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Have you
ever considered that you will stand before God one day? You
will have to account to God for every thought, word, action, and attitude.
Are you a good person? Are you good enough to go to Heaven?
Most people think they are pretty good (Proverbs 20:6). You may know
that God has already given us His standard for testing whether we are good
or not. We call these laws God's "Ten Commandments."
Since God will judge all of us according to these commandments, we should
look to see if you will pass the Lord's test. So let's get started.
Commandment #9: Thou shalt not lie.
Have you ever told a lie? Yes,
every one of us has told a lie. What would you call me if I lied to
you? That's right, you would call me a liar. On Judgment Day,
God is not going to look at you and say, "Come on in to my Heaven.
You're a good person, you're all right." No, He is going to say
that you are not a good person. You will hear His words,
"Depart from me, ye that work iniquity [sin]" (Matthew 7:23).
He's going to call you a liar.
Commandment #8: Thou shalt not steal. Have
you ever stolen anything (regardless of its value)? What do you call
someone who steals? That's right a thief. So, right now
as you stand before God, you are not a good person, but a lying, thieving
person deep down in your heart. That is how God sees you.
Commandment #7: Thou shalt not commit adultery. You
say, "I would never do that!" And yet Jesus said that if
you look on someone to lust after them, you have committed adultery
already with that person in your heart (Matthew 5:28). Have you ever
looked with lust on a person? We all have. And God will look
at you on the Day of Judgment and say--You are not a good person.
You are a liar, a thief, and an adulterer in your heart.
"Depart from me…"
Commandment #3: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Have you ever used God's name
lightly? Have you ever said, "Oh my G___!" when you were
surprised? Have you ever cursed someone with God's name when you
were angry? God calls this blasphemy! So as you stand
before God, you are a lying, thieving, adulterous, blasphemer at heart.
Now, if God were to judge you
according to the 10 Commandments (and He will), would you be innocent or
guilty? The truth of the matter is that every person is guilty of
breaking every one of the commandments. So, you are guilty.
Based on the fact that you are guilty, do you think that God would send
you to heaven or to hell?
Perhaps you think God is good and because of His goodness He will overlook
your sins? If you knew of a human judge who turned a blind eye to
the crimes of a guilty rapist... would you describe him as a
"good" judge? No. That would be a corrupt judge. God
could never be a corrupt judge.
He will punish all the rapists, murderers, and thieves... But he won't
stop there. He will also send all liars, the lustful, adulterers,
idolaters, and blasphemers into the Lake of Fire which burns forever
(Revelation 21:8). The Bible says that even right now at this
moment His wrath abides on you (John 3:36), and that you are an enemy
of God in your mind through wicked works (Colossians 1:21).
I AM GUILTY
So if God judged you according to
your works, you would go to hell. There is no question about it.
Does this concern you? Does this bring fear into your heart?
It ought to! The Bible says that we should "Flee from the wrath
to come" (Matthew 3:7). You see God is holy, and he
cannot have even one sin in His presence. If He allowed any
wickedness to be with Him, then He would no longer be holy, and He would
no longer be God.
HOW CAN I BE SAVED?
That is the truth about Judgment Day.
You and I deserve to go to hell, and we will unless we turn to God with
all our heart. You see, the Bible says that God the Son, Jesus
Christ who is the Second Person of the Trinity came down from heaven and
lived on this earth.
Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
Yes, Christ had Mary as His mother,
but God (not Joseph) was His Father.
He lived a perfect life and never
sinned. Christ was thirsty,
even though He was God. He was hungry, even though He was our
Creator. He felt pain, sorrow, and even temptation. And even
in all that He never sinned. He lived a perfect, sinless
life.
He did miracles. Christ
proved that He was God the Son by raising people from the dead, giving
sight to the blind, walking on water, and turning water into wine.
He died on the Cross to take away our
sin. Christ did live a perfect
life, but He was not born just to live perfectly. In fact, He was
born to die. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was crucified on a Roman
cross. He took your hell--your eternal punishment. The Bible
says that God the Father poured out all His anger and wrath on Jesus so
that those who trust in Him will be saved.
He was buried and rose from the dead.
Just as Jesus promised, on the third
day, the stone in front of His tomb was rolled away, and Jesus Christ
walked out of there in a resurrected body. The Bible records that
many Roman soldiers were guarding His tomb, yet when the tomb was opened,
the soldiers bowed before Christ their Creator!
He ascended to heaven. The
Bible says that after forty days on the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ
ascended to heaven and sat down "on the right hand of the throne of
the Majesty in the heavens" (Hebrews 8:1), where He is Lord and King
of all.
REPENT AND BELIEVE
When Jesus was on the earth, He said
that in order to have our sins taken away, we must "Repent and
believe" (Matthew 3:7).
Do you believe that you are a liar, a
thief, and an adulterer before God? Whether
you believe it or not, you will stand before the Judge of the world and
give an account of your sins.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ took
your hell on the Cross, and that all God's anger for your sin was put on
Jesus?
Do you believe that Christ rose from
the dead? The Bible says that
God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and that as a
result, He rose from the dead.
Will you REPENT of your sins and
sinful lifestyle? Repent means
to turn away from what God hates (lying, stealing, living with someone
outside of marriage, lusting, blaspheming, etc.). Will you turn from
all the things you used to love and live for God? Will you let Jesus
Christ be your Lord and Saviour? Will you confess right now that
Jesus is your Lord and Master?
If you say, "I want to repent of my sin and trust in Christ right now
to take away my sin," then you need to call upon Jesus to save you.
The Bible says…
"Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
Now a prayer will not save you; it is
your faith that saves you, but you should express your faith to God
in prayer. Call on Him and ask Him to forgive your sin because of
Christ's sacrifice on the cross for you. Ask Him to dwell in you by
His Spirit and save you from hell. If you become a follower of Jesus
Christ by turning from your sin and putting your trust and faith in Him,
ready to obey whatever He wants for you, then your sins are forgiven, and
you will be ready to stand before God on the Day of Judgment!
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