Do you know your destination?

Your Destination

By Pastor Dominic Corelli

Hello and thank you for tuning in to this video called Your Destination. Hi, I'm Pastor Dominic Corelli, and I'm thankful and grateful that you tuned in to this video. It could be one of the most important videos that you will see—or I should say, one of the most important teachings of your life. You know, in life we know that there is life after death; most people know that, and the Bible even teaches that as well. But how many of us really plan for that life after death? So many of us, we do our retirement plans, we do our savings accounts, and all these different things, which is great, without a doubt, for the here and now. But what about after death? What about what takes place from this life when we go into the next life? Well, the Bible teaches us a lot of different things, and we have to go back to the Bible and see what the Bible says, because we can have teachings, we can have people explain and tell us things, but it has to come from the Bible. And the Bible says in one particular area that it is appointed for you and I to die.

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So there's an appointment for you, there's an appointment for me to die; there's a date on the calendar that God has already put there for you and I to go from this world to the next world. So the point really is, are you really prepared for your time? Are you prepared for your appointment? Again, we're prepared for our retirement, but spiritually, are you prepared? You know, the Bible teaches of a real heaven and a real hell, and nothing in between. There's no in-between place that you go to; you either go to heaven or you go to hell. But your eternal destination is determined right here and now. So the point really is, as God continues to warn us through Scripture to be ready for your appointment. Now, if you don't know what the Scripture says, you're going to miss out on your appointment when it comes time for you to go from this world to the next. So the Bible gives us some answers here, some directions, and one of them is that, you know, being good is not good enough to get to heaven. We see in Scripture in Isaiah, it says all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. So no matter how good you are, no matter how many times you go to church, no matter how much money you give away, it's not going to get you into heaven. There's only one way to get into heaven—we're going to hear this in a moment here.

But when we continue to look at Scripture and we see that okay, I can't get to heaven on my own, we see in Scripture in Romans 3 it says we've all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So you and I are sinners, and we continue to look through Scripture, and in Isaiah it says our sins have cut us off from God or have separated us from God. So now the Bible says that first of all, I have an appointment. The Bible says you're going to die, God has given us a warning, and then it says that we're sinners—everybody's a sinner, you and I, we're all sinners, it doesn't matter how good you are. And then the Bible says that our sins have separated us from God. So we've got a problem going on right now if we're concerned about our spiritual destination. So God has provided us a way. In John 3:16 it says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." This everlasting life means with Him—with God in heaven.

But we have to believe in Jesus. See, there's one thing the world believes, and most of the world believes in a god or that there is a God out there, but we have to put our trust—when we look at that word belief, we have to put our trust in Jesus and have a relationship with Him. But we continue to look through Scripture here and we say, okay, well, how do we get to heaven? We know that we're sinners, we know we're separated from God, we know that God has sent Jesus to get us to heaven, so to speak. But how do we make that connection? Well, again, we continue to go through Scripture, and Scripture tells us in First John, it says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So the first step here is, when you know you're a sinner, we have to go to God and ask Him for forgiveness. And when you really truly go to God and ask for forgiveness, the Bible says He'll forgive you.

So that's step 1. And step 2, then Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me." So we see in Scripture here that Jesus is kind of like knocking—He's using that example that He's knocking at the door, and He's even calling out our name; He's calling your name, but He's waiting for you to open the door. It's almost like we have to invite Him in. He's not going to come barging in, He's not going to come knocking down the door; He's just going to wait until you open up. And until you open up, well, God is not in you; He doesn't have that relationship with you, nor do you have the means to go into heaven when you die, your eternal destination.

So when Jesus says, "Look, I'm knocking at the door," you have to open up, you have to ask Him to come in. And then when you do, He says not only does He want you for eternity, but He wants you for the here and now. He wants to have a relationship with you right now while you're here on earth. You know, we go through a lot of things in life, and we don't have to go through them without the Lord. The Lord will help us through; He'll give us the strength, He'll give us the peace, He'll give us what we need to get through things for the here and now on earth. But we're also talking about eternity. So again, our eternal destination is really our decision for the here and now, and it happens now, because after we pass from this life to the next, we have no more opportunities to make that decision for Christ. So when we see these scriptures here, we've got to understand that God is telling us something; He's given us the warning signs, and He's not leaving us abandoned and trying to figure out how do we get to heaven on our own—He's provided a way.

And so let me just kind of conclude with just this thought here: again, everyone's a sinner, sin separates us from God, Jesus came and died on the cross, He was our sacrifice, but we have to accept Him. So we have to acknowledge that we're sinners, we have to ask for forgiveness, and then we have to invite Christ into our lives. If we haven't done that, then Christ is not in your life; no matter how good you are, you won't make it to heaven. And God wants you in heaven, and so do I as well—we're very serious about that here. So when you hear Scripture like this, allow God to be speaking to you. He's talking to you right now. We're not trying to push an agenda here; it's just clearly in the Bible. And the Bible says here in Romans 10, "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." So God is telling us something here through prayer; your life example is the way you are showing that you have made Christ, you have invited Christ into your life.

So I want to say this here: if you can't remember a specific time in your life where you accepted Christ into your life, well, you probably don't have Christ. You could be a good person, you could be very religious, if you will, but that religion isn't going to get you to heaven—it's only that relationship with God when you invite Him in. So I hope you understand the importance of this, understanding this question here: that your destination really depends on your decision here and now.

And I want to close us in a prayer, and you can pray with me as well. The Bible says again, "with the mouth confession is made to salvation." And when you pray, it's not—you don't have to be quiet, you can just repeat after me, you can whisper or speak it out, but it's really a time between you and God, and you'll see that God has laid out this plan. You know, continue to read your Bible. If you don't have a Bible, write us; we'll send you a Bible, we'll give you a Bible free—that's how serious we are. But let's pray, and you can pray with me, follow along, and here we go:

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I ask You to forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I thank You for dying on the cross and rising from the dead for my sins. Be Lord of my life, and I thank You, Jesus. And it's in Jesus' name I pray." If you prayed that, God promises that the Holy Spirit, God, dwells in you now. So you do have a new beginning, you have your eternal destination. And I'm just going to encourage you again: get a Bible if you don't have one, we'll send you one. Again, read it, begin to pray, start this relationship off, and find a good Bible-teaching church—a church that teaches Jesus Christ is Lord, and God will continue to speak through you, and it will be a new beginning for your life, and it will be your eternal destination; now we'll be in heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in. God bless you, and I'm praying for you.