Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Salvation: How Do I Know I’m Going to Heaven?
(Part 1)
by Barrett Vanlandingham


How do you know if you’re going to anybody’s home? You generally have to know that person, then be invited to their house, then follow the directions to get there. Then if you still can't get there on your own, call them and they'll come and take you there.
As a Christian, you can know you are going to heaven because God loves you enough to send his son to die for you as the ultimate sacrifice for your sins (ref: John 3:16). “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)
In John 10:9-11, Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. He uses a figure of speech to reassure his followers (sheep) that he loves and protects them spiritually and in fact would lay down his life for them so they could live eternally in heaven.
The writer of Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.”
This passage tells us that we didn’t write the Bible, and we cannot be perfect, but we can perfectly carry out God’s plan of salvation by partnering with Jesus who IS the author and perfecter of our faith. He takes into consideration the fact that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24) We just have to make sure we have a relationship with Christ Jesus since he said “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Here is how that is accomplished:
1) hearing God’s word, (Rom. 10:17; John 5:24)
2) believing that Jesus is God’s son (Mark 16:16; Heb. 11:6),
and acting on this belief by continuing a life of
3) repentance or turning from worldly ways, (Acts 2:38; James 1:21-22; 1 Tim. 2:19)
4) confessing (Matthew 10:32-33; 1 Tim. 2:19) with our mouth and attitude
what we believe about Jesus, and immersion or
5) baptism into Christ for the forgiveness of sins. (Gal. 3:26-27; Romans 6:1-11; Mark 16:16)
No matter how much we accomplish through obedience which demonstrates our faith and love for the Father (John 14:15), it is still God’s grace that saves us in the end (Romans 3:24) when we live our lives in obedience to him (James 2:24 & 26). Without God’s help and willingness to fellowship with us, we could not find our way to heaven since we continue to “fall short.” The good news about God is this: “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Translation? Walking with God leads to heaven.


Salvation: How Do I Know I’m Going to Heaven?
(Part 2)
by Barrett Vanlandingham

Since the 1st century, the Apostle Paul’s words to the Christians in Ephesus have resonated loud and clear. This is still true today despite the growing cultural noise that at times can drown out Biblical instruction and words of encouragement such as these:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the head and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,” (Ephesians 1:17-20)
Three basics things are listed in these verses that Christians can KNOW: 1) hope of heaven, 2) riches to be found there, and 3) Christ’s power dwells in us.
Isn’t it reassuring to know that the same power that is in Christ and raised him from the dead is the same power that shows us the way to heaven?
The Apostle Peter tells us about the qualities of God, and says that by taking part in them we can “…escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4) He goes on in verse 10 to say “…be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you will never fall.” Even though nothing we do can “earn” a spot in heaven, action is required on our part.
We know that God is patient and doesn’t want anyone to perish, but instead come to repentance or to know him (ref: 2 Peter 3:9). That requires action. The apostle John says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12). Notice here that we have the “right” to become children of God. It’s not a guarantee for those who put forth no effort. But it is very assuring to KNOW that because of God’s grace (Romans 3:24), he gives us the right of being his children when we act on our belief in him (James 1:21-22; James 2:24 & 26). In Luke 6:46, Jesus begins the parable of the wise and foolish builders by saying, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
So, how do you know if you’re going to heaven? God’s word is the complete instruction guide on how to get there (ref: 2 Timothy 3:16-17). If you believe in God at all, you must believe his word is inspired, and that Jesus meant it when he said in John 14:1-4 to trust in him, and that he has gone to prepare a place for us. The fact is, if God is at the top of your priorities (and only you know that), you are promised a reward. “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels; and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27) In short, always do your best to obey his commands, and God takes care of the rest (ref: Matthew 10:22).

Monday, October 22, 2007

Finding Stuff in Your Bible Can Be A Workout!
(but well worth your effort for the sake of others and self)
by Barrett Vanlandingham (October 18, 2007)

Did you ever wish you could find that scripture you were looking for, but you just couldn’t seem to track it down? It always seems to happen when you’re in a conversation and someone asks you a question. You know that feeling, don’t you? The one that makes you say to yourself, “Uh Oh. I wish I were better prepared.”
Well, this year I bought a new larger print Bible to replace my old smaller print Bible. Please, no jokes about getting older! But, I love the size of the words. The only problem is that its concordance is a lot smaller than in my old Bible. And let’s face it, we’re all human, and none of us has the entire Bible memorized. Even Jesus was handed the Scroll of Isaiah (Luke 4:14-20) to read, as opposed to reciting it from memory. I presume that without using his special powers, He had to read it just like the rest of us, although in many instances Jesus did recite scripture from memory.
So, last week I embarked upon a mission to transfer all my old notes and cross-references to my new Bible, and to mark my new Bible for any topic likely to come up in conversation, or any topic I’m likely to teach in a class or sermon to fulfill 1 Peter 3:15. And guess what? I’m STILL not finished. The fact is, I don’t think we ever get finished with such a worthy endeavor. But it is very much a project worth our time. We may never complete the task, but just think of all the things we will learn, and all the time our mind will spend thinking holy thoughts, and our actions demonstrating holy behavior (Matthew 16:24-27 and Ecclesiastes 12:14).
It’s kind of like the story of the weak and sickly man who had a dream that God told him to push against a giant boulder in order to get better. He loved pushing against the boulder because it gave him purpose. But, after months of pushing, the man became angry that the rock had not even moved one bit. Then, God reminded the man that he was only supposed to push against the rock, not move it. God told the man to look in the mirror, and to his surprise, he had grown muscular, and he realized that he hadn’t coughed or wheezed in months, and that he really did feel better. Improvement had taken place, just not with the boulder, but instead with the man.
We may never get our Bibles completely marked and have ready answers to every question by pushing our way through page after page of scripture. But we will find that our personal walk with God makes much more sense the more we understand the will of our Creator. Joy, even in the face of adversity will take up more and more space in our hearts which will overflow (Luke 6:43-45) and affect people around us. Also, the spiritual muscles we receive by exercising our minds with personal Bible study will leave us better prepared to answer those questions posed by others or ourselves.