The title is a quote from Pastor John MacArthur: “there is a broad road that says heaven but goes to hell.” Our question here is:
Where’s the real road to heaven?
Welcome Day in Heaven
All those who placed their hope in the grace of God in Christ will see their Welcome day – touring the wonders of Heaven. Right now it is being built by Jesus – for us. How exciting to think of!
“Do not let your hearts be distressed.[a] You believe in God;[b] believe also in me. 2 There are many dwelling places[c permanent dwelling place] in my Father’s house.[d] Otherwise, I would have told you, because[e] I am going away to make ready[f] a place for you.[g] 3 And if I go and make ready[h] a place for you, I will come again and take you[i] to be with me,[j] so that where I am you may be too. 4 And you know the way where I am going.”[k] – John 14:1-4
Jesus said to His disciples, “… you know the way where I am going.” (v4) The authors of the New Testament wrote their parts as Luke says he wrote his (the book of Luke) “…so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught [that is, the history and doctrine of the faith].” (Luke 1:1-4) God’s message to us is certain.
Knowing Jesus is to know God.
Welcome Home in Hell
It will be a “Welcome Home” in Hell for sinners damned by God from His Courts on that soon coming Judgement Day event in the heavens.
They are those who thought they would “wing it”, those who deceived their own minds with philosophies and religions of man, those who followed “another gospel” – lured away by false teachers, those who warmed church pews but lacked “one thing”, offering Jesus a divided heart, not 100% for Jesus.
Choosing to maintain a dichotomous heart – they refused to bow the knee to Jesus. Those who flexed, barely bent the knee, gave a slight genuflection to seem respectful, but did not bow their heart completely – with both knees in total submission to Almighty God.
When the great war of Armegeddon is over and done, and all the dead alive again, once dead and gone, they’re gathered by God, alive again, before the Courts of God — Judgement happens. None who were born again on earth will be there – not even one, only all the God damned of earth together for their day in Court before The Holy Judge. What a day in court they will have.
Are you ready to escape That Day? Or will hell be your home forever? There is a Way to get away. One Way. Jesus is that Way (John 14:5-7). Only Jesus. He said it Himself, for all to hear:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one
comes to the Father
except through me.”
– NET Bible
Heaven has room for all humankind.
There is still room for you in Heaven. (Happily, God has “vacancies”.) But so sadly few there be, that go far enough in their spiritual journey to actually give themselves 100% to Jesus. He is a jealous God. (Exodus 34:14) What He requires of us is that we give our soul to Him completely, exclusively.
He does not require 100% faithfulness, nor 100% sinlessness, nor 100% obedience all the time, nor 100% perfection and maturity! Thank you Jesus! But He requires a heart given-over to Him 100%.
Salvation is a matter of the heart
We do not loose our salvation when we fail our Savior. But He is not our Savior if our heart is anything less than 100% His. Sinners without Christ have a heart problem. Their heart is divided. There’s always that “One thing you lack” (verse 21 of Mark 10:17-31). They have a dichotomous heart that cannot commit 100% to following Jesus.
See:
It’s all or nothing – 100%
God Is Asking You To Repent – 100%
Being faithful, little by little
There is a broad way that seems right. But what it seems to be is not what it really is. It “is a broad road that says heaven, but goes to hell.” Sin always says a good thing. It talks a good talk. It attracts us to go that way. Sin promises heaven. But the road it leads down is the highway to hell.
Fortunately, while on the highway to hell – you always have an opportunity to turn and go another way. The tiny road to Jesus presents itself every once in a while.
Usually, however, sojourners never give it a second look, quite oblivious to what hell holds for them up the road. – Source: Going To Hell?
Are you on the road to hell, or have you turned your life around – and chosen Jesus?
Faith is not
a philosophy you spout about,
but rather
an allegiance you live out
day-to-day
with all your heart.
(Luke 10:27)
– Source: It’s all or nothing
Today is your day to reconsider your life
Every day is your chance to choose to follow Jesus. But THIS DAY, today, may be your last. And tomorrow?
