…arriving at the final frontier
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4. How to reconcile with God.
5. Promises God makes about your salvation.
6. Salvation is your moment of decision.
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Introduction
Do you know you are a Christian? Are you really really sure?
Like in the mysterious Twighlight Zone, your Moment of IF is where you are at. You are at the final frontier. You want to make sure you will get to Heaven. You are asking:
Am I truly saved?
Maybe I am living in “a fantasy world?”
If I die right now will I go to Heaven?
Am I?
It’s a good thing for us all to question “my self” about this question: Am I really saved? Our heart is exceedingly prone to self-delusion. For more references about your heart (“…the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience]“) see: All four here or: Genesis 6:5, Matthew 6:23, Matthew 11:21, Matthew 12:34.
Nobody wants to suddenly be
on the other side
and be told THERE:
“Sorry, you have been denied entrance to Heaven. Go to Hell.”
You’ve reached the final frontier
Christians share about Jesus because – on this side of eternity a sinner can repent and get saved. Before death you still have a choice. On the other side – not a chance in Hell! Not even a slim one. It’s over.
This life is a testing period, where God is calling each of us to choose Him. He is at work inside us, convincing us of the truth of His message. Are you convinced? Made that choice?
The Apostle Paul brings us to this moment of self-examination:
– Romans 6:4-7 AMP “5 For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection.”
– Colossians 3:1-4 NASB Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 [a]Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
“The Bible exhorts us to periodically examine our self and make sure you are in the faith. Don’t get caught standing before God Himself and discover there that you are NOT His follower! I would say it is serious enough to say, “Be damn sure you are right with God!” – Source: Examine Yourselves
IF we have been
IF you “have become one with Him” and “have been raised with Christ”… THEN you are saved, the Bible says. Read and know His promises. Doubts be gone!
Promises God makes about your salvation
Paul reassures us:
We can know we are saved. It is God’s will that we be saved. Today Jesus continues saying, “Whosoever will may come.” See: Acts 2:21; John 3:15-16; John 12:46.
– Source: The Moment of IF
See: | Know that you know you know |
| We know the will of God in this |
| You cannot lose what God keeps secured for us |
| What God secures – you cannot loose |
So, how do I get to Heaven?
God is asking you and me to repent.
See: “17…the simple message of the cross of Christ“: 1 Corinthians 1:17-25
To “repent”? The following is an excerpt adapted from – This is salvation in Christ.
* Repent means: “Turn from – Turn to”
God is asking us to turn from sin, and turn to Him. The simplicity of that Good News of Jesus is so simple that many reject “turning”. How about you? – Source: Turn from – Turn to
* Repent means:
“to change
[your] old way of thinking,
to regret
[your] past sins, and
to seek
God’s purpose for [your life]“
The Bible communicates a very simple message from God to us. Throughout the Bible He tells us what He expects of us. Don’t just “regret your past” – actually repent of it. Be one of those that actually turned and was then called “…And such were some of you [before you believed]….” – 1 Corinthians 6:11.
See: | What God wants |
| What God asks of us in the Bible |
| The one-off offer Jesus makes to everyone |
His message is to all of us — all sinful, willful, rebellious, self-centered creatures. This passage says it all: Acts 17:30-31
“…He commands all people everywhere
to repent
[that is, to change their old way of thinking,
to regret their past sins, and
to seek God’s purpose for their lives],
31 because He has set a day
when He will judge the inhabited world
in righteousness
by a Man whom He has appointed
and destined for that task,
and He has provided credible proof
to everyone
by raising Him from the dead.”
– Acts 17:30-31 AMP version
– Source: This is salvation in Christ
We have credible, “furnished proof”. Believe it – or not. That’s your choice to make. But know that there will be no legitimate whining at the foot of God’s Throne of Judgement. (Regret? Oh yes. Hell yes! But no legit excuses.) Redemption is here now. We need but to open His book and believe in the Name of Jesus.
See: | Historical Evidences |
| Proof for the Resurrection |
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Realize these things
We all must realize several things in order to be sure of our salvation.
Realize
1. What “Christian” means. The first thing to realize is: Am I defining correctly what a “Christian” is? Is my definition according to God’s understanding. Am I interpreting His words in the Bible without prejudice?
