Who is going to Heaven?

Introduction

Get across the point and really want you to think along with me, especially in these first five minutes, although I certainly would appreciate if you thought along with me the whole duration of the lesson this morning. But we’re going to start in Matthew chapter 7. Beginning in verse 13, in Matthew chapter 7, beginning in verse 13, Jesus says, Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.

Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. And then coming to verse 21, which you may have memorized by the end of this morning, and if you don’t work on it with me. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Now consider with me this morning if I were to ask you, what is your favorite color? In fact, if I made the question more specific, and I said, Why is your favorite color the best? If I told you to pick a color from the rainbow, so that I could otherwise, I might not be able to identify it if you chose one off the colors of the rainbow, and say, why that’s your favorite. I venture to guess we might get every color of the rainbow mentioned this morning if we were to put all the answers in the hat. And even those people who all chose the correct answer, which is blue, might have different explanations for why that is.

But I want to consider a question that is more important this morning and then illustrate it with what you were probably so interested by. And my question this morning is who is going to heaven? I want everyone, and I’m not joking, I want everyone, if you are writing things down, write down your answer to this question. If you are following along, or if you like me at all, consider your answer to this question in your mind with me. Who is going to heaven? Who is going to heaven? After all, there are multiple answers that people would give, much like people would give different reasons for their color of the rainbow, you might have different answers. Some people might say, Well, everybody’s going to be saved. And some might say, well, only good people will be saved, and yet others will say, Well, those who claim to follow Christ.

And others will say, well, those who claim to follow Christ and go to church. And then others will say, Well, only if you go to this church. Or maybe they say, those who obey God will go to heaven. There’s a bunch of different answers, and I got to tell you that unlike the question with what’s the best color again, blue, this one is not subjective. This is objective. In fact, this week I asked Adam to draw a line. We were going to see which one of us could draw the closest to 14 inches of a line. You see that really small one that’s wrong? That’s Adam’s. You know how I know that? Because I told him to draw an eight-inch line and I measured the other one.

If you think about this, if you were to draw a line, I ask you to draw a 14-inch line, and then I drew one. How would we know who is right? Standard. There is a ruler. There is an answer. It is not subjective. It’s not, well, I drew that one and it looks nicer, so that must be. And it’s not, well, I like Greg better, so that’s the answer. We can be away with Adam. We take our ruler, a standard of measurement. And we see that Adam’s line is far short at about eight inches. He actually did a pretty good job of reaching that mark. But we see this second line is much closer to 14 inches. And thus we know which line is closer to the goal.

We know which line is correct. Which line met the challenge that was faced. And so this morning, if I can get this yardstick underneath this podium, I’d like to suggest to you that just like the question of which line is closer to 14 inches, or perhaps even which line is 14 inches long, who is going to heaven has an answer. And it is not subjective. That answer is given by many people. And yet there is but one answer which is correct. If I were to quiz everyone this morning and say, do you believe that the Bible is God’s word that is inspired by God, which it claims to be, by the way? Do you believe that? And everyone would say, Oh, yes, of course. I believe that.

And then if I said, well, okay, because you acknowledge that this is the word of God, do you read it? Do you crave it? Do you try to take it in? And hopefully the answer would be, yes, I do. After all, Greg, it is the Word of God. Then we come to a third question with three prongs to it. Are you willing and able to defend it? To accept it. And to live it. If we acknowledge that the Bible is the Word of God, we recognize that there is a standard by which we will answer to. Just like a ruler, not one that’s drawn by a two-year-old, but a ruler that we trust is trusted to give us a standard of measurement. The Bible is God’s final authority.

And so rather than collecting everyone’s opinions, which don’t frankly matter unless they correspond to the standard.

If you answered anything but that or something that corresponds to that, that is not what Jesus said, unless, of course, he used other ideas from Christ. Verse 22, on that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. It didn’t matter that they claimed something that sounded good. It didn’t matter that what they told the Lord and they claimed Lord, Lord, and they did these mighty things sounded like it could be right, and that it even might have matched up with some of what was said. It didn’t meet the standard.

Those who are saved are those who look in verse 21. These are not my words. These are the words of the Lord. Who will be saved? The one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. The one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Again, the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. That is who is going to heaven. I didn’t say that. The Bible did. Jesus did. And so when people ask us some of the questions we’re going to examine this morning, I’d encourage you to not rest on your own opinion because your opinion, while probably better than mine, is still nowhere near as effective or correct as the Lord Jesus’. Unless you accept his answer and take in what he has said.

1. Will Everyone Be Saved?

So I’d like to encourage us to remember the Bible is our authority this morning as we examine this question. But remember again what you wrote down or what you thought about who is going to heaven and consider in light of these questions. First question is answered by a text we already read. Look back at verse 13 of Matthew chapter 7. That question, of course, is will everyone be saved? Will everyone be saved? Well, let’s look at what Jesus had to say. In Matthew chapter 7, beginning in verse 13 once again. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide, and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. What does that tell you? People are going to destruction.

