Friday, May 2, 2008
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All of us airline passengers have just squeezed down that narrow aisle to our seats and everyone is just getting settled in. And the ground agent comes onboard and says, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a destination check. This is flight 305 to Atlanta." The next part is what I love - it's so diplomatic, it's almost ridiculous. If Atlanta is not in your travel plans for today, this would be a good time for you to exit the aircraft." Translation: "Hey, pal - make sure this flight is going where you want to end up!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Destination Check."
It doesn't matter how nice the plane is, how nice the people are, how sure I was that this was the right one - if it isn't going where I want to go, I cannot afford to be on it. That's obvious when it comes to our travel destination. It should be obvious when it comes to our eternal destination. But often we don't do a destination check.
In a recent survey, 78% of Americans said they thought their destination when they die would be heaven. Since this is the one thing you can't afford to be wrong about, there's an important question that those folks need to consider - all of us do. On what can a person base their eternal expectations? How nice the people are? How nice the religion is? How much I think this ought to be the way to get to God? It's not true for an airplane flight - and it's not true for getting to God and to God's heaven. Only God can tell us how to get to Him, what He says - and only what He says - is the final word.
Here it is - in the words of Jesus Christ Himself. Our word for today from the Word of God, John 3:3, "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Those two words have been over used, they've been misused, and they've been abused. But they weren't invented by some cult or some right-wing religionist. It was the Son of God Himself who told us that the way to give ourselves a destination check - to see if, in fact, we will go to heaven when our heart has beaten for the last time is to answer this question, "Are you born again?"
The Bible explains just two chapters earlier how you can be born again - speaking of Jesus - it says, "To all who received Him, to those who believed in Him, He gave them the right to become children of God." You have to be born into His family to be His child, just as you were born into your earth-family. And you were born again at the moment you "receive Jesus." That means welcoming Him into your life. And then it says, "You believe in Him." That refers to putting your total trust in Him as your only ticket to God's heaven.
Why? Because it's your sin that will keep you out of heaven, because sin that carries an eternal death penalty according to the Bible. The Bible calls that hell. And only Jesus could - only Jesus did - die to pay that death penalty so you don't have to. That is how much He loves you. So only He can remove your sin from God's record - and only people with their sin forgiven can enter God's sinless heaven. Jesus left no room for any question. He said in John 3:5, "You must be born again."
You have no more important thing in your life to do than to make sure you have boarded the flight that is going to heaven. To be sure that you have told Jesus you are putting all your faith in Him alone to forgive your sin; to take you to heaven when you die. Only He died to make it possible.
This could be your day to begin your personal relationship with Jesus Christ; to ensure your place in heaven some day, to know every sin in your life has been erased from God's Book forever. It's when you say, "Jesus, I am turning from the running of my own life. I'm grabbing You with both hands like a drowning person would grab a rescuer. I am Yours."
We'd love to help you do that; encourage you to do that and give you some information that will help you begin that relationship if you'll just visit us at our website. I hope you'll go there today before you forget about it. Here's the website. It's yoursforlife.net. I'll send you my booklet Yours For Life if you want to call for it at 877-741-1200. There's still time to change and get on the only flight that God says is destined for His heaven.