Do You Know Him?

With Bishop Ronald K. Powell

If you were to die today, do you know where you will spend the rest of eternity?

The Ten Commandments
1. You shall l have no other gods but Me.
2. You shall not worship any other image or
false idol.
3. You shall not use the Lord’s Name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it
holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not kill.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
(Exodus 20:3 -17)

All forgiveness, healing, and complete deliverance begins with an intimate love relationship
with God the Father, through His Son Jesus, beyond the realms of empty man made religion.

However, this is about more than healing of your diseases – there is a much bigger picture here. I want to
ask you a question: if you were to die today, do you know where you will spend the rest of eternity? If you
die today – are you going to heaven or hell?

At this moment you may think that you are a good person who deserves to go to heaven. But I want to ask you a few questions which I hope will provoke deep thought within you:

• • Have you ever told a lie? You may answer, “Yes, one or two – but who hasn’t?”
    Do you realize that it is not how many times that you lie that makes you a liar, but
    just lying once?

  • Have you ever stolen anything, big or small?

  • Jesus said that to look at a woman with lust is the same as committing adultery (Matthew 5:27 – 28). Have you ever done that?

  • The Bible says that to hate someone is the same in God’s eyes as murder. Have you ever lusted or hated? Have you ever sworn or used God’s Name in vain? Have you ever had things in your life that are more important to you than the God who created the heavens and the earth? Have you loved God with all your heart and soul and strength all your life?

  • Have you ever been greedy or jealous of other people’s possessions and coveted them? Have you honored your parents not on the basis of whether they are worthy or
    not but on the basis that they were a channel of your existence? On the Day of Judgment when God judges you by His ten commandments, do you think He will find you innocent or guilty?

If God finds you guilty, do you think He will send you to heaven or to hell? There are some that would say, “Oh God will send me to heaven because He is such a good God. If God is love, why would He send anybody to hell?

I now want to ask you: How many laws in your country do you have to break before the police arrest you? Only one! 

You have broken God’s law over and over again. Let’s imagine that in this country you have murdered two women
and three children. You sold heroin and stole from a bank.

You were arrested and at your trial the evidence against you became so compelling that everyone
knew you were guilty – the jury, the prosecutor,the judge and even your own lawyer.

Finally
the judge said to you, “Will the accused stand. Do you have anything to say before I pass sentence on
you?” You then say, “Yes your Honor, I realize that today I have been exposed of my sin but I believe
that you’re such a good judge and that you’ll just let me off.” The judge will say to you, “You are
right in one thing: I am a good judge and it is precisely because I am a good judge that I am going to
sentence you to the most severe and full extent of the law!”

You see, if a pedophile rapes an eight year old girl and he’s arrested and brought before a judge and the judge is secretly into pornography, and practices
pedophilia himself and out of un-sanctified sympathy serves a lenient sentence – the result is that the child rapist is soon out of prison, but this time he rapes your daughter and cuts her throat. You will not say that is a loving judge, you will say he is an evil judge.

The God Who created the heavens and the earth is a pure, loving and Holy Judge, and He will thoroughly punish the breaking of His law with wrath and justice. Sin
against an infinite God, and it will have infinite consequences.

In John 16:8 the Bible says of the Holy Spirit: “When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” It is the prayer of my heart that as you hear this, the Holy Spirit is deeply convicting you of the enormity of your own sin and rebellion towards God.

My intention is to wake you up to realize the real danger of judgment and the wrath of God that lies ahead of you for violating God’s law (Romans chapter 2). You need to realize that every one of your sins has been recorded by God and right now there is a terrifying sentence stored up against you. What are you going to do on the Day of Judgment when you stand before God, when His law comes in terror and when the eyes of God burn their way into your guilty soul, when the great books shall be opened and all your sin and shame shall be punished? I hope that you now have your self-righteousness annihilated as you stand speechless and self-condemned before a holy God.

Now do you see your desperate need for a Saviour?

John 3:16: “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His
only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not
perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal lasting life.”

Galatians 3:13: “Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the
Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures],
Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified).”

You cannot get to heaven or earn God’s approval and acceptance by being a good person. Your most
righteous acts are like filthy rags in God’s sight.

Isaiah 64:6: “For we have all become like one who
is unclean [like a leper] and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) are like
filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf and our iniquities like the wind take us away
[far from God’s favor, hurrying us towards destruction].”

Ephesians 2:8 – 9: “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered
from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation]
is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift
of God; Not because of works [not fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast.
[It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory
to himself.]”

The only way to be restored to an intimate love relationship with God the Father is through Jesus.

John 14: 6: “Jesus said, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by
(through) Me. If you know Me [have learned to recognize Me], You will also know My Father.”

Isaiah 53: 5 tells of the work that Jesus did on the cross for you: “He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace
and well being for us was upon Him and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and
made whole.”

Jesus said in Luke 4: 18 and Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the
Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good news to the meek, the poor and
the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
[physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are
bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor]… To grant [consolation
and joy] to those who mourn, to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead
of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy,
burdened and failing spirit – that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and
magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of
the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

You can stubbornly refuse to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life – for whatever excuse you
choose to use. One of the most common excuses I hear is that “Ah, Christians are hypocrites!” Yes, I agree
with you. Unfortunately there are people out there who call themselves Christians but lead a double life,
giving God a bad name. I deeply apologize to you on their behalf. However, when you stand before the
Judgment Throne of God, it is just going to be you and God. He’s not going to be interested in what you
have to say about other people, He’s just going to ask you one question and that is, “What did you do
with my Son? Did you accept Him or did you reject Him?”

You see, you are going to bow before Jesus one day and acknowledge Him as Lord. The Bible says that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue will
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 14:11 and Isaiah 45:23).

You are going to acknowledge that
He is Lord, the only choice you have is to do it now or when you stand before Him at the Judgment Throne
– this determines where you will spend all eternity – in Heaven or in Hell. It’s your choice.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens
to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will
eat] with Me.”

Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart right now, but you must remember that the
doorknob is on your side. He is a gentleman; He will not force His way into your life. You must welcome
Him in.

God is eager to bring restoration, healing and wholeness to your life, but He will wait for your
invitation. Are you ready to ask Him into your heart?

Romans 10: 9: “If you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your
heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and
so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares
openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.”

If you are ready to invite Jesus to be Lord of your life and give Him your heart, then pray a prayer that
goes something like this:

“Father, You loved the world so much that You gave Your only Son to die for our sins so that whoever
believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. I am a sinner – with heartfelt conviction I repent for
my sins and ask You to forgive me. Your Word says that I am saved by grace through faith as a gift from
You. There is nothing I can do to earn salvation and I humbly acknowledge my need for a Savior. I believe
and confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe He died on the cross for me and bore
all of my sins, paying the price for them. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead and
that He is alive today. By faith I receive Jesus Christ now as my Lord and Savior. I believe that I am saved
and will spend eternity with You! Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me, and restoring me into a
right relationship with the Father. From now on I will trust in You and live to love You.”

If you prayed the above prayer, know that God received you with open, outstretched arms; Jesus now
lives in your heart and all of Heaven is throwing a banquet to celebrate!! (Please read Luke 15:10 – 32).