What type of people? The people who go down the easy and wide path. They are going to destruction. That means they are not going where verse 14’s gate leads, for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. And those who find it are few. That means that answer of who is going to heaven. If you ask for a numeric count, the answer is few. And those who miss heaven are many. Do we see that once again? It’s not because I’m just mean and I don’t like people. It’s because Jesus said it. That is an important distinction. I encourage you. Whether you are a member here or a visitor, recognize that I, just like each and every one of us, whether we accept God and his guidance or not, am responsible for doing what God has said and upholding it.

It is not my word that matters, but God’s.

That if we go on sinning deliberately after the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice of sins for us. That is true. That is what the Bible has revealed to us. That means that there might be those who fall away. There might be those who know the truth and reject it. And what do they fall into? The hands of the living God. In verse 30, who had said, Vengeance is mine. I will repay. Consider that no matter what we think about it or how we feel, the Bible’s clear. Jesus has said it. The Hebrew writer has made it clear that it is possible and is warning against falling away from the truth. Because there is destruction. And there will be those who are in it, and those who are in it will not be in heaven.

And so to answer the first question, will everyone be saved? The answer is no. But I’d encourage you to look with me at 1 Timothy chapter 2. Look in verses 3 and 4. 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 3 and 4. And you say, now hold up there, Greg. I understand that you’re making a good point you’re using scripture, but I can use scripture too. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 2, beginning in verse 3. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And you say, God desires that all people be saved. I believe in an almighty God. Certainly that God will save everyone. But can I tell you, that God, his son, he spoke, and that was not the case.

2. Will Good People Be Saved?

Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Let us be very careful to not mischaracterize or misrepresent God and the words of his son Christ, which will judge us in the last day, which we understand from John chapter 12 and verse 48. But to answer this question, please note, we went back to the standard. Will everyone be saved? No. Why? Because Jesus said it in Matthew chapter 7. The Hebrew writer said it, gave an example of it. And you can find a litany of other scriptures that support that idea. But what that also goes to leads us to a second question, doesn’t it? What about good people? Will good people be saved? After all, God does desire that all men be saved.

Doesn’t he? Absolutely right. The standard says that is true. Consider with me the idea of will all good people be saved? Not necessarily Christian people, but good people. Once again, let us return to the word and to the standard. Look at me in John chapter 14. In John chapter 14. You may know the passage. John chapter 14 and verse 6, Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. That sounds pretty clear, doesn’t it? That appears pretty black and white. No one comes to the Father except through me. A good person without Jesus is not coming to the Father. Do you see that? John chapter 14 and verse 6. What did Jesus say?

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. That means apart from Jesus, we are not getting to the Father. Adam did a wonderful job this morning talking about heaven and how we should all want to go there. That’s why we’re considering who is going? And will I be a part of that number? And we’re going to talk to that as we go further in this lesson this morning. But when we consider, well, what about good people? What about what Jesus said? What about a good person who rejects Christ? How good of a person is that? And by whose standard are we calling them good? If life comes through Jesus and Jesus alone, how can we dare say that there can be life outside of Christ?

How can we reach any other conclusions other than that I need to be in Christ? I need to access this way, this life, and understand the truth that Jesus offers. Because otherwise, Romans chapter 3 and Romans chapter 6 tell us a scary problem that we have. It’s not just because Jesus is mean or God doesn’t truly desire all men to be saved, but it’s because we have a problem. Look in Romans chapter 3. Look at Romans chapter 3 and verse 23. You may know the passage. What does it say? Romans chapter 3 and verse 23. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So we have a sin problem. Everyone has a sin problem. And Romans chapter 6 and verse 23 compounds the issue.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We need to understand this isn’t about God being mad or rude or any type of awful deity. It’s because, notice verse 23, the wages of sin is death. We have all sinned. We all deserve death. Notice what God offers, though, in verse 23. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God provides the antidote to our problem.

And so we think about John chapter 14 and verse 6 again, and we say, Jesus isn’t being exclusive in the sense of being mean. He’s being exclusive in the sense that he has the remedy. It’s kind of like if if you have a if you go to the doctor and you’re sick and you need to get some medicine. And the doctor tells you now. Here’s the medicine you need. You need to take this once daily for seven days. Once daily for seven days. And you say, Well, that doctor sure was mean. He said, I couldn’t be cured unless I took his medicine for seven days. Oh, that’s not what we do? I’d say, thank you, and take the medicine and move on my way, hopefully, within seven days or at the end of those seven days.

