Have You Said "Yes!" to Jesus?

In the last post I shared with you a sobering account of a man who approached death trusting his own goodness. His so-called “faith” was summed up in his words, “I’ve lived a pretty good life, and when it comes time to die, I’ll take my chances.”
As I pointed out last week, eternity is a very long time to take your chances.

Blessedly, some people learn this before it’s too late. John Watkins was such a man.

John’s wife Bernice had endured a sad life. Her first husband was killed in an accident early in their marriage. After living as a widow into advanced middle age, she married a widower from church who had lost his wife to cancer. Sadly, just a few years later, he suffered a life-ending heart attack.

Afraid of living out her days alone, Bernice accepted John Watkins’ marriage proposal. Those who knew him advised Bernice against the marriage: John was harsh, profane, and given to fits of rage. Despite the counsel of her church and friends, Bernice and John were married.

Not long thereafter, I became her pastor.

Bernice often asked me to pray for her unbelieving husband. Many times I offered to go visit him, but she always replied almost in fear, “Oh no, Pastor, he’d cuss at you for sure.”

Then an X-ray showed shadows in John’s lungs. Further tests revealed cancer throughout his body. John pursued treatment, but nothing worked. Bernice moved a hospital bed into their home, and John began the agonizing process of dying of bone cancer.

I had been cussed at before, so I decided to take the chance and visit John. He did cuss, but I kept going back. However, whenever I tried to talk about the gospel, he’d just roll over and turn his back to me.

Finally, I took my wife with me: surely he wouldn’t cuss at her. Besides, John had to hear the gospel before it was too late. So we went to his bedside, and said, “John, we all know you’re dying. Pretty soon, you’re going to be in either heaven or hell forever. Would you like to learn how you can go to heaven?”

To our surprise, he said he would like that.

Carefully we explained to him about God’s holiness, his sinfulness, and Jesus’ sufficiency to solve his sin problem. We reviewed biblical facts about Jesus, wonderful truths he had (astonishingly!) never heard. Then we asked him if he would admit to being a sinner in need of a savior. “That’s for darn sure,” was his honest reply. Finally, we asked him if he was convinced that Jesus was his only hope for salvation, and if would place his full faith and confidence in Him, trusting Jesus to be his Savior.

He said, “Yes.”

A few weeks later, I did John’s funeral. I told those in attendance how John had almost waited too long. He had heard the gospel just in time. And Jesus had saved him through that gospel, which is “God’s power to save everyone who believes it” (Romans 1:16).

You’ve heard the gospel, haven’t you? Do you believe it? Are you trusting Jesus to be you Savior? Have you said "Yes!" to Jesus?