Death. Ever thought about your own? What awaits us once we are dead? Nothing? Is it like the end of a movie—just over and done with? If you have some kind of belief in God, then you probably believe death is entry into one of two places: heaven or hell. There are lots of ideas people have about what happens after death, and many people think that heaven is the next stop for them. I used to think that, until about five years ago when God opened my eyes to the truth that I actually wasn’t a follower of Jesus. I was actually on my way to hell. But how could that be? I went to church and did lots of church work. I was doing all the supposed “right stuff.” I had believed the lie that doing all the “right stuff” meant heaven was my next stop.
There was this man who went looking for Jesus (read John 3:1–21 for the whole story). His name was Nicodemus. If there was anyone on his way to heaven because he had done all the right stuff it was this guy. Nicodemus was super-religious, prayed all the right prayers at the right time, followed all the rules. He even taught others—he was a teacher of how to do all the right stuff. But there was something wrong. Nicodemus was worried. Something was missing. He should have felt absolutely secure about ending up in heaven because he was doing all the right stuff. But he wasn’t. Nicodemus was anxious. So, he went to Jesus, who was clearly from God, to find answers. Jesus was not easy on Nicodemus. He didn’t say, “Well don’t worry about it, Nick, you’re a really decent human being. You’re making a good effort. Keep up the good work.” Instead, Jesus basically said, “Are you kidding Me? You teach Scripture and you don’t know that all your goodness does nothing for you? That your good works and your religious ceremonies are worthless?” Wow.
Here was the problem. Nicodemus had bought into the lie that by doing good things, he would wind up to heaven. After all, Nicodemus believed in God. Surely, that was enough, right? Nope. Nicodemus prayed. Didn’t that count? No. Nicodemus studied the Scriptures. Did that help? No. I was in the same boat. I had the same problem that Nicodemus did. I thought that doing good things and right things had something to do with me being saved and having heaven to look forward to. I thought that my own “goodness” was connected to what happens to me after I die. But I was still worried. Something was missing.
Jesus had the answer, for Nicodemus and for me. He said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is an invitation that is life-changing. Believing in Jesus is not just saying, “I believe in Jesus.” It’s admitting you are a sinner. It’s repenting of your sin, hating your sin. It’s trusting in Jesus that He might graciously forgive your sin and give you a new heart. It’s a total submission to Jesus and all that He taught. Jesus paid a high price—He died for sinners. For those who respond to Jesus’s invitation, who truly believe, you receive the best gift you could dream of: life, now and forever. Life that you can NOT obtain in any other way. If you need prayer or a Bible, please let us know.
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