If you have no tomorrow,
and you let THIS DAY pass…
your chance to choose salvation in Christ
expired with you. 1
No “dibsies” on Heaven 2
Once you are dead and gone without Christ, there will be no first dibs – second dibs, no entitlement, no rights, no suing God, no lien you can sue for, no insistent demanding, no demands whatsoever that you can make, no supplication, no privilege for anyone, no rank to pull, no importunity, no cajolery.
But I imagine there will be a lot of “if only I had…” regrets, screams of horror and loss, deep deep in the pit of your stomach – gut punch pain, kidney punch remorse. Maybe some pompous fool will blurt-out, “Now, hold it just one second here….” But I doubt it. The reality of God’s reality will be all consuming.
Where’s the real road to heaven?
Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. 13 Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Totally Given-over
I must give God all of me, not bits and pieces. I cannot live flippantly 3 blithfully unaware like some yo-yo head – up and down and all “around the world”, going wherever I am thrown (by yet another “doctrine”), totally absorbed by my own interests and thoughts, and giving God “short shrift“.
If I am serious about the salvation message of grace by Jesus, I will totally immerse myself in His ways, let Him change my ways.
Source: What God Wants
Powell makes a list of what Jesus Himself told us is the Truth about getting into His Kingdom. Jesus said,
“The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent
[change your inner self
—your old way of thinking,
regret past sins,
live your life in a way that proves repentance;
seek God’s purpose for your life]
and believe
[with a deep, abiding trust]
in the good news
[regarding salvation].””
– Mark 1:15
Amplified Bible
God asks each of us to repent – and believe – “…believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation].” – Mark 1:15. The message of Jesus, His “gospel”, is very, very simple: Repent and believe.
“…Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved….”
– Verses 30-31 of Acts 16:16-34
“The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent
[change your inner self
—your old way of thinking,
regret past sins,
live your life in a way that proves repentance;
seek God’s purpose for your life]
and believe
[with a deep, abiding trust]
in the good news
[regarding salvation].”
– Mark 1:15
In his article, Which Jesus Do You Serve?, Brendon Powell contrasts (1) what is often preached by man – versus (2) what was preached by Jesus.
What did Jesus himself say? There is the Jesus who said, “Repent and believe the gospel, the kingdom of God is at hand.” –Mark 1:15. THAT is Truth.
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He said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.” -Lk 9:23-25.
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He said without Him you are already condemned. -John 3:18.
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He said He came to save the world -John 3:16.
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He said unless you forsake all you have, you cannot be His disciple. -Luke 14:33.
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He said if we love anyone more than Him we are not worthy of Him. -Matt 10:37-39.
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He said if you love this life you’ll lose it. -John 12:25-26.
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He said you cannot serve God and money. -Matt 6:24.
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He said fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. -Mt 10:28.
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He said be extreme in your war against sin. -Matt 18:8-9.
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He said love God with all your heart, soul and mind and your neighbour as yourself. -Matt 22:37-39.
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He said He is the light of the world. –John 8:12.
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He said the gate is narrow and the way is difficult and few find it.
-Matt 7:13-14. -
He said those who believe in Him but work iniquity will be cast out. -Matt 7:21-23.
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He said you’ll be hated for His name’s sake, but if you endure to the end, you’ll be saved. -Matt 10:22.
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He said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me. –John 14:6.
Source: Which Jesus Do You Serve?
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You Are Responsible for getting right with God.
God will never “capture” your heart.
He woos you and showers you with good. He works on you (as in “convicts” you of your sinfulness and need of a Savior), but He will never overrule your rebellious heart and “capture” it like some big game hunter.
You have the choice. It’s not His to make. It’s yours to choose to follow Him or not… forever. Careful there: you only get one chance to choose, because after death – you’re chance expires… forever.
It has been said, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” As quoted before, John MacArthur put it distinctly well, “there is a broad road that says heaven but goes to hell.”
Jesus basically taught that you can’t have it both ways. It’s either your way, or Jesus’ Way. It’s either hell or heaven.
No Other Can Save. It is by His Justice, His and His alone, that we are able to be set free. That is why no other can save: no other name under heaven, no other gospel, no other “way of thinking”, no other philosophy, no other religion, no other guru, no other method, no other but Christ, and Christ alone. It’s so plain and simple that we can hardly believe it!
