God wants to be sure...

The Bible says, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)

Another question to consider...

Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked you, "Why should I let you into Heaven?" What do you think you would say? You may not know what you would say. But, you can know, because God loves you and has a purpose for your life. The Bible says it this way, "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

We receive eternal life as a free gift.

"The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

We can live a full and meaningful life right now.

"I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:3)

Eternal Life gives meaning to life. Yet... Our sinful nature keeps us from fulfilling God's purpose for our lives.

We are all sinners by nature and by choice.

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

We cannot save ourselves.

"Not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:9)

We deserve death and hell.

"The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)

It is true that God is holy and just and must punish sin. Yet, He loves us and has provided forgiveness for our sin

Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

The good news is that God has provided for the forgiveness of our sins.

Jesus is God and became man.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling amon us." (John 1:1, 14)

Jesus died for us on the cross.

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:18)

Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

That is good news.....but the only way Jesus can affect our lives is for us to receive Him.

The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

The choice is ours...

We must repent of our sin.

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out." (Acts 3:19)

Repentance is not just feeling sorry for our sin.

"They should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." (Acts 26:20)

Repentance is turning to God through Jesus and away from our sin. It's like making a U-turn. As we turn...

We must place our faith in Jesus.

"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)

Faith is not just believing facts about Jesus. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - shudder” (James 2:19)

Faith is trusting Jesus. It’s like taking a trip on an airplane. You will never make the trip until you trust the plane enough to board it.

To trust in Jesus means...

We must surrender to Jesus as Lord.

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10)

Surrendering to Jesus as Lord is not just saying we give our lives to Jesus.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21)

Surrendering to Jesus as Lord means giving Jesus control of our lives. That is, we must give all we know of ourselves to all we know of God.

To give Jesus control of our lives is like driving down the highway with another person. As long as you are driving, you are in control. If you realize you don’t know the way, but the other person does, you might say, “You take the wheel and drive.” Then the other person is in control and the two of you take the route he or she chooses.

As evidence of giving Jesus control, you will want to identify with Him. The New Testament way of identification is to confess Jesus publicly (Matthew 10:32-33) and to follow Him in baptism and church membership (Acts 2:41).

Three important questions:

• Does what you have been reading make sense to you?
• Is there any reason you would not be willing to receive God's eternal life?
• Are you willing to place your faith in Jesus right now and turn from your sin?

The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13)

You need to ask the Lord Jesus to save you.

Read this prayer and see if it says what you want to say to God.

Dear God, I know that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross and was raised from the dead. I know I have sinned and need forgiveness. I am willing to turn from my sins and receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Call on the Lord in repentance, faith, and surrender using these or similar words of your own; and Jesus will become your Savior and Lord.

Welcome to the family of God.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, you have just made the most important decision of your life. Your can be sure you are saved and have eternal life.

You know you have eternal life because... God keeps his promises.

• You repented of your sins (Acts 3:19)
• You placed your faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9)
• You surrendered to Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10)

God heard your prayer.

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13)

God recorded your commitment.

"Rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20)

You need to grow as a Christian.

The Bible calls new Christians “babes in Christ” (1Corinthians 3:1). Without certain essentials, babies will not develop normally. The church is to a new Christian what the home and family are to a baby. You identify with your new family by confessing Jesus publicly and by experiencing believer’s baptism.

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41)

Attend church Sunday and share with the pastor that you ahve accepted Christ as your Savior and you want to be baptized and become a member of the church.

Praying is to spiritual life what breathing is to physical life.

Breathing must be regular and continuous. The Bible says, “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Learn to be specific in your praying. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us form all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9)

God’s word is to a new Christian what good food is to a baby. Good food is a daily requirement for proper growth. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2)

Learning to witness is to a new Christian what learning to talk is to a baby. Christ commands us to share the good news with others. “You will be my witness” (Acts 1:8)