Remix: Student Devotionals

Authentic Faith - Week 1, Day 1

Day 1: Am I Going to Heaven When I Die? 

If we were to ask people on the street if they knew for sure that they would go to heaven when they died, we would probably get many different responses. Most people would probably say, "I hope so" or, "I think so." But, the good news I have for you today is that Jesus wants you to know for sure whether or not you are going to heaven. 

The question is, "Why are so many people unsure of where they will spend their eternity?"The number one reason people are unsure of where they will go when they die is that they base their relationship with God on their feelings. 

A few years ago, a man came to my office because he was interested in giving his life over to God. We sat and talked for a while, and I shared how a person becomes a Christian. I asked him, "Is there any reason why you wouldn't want to give your life to God right now?" He said, "No." I said, "Great." Right there in my office, he prayed and asked Jesus to come into his life. 

When we got done praying, he looked at me and said, "Is that it?" I said, "Yep. That's it." He looked bewildered. He said, "Wow, I don't feel any different. I thought there would be like a beam of light that would blind me or a booming voice from heaven that would speak to me. At the very least, I thought I would get a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach."

We are always looking for a feeling to prove what happened to us really happened, but I have found that feelings are totally unreliable. 

  • How many times have you felt like you were in love, only to find out later that you were never truly in love?
  • How many times in your life have you done something that you knew was wrong, and yet you didn't feel guilty?
  • How many times in your life have you felt guilty even though you didn't do anything wrong?  

I refuse to base my eternity on a wishy-washy feeling that is unreliable. I need something more concrete. 

The second reason people are unsure of where they will go when they die is that they aren't sure they did it right when they asked Jesus into their life. 

Guess how many times have people come up to me and said, "Todd, I'm not sure I said the prayer right." Asking Jesus to be the leader and Savior of your life isn't about you saying the right words. It's about having the right heart. It is about coming to grips with the sin we have committed in our lives and realizing that we were the ones that Jesus gave His life for. 

Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 

God isn't listening for a magic formula or a hocus pocus prayer. Instead, God is looking for a person who comes to Him with a heart that is broken over the sin that he or she has committed and that no longer wants to live for themselves, but they want to live for God. 

The third reason people are unsure of where they will go when they die is that they still think they can earn their way to heaven themselves. How many people do you know that think they are going to heaven because they are good people? Has anybody ever met a truly good person? 

●  When was the last time you had an impure thought? 1 minute ago? 10 minutes ago? An hour ago?

●  When was the last time you said an unkind word?

●  When was the last time you did something stupid? 

We are sinners to the core of our being. Jesus said in Luke 18:19 that no one is good except God alone. 

We might do a good thing from time to time, but our best would never be close to good enough in the presence of a Holy God. 

God said in Isaiah 64:4 that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. 

Let me illustrate how our goodness isn't good enough:

Imagine that everyone in the United States lines up on the shore of California, and we are told that we have to swim to Hawaii or die.

First up is a middle-aged man who used to be a great swimmer. He begins to swim, but it isn't long before he begins to get tired. So he practices the dead man's float he learned in Boy Scouts. He tries to keep going, but eventually, he can't go another foot, and he drowns. 

Next up is the girl from the high school swim team. She has been swimming every day of her life for the past ten years. She is in excellent physical condition. She begins to swim slowly and steadily--one mile, two miles, ten miles--but she beings to get cramps in her tired muscles. She can't go on. She, too, gargles saltwater and drowns. 

Next is the marathon swimmer. You know the guy who can swim the English Channel. He starts out swimming strong and steady. He passes the 10-mile mark, the 20-mile mark, and even the 50-mile mark, but eventually, he too begins to wear down. The waves take their toll, and he finally gargles saltwater and drowns. 

Although some swimmers are much better than others, there is no single swimmer, no matter how great, who can swim to Hawaii. 

Just as the best swimmer can't swim to Hawaii from California, even the best person in the world can't get into heaven based on his or her good works. 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 

If it were possible to get to heaven based on our goodness, then there would be no reason for God to send His Son to die for our sins. If you could save yourself, there would be no reason for Jesus to be beaten beyond recognition and be nailed to a cross. There would be no reason for Him to rise again from the dead. 

The bottom line is we can't save ourselves because we are not good. So who are you counting on to get you to heaven? Are you sure that you are saved? We'll talk more about what true salvation is tomorrow. 

Time Out: 

1. How do you know that you are a Christian?


2. Has there ever been a time in your life that you felt like God wasn't with you? Did that feeling change the fact that God was with you?


3. Look up Deuteronomy 31:8. What does this verse say about the presence of God in your life? (The fact is, He is with you whether you feel like it or not. We have to move from our feelings to the facts of what the Bible says.)


4. The number one reason people think they are going to heaven is that they believe they are good people, and obviously, good people go to heaven, right? Does anyone go to heaven because they were a good person? Look up Ephesians 2:8-9 to find the answer to this question.
 

(Good people go to hell every day. People who have asked God to forgive them of their sins are the people who are going to heaven. Never forget that forgiven people go to heaven.)

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