Have you ever come to a place in your life where you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to Heaven? Or is it something you would say you’re still working on? The Bible says that we can know for sure that we have eternal life . It says, “These things I have written to you … so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and He asked you, “Why should I let you into My Heaven?” What would you say?

The Bible has the answers to these questions. It says that we can be saved by God’s GRACE. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)

GRACE:

1. Heaven is a free gift

Heaven, or eternal life, is a free gift! When you stop to think about it, there’s not that much in life that’s free. You may have learned in your economics class that there is no such thing as a free lunch. For example, when you see a sign for “Free french fries” at a restaurant, you know that there is a catch — the fine print underneath that says “… with purchase of something else”. If you’re told that something is free you wonder, “What’s the catch?” Yet, incredibly, God offers eternal life as a free gift. He says in His Word, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23).

2. It is not earned or deserved

If is not earned or deserved. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Suppose my best friend surprised me with a brand new, expensive car. If I immediately dug into my pocket for a couple of dollars to help pay for it, what an insult that would be! Gifts must be accepted freely. If even a dollar is paid, it is no longer a gift! It’s the same with eternal life. Actually it is something that no one deserves and that no one can ever earn.

We can’t earn it because MAN is a sinner.

MAN:

1. Man is a sinner

Man (and woman) is a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” is what the Bible says (Romans 3:23). It is a worldwide problem. If we were to take a look around us, we would see that there are some major problems in the world and even in us. According to God, this is the result of something called sin.

So man is a sinner and….

2. He cannot save himself

He cannot save himself. Have you ever wondered how good you would have to be to “make it” in God’s eyes? I was amazed when someone told me that Jesus said, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). There is no way that we could make it to Heaven if we had to be perfect.

Let’s suppose you came to my house and I offered to make you a perfect omelette. I reached into the fridge and pulled out three eggs. On breaking the last egg into the bowl, I noticed that it was rotten. It is no longer a perfect omelette is it? Would you want to eat the omelette knowing there was a rotten egg in it? Of course not! In the same way, I can’t offer my life to God with the things in it I call good, and yet include other actions and thoughts God would call sin. I can’t expect my imperfect life to be acceptable to God. So, sin is the problem.

But why can’t we save ourselves? Because of what we know about GOD.

GOD:

1. God is merciful

God is merciful and doesn’t want to punish us. The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

2. God is just

But the same Bible tells us that God is also just and must punish our sin. “He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:7b).

But how can God be both loving and just at the same time?

Suppose I went and robbed a bank of $50000. A hidden camera catches me on video. The teller and the other eyewitnesses identify me as the robber. When brought before the judge, he asks, “How do you plead?” The evidence is overwhelming and so I say, “Guilty, your Honor. But, I am very sorry. The bank got all of their money back, no one was hurt, and I promise that I will never rob another bank if you just let me go!” Would the judge be just if he let me go? Of course not. He has a standard of justice that must be upheld. If judges let bank robbers go, there wouldn’t be a safe bank in the country. In the same way, God is just, much more just, in fact, than any human judge. He cannot and will not just excuse our sin.

We have a problem. On the one hand, God is loving and merciful and He doesn’t want to punish us, but on the other hand, He is just and must punish our sin. How does He solve this problem?

God solved this problem through JESUS CHRIST!

CHRIST:

1. Who He is

Christ is both God and man. The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (1 John 1:1,14).

We know the Christmas story of Jesus as a human baby. Well, at the same time He was also God. He is 100% man and 100% God at the same time.

2. What He did

He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place in Heaven in us.

How do we receive the gift of eternal life?

The gift is received by FAITH.

FAITH:

1. What saving faith is not

• It’s not just head knowledge: True, saving faith is not just head knowledge. We can know about Jesus and yet not trust Him for anything in our lives. The Bible says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble!” (James 2:19). The demons also know about Jesus, but they aren’t going to Heaven.
• It’s not just temporary faith: True, saving faith is not just temporary faith either. It’s good to trust God to provide things for us now: like a place to live, food to eat, money to spend, or a passing grade on a big test. But when we only turn to God in timnes of crisis, it doesn’t mean we’re trusting Him for eternal life. This may be only a temporary, crisis kind of faith. True faith isn’t something that you can turn on and off like a light switch.

2. What Saving Faith is

Saving faith is trusting Jesus Christ alone for our eternal life. It says in the Book of Acts, “Believe on (trust in) the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Suppose you’re sailing your boat out on the ocean when a big storm comes up. Your boat begins to fall apart and you find yourself in the water, hanging onto one piece of wood with the waves crashing over you. You’re about to drown when a Coastguard cutter comes up and the captain leans overthe railing and yells, “I’m throwing you a life preserver. Grab on and we’ll pull you to safety.” What would you do? Would you continue to hold onto your little piece of wood, or would you grab onto the life preserver? You would probably grab the life preserver!

We are drowning in our sin, unable to save ourselves. But God leans over the railing of Heaven and says, “I’ve thrown you a life preserver, His name is Jesus Christ. Grab onto Him and I will pull you to safety. Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. We can hold onto our little piece of wood if we want to, but none of our good works will ever be enough to earn the gift of eternal life. Jesus Christ is God’s only life preserver and we must trust Him alone in order to receive the gift of eternal life.

Does this make sense to you?

Would you like to receive the free gift of eternal life?

If so, there needs to be a RESPONSE.

RESPONSE:

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

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