3. Will Members of Only One Church Be Saved?

Why? Because the doctor knew how to cure me. He knew how to fix me. I had a problem. I had symptoms, and he knew how to fix it. And so I follow the doctor’s orders, and God certainly is one who has made the antidote available to us, the antidote for the sin that we are otherwise stuck in. And so we come to a second question this morning. Will members of only one church be saved? Remember, I mentioned at the beginning how there’s a multitude of different answers that you could give to the question who is going to heaven. We’ve already looked at the idea of is everyone going to heaven. I think most people understand that’s probably not the case. We understand that even with our own kind of warped sense of right and wrong that’s warped if it’s away from the standard that God provides.

And we kind of understand that we need Christ, certainly. But what about people who worship at a church at all? Does it matter what church you worship? Does it matter that you maybe don’t even go to church, but that you acknowledge Christ? Well, first of all, I want to clear up a couple of things. If someone were to say to you or ask you, do you think only members of one church will be saved? Anyone who has read their Bible knows the answer to that is actually no. Hear me out. What about Abraham? What about Joseph? There will be the righteous of the patriarchal age who will be saved. They will be in heaven. They did not attend a church of Christ with the sign out front.

You see, the question is the question about will members of one church be saved is really asking, is there one type of denomination that can be saved in? Then I challenge you to think even further in your Bible in the Old Testament. What about those in the law of Moses who were righteous? What about King David? What about the prophets who served God? Will they be in heaven? I don’t think they worshiped in a church of Christ building. Perhaps even a man like John the Baptist. But let us consider the fact that what that question is actually getting at isn’t that answer. And as Adam had mentioned earlier this morning, there will also be children and babies in heaven. Perhaps babies even who lose their life within seconds of living and who did not make it out of the hospital building to come to the church and to listen to some sermons.

I think they were in heaven as well. And so it’s a false premise to begin with. But let’s think critically about the issue and consider now, for those of us who are living this side of the cross, for those of us who are considering the words of Christ, certainly they needed the blood of Christ as well. Everyone before the cross was freed from their sin by the very sacrifice of Christ. But to get over to the question and answer at its core, will only members of one church be saved? Let us turn to the standard. Look at me in Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. The answer is not, yes, the church of Christ is all there is in the form that you’re thinking of to be saved.

If you don’t worship in a building that says Church of Christ, you will be lost. I’d encourage you to look at these passages. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 22. Don’t fight a fight off of the turf of the scripture. Let’s maintain it all times, recognizing the standard and the authority of God’s word. In Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 22 and 23, Paul writes, and he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. What a powerful statement that is. Do you see it again? Look in verse 22. Head over all things to the church, which is what? His body. How many bodies of Christ were there?

How many bodies of Christ were there? One. Look with me in Ephesians chapter 4. That’s not subjective. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 4. There is one body and one spirit. Just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

So question the questioner. What do you mean by that? Well, who is in the body of Christ? And that raises the interesting question. How do I get into the body of Christ? How do I identify a church that is in the body of Christ? And does it matter? Is any church in the body of Christ? What’s John chapter 14 and verse 15 say? Jesus says, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Let’s go back to Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21. I wanted to press this upon our minds this morning. I’m not against repetition. Matthew chapter 17 and verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

How do we find the followers of Christ who will be saved? Moreover, to our question this morning. Those who obey, submit to, and do the will of the Father who is in heaven. And so what that means is if there is one body of Christ, if I do it like that, it looks like there’s two. If there is one body of Christ, if there is obedience, submission to the will of God that is necessary, does it not stand to reason that the one body of Christ would be those who have submitted to the will of the Father? Does it not stand to reason that as Christians, as followers of Christ and of God, taking advantage of the salvation he offered, that we would want to do everything in our power to adhere to the standard of the word, to be thankful for the loving God who blessed us with a chance when we deserve death?

I think the answer is, of course we would. If I teach someone how to do something, and they go off, and they do the exact opposite. And they say, Greg taught me how to do that. I’m going to be very frustrated. Why? That’s not my teaching. That’s not what I told you. I don’t want anything to do with that. Now, maybe if they’re making lots of money, I might get my hand in there. You can laugh at that.

We need to consider that a follower of Christ is someone who follows after Christ. One who does the will of the Father who is in heaven, just like Christ did. And we come back to this question. Will members of only one church be saved? The answer is if it if you mean of the one church that is Jesus’ body, yes, only members of the body of Christ will be saved. Period. But if you mean any church that has a sign Church of Christ out front, that is not necessarily the case, and you can prove it backwards and forwards. You can prove it backwards in the sense that is everyone who’s ever been a member of the Church of Christ, of a church of Christ, going to heaven or living right?

I’ll let you answer that one for your own. And if it could be just a sign out front, would we not just pick up our paint buckets and go and vandalize the town? Right? Church of Christ anywhere and everywhere? If it was that easy? No. We understand in almost every aspect, except in practice religion here in America in particular, at least that’s my exposure, that what you do actually matters. It doesn’t matter what you call yourself if you’re not doing what’s right anyway. But it does matter what you do. And that includes what type of name the church takes. There are several different designations for people in the New Testament. There are saints, there are Christians. Church of God is named, Church of Christ is scriptural.

