There is a simple test we can apply to our lives in order to be sure of whether we are ready for the life hereafter or not! If I died today would I be confident that heaven would be my destination or would the threat of hell and the thought of burning fire be an unnerving concern.
Let me go back a few years as I vividly recall an incident in my life; I was 21 at the time and life was my oyster or so I believed. I had just made preparation for my first travels abroad; I was excited! Life was full of wine, woman and song; the debauchery of sin prevalent in my life and yet I wasn’t a bad person, or so I liked to believe. I would probably make it to heaven, even with all my faults, the good would out way the bad.
Obviously I was deceived and if this is how you now think then you are also deceived. Do not believe the lie! I was making final preparations for my exciting trip; ironically I was sitting in the same room I now type from some 24 years ago, back then it was an entertainment room and a pub but now my humble abode. I got a terrible pain in my right arm, hard to describe, yet it was radical and then a sudden fear of death overshadowed me, I began to panic and I recall praying to God and confessing in my own man-centered way that I would change my behavioral patterns, I would get better and sin less. I was very frightened, not knowing whether I would make it or not. Sure there was a lot still to do, I was a young man, but my main concern when stripped of all its frills was heaven or hell. So then what is the simple test? When we face death will we be ready to meet this great righteous holy God? Can you with assurance say “MY GOD”! Can we say it with the same confidence when we introduce our earthly fathers? If not then hell will be your destination! What then is a man to do? If you have breath, then today is the day of salvation and do not delay, I say again do not delay! For you do not know what tomorrow holds. You may think on loved ones and on their choices regarding Christ’s sacrifice and some may smile back at you favorably while others do not, this is not really what should concern you as they have lived their own lives and made their own choices, we will stand alone before the judgment seat of Christ and have to give an account for our lives. Every secret sin will be brought into the open and exposed for all to see, think on it like a recorded DVD that will be re-visited at the judgment seat of God and nothing will be left unturned; “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11-14): - Unless we repent for our sin and call upon the name of the Lord we will face this judgment, so do it today, I implore you to act while you still have a chance!
Obviously I was deceived and if this is how you now think then you are also deceived. Do not believe the lie! I was making final preparations for my exciting trip; ironically I was sitting in the same room I now type from some 24 years ago, back then it was an entertainment room and a pub but now my humble abode. I got a terrible pain in my right arm, hard to describe, yet it was radical and then a sudden fear of death overshadowed me, I began to panic and I recall praying to God and confessing in my own man-centered way that I would change my behavioral patterns, I would get better and sin less. I was very frightened, not knowing whether I would make it or not. Sure there was a lot still to do, I was a young man, but my main concern when stripped of all its frills was heaven or hell. So then what is the simple test? When we face death will we be ready to meet this great righteous holy God? Can you with assurance say “MY GOD”! Can we say it with the same confidence when we introduce our earthly fathers? If not then hell will be your destination! What then is a man to do? If you have breath, then today is the day of salvation and do not delay, I say again do not delay! For you do not know what tomorrow holds. You may think on loved ones and on their choices regarding Christ’s sacrifice and some may smile back at you favorably while others do not, this is not really what should concern you as they have lived their own lives and made their own choices, we will stand alone before the judgment seat of Christ and have to give an account for our lives. Every secret sin will be brought into the open and exposed for all to see, think on it like a recorded DVD that will be re-visited at the judgment seat of God and nothing will be left unturned; “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11-14): - Unless we repent for our sin and call upon the name of the Lord we will face this judgment, so do it today, I implore you to act while you still have a chance!
Why then will some be judge for sin and not others? Because this is exactly my point! You see, God has declared all with sin as all have sinned in one form or another. “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;” (Romans 3:9-10) and for this reason God in His mercy stepped in and He has now given mankind an opportunity to escape His judgment, but reject the offer at your own peril! How has He done it? He send His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to live as a man here on earth without ever breaking one of God’s commandment, yes He did live a life without sin an almost impossible feat but He did it! And because of His accomplishment God then charged the sins of mankind to His son account so that all those who repent and call upon the name of the Lord will be saved from this judgment!
I have made it simple to process all that is left for you to do, is to make a choice, will you repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ or will you brush it aside to consider another day. Please do not do that, I am appealing to my family and friends this is the most important decision you will ever face, so choose wisely! It is not rocket science, but to play the denial card is often a way out, don't do it! But I suppose until we come face to face with death we may be mendacious with ourselves. A false sense of security would be what we grope for. Our attitudes say; hopefully if we died today we would make it to heaven. If this is the way you reason, then you would be wrong and this is just one choice we cannot get wrong as there will be no possibility of rectifying our denial or apathy and the only way we will find favour from God is if we accept His sacrifice for our sin, if we repent from our sin, acknowledge that we have sinned against God and that because of our sin we deserve hell. This would be a great place to start when seeking out answers, but to be fair I was not that aware of the intricacies of salvation at salvation. Salvation is a work of God by a great place to start would be to call out to the Lord and ask Him to forgive you and to open your eyes. Just call out to Him with a sincere heart and He will open your eyes as he has opened mine. I did nothing to deserve His favour, but I did call out to Him as I now call out to Him on your behalf. Yet ultimately the decision rest with you.
I have made it simple to process all that is left for you to do, is to make a choice, will you repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ or will you brush it aside to consider another day. Please do not do that, I am appealing to my family and friends this is the most important decision you will ever face, so choose wisely! It is not rocket science, but to play the denial card is often a way out, don't do it! But I suppose until we come face to face with death we may be mendacious with ourselves. A false sense of security would be what we grope for. Our attitudes say; hopefully if we died today we would make it to heaven. If this is the way you reason, then you would be wrong and this is just one choice we cannot get wrong as there will be no possibility of rectifying our denial or apathy and the only way we will find favour from God is if we accept His sacrifice for our sin, if we repent from our sin, acknowledge that we have sinned against God and that because of our sin we deserve hell. This would be a great place to start when seeking out answers, but to be fair I was not that aware of the intricacies of salvation at salvation. Salvation is a work of God by a great place to start would be to call out to the Lord and ask Him to forgive you and to open your eyes. Just call out to Him with a sincere heart and He will open your eyes as he has opened mine. I did nothing to deserve His favour, but I did call out to Him as I now call out to Him on your behalf. Yet ultimately the decision rest with you.
I know that the Lord is dealing with one of my friends, I Know He is and I hope this will help him step out in faith, he knows who he is! To all of my family that still rejects Christ's sacrifice as the solution for their lives, think on what I have had to say with serious deliberation. Dad is gone, life was taken from Him rather suddenly, whether he made the right choice or not was between Him and God. What will you do with the gospel? Respond favorably I pray as your life does depend on it!
For those who rely on man-centered religion to appease their conscience think on this and understand that there is only one way we will be excused from our sin and that is through the One that paid the price for our sin, the Lord Jesus Christ as nothing else will do!
I will leave you with two
illustrations… Choose wisely!
Signing off
Tyrone
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