Enter through the narrow gate!
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." - Matthew 7:13
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 7:21
Something is wrong!
Maybe as many as 80% of the people in this country say they're Christians, and yet week after week 80% of those claiming to be Christians don't gather with the church on the day of worship. Something is not lining up.
Are you a Christian?
What does a Christian look like? They love to get together with other Christians to talk about God. They love to pray. They love to read the Bible. They tell other people about Jesus and how to get to heaven. They talk a lot about Jesus. They think in terms of what pleases God - what He wants them to do, what He's teaching them, what He wants them to change. They hate sin. Does this sound like you?
Are you a good person?
You may still say, "Yeah, but I'm a good person." Let's see if that's true: Ever lied? (It doesn't matter how small or how long ago.) Ever stolen anything? (The value doesn't matter.) Ever been angry with someone? Jesus said, if you have, you've committed murder in your heart. Ever looked at someone with lust? Jesus said, if you have, you've committed adultery in your heart. Ever used God's name to express anger? That's called blasphemy. God says liars, thieves, murderers, adulterers, and blasphemers will not enter heaven, but will be thrown into the lake of fire. Think about how many times have you broken God's commandments over your lifetime. If you are honest, you, like all of us, deserve hell.
How does God judge?
Trying harder to be a good person to justify yourself before God won't work. You may say, "I tell God I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness", or "Look at all the good things I do; my good outweighs my bad", or "God is good, so He'll overlook my sins." But try those excuses in a court of law. A good judge cannot overlook crimes, otherwise he's corrupt. Saying, "I'm sorry" will not get you free, and good things that you may have done, like giving to charity, will not excuse you from serious crimes. Because God is good, He will judge in the same way.
What Jesus did:
God has made a way by sending his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, to die on the cross for your sins, and rise from the dead, proving He has the power to save. This satisfied God's demand for justice. In a court of law, if someone else pays your fine because you can't, the judge is satisfied and you can go free. Jesus did this for you.
What you need to do:
Repent, turn from sin, and put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. It's like putting on a parachute - If you're going to jump from a plane, you cling tightly to the parachute and trust in it completely, you don't start flapping your arms. Call on Jesus as your Lord and Savior now! Don't put this off until another time! 10 out of 10 die, and no one knows the day or the hour. You could die today!
What next?
If you sincerely put your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, you are saved from the penalty for sin, and God will prove that you are saved by changing you from the inside (see You Must Be Born Again). Much has happened, and you have merely entered through the "narrow gate" into the Kingdom of God. Begin by praying (talking to God) and reading your Bible every day, and start meeting regularly with Christians that are passionate about Jesus. God will never let you down.
Got questions?
Need prayer?
Please ask!
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 7:21
Something is wrong!
Maybe as many as 80% of the people in this country say they're Christians, and yet week after week 80% of those claiming to be Christians don't gather with the church on the day of worship. Something is not lining up.
Are you a Christian?
What does a Christian look like? They love to get together with other Christians to talk about God. They love to pray. They love to read the Bible. They tell other people about Jesus and how to get to heaven. They talk a lot about Jesus. They think in terms of what pleases God - what He wants them to do, what He's teaching them, what He wants them to change. They hate sin. Does this sound like you?
Are you a good person?
You may still say, "Yeah, but I'm a good person." Let's see if that's true: Ever lied? (It doesn't matter how small or how long ago.) Ever stolen anything? (The value doesn't matter.) Ever been angry with someone? Jesus said, if you have, you've committed murder in your heart. Ever looked at someone with lust? Jesus said, if you have, you've committed adultery in your heart. Ever used God's name to express anger? That's called blasphemy. God says liars, thieves, murderers, adulterers, and blasphemers will not enter heaven, but will be thrown into the lake of fire. Think about how many times have you broken God's commandments over your lifetime. If you are honest, you, like all of us, deserve hell.
How does God judge?
Trying harder to be a good person to justify yourself before God won't work. You may say, "I tell God I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness", or "Look at all the good things I do; my good outweighs my bad", or "God is good, so He'll overlook my sins." But try those excuses in a court of law. A good judge cannot overlook crimes, otherwise he's corrupt. Saying, "I'm sorry" will not get you free, and good things that you may have done, like giving to charity, will not excuse you from serious crimes. Because God is good, He will judge in the same way.
What Jesus did:
God has made a way by sending his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, to die on the cross for your sins, and rise from the dead, proving He has the power to save. This satisfied God's demand for justice. In a court of law, if someone else pays your fine because you can't, the judge is satisfied and you can go free. Jesus did this for you.
What you need to do:
Repent, turn from sin, and put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. It's like putting on a parachute - If you're going to jump from a plane, you cling tightly to the parachute and trust in it completely, you don't start flapping your arms. Call on Jesus as your Lord and Savior now! Don't put this off until another time! 10 out of 10 die, and no one knows the day or the hour. You could die today!
What next?
If you sincerely put your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, you are saved from the penalty for sin, and God will prove that you are saved by changing you from the inside (see You Must Be Born Again). Much has happened, and you have merely entered through the "narrow gate" into the Kingdom of God. Begin by praying (talking to God) and reading your Bible every day, and start meeting regularly with Christians that are passionate about Jesus. God will never let you down.
Got questions?
Need prayer?
Please ask!
Notes:
