HEAVEN & WHO GOES THERE

On this Halloween Eve Super Sweet Sunday I came to bring you some good news. Some sweet news. Some super sweet news. you ready for it?

Once day.... you will die.

A study just found that 10/10 die. It will happen one day.

[KIDS CHURCH STORY]

If i should all my possessions and gave it to the church would I go to heaven?

What if i worked on the grounds at the church would that do it?

What if i'm kind to animals and do things for the children and widows will that do it?

the kids yelled, NO YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.

WE ALL WANNA GO TO HEAVEN RIGHT?

I mean whether you believe there is one or not everyone would agree i wanna go to that over the alternative

YOU DON'T HAVE A SOUL YOU ARE A SOUL. AND YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY IN ONE OF TWO PLACES.

WHO GETS TO GO TO HEAVEN?

Everyone? someone? Some people?

Is it certain kinds of people?

Surely God had some kind of checklist?

is it random?

Luck?

Do we really want to leave eternity up to luck

MOST PEOPLE ARE JUST CONFIDENT THAT THEY ARE GOING TO GO TO HEAVEN. THAT IT'S JUST WHERE YOU GO WHEN YOU DIE.

MOST COMMON - GOOD PEOPLE GO TO HEAVEN

WELL... IM A GOOD PERSON

I don’t really have time to think about it im a busy person but im a good person and good people go to heaven. And so we spend our lives making sure that we are good.

And im sure you are a pretty good person and compared to some people you are amazing. Maybe you would say you are better than the person to your left… We can all probably find someone and know well… im better than them…

What do I have to do to make the cut

Weigh out all these things and make sure the goods are better than the bads

WHAT IS GOOD?

THERE’S NOT REALLY A COMMON HELD BELIEF OF WHAT GOOD IS. Everyone has a different opinion. Everyone has a different idea. Our entire political tension that we have in the USA is over what is good and what is not.

It's changed over time right? 50 years ago some things were bad but now they are considered good.

And some things were considered good... and now they are bad,

Slavery (america didnt invent it in 1619)

Women being viewed as equal

Good seems to be a moving target. Culturally, generationally, personally? There are things that bother you now that didn't bother you once at an earlier time in your life.

If you live by the do more good than bad rule then what if you realized that too late and you've done so many bad things that now you cannot make up for all the bad that you did?

If you live by more good than bad then what if you miss heaven by one good deed? You needed to have done one more but ahhh sorry you didn't make the cut. Shouldn't have yelled at that barista last week that put 3 pumps instead of 2.

And what age does your bads start counting? Like if eternity rests on you being good at what point does God start going.... woah man hey cut that out you are gonna need some of those bads in your teens.

HAS GOD REALLY JUST LEFT US TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOOD?

Maybe you say "well the 10 commandments. 1, name them all. Can you do it?

2 you have broken them. probably more than you kept them!

IF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS ARE THE STANDARD YOU DON’T MAKE THE CUT

And in the NT Jesus came and said they even if you think and want to break one of them you are still guilty!

Jesus would say things like "dont commit murder. But here's the new rules for good. If you've even been angry at someone, you have murdered. them... We have some serial killers in the room today.

PAUL WAS ONE OF THE GOODEST OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE… He was a bad person who turned good

THE BIBLE DOES HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT WHO IS GOOD AND WHO IS BAD AND HERE IT IS...

Romans 3:10–12 (CSB) — 10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.

For all have sinned and fall short of the riotousness of God

EVEN THE OLD TESTAMENT HAD SOME THINGS TO SAY ABOUT IT

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (CSB) — 20 There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.

According to the Bible and God there is no magic list of how to be good and go to heaven.. And here is something that is even more unsettling.

ACCORDING TO JESUS GOOD PEOPLE DO NOT GO TO HEAVEN.

There are people who follow all the rules. Who can honestly say their good outweighs their bads. Who don’t go to heaven.

And maybe when you hear all of this you think WELL IF I WAS GOD. I WOULD PUT GOOD PEOPLE IN HEAVEN

THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE CRUCIFIED JESUS...

They, believing they were doing the right thing, killed, crucified brutally the very son of God.

But Jesus had the final word because from the cross Jesus said to a very bad man that he would see him in heaven.

Luke 23:40–43 (CSB) — 40 But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41 We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

John 3:16 God so loved the world that he showed up. he didn't have to keep showing up and updating the rules he came once. And instead of a list God gave us his son.

John 3:16 (CSB) — 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

That whoever behaves like him, does more good than bad, no that whoever believes and puts their trust in him. That's who goes to heaven.

THIS IS THE LOVE OF A GOOD FATHER

Heres the truth. We are born not good. We are born choosing our own way. It is only by putting our trust in Jesus that we are saved. That we live a life full of purpose here on earth and that we spend eternity in heaven.

Because on that day you die. There will be a one question test. And it wont be do your goods outweigh your bads. Was he someone you looked up to? Someone you admired. Someone you aspired to be like. Someone you modeled your life after because he was a good person? Or was he LORD and SAVIOR?

Romans 10:8–11 (CSB) — 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,

YOU SEE GOOD PEOPLE DON’T GO TO HEAVEN. SAVED PEOPLE DO. PEOPLE WHO TRUST IN JESUS. PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THAT HIS SACRIFICE FOR YOU AND I WAS GOOD ENOUGH BECAUSE WE COULD NEVER BE.

WHY BANK ETERNITY ON MAYBE?