How To Get To Heaven

Hey, how you doing today? My name is Joshua Tapp. I’m with True Words Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

I want to talk about how to get to heaven. I have the most important question for you to start:

If something bad happened to you and you died, would you be 100% sure that you would go to heaven?

What do you think? I want you to remember what you’re thinking right now at this moment and don’t forget your answer to that question.

If you aren’t 100% sure, this means, at this moment, you aren’t going to heaven. If you are 100% sure, but you believe in something different than what the Bible says, you aren’t going to heaven at this moment.

But, thank God he made a very easy way for you to get to heaven. If you believe the Bible, you can know for sure that you’re going to heaven today. Let me tell what you must believe.

We’re All Sinners

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

A sin is anything that breaks the laws that God gave to us. Lying and stealing are two sins that we’ve all committed. You are a sinner. I am a sinner. We’re not perfect.

The Bible says there’s none good but one, that is, God. Good is equal to perfect. Only God is perfect.

The Penalty for Sin is Death and Hell

Romans 6:23a
For the wages of sin is death;

Wages are what you earn. When you go to work, you get paid wages. That’s your payment. Wages are equal to payment.

The payment that God requires for the sin that we’ve committed in our life is death.

This is why everyone you’ll ever know will die one day. We’re all sinners and the penalty for sin is death. But the Bible tells us there’s more than one death.

There’s a first death and a second death.

Revelation 20:14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The second death is hell. So, we all deserve the penalty of death and hell because we’ve all sinned.

If we die without being saved from all our sins, we will be paying that penalty through death and hell forever. This is the truth from the word of God.

But, do you think God, who is a good God, wants you to go to heaven or hell?

That’s right. He wants you to go to heaven. That’s why you’re here right now. He led you here to hear the truth and to be saved from your sins today.

God Loves Us So He Sent Jesus Christ to Pay Our Penalty

Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

While we still continue to sin against God, he loved us and sent Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, to die and to pay our penalty.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Son of God, but he’s also God. He’s not a creation. He’s not God the Father nor is he the Holy Spirit. He is the Son of God who came in the flesh to save us that are of the flesh. He is God manifest in the flesh.

He was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, and lived the perfect life that we haven’t been able to live. Because he’s perfect and sinless, he can pay our penalty.

The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Jesus willingly went to the cross to become the sacrifice for our sins and the Savior of the world.

He was beat, whipped, mocked, scourged, and was nailed to the cross. He died on that cross and suffered there for us.

When he died, his body was buried in a tomb. His soul went to hell for three days and three nights. He died and went to hell in our place. God is a just God and he requires payment for our sin. Either we allow Jesus to pay that penalty, or we pay it ourselves with death and hell.

1 John 2:2
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus took the sins of the whole world (past, present, and future sins) and paid for all of them. Every sin that you’ve committed and ever will commit has been paid for by Jesus. He paid for all sins, the big sins and the little sins. Lying and murder. Stealing and suicide. All sins paid for by Jesus Christ.

There’s no sin that you can do that he hasn’t paid for already. He offered one sacrifice for sins forever. Everything is already paid for.

Jesus died, was buried, and arose from the dead on the third day. He is alive forevermore. Only God could pay for our sins.

Receive the Free Gift Today

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Since Jesus already paid for the gift of eternal life or everlasting life, you simply have to receive the gift. A gift is something you don’t work for or it’s not a gift.

The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Most people believe you have to be good, live a good life, go to church, get baptized in water, repent of all your sin, ask forgiveness every day, pray, and follow Jesus daily. That would be you doing good works to earn that gift. But you can’t because Jesus already paid for it. And you must believe that.

Believe in Jesus Christ to Receive the Gift of Everlasting Life

John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Imagine Jesus saying those words directly to you face to face. He says, “If you believe in me, I’ll give you everlasting life right now.”

Believing in Jesus is knowing that he can save you right now. If you believe you have to do good works, then you’re believing in yourself to get them done. But Jesus already completed all that work to pay for your sins and the gift of everlasting life. Don’t believe in yourself.

Believe in Jesus Christ. This means you put all your trust in him, in this moment, to save you. And he says he’ll save you right now.

You Can’t Lose Everlasting Life

Jesus removes all sin, saves you, and gives you everlasting life right now. Not in the future. Right now.

How long is everlasting?

That’s right. It’s forever. If you take that gift right now by believing in Jesus Christ, there’s nothing you could ever do to lose that gift.

Even if mess up badly and sin greatly, you’re still going to heaven. God can punish you greatly for sin in this life, but you’ve already been saved forever and heaven is your destination.

1 Peter 1:4-5
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

You are kept by the power of God and not your own. God has reserved your place in heaven if you have believed in Jesus Christ.

Summary of How to Get to Heaven

You must believe all of these points in order to be forgiven of your sin and receive that free gift of everlasting life today.

We’re all sinners.
The penalty for sin is death and hell.
Jesus Christ paid for all your sins.
Believe in Jesus and his death, burial, and resurrection.
Do not trust in yourself and your works. Trust in Jesus.
Receive the free gift of everlasting life.
Once you’re saved, you’re always saved.

Call Upon the Name of the Lord

If you believe all of this today, I want to do one more thing with you to finish this day of your salvation. If you believe that Jesus can save you right now, the Bible says that you should ask him to save you.

You may have already done this in the last few minutes, but I want to do this with you so you remember this day.

Romans 10:13-14
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ¹⁴How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

God sent you a preacher today because he loves you. You’ve heard the truth of the Gospel. You believe the Gospel. Because you believe, I want to help you call upon the name of the Lord. I will lead you in a short prayer. Just repeat after me and believe this in your heart as you speak these words.

Dear Jesus,
I know I’m a sinner.
I know I deserve the penalty of death and hell.
But I know you paid for all my sins.
I believe in your death, burial, and resurrection.
I am trusting only in you.
And not in my good works.
I believe in you alone to save me.
Once saved. Always saved.
Please save me now.
And give me everlasting life.
Amen.

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