Who Goes to Heaven
A Series about Heaven • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Today, I want to continue our series about Heaven. We will answer various questions about heaven, including,
We answered, What is Heaven?
We discovered Where is Heaven?
Next week we will see Why we need a New Heaven?
Today, I will answer the question, [Who Goes to Heaven?]
I love to read. I especially enjoy true stories or biographies. Throughout school, I never minded book reports because I like to relay what I have learned.
There is one genre of literature that I have struggled with— poetry. I enjoy hearing a good poem and will work to memorize a poem if it makes a point.
But I have never been able to sit and read poetry for hours. I also struggled whenever our teacher would make us write a poem. This happened in the fifth grade.
The assignment was simple— write a poem about Thanksgiving. It sounded simple enough, except I am not poetic. I grappled with composing a thought-provoking and intellectual stimulating poem about a wonderful holiday.
And I got nothing. Until one day I was in the attic, getting something for my mom, and there it was. The previous owners left randoms items, among those was a large poster with a poem about thanksgiving.
It was fantastic. I read it and decided to steal it and call it my own. I had never heard it before, it was succinct, culturally relevant, and perfect for Thanksgiving. It almost seemed to good to be true. I still have it memorized:
One little, two little, three little Indians. Four little, five little, six little Indians. Seven little, eight little nine little Indians. Ten little Indian boys.
Something rose up within me. But the more I thought about it, I decided if I submitted that, it might sound plagiarized. But my fifth grade teacher never stopped in trying to get us to like poetry.
One of the poems we had to memorize and recite to the class was written by Robert Frost entitled, “The Road Not Taken.” I still remember it:
Two roads diverged in the wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And being that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden back
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
Two roads diverged in the woods. Frost was not the first to center a poem on two options. In fact, generally, life is filled with a decision:
Two choices
true or false
yes or no
chicken or fish
left or right
right or wrong
I thought about this poem and the reality in life that we often have to pick between two options as I read through Matthew 7 in preparation for this message.
Matthew 5-7 deals with Jesus’s sermon on the mount. By this point in His ministry, He developed a large following. Many who sought Him were intrigued by His ability to perform miracles, signs, and wonders.
Jesus, in His great compassion, looked at the crowd as sheep not having a Shepherd. Therefore, He was very prayerful in how He dealt with them.
12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
He prayed for them, because He knew the weight of what it meant to truly follow Him. He knew the expectations of a disciple and He wanted them to know what to expect.
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
What was the gist of the Sermon on the Mount?
He taught how to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. He explained to those who entered His Kingdom what was expected of them.
The Sermon on the Mount takes a RIGHT NOW and NOT YET approach. Much of what He taught effected their life in the present.
We might think of the beatitudes, or His instructions on prayer, giving, and fasting.
But at the end of His sermon, He focused on the future. What awaited His followers. We know the answer, heaven. But how can one get into heaven?
He wanted them to see WHO goes to heaven. What type of person will get to enjoy an eternity with God?
To answer this question, Jesus makes a distinction between those who WILL go to heaven and those who will not go to heaven. He describes the difference between, [Two Paths], [Two Products], [Two People], and [Two Preparations].
Let’s begin
1. Two Paths
1. Two Paths
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
After whetting the appetite of the crowd to the blessings of being in His Kingdom, Jesus gave them good news, but it might not have been what they wanted to hear— following Him is not always easy.
He made this point over and over, not to discourage them, but to explain to them what awaited them.
Jesus knew what they did not, He planned to lay down everything for the fallen race, including His life. His death, burial and resurrection would make the way for ANYONE to enjoy the blessings of God in this life and in the next.
To receive all He has, though, required full sacrifice of our life for His. Jesus presents two paths, that we enter by passing through a gate— a wide gate and a narrow gate.
Jesus built on the Old Testament as the foundation for this truth, there are ALWAYS options, for God will never FORCE someone to follow Him.