4. Am I Going to Be Saved?

But if we want to do in all things like Christ did, if we want to obey the will of the Father, we will look at what God has authorized and do that and nothing else. Does that point come across strongly? Because we have eternity that we are waging against getting that question right. Remember, Matthew 7 and verse 21 not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Eternity is at stake. That wonderful place in heaven that Adam talked about is on the line with how we live. And so we need to know the answer to these questions. And so finally, this morning I want to ask the question, am I going to be saved?

And I want to look at it in two ways. First of all, I want to consider how would you respond to this question? If someone you were meeting with, talking with, studying with, ask you, Am I going to be saved? What would you tell them? I think one of the first responses will be, uh don’t want to offend people.

What did Brother So and so say to say here? We need to consider what are the words of Christ. The answer to the question is not what I think. And so perhaps an appropriate and fitting first response is, well, whose judgment seat will we sit before? Because it’s not Greg’s. What does Romans chapter 14 and verse 10 the end of it reveal? We will all be before, we must all appear before the judgment seat of God. God is the judge. Now we must be careful to not say, well, I’m not the judge, but, and then go ahead and give our answer. God is the judge, period. When someone asks you, Am I going to be saved? You say, that’s between you and God. What has God said?

And then you follow it up with Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21. Have you done the will of the Father or not? Jesus says, if you do the will of the Father, those are the ones who will be saved. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s not about claims, it’s not about looks. Have you obeyed the will of the Father? Consider the strength of this question. Am I going to be saved? We need to be getting people to put their trust in the Lord, not in men. Whether they respect your opinion or not. Am I going to be saved? Is a question you answer to God for yourself. I answer to God for myself. And if we lose that train of thought, we’re going to get off, and we might be even found guilty of not answering the question in a way that God would approve of.

Conclusion

With so much scripture available to us, with Jesus even answering this question very plainly for us in all of these questions. Consider always. Remember the standard. But I told you that I’d examine this question in two different ways, and I want to conclude this morning with the second. Am I going to be saved? I want to ask you specifically, are you going to be saved? Other people who haven’t heard. Children who may be found innocent and unaccountable for their sin. People, excuses, ideas, people in foreign lands, they do not substitute for the fact that if you are here this morning, you have access to the word of God. You can read about the word of God. You have perhaps and almost definitely heard the word of God.

And I would ask you this morning, consider. Are you going to be saved by the standard of God? It’s not about looks. It’s not about how great I can be, how great I can talk, or how many times I go to church. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. I am urging you, I am imploring you, I am begging you. Consider your ways. Are you obeying the will of the Father or not? It’s really not a difficult question in the sense that we can be honest with ourselves and say, I am doing this or I am not doing that. It doesn’t matter how you think or feel about it, it matters what God said about it and what has been revealed.

One such question, one such query is does it really matter? Does it matter what church I go to? I mentioned we might come back to this. And if I didn’t, I am now. Look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 as we conclude this morning. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, a strong warning is given. Read with me, verse 7, beginning. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. I would encourage each and every one of you who have access to a Bible, turn to it, read it with me and consider it carefully. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 7. And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. Inflicting vengeance on whom? Those who do not know God. And those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. It really is that clear. And you consider, well, how can I be a part of Christ? What do I do? How do I be in Christ? I need to be saved. I haven’t done what’s right. Look at it. Consider Galatians chapter 3. Maybe you don’t need to turn there because I did say the other one would be the last, but I spoke too soon. Galatians chapter 3 and verse 26. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.

Isn’t that what we need to do this morning? And I consider you whether you are in high school and your 20s, your 30s, your 40s, your 50s, your 60s, your 70s, your 80s, your 90s, or even, yes, south north of 100 years old. Have you done the will of your Father who is in heaven? If you have not been baptized, had the slate wiped clean, turned yourself over to submission to God, why not? Vengeance is coming. Vengeance is mine. I will repay. Consider how wonderful it’ll be to go to heaven like Adam suggested this morning. Consider the power. Why hold up? There is no reason. Who is going to heaven? Those who obey Him. Obey Him this morning. Make your eternal salvation secure. Make it known.

Make it in Christ. If there’s anyone here this morning who has not put on Christ in baptism, I implore you, consider your ways. If anyone who has lived a life that you say, my life doesn’t look like the standard. I don’t measure up. Consider that you can get it back on track. You can. With the Lord’s help, you can do all things. But you have to try. You have to commit, and you have to take the first step. So please, I implore you. If you need to make your life right with God, you need to follow in the ways of Christ in any way at all. Come forward now as we stand and as we sing the invitation song.