KingJ
Active
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2015
- Messages
- 4,561
If someone had to ask you what they need to do to get into heaven, what would you say?
Jesus said the following:
Matt 19:16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself. 20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Jesus's statement above is summarized in Matt 16:24 'Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me'
Then in the OT we read that God will not despise the following persons, Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
IE, To get into heaven, we need to repent of our sins and follow God's commandments. Repentance needs to be 100% sincere and we need to actively test our faith by examining ourselves to be in Christ 2 Cor 13:5. IE To not have other gods before Him. IE To be showing the fruits of the Spirit.
After being a Christian and studying the bible now for almost twenty five years, I would propose that the line to the unsaved should be as simple as ''repent of your sins''. The difference between people in heaven and hell is that those in heaven will be repentant sinners and those in hell will be unrepentant sinners.
As Jesus says in Luke 5:32 'I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'
Jesus said the following:
Matt 19:16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself. 20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Jesus's statement above is summarized in Matt 16:24 'Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me'
Then in the OT we read that God will not despise the following persons, Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
IE, To get into heaven, we need to repent of our sins and follow God's commandments. Repentance needs to be 100% sincere and we need to actively test our faith by examining ourselves to be in Christ 2 Cor 13:5. IE To not have other gods before Him. IE To be showing the fruits of the Spirit.
After being a Christian and studying the bible now for almost twenty five years, I would propose that the line to the unsaved should be as simple as ''repent of your sins''. The difference between people in heaven and hell is that those in heaven will be repentant sinners and those in hell will be unrepentant sinners.
As Jesus says in Luke 5:32 'I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'