Are you “the real thing” or “fake”? …going to Heaven, or going to Hell?
It’s like the funny car analogy. Just because you park your body in a garage – that does not mean you are a car.
Equally: Just because you go to a church – that does not mean you are a “Christian”. Don’t accept the definitions that keep you outside God’s worldview.
I also like the story of the little pig with the mother cat, and why suckling with the mother cat does not make the piglet a kitten.
Chutzpah is “presumption plus arrogance“
The Chutzpah of Wannabe Christians
Suckling does not change you into a kitten like the one next to you. And neither does calling yourself a Christian — change you into one before God. God has to change you with a new birth!
It takes a lot of chutzpah to fake it all the way to God’s presence. But, chutzpah or not — you will still kneel before The Judge, and still be condemned like everyone else who rejected God’s grace.
Don’t be a wannabe Christian
– and end up
a wanna-get-out of hell
God-damned “believer”.
– Source: The Chutzpah of Wannabe Christians
Jesus said,
“You must be born again”
– Verse 7 of John 3:1-18
Jesus was unequivocal 1
“You must be born again”, He said. The “must” in Jesus’ statement does not mean we can then say: “…well, okay, but maybe He really meant this:
* Maybe if I’m just loving enough He will let me in to Heaven? No.
* Maybe it’s okay to continually disobey the Old Testament warning against claiming my own words are God’s Words to us? No.
* Maybe I can just keep a hold of this one favorite “sin”…? (Really?! You want in to the Holy Kingdom – with your sin? ) Heck no. You must be declared forgiven. Only the act of God, of being made “born again”, sets you up to a position of holiness before God The Judge.
Salvation is the act of God that happens when you repent. Then He makes you holy (“set apart”) before His Courts, ready for His Holy Kingdom, His Holiness. 2
Jesus’ salvation is one way – through Him alone. It’s Jesus only always for all times. Jesus does not do “salvation-lite” (“lite” – which leaves you without Jesus). His salvation is the real thing. Jesus said,
“[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” – John 14:6
See: | Getting born again |
| Born again. Reborn from above |
| Being 100% given-over to Jesus |
| Seven Signs You Know Jesus
How to know for sure you’re not a false Christian
By Jimmy Evans. Sep 25, 2022 |
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Realize
2. You don’t earn it.…God saves, not you
There is absolutely nothing you yourself can do, or “work on” – to earn salvation from God. It’s all on God.
“…and that not of yourselves…
it is the gift….”
“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God”
This is why you can’t do anything to make Him love you more. He already loved you so much He died for you. What more can love do – than to die for another!?
So when we fail Him (and fail we will), and sin again (and sin again we will)… we can come confidently into His presence in repentance — and know that He forgives. He never stopped loving us.
See: | Ephesians 2:8 |
| Farther along we’ll understand why |
Salvation is yours for the asking. Just ask. In fact, The Thief on the Cross did not even “ask”. With Jesus hanging right next to Him: the one thief simply acknowledged that Jesus was God, he confessed his own sinfulness before Jesus, and he repented. The other thief? He rejected Jesus outright.
Read more about the thieves here:
| The rest of the story of the thief on the cross |
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Realize
3. Sincerity and truth are essential.
This is how you approach God in prayer: with sincerity and truth. Can’t hide your contrary thoughts, so just confess it all …sincerely and truthfully. He already knows you, so be real. After all, He is calling sinners to Himself – not those who think they are okay (Matthew 9:13). He knows you.
Anyone at anytime with sincerity and truth – can find forgiveness in Jesus for anything. The key word there? Sincerity. God sees the thoughts and intents of our heart. No foolin’ with God.
– Source: Forgiveness by God
– Anyone Anytime Anywhere –
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Realize
4. How to reconcile with God. I’ve been redeemed by God Himself. God did the work of reconciliation and reconciled me to Him. And now I am ready to meet my Maker.
Excerpt:
HOW TO RECONCILE WITH GOD
The Bible teaches us that this is how to reconcile with God.
He requires three very specific things:
– Source: What God Did for Man
After you get saved — you will sin again. In fact you will sin …again, and again, and again…. That is because you still reside in a body of weak flesh. But now you can resist sin. And now you confess it as sin.
