You
Asked for It
Part 4
How Do I Get Into Heaven?
by Greg Hanson
Sunrise Wesleyan Church
August 24, 2003
Main Passage:
John 14:1-14 (NLT)
"When you speak of
Heaven, let your face light up. When you speak of Hell, well then, your
everyday face will do."
~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon
This morning, we’re going to speak about Heaven. So I expect all your
faces to light up. In the church, when we talk about Heaven we’re
usually talking about the place where God lives. Theologically, we talk
about God being omnipresent, which means that He is present throughout
all of creation. But Heaven is where His presence resides. It’s His
home.
It’s also the place where we all hope to end up someday. The Bible
teaches that there are two and only two destinations for everyone.
Either we end up in Heaven where we spend eternity experiencing great
joy and fulfillment in the presence of God, or we spend eternity in
Hell, separated from God and subject to unending pain and torment. And
where we end up depends on choices we make during this lifetime.
When we talk about Heaven in the Church, that’s usually what we’re
talking about. But I was curious to know how others would describe
Heaven, so I looked it up this week in the dictionary. Here is some of
what I found:
Heaven:
-
the dwelling place
of the Deity and the joyful abode of the blessed dead
-
a spiritual state of
everlasting communion with God
-
a place or condition
of utmost happiness
~ from Merriam-Webster
Dictionary
In Jewish writings, including the Bible, Heaven has three different
meanings:
First, it can refer to the atmosphere surrounding the earth. It’s the
sky.
Second, it can refer to outer space… where you find the sun and the
starts, the moon, other planets, comets and so on.
And third, it can refer to what we’ve already talked about… Heaven is
the home of God where we hope to go someday to be with Him.
So the term “Heaven” can be used in a variety of ways. This morning,
we’re referring to the dwelling place of God where we hope to go. Okay?
Let’s get going. Le me start by giving you four facts about Heaven:
Facts about Heaven:
A. Heaven is a
real place
Some people would say
that Heaven isn’t a place at all… it’s a state of mind. It’s a state of
consciousness. In fact, if you remember, the third definition we looked
at from the Dictionary referred to Heaven as “a place or condition of
utmost happiness.” But it’s not a condition, it’s not a state of mind,
it’s a real place.
John 14:2-3 (NLT)
There are many rooms in my Father's home,
and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would
tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so
that you will always be with me where I am.
Jesus talked about a physical place that He was preparing for you and
for me. It’s not a dream-state, it’s not a mirage, it’s not any kind of
visualization, it’s not an illusion… it’s a real place. That’s the way
the Bible portrays it.
What kind of place is it? That’s hard to say. Not much is given in the
Bible by way of a physical description of Heaven. And what we are given
is mostly figurative. After all, how could we ever understand the true
nature of Heaven before we get there? It is a wonderful place which
goes beyond our ability to comprehend or put into words right now.
In the Revelation given to John, in chapter 21, it says…
Revelation 21:21 (NLT)
The twelve gates were made of pearls—each
gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear
as glass.
So we’re given a bit of a description there. But I’m not sure that
description is meant to be taken literally. I think the point is that
Heaven will be a beautiful, wonderful, glorious place.
So we’re not really given much of a physical description of Heaven. But
we are told about some things that won’t be there and some things that
will be there.
What are some things that you will not find in Heaven?
PARTICIPATION
(It’s a place free from danger, fear, turmoil, sin, confusion,
sickness, death, despair, sorrow, regrets, pain…)
What will you find there?
PARTICIPATION
(It’s a place of joy, gladness, compassion, love, peace…)
B. Heaven is
the dwelling place of God
In the book of Matthew,
Jesus gives us instructions on how to pray and He begins by saying…
Matthew 6:9 (NLT)
“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may
your name be honoured.”
Heaven is the dwelling place of God. Now, as I’ve already said, that
fact does not mean that God is only in Heaven. He is omnipresent. He
has the capability to be anyplace and everyplace at the same time.
After all, He is God. In several different verses, the Bible talks
about His presence being with His people. The Bible talks about God’s
presence stretching throughout the whole earth.
