WHAT YOU NEED AND HOW TO GET IT

Do you want to go to Heaven? Do you want to know God the way you should? Then there are some things you need, that you must have.

It is not enough to go to church and sit in the chair. It is not enough to believe that God exists. It is not enough to believe that Jesus exists, or that He historically died on the Cross and rose again. It is not enough to be what people call a good person, which means “as good as most people are, or maybe a little better.” It is not enough to enjoy it in church. It is not enough to have friends in church. It is not enough to believe Christian doctrine or believe the Bible is true. No, you need much more than that. Here are the things you need.

I. First, you must be born again.

Turn to John, chapter 3.

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:1-7; p. 1117 Scofield).

A man named Nicodemus came to Jesus one night. He was a ruler of the Jews. In verse 10 Jesus called him “a master of Israel,” literally the teacher of Israel. So, Nicodemus was a high-level rabbi, a religious teacher of the Jews.

Nicodemus was not stupid. He was well trained. He was a teacher. He knew the Bible very, very well. Nicodemus was not what people call a bad man. He was a strict and observant Jew, a Pharisee. He kept the Sabbath and went to the synagogue at least once a week, probably more. He followed the Jewish rules. I can’t imagine him cussing, taking the Lord’s name in vain. I can’t imagine him committing adultery or stealing or lying.

Nicodemus was a “better” man that anyone in this room, including me. Nicodemus was a more religious man that anyone in this room, including me. But Jesus said he could not go to Heaven! Why?

Jesus said Nicodemus had to be “born again.” He said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (verse 3). He said, “Ye must be born again” (verse 7). Nicodemus did not understand, because he was not born again himself. He was still going to Hell even though he was religious and moral.

It’s the same way with everyone. It’s the same way with you. If you are not born again, you cannot go to Heaven. You will go to Hell even if you come to church and try to be good. It is absolutely required to be born again. The original Greek also can be translated “born from above,” a supernatural, spiritual rebirth. Do you have that? You need it. Can you get yourself born again? No, but you still need it.

II. Second, you must be converted.

Turn to Matthew 18:3. Page 1024 in the Scofield Bible. Jesus said,

“Verily [truly] I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

You cannot go to Heaven if you are not converted. That’s why we talk about conversion. You won’t enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said. You will have to go to Hell.

By the way, what does “become as little children” mean? It means simplicity, being humble, as opposed to your own pride and trust in yourself. And what does “converted” mean?

It means “turned,” “changed,” “turned around.” It is not enough to fix up some things in your life. It is a spiritual conversion. It is a complete spiritual turn-around, 180 degrees. You will love what you used to hate. Now, you can fix up your life a little. But can you make yourself spiritually converted, a turnaround? No. But you still need it.

III. Third, you need to become a new creation.

The Bible says,

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17; p. 1233).

“Creature” is an older word. It means “a created thing.” We can say, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.” Yes, and “old things are passed way” and “all things are become new.”

Have you had that? Are you a new creation? Are the old things passed away? Are all things new for you? For some, the answer is No. And if you are not a new creation, you are not in Christ and you will not go to Heaven, even if you sit here in church. Can you make that happen to yourself? No. But you still need it.

IV. Fourth, you need your sins forgiven.

The Bible says, “your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). God won’t hear you. You are separated from Him. He can’t look at you.

The Bible says, “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). If you are a sinner [and you are], God is angry at you every day.

And if you don’t personally trust Jesus, if you don’t know Him for yourself, God is angry at you too. The Bible says,

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

This is not believing in your mind that Jesus exists, or some things about Him. You must believe “ON” the Son, which means personally trusting Christ and having a relationship with Him. Do you trust Jesus in that way? If you don’t, the Bible says you “shall not see life.” You can’t go to Heaven. Instead, “the wrath of God abideth on [you].” The word “wrath” means “anger.” The word “abideth” means “rests” or “stays” or “remains.” So, the anger of God stays on you. That’s what the Bible says.

Can you just have a little talk with God and get yourself excused? No. There is ONE and ONLY ONE way to get yourself excused, to get your sins forgiven. Jesus [not you, not someone else] died to pay for your sins. The Bible says,

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3).

And the Bible says,

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

Jesus was wounded, bruised, and punished for your sins. You have gone your own way. But the Lord God laid on Jesus the sin of us all – even your sin. And the Bible says,

“God commendeth [shows] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:8-9).

You are a sinner. But God loves you anyway. Jesus Christ died for you. He gave His Blood for you to wash your sin away. If you trust Jesus, you will be saved from God’s wrath, God’s anger, through Christ. The Bible says,

“The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7).

That’s the way to be clean in the sight of God.

Notice that all these things are done by Jesus Christ, not by you. You sure need it. But you can’t do it yourself. Only Jesus can save you.

Right now, you may feel far away. You may think, “Yes, I need all this. But it’s all beyond me. These are spiritual things. And they don’t come from me. What do I do?”

You must see and feel that you are a sinner. If you don’t think this way about yourself, you will not feel that you need Jesus.

Yes, you are a sinner. But you must agree with God about it. Why not make a list of your sins when you get home? Don’t bring it in here. It is between you and God. But look at your life carefully, past and present. Look at your thoughts and attitudes as well as your actions. Think about your own selfishness. Everyone has selfishness inside, and so do you.

Don’t pretend that you are good. The Bible says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8). And the Bible says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That includes you. And the Bible says,

“There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-12). And that includes you.

Jesus told a parable, a story, about two men who went to the temple. One was a Pharisee, and he told God about how good he was. The other was a tax-collector, a bad man who took money from people to give to the Romans. He didn’t even dare to look up to Heaven. He just said, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Jesus said that man was forgiven and the other not. The bad man was forgiven not because he just said the words. No, that was the attitude of his heart, and God forgave him.

Why don’t you think about your sins, past and present? You have many, you know. Why don’t you think about how you are selfish and sinful inside? You are, you know.

Listen to the sermons. Think about what you hear. And especially, think about your sin. Think about it a lot. Keep thinking about it until you feel bad about yourself. You should feel that way, because you are that way.

Keep on feeling bad about yourself. It’s the truth. Then it will make sense that you cannot be saved by yourself. You will see that only Jesus can forgive you and save you. You will need to trust Jesus. Then you will have a new life with God. You will be going to Heaven. Your sins will be forgiven by His Blood. I hope you will trust Him. Amen.