I want to ask you two very important questions.  The answers to these two questions reflect what you believe it takes for a person to go to heaven.

 The truth of your answers determines where you will spend eternity.  Yea, pretty heady stuff!  OK, the first question:  Do you know for certain that you will go to heaven when you die?  Yes or no.  Now the second question will perhaps require a little more thought.  Ready?  If you were to stand before God and He were to ask you, "Why should I let you into my Heaven?", what would you say? 

Over the years I have heard a lot of different answers to that second question.  One man actually told me God would let him into heaven because, "I make God laugh."  That is funny, but it is the wrong answer. 

Others have told me that they would tell God something like the following:

                         I have been good and treated others with respect.

                                              I lived by the ten commandments.

                        I went to church regularly.        

                                                     I was baptized as a child.

                                                                    I never murdered  anyone.

These answers and most other answers like them is that they begin "I".  The Bible is clear about the fact that we are all sinners and have fallen short of God's standards (Romans 3:23).  The standard according to Jesus is perfection (Matthew 5:48), and the consequence is eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23).

              
                          That really creates a problem for us, but this is where the good news begins!

God did for us what we could never do for ourselves.  You see, God sent His perfect Son, who lived a perfect life to die in our place on the cross.

Then as Jesus took all our sin, God gave us His Son's perfection (2 Corinthians 5:21)!  It was the great exchange that resulted in our forgiveness and perfection which gets us a ticket into heaven.  Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches us that we are  delivered by grace (unmerited favor) through faith (trust) and not of any good works. 

How do I make this happen?  Romans 10:9, 13 teaches us that we are to come to God admitting we are in need of deliverance and forgiveness and that we agree that He has provided the only acceptable solution through His Son, Jesus Christ.  A simple and sincere pray of faith in what Christ has done is the means of receiving the gift of eternal life! 

If you have never done this, will you take the time to do so right now?  Let us know of your decision so we may celebrate this with you!