Posted on April 28, 2017 by Steven Richichi

If You Believe In Forever

“If you believe in forever, life is just a one night stand…”  This line from an old song brings up a most important point!  What are you doing about eternity?   It doesn’t matter what you think, God’s word is the absolute standard! When Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon “Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God” in 1841 among a congregation of confirmed Calvinists, when he finished the air was filled with cries of “What must I do to be saved?”  

So, no matter what you may think, God has laid out in the clearest possible way what happens after death and who will go to Heaven.  Romans 3:3-4 (NKJV)  For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words,  And may overcome when You are judged.”

Since the Fall man has had a much higher opinion of himself than God does.  

He thought “a bite of fruit could make him like God.”  

That fig leaves were good enough to cover his nakedness.  

That a tower would make them famous and permanent.  

That there never would be a flood so they had no need to get on the Ark with judgmental Noah.

But the worst error that continues to this day is men thinking that they are “good enough” or can “do enough” to make Heaven. 

All these schemes of men fly in the face of what God has said about man’s condition!  Romans 3:9-20 (ESV)  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, 10 as it is written:  “None is righteous, no, not one;  11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.  12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  13 “Their throat is an open grave;  they use their tongues to deceive.”  “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.”  18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.  THE LAW OF GOD IS A REVEALER, NOT A SOLUTION!  It tells you your condition – there is not one righteous.

THE SOLUTION WAS PROVIDED BY GOD SACRIFICING HIS SON TO BEAR THE WRATH OF GOD ON ACCOUNT OF SIN!  Romans 3:21-25 (NLT)  But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION IS JESUS PLUS NOTHING.

Jesus is the ONLY answer to the problem of sin!  John 6:28-29 (NLT)  They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”  29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”  FAITH IN HIS COMPLETED WORK, NOT YOUR OWN.

When Jesus died on the Cross as a sacrifice the price of sin was paid once and for all!  1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NLT)  Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.  3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.  JESUS’ RESURRECTION WAS GOD’S STAMP OF APPROVAL THAT THE SACRIFICE WAS SUFFICIENT AND ACCEPTED!  Open up your gates and the King of Glory will come in.  He defeated hell and the grave and took the keys.

Knowing about Christ is NOT the same as receiving Him!  John 5:39-40 (NLT) You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But THE SCRIPTURES POINT TO ME! 40 Yet you refuse to COME TO ME TO RECEIVE THIS LIFE.  Many know about Christ, but you don’t need to know about Him, you need to know him.

John 3:18-19 (ESV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

1 John 5:9-12 (ESV)  If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 WHOEVER HAS THE SON HAS LIFE; WHOEVER DOES NOT HAVE THE SON OF GOD DOES NOT HAVE LIFE.  Twelve step programs – addicts spend most of their lives in denial.  They must admit to the fact that they are addicted.  Coming to Christ is like that – you must admit you are a sinner.

TURNING FROM SIN AND RECEIVING CHRIST RESULTS IN A SUPERNATURAL BIRTH INTO GOD’S FAMILY! John 1:10-13 (NLT)  He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who BELIEVED HIM and ACCEPTED HIM, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are REBORN — not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Jesus laid it out to one who thought he knew it all.  John 3:1-8 (ESV)  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, UNLESS ONE IS BORN AGAIN HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT, HE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. SO IT IS WITH EVERYONE WHO IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT.”

Revelation 3:19-20 (NKJV)  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I WILL COME IN TO HIM AND DINE WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME.