Do You Have an Exit Strategy?

We all realize that one day our lives will end as we know it now. That day is inevitable…consider this:

• Every person has an appointment with death… then comes judgment (Heb. 9:27).
• Every person has a certain amount of time on this earth (Job 7:1).
• Whether you want to or not, you must accept the reality that your life will end one day (Job 14:10).
  

 

This day may come quicker than you think. The Scripture says…

• Our days on earth are like a shadow (Job 8:9).
• Our days on earth are swifter than a post (runner) (Job 9:25).
• Our life is like a vapor (cloud) that appears for a little time then vanishes (James 4:14).

In light of this sobering reality, there are five facts every person needs to realize and act upon before he/she exits this life. You need an exit strategy.

 

FACT #1 – REALIZE that you have offended a Holy God…

You have sinned (Rom. 3:23).

Sin is the transgression (breaking) of God’s Moral Law (I John 3:4). God’s Moral Law is contained in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17).

No one can completely keep God’s Moral Law (Rom. 3:10). That is impossible. The Moral Law was given to show us just how sinful we truly are (Rom. 3:20). Be honest before God and look at yourself in the mirror of God’s Law and see who you really are.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

Is God number one in your life above all else?

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

Have you made a god of your own imagination? That makes you an idolater. See Prov. 16:25.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain

Have you ever used God’s name casually in conversation or intentionally to curse something or someone? That makes you a blasphemer.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Have you ever used the Lord’s Day for yourself? Then you are guilty.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

Have you ever disrespected your parents? Then you are guilty.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

Have you ever hated anyone? God equates that with murder in I Jn. 3:15. That makes you a murderer.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Have you ever looked with lust on someone? Jesus said that is the same as adultery in Matt. 5:28. That would make you an adulterer.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

Have you ever taken just one thing that does not belong to you? The cost is insignificant. That would make you a thief.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Have you ever told a lie about someone or something? That would make you a liar.

10. Thou shalt not covet.

Have you ever desired to have something that was not yours or not been satisfied with what you have? Then you are guilty.

James 2:10 says if a man were to keep the whole law and offend in only one point, he is still guilty before God of breaking it all.

You must admit it—you are a lawbreaker! No question about it. You, having been examined in the court of God’s justice, are found guilty before God! Your own conscience shouts-GUILTY!!

 

FACT #2 – REALIZE that there is a price you must pay for your sin…

That price is Death…physical and spiritual.

• The penalty of sin is death (Rom. 5:12; 6:23a).
• This penalty is also called The Second Death. 

 

This is eternal separation from God in a place called the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:14-15; 21:8).

Does the reality of this concern you? It should. Jesus preached more on hell than He did on heaven.

If you should die in your sinful and guilty condition, you will have to pay for your own sin, but it will take an eternity! Forever!!

What can you do? What must you do?

 

FACT #3 – REALIZE that you must repent of your sin…

Repent means to change your mind about your sin, yourself, and God which then leads to a change in your behavior (II Cor. 5:17; I Thess. 1:9).

Jesus said, Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).

God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

There must be a godly sorrow over the way you have offended a Holy God (II Cor. 7:10).

 

FACT #4 – REALIZE that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sin…

What wonderful news! He was perfect. He never sinned because He was and is God. He kept the Moral Law in every detail. The Scripture says that only the soul that sins shall die. He did not have to die, but He did it because He loved you.

You must believe the following two things about the good news of the gospel…

1. He died in your place for your sin.

• Rom. 5:8-9-But God commendeth (showed) 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.
• John 3:16-For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

2. He also arose again for you.

• Rom. 10:9-10-That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
• Rom. 4:25-Who was delivered (Jesus) for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Justification—declared righteous before God.)

 

What great news! I don’t have to pay for my sin. Christ paid for it over 2,000 years ago.

• I Thes. 1:10 -…whom He (God) raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

 

FACT #5 – REALIZE that you must accept God’s payment for your sin…

It is a gift …

• Rom. 6:23b-…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You must receive it…it is not automatically yours.
• John 1:12-But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on His name:
• Rom. 10:13-For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

You cannot earn or deserve this gift nor will your religion be sufficient.

• Eph. 2:8-9-For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it (salvation) is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

You will experience peace with God.

• Rom. 5:1-Therefore being justified (declared righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
• Col. 1:20-And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

 

Why don’t you prepare now for the inevitable day that is coming? Now is the best time to act on these five facts while you still have opportunity.

You have no guarantee of later. The Scripture says,…behold, now is the day of salvation (II Cor. 6:2).

If you have sincerely read this page, God will convict your conscience and help you to see your true condition. If you will bow your knee to Him and repent of your sins, and believe on Christ, He will save you. Evidence of true salvation will be revealed in a changed walk. The Scripture calls this conversion or being born again (John 3:3).

For further help and counsel, please contact us!