C1 – A place called Heaven
Which way are you going?
That is a good question! We are on the way of life. We entered into this road the moment we were born. The best compass in this way of life is the Holy Bible, which is the word of God. There is no other book on earth that can compare with the Bible.
But STOP! Hold on for a while. We quickly notice that there are two roads before us. One road leads to Heaven and is narrow, the other road leads to hell and that one is wide. We must choose to walk on one of these roads. No one can choose for you!
The broad way appears easy to travel on and there are so many people who prefer to take it. But the Bible warns us that it leads only to destruction.
“…For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” Matthew 7 vs. 13
The narrow way does not look so easy to navigate, however it is the one that leads to Heaven.
What kind of a place is Heaven?
Heaven is a place more beautiful than anything we can think of. The Bible tells us that Heaven is made of pure gold and precious stones of all kinds. There is no need for the sun or the moon because the glory of God fills Heaven, providing the illumination necessary. Everything in Heaven is holy. There is nothing sinful or defiled that can enter in.
There is no sickness in heaven, no pain or suffering and no death! There is joy in heaven all the time. But the most interesting aspect about Heaven is that the Lord Jesus Christ himself is there! He is loved and praised by all in Heaven. We have good news for you! God wants you in Heaven. Yes, that is true. Do you know why? Because He loves you! But there is something you must do to go to Heaven. You must choose the narrow way. You choose the narrow way by repenting of your sins and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. To help you understand this, here are some verses to read:
“There is none righteous, no not one;”
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3 vs. 10, 23
What is the meaning of these verses? They tell us that we have all sinned. That means we have said and done evil things. We have disobeyed the commandments of God as clearly expressed in the Bible. Perhaps you may think that you are not a sinner. Have you ever told a lie? Did you ever take something that belonged to someone else? Have you ever felt hatred towards someone, or disobeyed your parents? Have ever sworn on the name of the Lord or take the name of the Lord in vain. God tells us that all these things are called sin. We cannot enter into Heaven with sin in our hearts.
Sin is terrible.
It hurts us and hurts other people as well. Above all, sin hurts God. Do you know why? Because God loves you so much.
We trust that God is talking to you right now in your heart. If you are convicted of your past sins as you are taking this lesson you need to be saved! You must take a step of repentance, show that indeed you are sorry for committing those sins and show that you are willing to turn away from them to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. God wants you to be saved.
What does it mean to be saved?
It means that God forgives us all of our sins and make us to become His children. We are saved from the punishment befitting our sins.
Can everyone be saved?
Yes! Even children can be saved as long as they understand their sinful position before God and personally accept the Lord as their Savior. Remember a familiar passage in the Bible,
“Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19 vs. 14.
Can we be saved by being good people?
No, we cannot. It does not matter how much we try. We can never be good enough to be saved because we are sinners naturally. We think, say and do sinful things even when we do not want to do them. The Bible says that all of us are sinners and that is why the Lord Jesus came to save us. We cannot save ourselves. God has given us a Savior and He is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Read John 3 vs. 16,
“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 vs. 16
Who is referred to as ‘the world?’ All of us! This includes me and you. God refers to all of us when He says ‘the world’. You can include your name in place of the phrase ‘the world’ in this verse and see just how wonderful God is. Let’s say your name is Robert. The verse will now read:
“For God so loved Robert that He gave His only begotten Son, that if Robert believes in Him, he should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3 vs. 16
God loves us and He gave us the most wonderful gift of all.
What is God’s gift to us?
God’s gift to us is His Son! God has given us His Son to be our Savior. He gave the Lord Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. The Bible says:
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5 vs. 8
The Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners. He died for me and you. You can say, “He died for my sins!” Not only did Christ die for our sins, He rose from the dead and is now a living Savior! He has all power in Heaven and on earth. He can forgive your sin and make you His child.
Our next verse explains to us how we can become the children of God.
The Bible says,
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1 vs. 12.
To be a child of God, you must come to the Lord Jesus Christ as a guilty sinner, repent of your sins and accept Him as your personal Savior.
How do I accept the Lord Jesus Christ?
You accept the Lord Jesus by inviting Him into your heart. Your heart is like a house having a door. Jesus said,
“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to Him…” Revelation 3 vs. 20.
When the Lord Jesus comes into your heart, He becomes your Savior and He forgives you all your sins. That way you become a child of God. You are saved.
Summary
We have noted that according to the Bible, you are a sinner. But God loves you. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for you. Now you can be saved if you repent of your sins and accept Him as your personal Savior. You must make the right choice. You can choose the narrow way by turning away from your sins and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Or you can choose the broad way which leads to destruction by rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that the outcome of your choice could either lead you to Heaven or to hell.
What will you decide?
Only you can choose for yourself. If you have understood this lesson, look for a quiet spot where you can be alone and invite Jesus into your heart. If you believe in Him with all your sincere heart, the Lord Jesus will enter into your heart as He promised. He will never leave you. God will grant you eternal life.
How do we know this?
We know that because the Bible says,
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life…”John 3 vs. 36.
Being a child of God is the greatest thing that could happen to you but it will not always be easy. The secret to enjoy this new way of life is to remember that the Lord Jesus has promised never to leave us. We believe that because God has said so in the Bible.
Next Steps
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