Make Sure Heaven Is Your Home I am making this pamphlet primarily so that people may have the assurance that they are going to heaven. The Bible says in I John 5:13, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." It does not say that we should guess or hope that we are going to heaven but that we should know!! I want everyone to know and that includes YOU! Please take some time and really examine these scriptures. I think this will bless you. ----Rev. Kenneth E. Strong Worthy of Heaven? Many people do not feel worthy to go to heaven. Here are three of the lies many believe: *1) I have done too many bad things. *2) I have not done enough good things. *3) I can't quit a bad habit or sin that I enjoy. *First of all, no one would go to heaven if they had to lead a sinless life. The greatest Apostles and authors of the Bible were murderers, adulterers, and liars. These heros of ours had all kinds of problems and hang-ups. I want to refute each of the above lies that keep us from trusting God with our eternity. Look carefully with me at each of these scriptures and trust God's word today! Lie #1 I have done too many bad things to go to heaven: Luke 7:47 "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." There is no such thing as too many sins. God forgives all sin. He doesn't hold back on one of them. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" God would be neither a faithful or a just God if He did not forgive ALL our sins when we confessed them to Him. Jesus died to bring forgiveness. If God were to refuse to forgive my many sins, He would be spitting in the very face of His own son hanging on the cross. We are all familiar with John 3:16. Believe it then!! Many people think this is too simple a message --but it is not simple, for it cost the life of the Son of God. God has no judgment or condemnation for you if you will but trust and believe in His Son.......You too will go to heaven! John 3:16-17 16*"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17*"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Lie #2 I have not done enough good things to go to heaven: Titus 3:5-6 "then he saved us-- not because we were good enough to be saved but because of his kindness and pity-- by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us with wonderful fullness-- and all because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did." Eph 2:8-9 "Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it." These scriptures plainly tell us that we cannot do enough good things to get to heaven. We're so used to earning things for ourselves that it's hard to receive a gift sometimes. But this is one of those times we swallow our pride and say, "Thank you God....I receive your gift of salvation". It would be easier for most of us if we could just have it all written out in a job description and then we could do what was necessary to have our place in heaven. That's not how it works! It's FREE!! You can't do enough good to get your ticket. Our job is to trust and believe that what Jesus did on the Old Rugged Cross is enough and when he said, "It is finished" it meant"Paid in full!" in the Greek language. Your ticket to heaven has already been paid! Lie # 3 I can't quit a bad habit or sin that I enjoy. So I guess I can't go to heaven: First of all, it was never God's plan that we should quit sinning before we come to Him. This would be both impossible and absurd. It is like asking someone take a shower before they have a bath. When we come to God, He does the cleaning up. He doesn't need soap; He uses the blood of His Son Jesus. If we could clean ourselves of sin, then we wouldn't need God or the Cross of Calvary. Come to God just as you are and he'll take the sin out of our lives by faith. We may still struggle with habitual sins but remember that Jesus told Peter in Luke 17:3-4 " So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." If God were to do less than what he asks of us, what kind of a God would he be? We can be assured of God's mercy by the words of Psalms 136:1 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." This phrase is repeated throughout the Bible forty-one times. Thank God, because of His mercy... we can go to heaven! HOW TO KNOW FOR SURE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HEAVEN: If You were to die and God were to ask you the question "Why should I let you into My heaven?" and you were to answer any of the following, they would all be the wrong answer: 1) Because I've been a good person 2) Because I've kept the 10 commandments 3) Because I was a church member 4) Because I was baptized 5) Because I'm a good American 6) Because my parents were religous 7) Because I give money to the church or the poor If you were to base your entry into heaven upon anything having to do with YOU (notice the word "I" in each reason), this would be the reason you were not welcome in heaven. No one in heaven is there because of their own selves. Heaven dwellers all have one thing in common. They trusted Jesus to save them. THE RIGHT ANSWER: The only correct answer to why God should let you into His heaven is, "Because Jesus took my sins upon Himself on the cross and I believe and trust Him as my Savior." This is the only answer that God will accept. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS TO DO TO MAKE SURE HEAVEN IS YOUR ETERNAL HOME! Step 1 - Admit to God that you are a sinner. Rom 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" You can't be saved 'til you admit you're lost. Step 2 - Ask God to forgive you of all your sins. I Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Step 3 - Receive your forgiveness and thank Him for it. Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." It is important to acknowledge that you have received Gods free gift. Step 4 - Confess that Jesus is Lord of your Life. Rom 10:9-10 "For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation." Pray this simple prayer or something similiar out loud, "God, I admit I am a sinner and need a savior. Forgive me of all my sins because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. I now receive salvation and invite you Jesus into my heart. Thank you for saving me and being my Lord!" NOW YOU CAN BE SURE!! If you've taken these steps according to the word of God you are now a saved believer. I'll never forget ministering to a woman in the nursing home in Tulsa. Her name was Naomi. My wife and I would go there every week and sing for the residents. One week when we came to sing, the nurses met me at the door and said, "You gotta come...she's been asking for you." It was Naomi. She'd been driving them all crazy, saying, "I'm goin' to hell, somebody help me, I'm dying and I'm going to hell! (she was dying of cancer) We went to her room and led her through these scriptures in this pamphlet I've written for you. I prayed for her and she confessed Jesus as her Lord. Then I asked her, "Are you saved"? She said, "I hope so, but I don't know for sure". I then asked her, "Do you confess Jesus as your Lord?" "Yes," she said. "Do you believe God raised Him from the dead on Easter Sunday?" "Yes," she said. "Then Romans 10:9-10 says you are saved. If you are not saved then God is a liar!" A light went on somewhere in Naomi's heart and she smiled from ear to ear. Before we left the nursing home that day the nurses came to us saying "She's told everyone: I'm saved and I'm going to heaven." She died three days later and went home to be with Jesus!