HOW NOT TO GET INTO HEAVEN.
Reading: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” Ephesians 2:8-9.
Where is a saying “Everyone wants to get INTO heaven, but no one wants to die!” Would you like to know how to go to heaven? Would you like to know what God says about going to heaven? Rather then what others or maybe yourself think!
Here are some ways you will NOT get into heaven!
I. Trust in your own good works.
That is not what God says. Look at Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you cannot take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
You see, there is no amount of charity giving, community work, no amount of kind words that will ever add up to be enough to get YOU into heaven. We are commanded to do good works, BUT AFTER we have salvation in God, and not to earn our salvation. So many are trying to please God by their WORKS!
2. Trust your traditions.
I like traditions. Going to church, reading my bible, praying and singing hymns of worship! Mainly traditions of a religious nature, BUT, religious traditions will NOT get me into heaven. When Jesus (God himself in human flesh) walked this earth, His biggest enemy was not Satan or sinners, BUT religious tradition leaders, who finality had Him killed!
Traditions have only one song to sing “I did it my way.” If we are not careful, we can fall into the trap of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. These were putting all their faith in traditions. For example many churches say the Lord’s Prayer at every service. That is a good tradition. But saying that prayer can become just a meaningless tradition without meaning or fulfilling its purpose of reaching God.
Tradition, no matter how wonderful it is does not get you into heaven. So if you want to make sure you do NOT get to heaven, just trust your tradition. Closely related to this is the next way to get to heaven.
3. Trust your religion.
You cannot trust your church to get you into heaven. You cannot trust your denomination to get you to heaven. You cannot trust your baptism. You cannot trust your taking of communion. You cannot trust your priest or spiritual leader to get you into heaven. Example whatever good the school I went to, or great the teachers where, I had to sit and pass my OWN exams to receive my diploma.
So why do so many trust their religion or church to get them into heaven? See salvation is a personal thing. When you put your trust in your religion rather than a relationship with Christ, you run the danger of becoming a hypocrite. They follow religious tradition and man-made teachings instead of the Word of God.
You see, there are lots of people who think that because they go to church on Sunday, were baptized, take communion, or whatever, they are okay with God and can go to heaven. Unfortunately, that’s not what God says. In fact, God says that the righteousness we bring on our own is nothing but filthy rags in His sight.
So trust your religion if you want to be sure NOT to get into heaven.
4. Trust your nationality.
What I mean here is that just because you live in a certain place or have a certain ethnic background that is no guarantee of heaven. “I am a ………, so of course I am a Christian.” Being a …….. Does not make you a Christian. The Jews had the same problem. They thought that because they were Jews living in Israel, it did not matter how they lived before God.
Your nationality has no bearing on whether or not you go to heaven. Remember that Jesus came so that all the world would have the opportunity to go to heaven if they would just respond to His offer of eternal life.
Go ahead and trust your nationality if you want to NOT go to heaven.
5. Trust your background.
Godly ancestors and parents do not get you to heaven. We will not get to heaven’s gates and say, “Well, my parents were Christians. That’s good enough, right?” My children, wife, brothers and sisters will not be able to use my salvation in Christ to get them into heaven.
God the Father will ask them the same question He will ask every one of YOU: what did you do with my Son, Jesus? By the way, you will not be able to blame your parents if you do not make it to heaven, either.
If you want NOT to get into heaven, trust your background.
So what can we do to get to heaven?
Only this one thing: Trust your Saviour. “Salvation that comes from trusting Christ – which is the message we preach – is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, “The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved” Romans 10:8-10.
How do you trust Christ?
You call out to Him, believing that He has done everything necessary for you to get to heaven. The Bible says that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:9.