You cannot fake your way into heaven, sneak into heaven… go under the fence, over the wall, buy your way in, talk your way in, by-pass the system, plead your position, convince the Judge of your worthiness, get God to rethink His position on the matter, have a lawyer plead your case, make a deal with God, or get a coyote to lead you in through a back door.
God does not have grandchildren. Just because your paternity is Christian, that does not get you into Heaven. Your Christian background has no pull with the Judge, nor Christian parents, nor friends. Your Christian spouse or well-meaning priest may have lots of chutzpah, but their prayers won’t pray you in after you’re dead.
We must be born again now, before you die. It is only Jesus that was the perfect sacrifice to take our place of condemnation. He is calling you to accept Him.
– Source: Extreme to the nth degree
I like how the Apostle Paul put it here in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Paul tells us “Not one person”, NOT EVEN ONE of us, who lives “our own” way on earth, will ever reach Heaven. He says, “Don’t fool yourself.” Here is my unauthorized paraphrase:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
– Swift’s Amped-up Paraphrase of the Bible (AMPED-UP)
9 Don’t you know this!?
…that those who live their own way
will not actually get into God’s Kingdom?
They won’t have even the slightest share in it!
Don’t fool yourself by your limited thinking.
Not one person who lives their life their own way
will ever inherit the Kingdom of God or share in any part of it.
Not the sexually immoral, not idolaters,
not adulterers, not effeminate [by perversion],
not those who participate in homosexuality,
10 not thieves, not the greedy, not drunkards, not revilers
[whose words are used as weapons
to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander],
not swindlers.
– 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Swift’s Amped-up Paraphrase of the Bible (AMPED-UP)
Source: Opting Out
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”
– Philippians 2:12
We should be dead serious about seriously participating in our salvation. You “work it out”. You prove your confession of faith by your works. You love God so much that you don’t let sin in. By the strength of the Holy Spirit in you, you persevere in the faith to the end.
You don’t run into the church, raise your hand, say a prayer — and then run out to do your own thing as always. You must truly repent – and believe, and follow Jesus with sincerity and truth. No turning back. See: Luke 9:23
Don’t let this be true of you:
Matthew 15:8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.
Mark 7:6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.
After our salvation moment, the veracity of our salvation is evidenced by the testimony of our life as we follow Him. If we consequently do not follow Christ, it is evidence that we did not truly yield to Him. Are you living for Christ? Really?
It is impossible to deceive God. But many seem to deceive themselves, thinking that a simple acquiescence saved them. Many like the sound of the gospel, but then go on to live a contrary life to what a follower of Christ is told in the Bible to live. That type of faith is no faith at all. That “easy believe-ism” will not stand up in court before an all-knowing God.
Man’s ways are often NOT His ways. Yet He tells us what is expected of us (Deuteronomy 30:16).
– Source: Me, When I Die, forgiven
In that Judgement Day,
my right and wrong “as I see it”,
my “it’s okay to be impure” attitude,
my excuses for fornication,
my boyfriend-girlfriend sex,
my “sexual preference”,
my same-sex sex,
my fetus farming science,
my baby killing abortion choice,
my “the ends justify the means” way of life,
… will not stand in the Court of God.
– Source: Being Christian
A sinner must repent of their sins, make their sins a thing of the past (verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) – and then… “take up your cross and follow Me”. Jesus said in Luke 9:23:
23 And He was saying to them all,
“If anyone wishes to follow Me
[as My disciple],
he must
deny himself
[set aside selfish interests],
and
take up his cross daily
[expressing a willingness
to endure whatever may come]
and
follow Me
[believing in Me,
conforming to My example in living
and, if need be,
suffering or perhaps dying
because of faith in Me].
Jesus Himself explained “salvation” here, in Luke 9:23. Jesus details what He requires for entrance into His Kingdom. Let’s see it as Jesus outlined it:
1. You’ve got to want it. “If anyone wishes to….” (v23)
You´ve gotta want it.
If I don’t want it, it does not happen. I have to want it enough, make the decisions, and go for it. If not me, then who? Nobody. I make my life happen – not my mommy nor my wife, not my brother nor my sister. It’s me.
