Lesson Two

All of us want to go to heaven when we die. That is a safe statement to make. If given the choice between spending eternity in heaven (where there are no tears and no pain) or spending it in hell (where there is constant pain and gnashing of teeth), we would all choose to be with God and Jesus in heaven.

But that is not how it works. The decision is not up to us. The decision will be made for us on Judgment Day. Consider the following two scriptures:

1.“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” – Hebrews 9:27,

2. “(God) will repay each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life; but to those who are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation.” – Romans 2:6-8.

And when we are judged, many more will perish than will be saved, as evidenced by the following scriptures:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Mathew 7:13-14, “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, “I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Luke 13:24-28.

These scriptures serve as a warning for us to get ourselves right with God before it is too late! If we want to spend eternity in heaven, there are things that we need to do!

WHAT MUST WE DO TO BE SAVED?

The first thing that we need to do to be saved is read the Bible! Jesus said:

“If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” – John 14:15. We cannot keep God’s commandments if we do not know what they are! Therefore, our efforts to go to heaven must begin with a solid understanding of God’s commandments. Once we understand God’s word, we must diligently seek the scriptures to find out what we need to do to be saved.

Five things that the Bible says we must do in order to be saved:

1. Believe in Jesus. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” – Acts 16:31.

2. Confess our belief in Him. “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10,

3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3.

4. Be baptized. “Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ .” – 1 Peter 3:21 and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16,

5. Obey God’s commandments. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” – Mathew 7:21.

GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED!

Remember that God loves us and is rooting for us to take the necessary steps towards salvation. That is why He sent Jesus. To save us from our sins! Consider the following two scriptures:

1. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” – John 3:16,

2.“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9.

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT HEAVEN

As you read the following three verses about heaven, allow yourself to get excited about what it will mean to spend eternity with God, Jesus, and all the saints! It is this excitement that gives us hope and allows us to persevere during times of adversity.

1. “He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4,

2. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” – John 14:2,

3, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” -1 Corinthians 2:9.

CONCLUSION

Heaven is a place more beautiful than we can imagine! Unlike earth, there are no tears, no pain, and no death in heaven. In fact, the Bible teaches us that we cannot begin to comprehend the majesty of heaven. It is something that we will need to see to believe!

To get to heaven, there are five matters of salvation that must be addressed:

1. Believe in Jesus. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” – Acts 16:31,

2. Confess our belief in Him. “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10,

3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3,

Being hopeful about heaven allows us to persevere through adversity and keep our eye on the prize that awaits!

We will end today’s lesson with the following two scriptures about heaven: 1. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” – Romans 8:18,

2. “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” – John 14:1-3.