Salvation did not make you sinless. Salvation made you forgiven and empowered to reject sin. Little by little we sin less and less, over time, as we learn and yeild more. The Christian lives a gritty, plain life but it is empowered by His Spirit.
The essence of salvation
The essence of salvation is to follow Him in all things (Ephesians 4:15). So He begins a work inside our insides, and on our outside – with what we actually do. If we are His, we are…
“those who
are being
sanctified
[bringing each believer
to spiritual completion
and maturity]”
– Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 10:14-25
And thus… We slowly mature in our faith, “unbecoming” what we have been, and becoming more and more – who we really are in Christ. That is God’s Normal for the Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
See: Growing into our natural new life in Christ
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Realize
5. Promises God makes about your salvation.
This salvation done “to us” by God, is a most powerful saving job” ever conceived. And it is guaranteed by the most powerful power in existence!
The truth about “salvation in Christ” is: once He saves you, that salvation keeps on forgiving. It lasts through everything that the flesh can throw at it — enduring forever.
The salvation of God is as big and mighty as God (and He is huge!). Nothing is capable of destroying the salvation He brings us into.
Nothing can take away your salvation. Absolutely nothing! (Romans 8:28-39) We are confident in His saving grace — not our strength, not our maturing power!
“The spirit is willing” but not the mere puny human we all are in the flesh. Don’t think He will walk away and abandon you after you sin and sin again. His grace is bigger than all the sin we struggle against.
Never again will we be subject to His Wrath. What a terrifically encouraging spiritual reality we then live under once we truly “get saved“.
God Himself saves us — not we ourselves. His amazing grace keeps on giving!
- If He saves and forgives… is He going to change His mind?
- Can we sin again and again after salvation to the point where He loses it and condemns us back to Hell again? Never!
Can I become unsaved for any reason?
Are you a sheep in His fold, or perhaps …just a goat? If we truly got saved (thus becoming “a sheep of His fold”), then we truly cannot become unsaved. We do not revert to “a goat” if we sin! Not happenin’.
Excerpt:
I especially love this passage that Paul put for us in his book of Romans: Romans 8: 37-39. It is a very clear declaration of the security of the true believer.
“37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us].
38 For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Romans 8: 37-39
Nothing can separate us
Nothing is worth losing my soul over. And nothing “will be able to separate [me] from Him…” once Almighty God Himself has saved me. Never again.
– Source: Promises God makes about your salvation
See:| Never Again |
| Why you can’t lose your salvation | By Robin Schumacher | christianpost.com |
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Realize
6. Salvation is your moment of decision
Are you on the road to hell, or have you turned your life around – and chosen Jesus?
– Source: Going to Hell
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Your moment of decision
The “moment of IF” is your moment of decision. You can have it all – IF you accept Jesus with all of you, with sincerity and truth.
Instead of equivocating: Make it “a moment of A Sure Thing” (not an “if” thing). Jesus is that Sure Thing.
Change your “Oh regret” (The sin that was….) — to “Oh joy inexpressible“ (joy that is inexpressible and glorious (1 Peter 1:8). That puts you on the journey to God’s Fantastic Home – for those who follow Him.
– Source (adapted): The Moment of IF
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It is no slight thing to say, ¨Oh yes, I am saved.¨ Oh, are you, really? 3
What does God´s Word say about this? Don’t listen to mere men. Do not even allow “the church” to tell you. What if they are wrong? Check it out yourself. Read the Bible.
As to how God will determine your status before Him – THAT we must be sure of. Are you sure? 4
Without Christ in you, “the hope of glory,” you are just another God-damned believer. Make sure God will say to you in that day, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Make sure. Be sure as heaven.
– Source: God Damned “Believers”
One thing you lack… Matthew 19:16-26
Jesus was physically right there for the rich young ruler’s questions and He talked to him right on the spot. We do not have that luxury.
So He is not there to say to you, “One thing you lack.” The Spirit however is there – convicting. BUT we must be listening for His “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). Are you listening?
I suspect that many who “said the prayer” or raised their hands to receive Christ — did not hear God’s warning: “One thing you lack”. So, in that moment — they were not saved, and ever since then – they have not been a true Christian.