Then there is the matter of me and God. The first step to discovering God is wanting to. He is there, but I’ve got to want to know more about Him. I choose to – or not.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” –James 4:8
– Source: Want It
2. “he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests]”.
Some things can take the place of God in our life, become our idol. Until that “one thing” is relinguished from our heart… there can be no saving grace, no true salvation.
Many are like the rich young ruler to whom Jesus, knowing his heart, had this to say to him: “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” – Verse 21 of Mark 10:17-31
You “must deny” yourself to be able to walk “the same path of life that I walk]“, said Jesus (v21).
No denying? Then only crying.
For you will hear Him say to you,
“‘I do not know where you are from [for you are not of My household].’ … ‘I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers!’” (Verses 25-27 of Luke 13:22-30)
and
3. “take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come]”
Whatever comes down your road of life… your heart is willing to endure it. Life is not easy, but the true believer takes each day one at a time, trusting, relying… on Him.
and
4. “follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].”
Following Jesus – instead of following the enemies of our soul, shows true faith.
It’s not like as if your “works” are going to save you. They don’t. But if your works do not reflect Christ — then your faith is dead, and you were never saved at all.
If you are not conforming to Christ, then you maybe just might not be “of Him”. Does that not make you tremble and fear?
It goes back to your heart. The true believer will sin, and quite regularly! We are weak. But it is always a struggle against sin. Whereas the fake believer will embrace and accept sin as something normal and good. Do you call good what God calls evil? Do you test yourself and your actions against the Word of God? – Source: Following Someone
What God requires of us for salvation
16 And I command you today: Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess. – Deuteronomy 30:16
And having been made perfect,
He became
to all those who obey Him
the source of eternal salvation”
– Hebrews 5:9
Well, there goes Universalism out the door! Those “it’s all good” folks leave out the middle line: “to all those who obey Him”. The true gospel teaches “He became – the source of eternal salvation – to all those who obey Him”. He did not become the source of eternal salvation – to all. (Which constitutes the Universalist belief that we are all covered by His love, regardless…. That is a false teaching.)
Salvation ALWAYS results in obedience to God, “good works“, “good fruit“, “action and in truth“, [in practice and in sincerity:
18 Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion],
but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words].
19 By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him
20 whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands].
21 Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God – 1 John 3:18-21
““You shall love the Lord your God“ …with all you got. (Luke 10:27) No love. No God. No heaven. No salvation.
The heart, when saved by God, obeys God. We may stumble, we may be “prone to wander”… but not habitually. We are called to holiness – living for Jesus. The Christian life is a narrow road, learning little by little how to be more and more like Christ. It’s a battle, not a cush, easy road to walk. We work at it, as it says:
just as you have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
God Almighty is not a god-of-whatever. He is Master of the Universe He Himself created. He requires sincerity and truth from us – real faith, not phony baloney fake faith.
To walk freely into His Gates, we simply accept His grace freely given to us. His justice declares us “forgiven” when we bow our will to Him in sincerity and truth, asking Him to forgive and clean-us-up. In that moment of “repentance” we are declared set free forever.
In that moment we become born again by His Spirit… never ever again to be condemned as a sinner, forever clean within His Courts. In that moment we are declared worthy of entering into His Holy Heavens. In that moment we are made heirs with Jesus.
– Source: Extreme to the nth degree
We aim to do what is pleasing to God — because our love for God “constrains” us to please this Savior who redeemed us from the pit of hell. Oh how marvelous — this God we will spend an eternity with!
FOR MORE:
What God has going on with us here on this planet
The Wonder of the Birth of God
Being 100% given-over to Jesus
It’s all or nothing – 100%
God Is Asking You To Repent – 100%
Being faithful, little by little
Why you are an idiot …IF you say there is no God
Footnotes
- expire: to emit the last breath; die. – Google
- “dibs” is a popular slang phrase in the U.S. used to refer to a claim over or first right to some object. The only catch: A person has to utter the term or call “dibs” before anyone else in order to defend that claim.
- disrespectful or the lack of a serious attitude,
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