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
The concept of choice was not new to Jesus’s audience. Jesus wanted to make the risks and rewards of both paths clear.
Anyone can follow the wide path. Many will do so, for it will be the path of least resistance. It will be the path where people can do whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want.
The narrow path is more constricting. It seems tights and does not provide much flexibility for personal choice. Instead, on the narrow path, people have to keep going straight, for there is not another option.
Jesus looked at the path, but emphasized what is at the end of the path— a gate.
The wide path has a wide gate
The narrow path has a narrow gate
Beyond the wide gate is eternal destruction
Through the narrow gate is eternal life
Jesus makes it clear, who goes to heaven? Those who walk on the narrow path, for they will enter the narrow gate.
We have two paths before us, we get to choose which one we will take. His next comparison is between:
2. Two Products
2. Two Products
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Jesus foretold of a day where false prophets will come as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They will appear to have words of life, but their actions will not align with their message.
I noticed a connection between the path and the product. People will bear fruit based on the path they choose.
If someone takes the wide road, heading for the wide gate, they will produce bad fruit.
If someone takes the narrow road, heading for the narrow gate, they will produce good fruit.
Fruit is either good or bad depending on the health of the tree. It also serves a metaphor or an example of character and conduct.
Jesus made a connection between fruit and people. If someone is headed for heaven, their actions and lifestyle will show that. They will produce life.
He references false prophets will come and deceive people. The deception will come as they attempt to lead people astray from truth.
How can we tell a false prophet, they do not bear good fruit?
We can take this a step further, false prophets lie to people, but what about people who lie to themselves? What about those who have convinced themselves they are right with God as they willingly walk down the wide path and never produce any spiritual fruit?
Jesus said those who do not produce good fruit will get cut down and thrown into the fire! Fire, sounds a lot like hell.
Who goes to heaven?
Jesus shows, those who are on the narrow path and as a result produce good and Godly fruit. The next comparison is between...
3. Two People
3. Two People
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
After emphasizing what happens in THIS life, Jesus moves to what will happen when this life of over.
RIGHT NOW, we need to take the narrow path, producing good fruit. But when this life is over, we will stand before God will show us our eternal destiny.
He makes it clear, not everyone who says Lord, Lord.
Let’s think of that for a moment, says Lord, Lord. Jesus is making a distinction between those who talk religiously and those who live relationally.
It is easy to turn on the God talk when it is right. I remember being at a gas station a while back. As I pumped my gas, two other men visited, I won’t repeat their conversation or the words they used. All I can say is their fruit sounded a little rotten.
All of a sudden, the car in front of mine backed up and hit mine. I hollered out JESUS, and the man across from me, used a few more choice words.
There was not damage, and I said thank God, the other man, got religious really quick, saying all the right words about God’s protection.
I am not judging that man’s heart, but I want to make a point, we live in a society where people can reference the Man Upstairs.
But from God’s perspective, talk is cheap. The person who will enter heave is the one who ACTUALLY DOES THE WILL OF THE FATHER.
The person who persists in living a righteous, holy, and committed life will enjoy the blessings of heaven.
Jesus acknowledged there will be those who will complain on that day and begin to list all of the things they “did” for God. But Jesus will see through the facade and look at the heart.
Getting to heaven is more than repeating a one-time prayer. I have heard it said, when you pray the Sinner’s prayer, God forgives every sin you have committed and forgives every sin you will commit.
Many are under the delusion because they prayed the prayer, they are good to go.
Jesus shows otherwise. Repenting of sin starts us on the narrow path. We must depend on Him, and the Spirit will help us produce good fruit. Then when we stand before Him, we will can truly say, I have done the will of the Father.
Who goes to heaven?
Jesus shows, those who are on the narrow path and as a result produce good and Godly fruit. The next comparison is between...
4. Two Preparations
4. Two Preparations
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Remember, Jesus let everyone know, following Me provides great rewards, but it is not without certain risks. One risk includes the storms of life.
Storms in life are inevitable.
