Heaven has inspired -
• Much of the poetry we read and enjoy
• Many of the artists to paint the pictures they have painted
• Many of the hymn writers to write the beautiful hymns we sing
• Many of the preachers to preach great sermons on heaven
We Christians sing and talk about Heaven a great deal. NO PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH HAVE AS MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO AS WE CHRISTIANS. One day we’ll live in -
• A city without a cemetery — for they have no dying there
• A city without tears — for God shall wipe away all tears up there
• A city without pain, a city without sorrow, without sickness, without death — for the former things are passed away
• A city without darkness — "for the Lamb shall be the light thereof."
• A city without sun or moon — for Christ shall shine unveiled in all his glory there
• A city without temptation — for nothing that defiles shall ever enter Heaven
• A city where we shall be free from sin, where pollution cannot enter, where righteousness shall reign forever
• A city with no jails or prisons, for there will be no ungodly there
• A city with no doctors – for there will be no need for them there
• A city with no crooked politicians – King Jesus shall rule there
• A city whose citizens are the saints of God
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger says that as a young minister, he had the privilege to visit the Holy Land for the first time. He said he thought about going to that place where Jesus walked, and it thrilled him just to think he might step where He stepped!
He thought that once he arrived, he might touch something Jesus touched thousands of years ago.
As he thought about this exciting trip, he began to count the days anticipating his departure. The closer that time came, the more excited he became.
But listen saint of God, we are going to this place called Heaven and we won’t be WHERE HE WAS, but we are going to BE WHERE HE IS! Heaven is a wonderful place, and we all love to sing and talk about it.
Illus: A widely respected man known as "Uncle Johnson" died in Michigan at the incredible age of 120. Perhaps his advanced years could be credited in part to the cheerful outlook that characterized his life. One day while at work in his garden, he was singing songs of praise to God. His pastor, who was passing by, looked over the fence and called,
• "Uncle Johnson, you seem very happy today."
• "Yes, I was just thinking," said the old man.
• "Thinking about what?" questioned his pastor.
• "Oh, I was just thinking that if the crumbs of joy that fall from the Master's table in this world are so good, what will the great loaf in glory be like! I tell you, sir, there will be enough for everyone and some to spare up there."
Illus: When I think of heaven, I always think of the little girl that was walking in a park one night holding her mother’s hand. She looked up in the starry sky and saw the stars as diamonds spread across black silk and she took a deep breath and said to her mom, “Mom, if heaven is this beautiful on the outside side can you imagine what it is going to look like on the inside?”
Again, allow me to say that heaven is a wonderful place and no people on this earth have as much to look forward to as we Christians. Let’s talk about heaven today.
The Fox News Channel has a slogan that says they are, “Fair and Balanced!” After they deal with a controversial matter, showing both sides of the issue, they will say to the television audience, “NOW YOU DECIDE!”
Well, I want to be fair and balance in my preaching.
• A while ago I preached on Hell.
• Today I want to give the other side of the story and preach on Heaven.
After you hear this, you must decide which place you are going to spend eternity in. Let’s take a good look at what the Lord says about heaven in this passage of scripture. First, we see-
I. A STARTLING STATEMENT
Look at verse 21a, we read, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…”
We all enjoy talking and singing about heaven! One of the songs we like to sing about heaven is called, “WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN!” But as much as we TALK and SING about this glorious place, EVERYONE IS NOT GOING TO GO THERE!
Illus: There is a story told that one day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the evil behavior that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out.
• He called one of his angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time. When the angel returned the angel told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth. 95% are misbehaving, and 5% are not."
• God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." So God called another angel and sent this angel to Earth for a time. When the second angel returned, the angel went to God and said, "Yes, the Earth is in a decline. 95% are misbehaving, and 5% are being good."
• God was not pleased, so he decided to E-mail the 5% that were good because he wanted to encourage them to keep up the good work.
•“Do you know what that E-mail said?”
•“Oh, you didn't get one either?”
