Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? (Part 3 of 4)‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back.  This week we will examine the third element found in John 8:21-30 that defines how a person can die in sin - being unbelieving...

Being Unbelieving
 
In John 8:24 Jesus says:

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

So the third way to guarantee you will die in your sins is to be unbelieving of the gospel.  You don't have to go out and kill someone and be bad to go to hell, because hell is not just for criminals, it is for everyone and anyone who refuses Christ.  If you refuse Christ in this life, God isn't going to force you to dwell with Him forever in eternity.

You you say, "What am I supposed to believe?"  There was once a popular song called "I believe," which kept repeating the words "I believe,"  I believe what?  How about the song "I believe in Music."  If that is all you believe in, you're in trouble!  We find the same kind of vague or misdirected faith when we ask people, "Do you believe in Christ?"  And they respond, "Yeah, I believe in Christ, He lived and so forth."

But Jesus had something more definite in mind.  Notice what He says throughout John 6:

"Unless you believe that I am He."

It isn't enough to believe that Jesus is the One you think He is; you must believe that He is the One He claimed to be.  He claimed to be God by such phrases as:

"I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" (John 6:35)

          "I am the Light of the world" (John 8:12) 

          "I am the door" (John 10:9) 

          "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11) 

          "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25) 

          "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6)

Because Jesus was identifying Himself with God, saving faith not only becomes a question of turning from sin, but trusting the Son as well.  It's a question of believing that Jesus is who He claimed to be.  You may ask, "Am I going to die in my sin unless I believe that Jesus is all that He claimed to be?"  That's right.  You ought to find out who He claimed to be, for Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing a message about Christ.  You can never have true faith unless you hear the truth about Christ.  True faith is the result of hearing and believing with your heart that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that God verified that claim by raising Him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Jesus promises His opponents that they will die with their sin unforgiven if they do not believe He is who He claims to be - God in human flesh.  Not to believe and turn away shatters hope and leaves only hell's gloomy foreboding.  You may also ask, "So, how does one become a Christian?"  I'm glad you asked!  The gospel is simple, but many will miss out.  You must believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be: God in human flesh, the Savior who died for your sin and rose again, defeating death and the grave.  A person can go to hell and remain there eternally for not believing those few things.  Faith in Christ comes by hearing a message about Him, and if you haven't heard enough, then you ought to read some more or find someone who can tell you.  There is no sense in going to hell for something you failed to do, because not believing is the same thing as rejecting:

"He who is not with Me, is against Me" (Matthew 12:30)

Don't be like the Pharisees who should have known, but continued to mock.

Please join us next week as we conclude this series with the fourth way to die in your sin...  

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings on your success! 
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)