Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. Jesus Matthew 7:21-23

 

How can I go to Heaven?

 

What exactly does the Bible quote above mean and why is Jesus saying I never knew you . What Jesus is saying is that there is a truth that we have to accept in order enter into heaven. We can make ourselves busy doing the work for God and think to ourselves that we can gain entrance to heaven based upon other factors and Jesus is saying here that you can not ignore the truth and still make it into heaven. You can do all the things that mother Theresa did and devote your life to the church, but if you do not acknowledge and accept the truth that Jesus is the Son of God and is the only way to heaven than everything you do will be futile. It is a radical statement from Jesus but it is also a warning. Without Me, he is saying, you can not gain entrance to God's eternal Kingdom and if your belief system is not based upon His truth and the Biblical message of his saving power, He will say to you I never knew you .

 

STEP 1: GOD's PURPOSE: PEACE AND LIFE

 

God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life abundant and eternal.The Bible says ...We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 Why don t most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have?

 

STEP 2: THE PROBLEM: OUR SEPARATION

 

God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God.

 

 

The Bible says…

 

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

 

People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God ...

 

 

The Bible says ...

 

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs14:12

 

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:2

 

No bridge reaches God ... except one.

 

STEP 3:

 

GODBRIDGE: THE CROSS Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people.

 

 

The Bible says ...

 

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.
Timothy 2:5

 

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. Peter 3:18

 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

 

After Jesus died on the Cross, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Matthew 27:51.

 

This curtain being torn in two signifies the opening of God's Holiest places to all those who accept Christ.

 

Because of Christ's sacrifice, we now have direct access to God through faith in Jesus.

 

STEP 4: OUR RESPONSE: RECEIVE CHRIST

We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation

 

 

The Bible says...

 

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

 

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

 

There are no fence sitters. You might think to yourself that you are ok to wait and deliberate on whether to accept Christ into your life. You should know that while you wait and deliberate, you are by default in the category of a non believer. There are really only two sides to a fence and there are only two sides to this issue, belief and acceptance of Jesus in your life that results in your eternal salvation or non belief and non acceptance of Jesus which results in your continued separation from Christ and His Kingdom.

 

When Jesus was hanging on the Cross, there were two thieves also hanging next to him. One on the left and one on the right of Jesus. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: Aren t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us! But the other criminal rebuked him. Don t you fear God, he said, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. Luke 23:39-43.

 

One criminal criticized Jesus and remained apart from Him, while the other criminal recognized Jesus for who He was and accepted Him and asked to be a part of His Kingdom. This belief and acceptance by the criminal resulted in the Son of God saying to him -- today you will be with me in paradise. Jesus said you are either for me or against me. There is no middle ground. There are only two places you can go to when you die. One of them is Heaven and has a loving God, who sent His Son Jesus to guarantee a way for us.

 

Where are you? Will you receive Jesus Christ right now?

 

Here is how you can receive Christ:

 

• Admit your need (I am a sinner).
• Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
• Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.
• Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)
• world, demonstrate your new life by your love and concern for others.

 

PRAYER

 

How to Pray:

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.

 

God's Assurance: His Word
If you prayed this prayer, the Bible says ...

 

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13

 

Did you sincerely ask Jesus Christ to come into your life? Where is He right now? What has He given you?

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8 9

 

Receiving Christ, we are born into God s family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. This is called regeneration, or the new birth.

 

This is just the beginning of a wonderful new life in Christ. To deepen this relationship you should:

 

• Read your Bible everyday to know Christ better.
• Talk to God in prayer every day.
• Tell others about Christ.
• Worship, fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church where Christ is preached.
• As Christ s representative in a needy world, demonstrate your new life by your love and concern for others.