What's Next? How Do I Get To Heaven? Series

INTRODUCTION

1. What’s Next? After We die – What’s Next? When our heart stops beating – when we take our last breath – What’s Next?

2. My intent, from the very beginning of this study has been for us to understand that Heaven is an Awesome Place and that Hades and Hell is an Awful Place.

• I’ve wanted us to know the Rewards of Heaven and the Reality of Hell.

• That through our study, we would grasp that Heaven is Far better than anything we have known or understand or could imagine and that Hell is far worse than anything we have known, experienced, or could even imagine…No one in Hades would ever want anyone to experience what they are now experiencing…

3. No joke intended at all – If I could scare Hell right out of us and inspire Heaven right in to us – It would be a good study together!

• I want you to be more excited about Heaven than you are frightened by Hell…

4. What’s Next? Today, We may be asking the most important question of this entire series… I think this is the most important question of our life – How do we get to Heaven?

• If Heaven is an Awesome Place – and it is! And Hell is an Awful Place – and it is!

• How, then, do we avoid Hell and get to Heaven?

• Have you asked that question? That question has been asked by so many over so many generations and within every heart… one of Jesus’ followers asked it…

5. Remember these beautiful words from Jesus -- John 14:1-6 – 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. 2In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

6. Eternity is not left to Chance – Eternity is decided and determined by your Choice… Your Choice to Live FOR Jesus in this life so you will live WITH Jesus in the life to come…

• How sad it would be – for us to being thinking of Heaven for the last 7 weeks – and then have some not go there…

• What you and I decide today – determines our Eternal Destiny!

• Don’t leave it all to chance – Eternity is determined by your choice…

• The choices you make before you die… once you die – the decisions have been made.

7. (eg) A recent Survey of Americans showed that 85% of the American People believe they are going to Heaven and most of those believe they are going because they are pretty good…

• Another recent survey indicates that 52% of American Christians say they believe that other religions can lead you to Eternal Life…

8. Although in Heaven, there is going to be a number greater than we can count, the Bible teaches that there will be more people who don’t make it to Heaven than those who do.

• Jesus makes it clear – MOST people are NOT going to Heaven… Everyone is not going to Heaven…

• Jesus said from the Sermon on the Mount -- Matthew 7:13-14 – 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

9. So it’s very important that we just don’t Believe in Heaven but we know how to get there…

• Jesus said, “I am the way. To get to the Heavenly Father – you must Come through Me. According to Jesus -- there is only 1 way. There are not many ways. There are not many equal ways. There is only one way… Jesus says - I am the way to Eternal Life!

• No other religious founder can make that claim… Not Mohamed. Not Buddha. Not Moses. None of them came back to life from the grave.

• Only Jesus can say, “I am the Way. I am the Truth. I am the Life. Follow me and you will get to Heaven.

• I want to follow someone who knows --