The greatest tragedy that any mortal soul will ever suffer is to meet Almighty God at death unprepared. Divine judgment will await the soul that never trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. As exclusive as it may sound, Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Religion does not qualify us for heaven. And our Bible warns that honorable deeds or good reputations will not prepare us for going to Heaven. Only by repenting of our sins and believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died to pay our sin debt and arose from the dead assures us that we are prepared to meet our Maker at death. When we make this commitment, our sins are forgiven, our names are written in heaven, and we are adopted into our Heavenly Father’s redeemed family. This means that we have been born again—not by the flesh but by the Holy Spirit. It also means that we have been resurrected from the grave of sin to walk in a new way of life. All believers are called to grow in grace by praying, studying their Bible, worshiping, and becoming part of a Bible-preaching church.
I want to remind us that our God of love does not want to send anyone to hell. We read in II Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Too many people who hear the Gospel and realize their need to give their hearts to Christ make a terrible mistake by delaying. After so much procrastination, so many never get around to making the decision. So, the answer is found to this in II Corinthians 6:2: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
None of us knows when or how we will die. But the scriptures I have shared with our readers today warn us to be prepared for that appointment. It is my prayer that unprepared readers will soon allow the Holy Spirit to draw their hearts in such a way that they will feel God’s love causing them to humble themselves, confess their sins, place their faith in Jesus, and believe His Word that they are saved. They should take time to pray daily, study their Bible, and attend a church where the Word of God is proclaimed boldly and where they can have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. When the Holy Spirit leads them, they should share their faith by testifying to unsaved family members or friends and be willing to help win them to Christ. When they feel the need of more spiritual power, they should pray and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which will allow them to pray with the Spirit’s inspiration, direction, and power.
I want to close this message today by urging unbelievers to read the Gospel of John, chapter 16, verses 7-15. Jesus is telling us that when He has died, been resurrected, and has ascended back to heaven, He and His Heavenly Father will send the Holy Spirit to prepare unbelievers on how to receive salvation and also to show believers how to live the Christian life. He has done that! We learn in these verses that the Holy Spirit is called “The Spirit of truth, the Spirit of love, and the Spirit of power. Therefore, I would urge any unbelieving reader to know that any thought they have about the need of being ready to die comes from the Holy Spirit. Do not be surprised if you sense a kind of fear that grows a bit more serious—this is conviction or a warning that you are not ready to meet the Lord. Be assured that the role of the Holy Spirit given by Jesus and the Father is to bring into the Kingdom of God lost souls by leading them first to repentance and then by helping them understand the Scriptures concerning prayer, worship, and growing in the grace of God.
Prayer: Please, Lord! May Your Spirit touch readers’ hearts!
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