Do You Know?

1 John 5:13-15  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.  (14)  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  (15)  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

                                                                                                                                                           

                As a Christian, I have knocked on many doors seeking souls for The Lord.  (I have never done as much as I could or should.   This isn’t meant as a braggadocios’ statement.)  At most of those doors, I generally asked one specific question:  “Do you know if you died today, would Heaven be your home?”  A few answered they knew and told me how they knew.  (We then moved on to the next door.)  However, many had doubts, or certainly “hoped” heaven would be their eternal home.

                Our scripture (v 13) specifically tells us that God wants us to be assured and know that we have an eternal life with Him.  For the Christian, these verses are our assurance that we KNOW Jesus Christ is The Lord and our personal Saviour.  It is our “confidence” in our knowing where our eternity will exist. 

                It is also our “confidence” (in knowing) that if we are within His “will,” and regardless of our petitions “according to his will” He will hear us.

                By the grace of God, He has given us a wonderful legacy.  We are no longer sons of the devil; we are now sons of God through the blood of Jesus.

John 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

It was a scary thought when I realized what I had been before I was saved.  (God led my wife and I to the point where God’s saving grace was shown to both of us.  We both accepted Jesus the same hour.)  God, through His Son and The Holy Spirit changed us.  He moved us away from the devil, and guided us down a new path that has been unimaginable.

                I don’t remember the verses Bro Tom Huntress used to lead us.  I just know that on January 19, 1993, around 3:30 in the afternoon, my wife and I accepted Jesus.  Our lives changed, (though slowly at first) and our fruit for The Lord started appearing.

                Reader, “When God calls you into eternity, do you know where you are going?  Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior?  Do you know how to insure that Heaven will be your destination?”

                God has given us in His Word, (The King James Bible,) the means for Salvation. 

                He first wants us to know we are sinners.

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

He also tells us there is none righteous.

Romans 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Knowing we are sinners, we can now see the penalty for sin.

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

But, God gave us a path to avoid this death.

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

“God commendeth” or exhibited His love to us because He loves us regardless, (but He does NOT love our sin.  We deserve hell, nothing less.)   He put His Son on that “Old Rugged Cross” (to bleed and die for us,) in our place.  In that love, He has given us His Gift.

Romans 6:23  …but 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:  (9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

All God asks of us is to believe Him.

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

God tells us that if we will “believe” that He (God) “raised him” (Jesus) from the grave, and will willingly confess that belief to others, He will save us from our sins. 

                Now is the time to look into your heart, ask Jesus to save you, and He will.  Bow your head, and sincerely seek Him.  Salvation can be yours.  Eternity in Heaven with Jesus can be yours.

Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Remember, tomorrow NEVER comes, today is the time.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Baptist Evangelist

Wylie, Texas              

<www.johnchastain.com>