's wrath. Please do not insult God
by thinking you could ever pay God back for his gift of forgiveness
and eternal life. It cost God a lot to purchase the detergent that
could wash our sins away. That detergent is the blood of Jesus.)
Hebrews 9:22. 1st John 1:7. John 14:6.
Why can Jesus forgive us of our sins and unite us with God?
John 14:6. I Timothy 2:5. I John 1:7. Acts 4:12.
A) Because Jesus is God!
1. Jesus, the 2nd person or being in the one true God has always
existed. Micah 5:2.
2. He created everything that exists. John 1:1-3,14. Malachi 2:10.
3. He is to be worshipped. Matthew 4:10. Hebrews 1:6. John 20:27-28.
4. Scripture identifies Jesus as God. Isaiah 9:6. Zechariah 12:10.
John 5:18; 8:57-59. Revelation 1:8,11,17-18. Isaiah 44:6. Genesis
19:24. John 17:5. Isaiah 42:8. 1st Timothy 3:16. Isaiah 45:23.
Philippians 2:10. Hebrews 1:8.
How Do We Know Jesus Is Jehovah God? Has more information on this topic.
B) Because Jesus bore our sins in his own body when he died on the tree.
I Peter 2:24. Because of his great love for us he volunteered to be our
substitute. He volunteered to take our punishment for the sins we've
committed. John 3:16. Romans 5:8. Jesus wants to forgive you and adopt
you into his family. But, if you reject Jesus as your Savior and Lord
you will have to suffer the punishment yourself for the sins you've
committed. Romans 3:23 & 6:23. Isaiah 59:2.
How can you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord?
How can you be sure you'll live forever with Jesus after you die?
1st John 5:1-5, 10-13.
You must repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus as your
Savior and Lord.
A) Like the New Testament believers you must repent of your evil deeds
and thoughts. That is, you must decide that you want to stop sinning,
and you want to obey God. Luke 13:3. Acts 26:20. Jesus said that those
who are sick need a doctor, not those who are well. If your sick
spiritually, you need Jesus, the master Doctor. Except for Jesus, no
one is perfect. We are all sinners. Romans 3:23. Without Jesus, we
are all separated from God and on our way to hell. Romans 6:23.
B) Like the New Testament believers you must believe with your heart
that Jesus, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, died for your sins.
That he was buried. That he rose from the tomb physically alive on the
third day. Even though he's in heaven now, Jesus promised he would come
back to earth again. I Corinthians 15:1-7. Romans 10:9-10. John 2:19-22.
Notice that "believe" in John 3:16,36. John 1:12, 1st John 5:13, etc, is
in the present tense in the Greek and as such indicates continuous
action, that is, continuous belief. Note: Many people want Jesus as
their Savior but not their Lord or Master. You must take him as both
your Savior and Lord. Matthew 7:21. John 14:23. 1st John 2:4.
In Acts 16:31 Paul told the jailor that if he would believe on (that
is, trust in and cling to) the Lord Jesus he would be saved. Are you
sorry for the sins you've committed and do you want to do what God
says? Do you believe Jesus died for you, as your substitute, physically
rose from the tomb alive, and will someday return to this earth? If you
believe that, and you want Jesus to be your Savior and the Lord of your
life, tell him so now. In Romans 10:13 Paul said that anyone who calls
upon Jesus will be saved. Feel free to repeat this prayer if you really
mean it:
"Dear God, be mericiful to me, a sinner. I believe Jesus died
for me. I'm sorry I've sinned against you. I'm trusting Jesus as my
Savior and my Boss. Thank you for forgiving me. Help me to love you and
obey you. Help me to keep on clinging to Jesus. Amen."
If in faith you've repented of your sins and asked Jesus to be your
Savior and Lord you are now God's child. John 1:12-13. The Holy
Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, lives in you! Romans 8:9-11.
As a child of God, remain faithful to Jesus and you will receive
Eternal life. Revelations 2:10. James 2:14,24,26. John 14:23-24.
You should now obey Jesus in confessing him before others and
submitting to Christian baptism (immersion).
As a believer in Jesus, you should confess Jesus before others, and
submit to Christian baptism (immersion) because the Bible says you
should.
1) According to the Bible you must be willing to speak up for Jesus or
confess him before others. Matthew 10:32-33. Matthew 16:15-17. Romans
10:9-10.
2) According to the Bible you should be immersed in water in the name
of the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19-20.
Believers in the New Testament, in Acts, who could, were baptized right
away. They didn't put (baptizo) immersion off. Acts 8:26-39 = the
Ethiopian. Acts 16:13-15 = Lydia and her household. Acts 16:25-34 = the
jailer and his household. Acts 9:1-18 and 22:6-16 = Paul. Acts 2:22-42 =
3000 people. Notice in Acts 2:38,41 those who accepted what Peter said
about Jesus were baptized. Presumably, those who didn't accept Jesus at
that time weren't baptized.
Immersion in water pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus. Immersion also pictures your dying to or rejecting your
old sinful way of life, your burying that old sinful man or old
way of living, and your rising a new man or a new creature in
Jesus. 2nd Corinthians 5:17. Romans 6:3-6.
Our salvation rests upon our repenting of our sins and our really,
from the heart, trusting and accepting Jesus as our Savior and
Master. John 3:16. John 11:25. Acts 3:19. John 1:12-13.
Romans 10:9-10,13. Luke 23:39-43.
As you develop a closer relationship to Jesus, you will find that you
sin less, and sin makes you unhappy. 1st John 1:6-2:6.
"Shall pluck" in John 10:28 is 3rd person singular and means he, she,
or it cannot pluck you out of Jesus' hand. Both Judas and Peter
sinned against Jesus. Peter repented and in trust went to Jesus for
forgiveness. However, Judas was lost as he abandoned whatever
faith he had in Jesus. John 17:12. Like Peter, endure to the end
(as you love, cling to, and obey Jesus in trust) and you
will be saved according to Matthew 24:12,13. 1st John 5:12-13.
John 14:23-24. 1st John 2:4. Ezekiel 18:21-25.
Evangelical Outreach has some very good articles on "Eternal
salvation," "Once saved always saved," etc.
Here are some things that can help you stay faithful to Jesus:
Reading and studying the Bible. A Yearly Bible can help you read the
Bible daily. You just turn in that Bible to the month and day of that
month and read what it has for that day. Mark it when your done. Before
you know it you'll have read through the whole Bible. 2nd Timothy
3:16-17. Acts 17:11. Psalm 119:105,11.
Regularly attending and participating in a Bible believing and
practicing church. Fellowshiping with other Christians. Hebrews
10:25 & 3:13.
Praying with God daily about everything. If you really want to get
closer to God sing praises and thanksgivings to him daily. Psalms
100. Philippians 4:4-7. I Thessalonians 5:17,22. He wants to be
your best friend. Daniel and King David talked with God three times
a day. Try spending some time singing songs of others or your own,
praising and thanking God. Only Jesus can take your requests to God
the Father. Mary and the saints cannot act as a mediator between
you and God the Father. 1st Timothy 2:5. John 14:6. Hebrews 4:14-16.
What will you do with Jesus?
Will you repent and invite him in? Revelation 3:20. John 14:6.
By Wayne Mckellips. Last updated 31 Aug 2007.
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