How to Get to Heaven It’s not as hard as you might think. Jesus’ first sermon is found in Mar_1:15. He said, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Number one, you need to repent. It means to change your direction, to change your mind, to stop running from God and start running to God. God wants you to make a u-turn, and it’s called repentance. Second, you need to believe in the gospel. Believing isn’t just mental or intellectual agreement. Biblically speaking, believing means trusting, clinging to, and wholeheartedly depending upon. You need to believe in the gospel with your heart, not just your head. The gospel is summed up in Joh_3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God loved you so much He sent Jesus to take the penalty of your sins and die in your place so you could live in Heaven forever with Him. You have to cling to that truth by faith. Joh_1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” After you have repented and believed, you need to personally receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Repenting, believing, and receiving can be done by a simple, yet eternally profound, prayer. It might sound something like this: Heavenly Father, I repent. I turn to You now. I realize I can’t get to Heaven on my own. I believe Jesus Christ took the penalty of my sin and died on the Cross in my place so I could know You, love You, and spend eternity with You in Heaven. I believe Jesus rose from the dead, and I receive Him now as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for accepting me into Your eternal family. Amen. If you have prayed that prayer from your heart, you have the assurance of what the Bible promises: you are now a new creation in Christ, old things have passed away, and all things have become new (2Co_5:17). Now, read God’s Word and obey what you read. Heaven is rejoicing!
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 15:54:39 +0000