The Lord tells us in these verses of scripture that everyone is not going to heaven.
• The lost World can talk like everyone is going there
• We can sing like everyone is going there
But the Lord Jesus made the STARTLING STATEMENT that everyone is not going there.
Illus: A recent CNN poll asked people if there is a literal heaven where people lived with God after death. 81% of the people said there was, and the same amount of people believed they were going there.
But God’s Word does not say what the polls say. Look at Matthew 7:13-14, we read, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT.”
According to the scriptures, EVERYONE is not going to heaven. The Word of God says, “Few there be that find it!”
God’s Word clearly teaches that MORE WILL BE GOING TO HELL than will be going to HEAVEN!
• You might be sitting next to someone who might not go there
• You might be married to someone who might not go there
• Your very best friend might not go there
• Your grandparents might not go there
• Your siblings might not go there
• Your parents might not go there
• Your children might not go there
According to the Word of God EVERYONE IS NOT GOING THERE WHEN THEY DIE!
We are told there will be two surprises when we arrive in heaven:
(1) THERE WILL PEOPLE WE DID NOT THINK WOULD BE THERE AND THEY ARE
Illus: A man arrived at the gates of Heaven.
• St. Peter asked what religion was he affiliated with. The man said, "Methodist." St. Peter looked down his list and said, "Go to Room 24, but be very quiet as you pass Room 8."
• Another man arrived at the gates of Heaven. St. Peter asked him what religion he was affiliated with. The man says "Pentecostal." "Go to Room 18, but be very quiet as you pass Room 8."
• A third man arrived at the gates. St. Peter asked what religion was he affiliated with. The man says, “Presbyterian.” "Go to Room 11 but be very quiet as you pass Room 8."
• The man said, "I can understand there being different rooms for different denominations, but why must we be quiet when we pass Room 8?"
• St. Peter told him, "Well, the Baptists are in Room 8, and they think they are the only ones here."
I can assure you that there will be people there that WE THOUGHT WOULD NOT BE THERE!
(2) THERE WILL PEOPLE WE THOUGHT WOULD BE THERE BUT THEY AREN’T
The fact is, we do not know who will be in heaven and who will not be there, but we know this; “NOT EVERY ONE THAT SAITH UNTO ME, LORD, LORD, SHALL ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN….”
The Lord has prepared heaven for everyone here, but everyone here is not going there because many are trusting in the wrong thing to save them. Today there are many who are:
• Trusting in baptism for salvation
• Trusting in their good deeds for salvation
• Trusting in their church membership for salvation
The Lord made the startling statement THAT EVERYONE IS NOT GOING TO GO TO HEAVEN…even many who think they are saved!
Look at verse 21a again, we read, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…”
We see A STARTLING STATEMENT and -
II. A SIMPLE STIPULATION
Look at verse 21 again, we read, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Notice, the Lord does not just tell us SOME WILL NOT GO TO HEAVEN. In this verse He tells us HOW WE CAN GO TO HEAVEN! He says that people are saved by doing the will of His Father.
Does this mean that people are saved by works? NO!
In Eph. 2:8-9, we read, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
If we are going to understand this verse about doing the will of the Father, we are going to have to find out what the will of the Father is.
Look at John 6:40, "And THIS IS THE FATHER'S WILL which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."
The Bible makes it clear that IT IS THE WILL OF THE FATHER that salvation comes to those who put their trust in Jesus! We are not saved by WORKS, we are saved by coming to the SAVIOR.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was not convinced his dad knew the Lord as his personal Savior. He had lived his life as a womanizer, a drunk, and had neglected his family through the years. Dr. Belger would visit him later in life when he began to settle down, and he said he was a Christian. He would ask him about his salvation and his father could never convinced him he was saved. He would ask him, “HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE SAVED?” He would say something like:
• I am trying to live right
• I am reading my Bible
• I hope I am saved
• Well, no one knows for sure if they are saved until they stand before Him on the judgment day
He would give him these kinds of answers over and over again.