Psalm 149:7-12 (NLT)
I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night--
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are both alike to you.
C. All of us
can go to Heaven
"We have no future,
heaven wasn't made for me. We burn ourselves to hell as fast as it can
be. And I wish that I could be a king, then I'd know that I am not
alone."
~ From The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death by Marilyn Manson
Well, contrary to what Mr. Manson has to say, Heaven was made for Him.
And it was made for you and me, too. All of us can go to Heaven.
There are some religions, though, who would dispute this. Some cults
believe in a Heaven but claim that it’s only for a select group of
people. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses would tell you that only
144,000 people will get into heaven. And of course, those 144,000
people are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Last month I caught some of the Rolling Stones concert in Toronto. I
didn’t actually catch in in Toronto… I caught it on TV. Did any of you
happen to see it? There were about 450,000 people at that concert.
Here’s a picture of it. (PowerPoint)
So only a third of that number can get into Heaven? I don’t think so.
Let me show you the verses the Jehovah’s Witnesses use to support this
belief:
Revelation 7:4-8 (NLT)
And I heard how many were marked with the
seal of God. There were 144,000 who were sealed from all the tribes of
Israel:
from Judah . . . . . . . . . 12,000
from Reuben . . . . . . . . 12,000
from Gad . . . . . . . . . . . 12,000
from Asher . . . . . . . . . 12,000
from Naphtali . . . . . . . 12,000
from Manasseh . . . . . . 12,000
from Simeon . . . . . . . 12,000
from Levi . . . . . . . . . . . 12,000
from Issachar . . . . . . . . 12,000
from Zebulun . . . . . . . 12,000
from Joseph . . . . . . . . . 12,000
from Benjamin . . . . . . 12,000
And all of that together adds up to… 144,000. And they’re talked about
in Revelation 14, also. Some people, including the Jehovah’s Witnesses,
use these two passages which are embedded in the prophecies about the
End Times to declare that only 144,000 people will get into Heaven.
I’ve even read that they teach that those 144.000 were all born before
1935. Don’t ask me how they arrived at that.
But from my understanding, they are neglecting some very important
things.
a. These 144,000 are talked about in the surrounding verses as coming
through the Great Tribulation. We talked about the Tribulation a couple
months ago in our End of Days series. They are not the number of people
who get into Heaven… they are the number of believers who endure the
Great Tribulation.
b. The 144,000 are described as being from the twelve tribes of Israel.
They are also described as being virgins, spiritually undefiled, free
from any lie, and completely blameless. No one but Jesus holds all
those credentials if you’re taking it all literally.
c. They neglect the very next verse in Revelation 7 which says:
Revelation 7:9 (NLT)
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to
count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in
front of the throne and before the Lamb.
d. The number is probably figurative, anyway. In our society we talk
about the number 7 as being lucky and the number 13 is unlucky. In
Jewish numerology, 12 was a number of completeness and perfection. The
number 144,000 is made up of 12 multiplied by 12… the perfect square…
and then rendered even more inclusive and complete by being multiplied
by 1,000. The number 144,000 is not there to tell us that the number
saved will be exceedingly small, but that the number saved will be
exceedingly great ... even to the point of being exceedingly complete.
There is no maximum capacity in Heaven. No one will be turned away
because the Fire Marshall said you can only have 144,000 there. We can
all go to Heaven.
2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
The Lord isn't really being slow about his
promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for
your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time
for everyone to repent.
D. Not all of
us will go to Heaven
The opportunity is there
for all of us to enter Heaven, but not all of us will.
Revelation 21:27 (NLT)
Nothing evil will be allowed to enter—no one
who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose
names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
So the key is to get your name in that Book. You need to make your
reservation now. How do you do that? Well, to answer that, let’s look
at another question…
[For a great article by Peter Kreeft entitled “What Will Heaven Be
Like? Thirty-five frequently asked questions about eternity” visit
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/122/51.0.html]
How Do I Get Into Heaven?
The first thing you need
to know is…
1. You cannot
earn your way into Heaven
Some people seem to
think that you can earn your way into Heaven by living a good life.
