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  Help! I need directions!

Years ago I was in Washington, DC and I was lost “big-time.”  I was so lost that my map of the city did not include where I was.  I finally asked someone who was stopped at a traffic light how to get to the interstate.  They said, “Just follow me.”  In a few minutes we were joyfully on the interstate heading home.

     I would like to share with you some easy . . . potentially life changing directions to heaven.  Just follow me through the Word of God.  Please allow me to ask you first a thought- provoking question.  Suppose that you were to die today (I hope that you don’t) and you were to stand before God and He were to ask you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?”  What would you say?  This is a tremendously important question because depending on how you respond, what you believe will determine where you will spend eternity.

  First: Heaven is a free gift.

  Heaven is a free gift. Romans 6:23b says, “. . . but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

     Many people believe that you get to heaven by doing good works, such as being baptized, keeping the ten commandments, taking communion, going to confession, going to church, treating others as you want them to treat you, etc.  But heaven cannot be earned nor is it deserved.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”

We have come to believe that there is nothing free in this life (at least nothing that has a great value).  There is no “free lunch.”  We have become conditioned to look for the price tag.  But, praise God, the greatest thing that man could ever have - eternal life – is free!  No amount of personal effort, good works, or religious deeds can earn a place in heaven for you because eternal life is a gift, it is free.

     Suppose that I was to give my wife an expensive present.  As she opens the present and lets out a gasp of great joy, she also notices a piece of paper.  As she unfolds this paper she discovers that it is a bill.  I then explain to her, that due to the cost, I thought that she could help pay for a portion of the present.  Now I ask you, is this present a gift?  No!  If she paid even a penny, it is no longer a gift.  It is the same with eternal life.

This can be understood more clearly when we see what the Bible says about man. 

  Second:  Man is a sinner.

  Man is a sinner. Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no not one.”  And Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

     What is sin?  When many people think of a definition for sin they think only of the “big sins” like robbery, murder, adultery, etc.  But the Bible tells us that sin is anything that doesn’t please God or is a transgression of His law.  Anything we do that we shouldn’t, like lying or stealing or even losing our temper – these are sins of commission.  Anything we should do, but don’t – like failing to read the Bible or praying or truly loving our neighbor – these are sins of omission (James 4:17 “Therefore, to Him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.”)

     Suppose a person sinned only five times a day.  He would practically be a walking angel.  Imagine if no more than five times a day did he think unkind thoughts or say mean things or steal (i.e. time) from his employer or fail to do what he ought to towards God and man – he would be a pretty good person, right?  Even if he were this good he would commit over 1800 sins a year.  If he lived to be the average age of 70, he would have over 120,000 violations of the law of God on his record.

     The Bible clearly shows that man CANNOT save himself.  James 2:10 states, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law and offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”  Galatians 2:16 says, “Knowing that man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith of Jesus Christ . . . and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Summary - We cannot do good works which give us merit, or acceptance before God because we are sinners.  Our “good works” cannot cancel our sin.
 
 Third: God is love and just.

     One of the greatest truths to learn about God is that He loves us in spite of what we are.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world. . .”  I John 4:8b says, “. . . for God is love.” 

But the same Bible that tells us that God is loving and gracious also tells us that God is holy and just and that He must punish sin.  Ezekiel 18:4 says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”  Exodus 34:7b says, “And that (He) will by no means clear the guilty.”  Revelation 20:15 states, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

     This should not surprise us of God.  We do not expect judges in our country to let the bank robber, the rapist, or the murderer free.  If a human judge, for the sake of justice, must punish law-breakers, how much more a just and holy God must punish sin!

This presents a problem, for humans are sinners and God is just.  God solved our sin problem in the person of Jesus Christ.

  Fourth: Jesus Christ is God the Son, our Savior.

     The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the infinite God-man.  By infinite I mean LIMITLESS and measureless, the creator and sustainer of all things.

     John 1:1, 14 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us . . . full of grace and truth.”  John 20:28 records Thomas’ words to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”

     Jesus Christ, God the Son, died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in heaven for us.  Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

     Many people believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, yet they contradict themselves by also believing they can pay for their sins (earn God’s favor) by doing “good deeds.”  Galatians 2:21 says, “I do not make void (empty) the grace of God, for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain.”  If I could earn or deserve my way to heaven, then Jesus Christ did not need to die on the cross for my sins!

     But Jesus Christ became my substitute and shed His blood on the cross for my sins.  I Peter 2:24a “Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree.”

  Fifth: The gift of eternal life is received by saving faith.

     Saving faith is not mere intellectual assent or agreement with certain historical facts.  You probably have always believed in God.  So have I.  But that type of belief is not what the Bible means by “saving faith.”  James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God; you do well.  The demons also believe and tremble.”  The demons believe in Christ’s deity, but they won’t be in heaven (see Matthew 8:29).  Nor is saving faith mere temporal faith or looking to God at a time of temporary crisis (i.e. surgery, tests, etc.). 

     Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone and exclusively for eternal life, in His shed blood on the cross as payment for your sin.  Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. . .”  Romans 3:24-25 says, “Justified freely . . . through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (satisfaction) through faith in His blood.”

Romans 10: 9, 13 “. . . if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved . . . whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

  Would you like to receive this free gift of eternal life?

1. Recognize that heaven is a gift and that you cannot earn or deserve eternal life.

2. Repent of your sins to God.

3. Receive (confess) Jesus Christ as Lord and God.

4. Receive (confess) Jesus Christ as your Savior – that He shed His blood on the cross for your sins.

5. Receive Jesus Christ as the resurrected and living Savior.