The Pharisee (Matthew 19:16-26) was enslaved by “things”. He had an idol he unknowingly worshiped.
Is there perhaps “one thing” that is your idol (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Matthew 7:21)? Is it keeping you from true salvation? The practice of sin is what Jesus warned against. Deal with that.
The Psalmist prayed “Search me O God”. See: Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me [thoroughly], O God,
and know my heart;
Test me and
know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there is any wicked
or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in
the everlasting way.
You cannot lose what God keeps secured for us. But equally true – if you don’t even have it (salvation), then you are on your own still, your heart is cracked, and you are still lost.
Don’t walk away sad, like the Pharisee. Deal with it! And repent. But beware:
What happens is that common folks and not-so-common folks, “in their wickedness, suppress and stifle the truth” (v18). In the midst of their rebelliousness – men and women of clay shake their puny little mud hands at the Potter. In their limited thinking, they “suppress and stifle the truth”. Paul explains further:
…they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles. – Verses 21b-23 of Romans 1:18-32
Don’t be a fool! (Read searched articles on “fool“.) Don’t be fooled by conforming to the world’s ways. Want Heaven enough to change the way you live.
Whatever is necessary
With whatever in your life that may be lacking – do whatever is necessary to actually live in obedience to what the Bible says is “His will”. God came to earth to save the vile, the disobedient… sinners. But He requires we repent and follow Him.
“…only he who
does
the will of My Father
who is in heaven.”
– Matthew 7:21
Ways to lose it with God
Don’t let anything keep you from sincere, truthful repentance. We are not saved by our not doing things, but we also cannot be saved when we have idols we worship. When we have a mindset approving what He rejects, then our heart is not yielded to Him.
He requires we be 100% yielded. Salvation has never been earned by being sinless. But we cannot be saved by reserving bits and pieces of our life for our rebellious sins.
See: | Keeping sin |
| Keeping sin AND getting God’s holiness also |
| Claiming a sin as God’s will for you |
The whole essence of salvation is to follow Him in all things.
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FOR MORE:
The Entrance Into the Eternal
Ever wonder what it will be like to arrive at The Entrance into the Eternal, to actually be standing in front of the very entrance? How spectacular that will be! I’m not talking…
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How much is Heaven worth to you?
Practicing Sin – Not Following Christ
Video: How do I know if I am a Worldly Christian being deceived? – Biblical Assurance (Paul Washer)
Sinner’s Prayer Recall Notice – Batch: ALL
Why suckling with the mother cat does not make the piglet a kitten
Does saying a “sinners prayer” save one from going to hell?
Why might many Charismatics not be saved?
Following the Jesus who was not God
Jesus will reject many “Christians”
Life’s most urgent question. Really.
The Inclusive yet Exclusive Salvation of Jesus
Jesus only always for all times
The one-off offer Jesus makes to everyone
We know the will of God in this
Promises God makes about your salvation
Your Spiritual Journey to Eternal Life
Want it – to know it… God’s message to us
Legally Damned – Legally Forgiven
Beliefs “deserving full acceptance and approval”
“Oh regret” The sin that was …Philippians 3:13-21 AMP
Passing on through to the other side
“Beyond The Veil” Lyrics | by Randy Stonehill | from the album Can\’t Buy A Miracle
Death and dying Excerpt: “As a follower of Christ… I am not afraid of death. I am not afraid of dying. My faith is in Christ.
Oh haunting fear of death be gone (Hebrews 2:15)
Being God Damned (in Hell) Excerpt:
Being God damned in hell is to be forever damned, forever without God, without joy, without happiness, devoid of God’s goodness, without any good thing (since God is good), forever doomed in gloom, defeated, beaten, always restless, never satisfied, never…
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Footnotes
- MirriamWebster: unequivocal
clear, unambiguous, unquestionable. - Salvation:
The Inclusive yet Exclusive Salvation of Jesus
The one-off offer Jesus makes to everyone
- Tamara Lowe gives a huge call to salvation in Christ, in an “almost rap” talk – at Christ Fellowship. A got-to-see-it video… http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WUQYJ77qa50.
- See Paul Washer – Shocking Message: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8
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