Do You Know Where You're Going...

Do you know where you are going when you die? How can you be sure? There is only one way to heaven. “What a controversial statement” some would say. And it is controversial in our culture today because our world gives us a diverse menu of options to choose from en route to heaven. We can just pick the one that feels good, isn’t too uncomfortable, and puts us in a happy place so we can go on with life. But, the Bible tells us that the way to heaven is not a pick & choose combo, according to our tastes or beliefs. The Bible says there is only one way. Take a look:

John 3:16, 18 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Romans 10:9 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.

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Matthew 7: 21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

John 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Did you find the answer? Jesus. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

So, is just believing in God good enough to get into heaven? No. John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

What about being a good person and doing good things? Is a good resume of deeds the ticket to heaven? No. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Ephesians 2:9 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. Galatians 2:17 So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

But I go to church!?!? Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” It’s easy to go through the motions at church, but yet not believe or internalize anything you are hearing. Trust me, I did it for 7 years. God can see into our hearts and test the trueness of our faith.

Sometimes it is hard to ask ourselves tough questions like the one I am posing…and sometimes it is even harder to admit that a former belief we were trusting in was wrong. And, who wants someone else telling us how to live, right? I was one who thought that when I died and met God I would stand with him and look back on my life….and he would see that I was a pretty good person and into heaven I would go. I mean, of course I had my mistakes, but nothing too bad, right? But, once I started reading the Bible I realized that I should have looked into my route to heaven a little more before I had settled on its surety.

In light of these things, again I ask, on the day you die and stand before God, what will be your confidence that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life? What option will you choose? One of the numerous options that our culture & media feeds us? Or the one option straight from God’s own word, the Bible?

Need to know who Jesus is before deciding? Or, wondering how to ‘look to the Son and believe’? Read the book of Matthew in the Bible located first in the New Testament. Reading 5 minutes a day is good start. I pray that you will look into these things and find truth.

Psalm 39:4-5
Show me, O Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
each man’s life is but a breath.