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
No one can exempt themselves from storms. How then do we endure the storm? How do we prepare for the storm?
By hearing what Jesus said and doing His word. There are two foundations for people:
Solid foundation, on the rock
Weak foundation, on the sand.
Notice the progression Jesus makes as He concludes His Sermon on the Mount:
Two choices:
Wide path
Bad fruit
Lost people
Shifting foundation
Eventually leading to wide gate—eternal destruction
Narrow path
Good fruit
Righteous people
Solid foundation
Eventually leading to narrow gate— eternal life
Jesus wanted them to know the wisdom of living for and following Him.
Remember, Jesus had a right now and not yet message. What we do right now, building this life on the solid rock, will help us when we stand before Him.
Who goes to heaven?
Jesus shows, those who are on the narrow path and as a result produce good and Godly fruit, one day hearing well done, because their lives were built on the solid foundation.
Close:
Who goes to heaven? Jesus made His point clear, there are only TWO options.
Heaven is a real place, He is there preparing a place for us. Until then, we can pray on earth as it is in heaven. But what we do NOW, determines IF we get to go to heaven.
Why do we need to answer this question?
I want to share a couple of statistics with you about our country and its religious beliefs.
https://www.pewforum.org/2021/11/23/views-on-the-afterlife/
73% of Americans believe in Heaven
62% believe in Hell
92% of Christians believe in Heaven
79% believe in Hell
There is a separation between the two, showing that people are more prone to believe in the good after death and not wanting to identify there is a real hell.
But listen to what many Christians believe about the afterlife:
45% of Christians say people who do not believe in God can go to heaven
58% of Christians say many religions can lead to eternal life in heaven
13% of Christians say ONLY CHRISTIAN religion can lead to eternal life in heaven
43% of Christians says some non-Christian religions can lead to eternal life in heaven
30% of Christians believe in reincarnation
These statistics should alarm us. There is a great misunderstanding about heaven.
I think if Jesus were on earth and heard these statistics, He would spend a night in prayer and the next day go to a mountain and sit next to His disciples and begin to teach the same message He taught over 2,000 years ago.
There is this mindset that ANYONE gets to go to heaven and no one goes to hell.
I can say I do not want ANYONE to go to hell, but there is only ONE way to get into heaven. There are only TWO choices for life after death:
heaven or hell
saved or unsaved
lost or found
right or wrong
There is NO intermediate state. There is not question in God’s eyes about who can get there. There is way that seems right to this world, but sadly that way will end to inevitable death.
So as the Church of Jesus Christ, we must not let the spirit of the age and the ideas of this world EVER cause us to water down truth.
Who goes to heaven?
Those who are on the RIGHT PATH.
Those who PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT.
Those PEOPLE who do the will of the Father
Those who make PREPARATION by building their lives on the Solid Rock
Jesus does not leave us alone. He does not expect us to pray the prayer and then leave us alone until we die.
Let us never deceive ourselves into thinking God does not care how we live, for just anyone can get into heaven.
No, He is concerned about us. He wants to see us in heaven. He has made it very CLEAR how to get there!
And when the enemy wants to water down truth and make it seem like it is too hard to get to heaven, we must remind God has given us what we need:
We must remember the grace of God
His grace saves us
His grace keeps us
His grace enables us to live for Him
His grace will lead us home
We must also depend on the power of the Holy Spirit
His power will lead us
His power will flow through us
HIs power will convict us
His power will overwhelm us
We have the word of God
His Word will speak to us
His Word will direct us
His Word will correct us
His word will transform us
Heaven is for God and Heaven is for us.
Heaven is HERE right now, spiritually, ready to pour out presence of heaven.
Heaven is ready for:
Those who are on the RIGHT PATH.
Those who PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT.
Those PEOPLE who do the will of the Father
Those who make PREPARATION by building their lives on the Solid Rock
We have EVERYTHING we need to get there. But it requires us to LIVE for Him NOW and depend on HIM Today!