When he was almost ninety years of age, he went to see him one night and he asked him again to tell him how he knew he was saved. And this time he said, “I am trusting the Lord as my Savior.” Dr. Belger said, “Now we are getting somewhere!”
If you can come to the place where you are trusting nothing but the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins, THAT IS BIBLICAL SALVATION.
We looked at A STARTLING STATEMENT and A SIMPLE STIPULATION. We also need to see -
III. A SHOCKING SURPRISE
Look at verse 22, we read, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”
It is absolutely amazing what people think they must do to be saved.
We all know that you can not do bad things and expect to go to heaven. But also you can not do good things and expect to go to heaven! That is, good deeds have never saved anyone!
But if you ask some folks what are some of the good things they have done with their life, it is really impressive.
Notice, the Bible tells us about some of the things that people have done, and based on those good things they feel they should be allowed to enter heaven.
• They had preached the Word of God
• They had cast out devils
• They had done many wonderful works
And, they had done it all in the Name of Jesus! Notice, they were doing good things in a good Name.
They were so busy working for the Lord that they never took the time to get to know the Lord! These people appealed to their works to save them. If this verse teaches us anything at all, it teaches us that salvation cannot be produced by works!
Notice that their whole claim to Heaven rests in what THEY have done! The focus is on them and not on the Lord.
May I just remind you that we are THE SINNERS and HE IS THE SAVIOR! There is nothing you can do to earn salvation, everything that is to be done…HAS BEEN DONE!
We all are not going to heaven. These people had done some pretty impressive things, but the Lord said, “and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
As those people stood before the Lord, surely they were shocked at what they heard. They heard something that would forever seal their destiny. He tells them, "I NEVER KNEW YOU."
He is not addressing a backslider who once knew and served Him. He makes it clear that HE HAS NEVER KNOWN THEM.
We looked at A STARTLING STATEMENT, A SIMPLE STIPULATION and A SHOCKING SURPRISE. We need to consider something else-
IV. A SUDDEN SENTENCING
Look at verse 23b, we read, “…depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Notice who the Lord is saying these harsh words to in this verse of scripture. He is talking to those who:
• Preached God’s Word
• Taught God’s Word
• Cast our demons
• Did many wonderful works
And the Lord says to them, “…depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
WHY WOULD THE LORD SAY SUCH A THING TO THESE PEOPLE? He said this to them because they had committed the most horrible sin that a person can commit. The sin they have committed is absolutely UNFORGIVABLE!
WHAT IS THAT SIN? It is the sin that keeps people out of heaven. In heaven there will be Christians that were:
• Rapists
• Murders
• Liars
• Thieves
• Child molesters
• Homosexuals
BUT NO ONE WILL BE HEAVEN IF THEY COMMIT THE SIN OF REJECTING CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR.
I think the saddest words in all the Bible will be the words recorded here, "I never knew you, depart from me."
These were people who expected to hear the Lord welcoming them into Heaven.
• They were sincere. They thought they were saved.
• They knew all the catch words and the right things to say.
But the Lord will say to them, “depart from me!”
Conclusion:
Let’s continue to sing that song, “WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN.” But let’s not forget that all those that sing it are not going to heaven.
Illus: One day, a king died. His servants spread the unbelievable news all over the palace. He had died in his bed of natural causes.
• "Where has he gone?", asked one of the king's wisest counselors
• "Why, to Heaven of course!", answered all the others.
• "No", said the other gravely, "I served this king for many years and traveled with him to many places. He loved to travel and would go over the details of each journey. Every element was planned and anticipated. But I have never heard him say a word about traveling to Heaven. It is a journey for which I saw him make no preparation. I am quite sure he did not go to Heaven."
What about you? Have you made the right preparations? As a lost person who can not save yourself, you need to come to Christ for salvation. In John 6:37b, we read, “…And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
We have looked at:
I. A STARTLING STATEMENT
II. A SIMPLE STIPULATION
III. A SHOCKING SURPRISE
IV. A SUDDEN SENTENCING
