There is a life to come after death. Count on it. When you die, you go before God for His judgement. That judgement will last forever.
So, what do you have that God wants? When you stand before Him, the God of the universe: What is of worth to God …in you? Or are you just a “crumb bum“?
Do you know that you are of huge worth? Do you know that Jesus left His Throne in heaven because He cares about your eternal soul? You are so valuable to Him that Creator God Himself died on a cross so that you could escape His coming judgement!
it is appointed for men
to die once and
after this comes judgement
– Hebrews 9:27
Because of our sin we are already condemned, headed towards a final Day of Judgement. When we die, we then appear before Him in His Court. (Hebrews 9:27) There will be no faking it there. There will be no excuses there.
There will be no other “god” to call on there. There will be no other religion there. There will be no other system, no other court – but His court. And the justice system of God requires a perfect record. Without it we will forever be with those condemned.
The death of Jesus, predicted in the Old Testament and by Jesus Himself (Luke 9:22), was the fulfillment of a plan carried-out by God to provide forgiveness within His justice system. The debt of sin against us was paid-in-full by the death of the perfect substitute.
On our own we have no chance in Hell. God Himself suffered and died as one of us – thus satisfying the justice of God. (John 1:29)
There in His court there is now a pardon waiting to be applied. (John 3:16-21) There is a pardon there for each of us, written in Jesus’ blood. But it is required by God that we each individually come to Him in prayer before we die.
You must confess your unworthiness before Him, and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Nothing less, nothing more – just bow in prayer to God, confess you are totally unworthy of His Holy blessing, and tell Him now that you accept Jesus as the one sent by God to free us. He will forgive you in that very moment and set you on a path that leads to Him (Matthew 7:13-14).
This is no small thing, to receive a pardon from the One who created you! You must personally come to God in prayer for it, and then you will begin to live a brand new life. (See: Salvation Is A God Thing)
Our salvation in Christ does not require we understand it all. It just requires we simply acknowledge our sin and accept that He is the One sent by God. Even a reviled thief on the cross next to Jesus – was forgiven and accepted into Christ’s Kingdom because he sincerely acknowledged Christ as Messiah sent by God… and confessed that he himself was a sinner. (–Luke 23:39-43)
simply acknowledge your sin
and
accept that He is the One sent by God
Losing my soul would in itself be hell, but there really is a real place prepared by God – called Hell. And you don’t want to go there. It is a place reserved forever for those who do not bow there knee before Him. Jesus Himself said, ‘You must be born again.’
3 Jesus answered and said to him,
“Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again
he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
– John 3:3
4 Nicodemus said to Him,
“How can a man be born when he is old?
He cannot enter a second time
into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
“Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you,
‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes and
you hear the sound of it,
but do not know where it comes from and
where it is going;
so is everyone
who is born of the Spirit.”
– John 3:4-8
Have you been born again? Born, not just as a mere human (“of water”), condemned in your sin, but …born again (“of… the Spirit”) through faith in Christ, born again to new life. Born again in your spirit?
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again
to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance
which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God
through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice,
even though now for a little while, if necessary,
you have been distressed by various trials,
7 so that the proof of your faith,
being more precious than gold which is perishable,
even though tested by fire,
may be found to result in praise and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ
– 1 Peter 1:3-7
Jesus. Don’t leave earth without Him!
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