Go To Heaven

If you were to die right now, do you know for SURE
where you would spend eternity?

It's a question many people don't like to think about, but it is the single most important question you will ever face.

Take a moment to think about the significance of eternity...
Mt. Everest is the highest mountain on earth, with an elevation of 29,028 feet. Imagine that once a year, a small sparrow would land atop the mountain for a moment and sharpen his beak on a rock... Imagine if this were to happen year after year until Mt. Everest was worn down to level ground by the sharpening of the bird's beak... In the time it would take for this to happen, if it were at all possible, eternity would have just begun!

Where will you spend eternity?
According to the Bible, you will spend eternity in one of two places... You will either be in Heaven in the presence of God, or you will be eternally separated from God, in Hell (the Lake of Fire), where you will live in hopeless desperation and misery forever and ever.

You can know for SURE that you will go to heaven when you die!

The problem...
Many people believe that if they live a "good" life, or go to church, or if they have been baptized, they will probably end up in Heaven someday. But, how can a person ever know if he has been good enough? There is a big difference between hoping you will go to Heaven, and knowing with absolute certainty that you will go to Heaven. People have a tendency to compare themselves to one another. A good law-abiding citizen who   gives to   charity and goes to church every Sunday may look pretty righteous compared to someone who does not do these things, but God doesn't judge us in comparison to one another. God judges us in comparison to Himself!

The reality is that we are not at all like God.   God is holy and perfect.   We are NOT! We have a natural tendency to ignore God's principles for living and to control our own lives. We identify with popular philosophies like:

          � "Look out for #1."
                    � "Do your own thing."
                              � "If it feels good, do it."
                                        � "It's my life and I'll do what I please."

The Bible calls this self centered attitude... this lack of concern for God's standards "sin."

      "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and
      the Lord has laid on him the iniquity (sin) of us all."                  Isaiah 53:6

      "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not is us."
                                                                                                                  I John 1:8

Sin breaks our relationship with God.   It causes us to fear God and to live our lives outside of His will.

      "But your iniquities have separated you from your God."          Isaiah 59:2

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

When our relationship to God is not right, it causes PROBLEMS in every area of our lives - marriage, career, relationships, finances, etc. When people have problems they often try many things before turning to God.

       "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
                                                                                                                  Proverbs. 16:25

Even when we know that our deepest need is God, we often try wrong ways of getting to know Him:

          � "My mother was a Christian so I know God is looking out for me..."
                    � "It doesn't matter what you believe, just be sincere..."
                              � "I'll give up all my bad habits and God will accept me..."
                                        � "I'll work real hard and earn my way to heaven..."
                                                  � "I'll be religious and go to church..."

God says that these attempts to please Him by trying to make ourselves "righteous" are hopeless.

      All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are
      like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us
      away.                                                                                                 Isaiah 64:6

So what can we do to come back into relationship with God
and make sure that we are on our way to heaven?

The solution...
God has provided a solution to our problem:

      Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes
      to the Father, except through me!"                                               John 14:6

God Himself came to earth as a human being to bring us back to Himself. The "way" is a person!   Jesus has already taken care of our sin problem and made a way for us to spend eternity with God in heaven.   If any other way would have worked, Jesus Christ would not have had to come.

      "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
      our Lord."                                                                                          Romans 6:23

      "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
      Jesus...                                                                                              I Timothy 2:5

God did this because He loves us and wants us to know Him and live for all eternity in relationship with Him.

      "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
      Christ died for us."                                                                           Romans 5:8

God   has   already   done   His part to restore our relationship to Him.   He took the initiative.   Now   He   wants each of us to individually accept what He has done for us. Here are four steps to accepting what God has done for you:

      1. Admit that God has not been first place in your life and ask Him to forgive
          your sins.

              "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
              purify us from all unrighteousness."                                     I John 1:9

      2. Believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins and that He rose again, and
          is a live today.

              "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your
              heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."     Romans 10:9

              "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) under
              heaven given to men by which we must be saved."           Acts 4:12

      3. Accept God's free gift of salvation. Don't try to earn it.
          (Our relationship to God is not restored by anything we do, but on the basis of
          what Jesus already did for us!)

              "For it is by grace you are saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves,
               it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."
                                                                                                                 Ephesians 2:8,9

      4. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your life and be the director ("Lord") of
          your life.

               "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
               right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of
               human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."     John 1:12-13

               "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
               opens the door, I will come in..."                                           Revelation 3:20

What are you waiting for?
Please don't delay in making your decision to place your faith in Christ. Hell will be full of people who thought they would wait until the "right time" to make their decision, but never did.   You never know when your time will be up... Please don't delay. If you are ready to take these steps and accept God's free gift of salvation, you can express this trust to Jesus Christ through a prayer similar to the following:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for making me and loving me, even when I've
ignored you and gone my own way. I realize I need you in my life and I'm
sorry for my sins. I ask you to forgive me. Thank you for dying on the
cross for me. Please help me to understand it more. As much as I know
how, I want to follow you from now on. Please come into my life and
make me a new person inside. I accept your gift of salvation.
Please help me to grow now as a Christian."

"...Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved" Romans 10:13

Once saved, you can NEVER lose your salvation.   Remember, Christ paid the penalty for ALL your sins PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE; so there is absolutely no sin that you could possibly commit that could cause you to lose your salvation.

      I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of
      my hand.                                                                                           John 10:28

If you have just placed your faith in Christ to forgive your sins, we strongly suggest that you tell someone that you know who also believes in Jesus... someone who would understand.   It is very important that you begin reading and studying the Bible, and if at all possible, get involved with a Bible teaching church for encouragement and help in spiritual growth.   We invite you to contact Marr Community Bible Church at (517) 546-7981.   You can also email us at: mail@marrbible.org    We would be happy to counsel with you and help you get started in your new life in Christ.

Welcome to the family of God!

All Scripture references taken from the New International Version, � 1988 by Zondervan