I read a joke this week about a Sunday School teacher. She was asking
her students how she could get into heaven. She asked them, “If I sold
my house and my car and if I had a huge yard sale and gave all the
money I made to the church, would I get into heaven?
And all the students answered, “Noooo.”
“Well then,” she said, “if I cleaned the church every day and attended
church every week and if I mowed the grass and kept everything looking
neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?”
Again the students answered, “Noooo.”
“So”, she said, “how do I get into heaven?”
And from the back of the class a five-year-old boy piped up, “You have
to be dead first.”
Brian O’Rourke joked about this when he said…
“When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When
we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to
heaven. Sooooo, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven.”
~ Brian O'Rourke
Sorry, Brian. Doesn’t quite work like that. Let me show you some verses:
Romans 3:23 (NLT)
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's
glorious standard.
None of us is completely without sin. We have all failed God in one way
or another.
Romans 6:23 (NLT)
For the wages of sin is death…
We have all sinned, which is essentially treason against God. And
because of that we deserve the sentence of death. And nothing we can
do, no matter how good, can ever make up for it.
Matthew 7:22-23 (NLT)
“On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord,
Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and
performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew
you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.’”
You cannot earn your way into Heaven.
2. You cannot
inherit your way into Heaven
I have family visiting
with us today. I grew up in a Christian home which I’m very grateful
for. In fact, I come from a long line of Believers, going back several
generations. I have a great Christian heritage. But none of that
matters when it comes to getting my name in that Book of Life. Because
my salvation is not based in the faith of my mother or father, my
brother or sister, my grandmother or grandfather… I can’t inherit
salvation.
Read these verse with me…
John 1:12-13 (NIV)
Yet to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a
husband's will, but born of God.
3. You cannot
buy your way into Heaven
You can’t bribe God. You
can’t secure your spot in Heaven by sending money to missions or
putting money in the offering box or giving to the needy, although all
those things are important for the Christian life.
Deuteronomy 10:17 (NLT)
The LORD your God is the God of gods and
Lord of lords. He is the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no
partiality and takes no bribes.
4. You only get
into Heaven because of Jesus
We looked at the fist
part of this verse earlier. Let’s complete it now.
Romans 6:23 (NLT)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free
gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing you can say or do can get you into Heaven. Because it’s not
based on what you can do… it’s based on what Jesus has already done.
John 14:2-6 (NLT)
There are many rooms in my Father's home,
and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would
tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so
that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am
going and how to get there."
"No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea where you
are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come
to the Father except through me.”
-
Without Jesus we are
all destined for Hell
The wages of sin is death… In the Bible, this death does not mean
annihilation. It doesn’t mean that you cease to exist… it means that
you are separated from the life you were meant to have and banished to
Hell. The wages of sin is death… that’s what we all deserve and without
Jesus that’s where we’re heading.
Anyone can devise a plan by which good people go to heaven. Only God
can devise a plan whereby sinners, which are His enemies, can go to
heaven.
~ Lewis Sperry Chafer
-
Jesus suffered the
penalty for sin in our place
This is how great the love of God is for you and for me. God knew that
we deserved death, but He desperately wanted to offer us a way out. So
He became a man… Jesus… who suffered and died to take our place and pay
the price for the wrongs we have done and ever will do. His sacrifice
on the cross satisfies all the requirements of God’s Holiness and
Justice while also showing His incredible love, compassion and mercy.
Does anyone recognize the name John Newton? John Newton wrote a very
famous hymn, Amazing Grace. Well, he was talking about God’s amazing
grace when he said:
If ever I reach heaven, I expect to find three wonders there: first, to
meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to miss some I had
expected to see there; and third, the greatest wonder of all, to find
myself there.
~ John Newton
So where are you at? Are
you on your way to heaven? What are you counting on to get you in? Are
you relying on the good things you do? Are you counting on the fact
that you’re a nice person? Are you counting on your generosity, or even
on the faith of your parents or your spouse? None of those will do it
for you. You need to accept that what Jesus did He did for you, and
enter into a relationship with Him today.
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