"Who Gets To Heaven"

Who Gets To Heaven? – Part 1

There are time when I can’t help but wonder what heaven will be like. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him.

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people

The beauty of heaven is beyond our imagination. How can you and I begin to even imagine a world where the
Lord will wipe away every tear from our eyes? A place where this thing called death will no longer exist. A place
where there will be no sorrow, no anguish. A place where there will no longer be such a thing as crying or pain. It’s
hard to get your mind around heaven because it’s very much the opposite of the reality that we face here on
earth.

We’re familiar with pain here on earth. We’re accustomed to tears here on earth. People cry when they’re in pain.
People cry when they receive bad news, but heaven is a place that has none of that. It’s a new reality. A divine
reality that’s centered in and around the presence of God and as glorious as heaven is, as wonderful a place as it is,
it does also lead me to think about hell.

To me what makes hell such an awful place is the fact that you’re separated from God. You’re separated from the
presence of Jesus Christ. You’re away from His mercy, away from His love and His grace. You see what makes
hell such an awful place is not the fire, it’s not the devil, but it’s the fact that you’re separated from God for all
eternity.

A lot of Christians have a hard time digesting the concept of hell. Oh we can listen to messages about heaven all day
long, but we don’t want to hear about the reality of hell. Well, let me tell you what the Bible says.

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

God does not wish for us to go to hell. Hell is was not originally made for us. It was intended for the rebellious
angles and Satan who is the archangel. He doesn’t wish for us to be apart from him for all eternity. No, He wishes
for us to repent, repent and turn away from sin and turn to Jesus Christ. The only way to heaven is Jesus Christ.

There are only two choices… it’s either we choose Jesus Christ or we choose the devil. It’s either we pick eternal
life or eternal separation from God.

And these decisions, they’re made on a day-to-day basis. Whether you pray or not, you’re making a decision.
Whether you read and meditate on God’s word or not, you’re making a decision. Whether you help the poor,
whether you witness, whether you tell an unbeliever about Christ or not, you are making a decision.

It is clear that there will always be those who apparently/seemingly embrace Jesus, and who later walk
away when they more fully grasp what the gospel entails.

You Ready… Let’s Go!!!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who
indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice
homosexuality,  10  or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.  11  Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Those who willing sin have no share in the Kingdom of God. The lives of Christians must reflect the faith
they confess.

Vs 9 Don’t fool yourself – sin is deceptive; believers should not take it lightly as if it were somehow
acceptable

Vs 9 Continuing to indulge unrepentantly in sin – indicates a heart that has not been renewed by the
Holy Spirit

Vs 10 None of these will inherit the Kingdom of God – emphasizes the severe consequences of living
in sin

Vs 11 You were cleansed – cleanliness is a metaphor for the righteousness that comes from forgiveness

Vs 11 You were made holy – by God himself

Vs 11 You were made right with God – God has forgiven them and views them as righteous, and their
lives have really been changed for the good

Definition of Regeneration

Regeneration is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit of granting spiritual life to dead sinners. This is not a
work in which man contributes but is a work of God alone. Much as an infant receives no credit for being born,
man receives no glory from being regenerated by God. Because man needs a grace with resurrection power, then
any willful activity on his own part, including faith itself, cannot be the cause but the effect of the new birth. The
grace of regeneration is the power of God that grants humans the ability to exercise faith, repent and trust in
Christ as a new creation.

Definition of Repentance

To repent means to be convinced of another way, to change your mind or convictions. And in response to
being convinced in your mind and heart, to change your actions. Repentance means turning from going your own
way to going God’s way.

Repentance is an essential part of salvation, requiring a turning away from the sin-ruled life to a life characterized
by obedience to God. The Holy Spirit leads a person to repent, but repentance itself cannot be seen as a “good
work”; that adds to our salvation.

The Bible states that people are saved by faith alone. However, there can be no faith in Christ without
repentance and no repentance without faith. The two are inseparable.

It is important at this point to distinguish between three different types of practicing sin:

(1) Genuine Christians: Those who are regenerate and genuinely repentant and sorrowful over their sin, but who
can “presently”; seem to break out of certain sins. A genuine Christ will continually fight against such sin. And
they will be delivered in Christ. If there is not a continual fight, then this is an indication that the person isn’t saved.

(2) Unknown Sin: Those who are regenerate and yet have not “presently”; been renewed in the knowledge of
the truth concerning certain sins and therefore still act sinfully in certain areas. Certain cultures do not know that
certain behaviors are sins “yet”; They need to be firmly instructed in the truth. However, after the knowledge of
sin is taught and understood, the person will turn to the Lord more fully, repent and walk in the Spirit.

(3) The Lost: Many never make a profession of faith and others join the visible Church but are yet unsaved. They
continue unconvicted by Scripture and the Holy Spirit that their ways is a sin. Some will look for inventive ways to
justify their sin as if it were not a sin. These are unsaved. If they remain in this unrepentant state they will go to
hell.

The first two kinds of people should be embraced by the Church. They should be instructed in the faith and
lovingly disciplined as Jesus commands. Both the sinner and the Church should expect repentance. However, the
latter kind, who having the knowledge of God, who purposely sin against God, make excuses for their sin,
seduce others into sins and have no intention to stop sinning; these have not true salvation.

Some in Corinth, even though they were truly saved, thought they could still act as they once did. Paul was
instructing them otherwise. Now, if a person has any of these types of sins in their lives (homosexuality, adultery,
cheating, swindling, etc.), they should check themselves to see if they are truly “in the faith”; As Paul says,

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among
you [a] ; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 

Paul is stating – if you are truly saved, now that you have learned the fuller truth, act like the new
creations you claim to have become.

Hebrews 10:26 (NLT)

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer
any sacrifice that will cover these sins.

Close

Christians must never take their salvation and cleansing from sin lightly, as though trusting Jesus is a license to
keep on sinning. Jesus died and rose again to forgive us our sins and to make us holy. He did not die so that we
could keep on living in sin. He died and rose again so that we could live a new life which reveals the work of the
Holy Spirit and the Person and Work of Christ.

Who Gets to Go to Heaven?

Unfortunately, not everyone will go to heaven after they die. God is a gracious and loving God. However, He is
also just. His justice means that He cannot let any unrepented sin go unpunished. 

In the Bible, we learn that God sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment that was meant for us.
Through this selfless sacrifice, we are given forgiveness. This provides us with the opportunity to spend eternity in
heaven.

Everyone has the opportunity to accept this gracious gift! By repenting of your sins and admitting your need
for a Savior, you are given the gift of eternal life. Upon your earthly passing, you will go to Heaven and spend an
eternity at the feet of Jesus.

Christians must never take their salvation and cleansing from sin lightly, as though trusting Jesus is a license to
keep on sinning. Jesus died and rose again to forgive us our sins and to make us holy. He did not die so that we
could keep on living in sin. He died and rose again so that we could live a new life which reveals the work of the
Holy Spirit and the Person and Work of Christ.