Title: Salvation
Contents
Salvation / John 3:16-18
1. Do heaven and hell exist?
1) People's experiences: There is a book called "Life Lessons". The author of this book is "Elizabeth Kubler Ross" (1927-2004). This man was a psychiatrist at Harvard University and a lifelong study of death. However, studying death is not easy. Because dead people don't talk. You can't ask anyone about death. Therefore, the study was conducted on people who had a near death experience. As a result of the study, I discovered one surprising fact.
People who have experienced death have something in common. It is said that when he died, he passed through a long tunnel all the time. After passing through that tunnel, people's experiences were divided in two. Some people said it was too scary. I have experienced such terrible pain. But other people were so happy. After passing through the tunnel, I entered the world of light. He said he was so happy the moment he entered the world of bright light that he never wanted to come back. After going through the tunnel of death, one experienced pain and the other experienced joy, what is this? What is the essence of this pain and joy? The science of the world cannot explain what this is. But the Bible clearly teaches what this is. After death, there is another world, a world of joy and a world of pain. that heaven and hell exist.
2) Testimony of the Bible: (Hebrews 9:27) "It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." After death, there is God's judgment, where people are divided into those who will go to heaven and those who will go to hell. Jesus said that there is a heaven and a hell. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Matthew 4:17 speaks of the kingdom of heaven. "From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent. The kingdom of heaven is at hand." The Bible clearly says that there is a heaven and a hell. Because we believe in the Bible, we also believe in Heaven and Hell.
2. Why you should bet your life on the side of heaven and hell.
Pascal, a famous mathematician and philosopher, once said: "It's too much of a gamble to bet (your life) that there is no heaven!" What this means is that there is no heaven, and it is too dangerous to risk your life here. Since Pascal is a mathematician, he must have done the calculations meticulously. "There is no heaven" When you risk your life here, if you are wrong, that is, if it turns out that there is a heaven and a hell, then the damage you will inflict is too great.
Question! Should I get auto insurance or not? There is little chance of a car accident, but should I still get insurance?
Car insurance is mandatory in Hawaii. Why are you legally required to have car insurance? This is because, in the event of a major accident even once, you can lose everything. The same goes for heaven and hell. It is safe to believe that there is a heaven and a hell and have insurance. Just like I can lose everything if I get into an accident while thinking I won't get into an accident, if you think there's no such thing as hell and fall into hell, you lose everything.
What would you lose if you made a mistake when betting on "There is Heaven"? The answer is Nothing. I knew that an accident was going to happen, so I paid the full amount of insurance money, but if the accident didn't happen, the insurance money would be a bit of a waste. However, I knew that there was a heaven and believed in Jesus, but if there is no heaven, what would I be missing? Would it be a waste to love and forgive according to the teachings of Jesus? Would it be a waste to worship every Sunday? Even if there is no heaven, there is nothing to lose. But when you bet on "There is no heaven", what will you lose if you make a mistake? going to hell So you have to make a decision. Which side will you bet your life on? Will I continue to drive uninsured, believing there is no such thing as an accident in my life?
There is no such thing as hell in my life. Will I continue to live a Jesus-free life? I hope you all bet your life on “There is Heaven and Hell.” Believe that heaven and hell exist and prepare and live. That is a hundred times safer and wiser. It will be an investment with no loss whatsoever.
3. How can I enter heaven?
There was an incident like this in Korea a few years ago. An elementary school student fell into the water while playing in the water in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do. They were drifting away in the torrent while screaming for help. At this time, a certain college student was fishing with his sister, and he found a child floating in the water. This college student wasn't very good at swimming, but the situation was urgent, so he jumped in and saved this child. However, he could not get out of the water and he died. But then something amazing happened. As soon as the elementary school child came out of the water, the child's mother appeared, took the child and quickly ran away. Without saying a word of thanks, he quickly ran away. The dead college student was 24 years old. He is also the only son out of one son and four daughters. How much heartache must those families have? A dead college student's parents said: It is heartbreaking to hear that his son has died, but what is truly heartbreaking is that the elementary school family that his son saved did not show up until the end. The son sacrificed his life to save the child, but the people did not say a word of thanks.
This event is a good explanation of the Christian salvation event. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, rescued us from the water and died in our place. We were never able to get out of the water on our own. If I left it alone, I would die. But Jesus pushed us out of the water and Jesus drowned instead. Not giving thanks to Jesus is the greatest of all sins. It is not because of stealing and adultery that people go to hell. Because I do not thank Jesus for saving me and dying for me. You will go to hell for the sin of ingratitude.
4. What must I do to be saved?
I must admit my sins and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with gratitude. What God wants us to do is admit our sins and thank Jesus that He died for us. Saying thank you for saving a sinner like me. Those who acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and give thanks to God will receive it in heaven. This is all that the Christian God requires of man. It is to acknowledge and give thanks that God's only Son, Jesus Christ, died instead to save you. Decide today
Admit your sins and thank Jesus. Therefore, I sincerely hope that all of you who will enter heaven will become. Amen.