Following The Crowd Is Not A Good Idea Series

Following the crowd is not a good idea. Luke 13-22-30

Gladstone Baptist Church - 6/8/06 pm

S1 - Heaven seems like such a wonderful place and everyone wants to get to heaven don’t they. But many people will miss out.

Hi Boys & Girls, Mums & Dads, today I want to talk to you about heaven. Heaven is a wonderful place. Can anyone tell me what heaven will be like ...

Let me tell you some of the things we know about heaven...

Heaven is where God is ... Matt 6:9

Heaven is so big, it can’t be measured - Jer 31:37

Heaven is a special place - the Bible calls it holy - Ps 20:6

Heaven is a happy place - there will be no tears in heaven - Rev 7:17

Heaven is an eternal place - there won’t be any death, pain or sickness - Rev 21:4

Heaven is a place without night or darkness - Rev 22:3

Heaven is a place where we will never be thirsty or hungry - Rev 7:16

It sounds like a wonderful place doesn’t it and it will be. Imagine getting to share a home with God and Jesus.

You know, most boys and girls and mums and dads in our world want to go to heaven. They may not understand everything about it, but they definitely want to go to heaven and not the alternative which is a place we call hell.

But unfortunately the Bible tells us that most people in this world, in Australia and Gladstone, will miss out on heaven. Though they desperately want to get there, they won’t make it and they will end up in hell which will be a horrible, horrible place.

That is pretty shocking isn’t it to think that you won’t be able to play with many of your friends and neighbours because they won’t get to heaven.

S2 - To get to heaven, we need to find the narrow road.

You see, Jesus says that though most people want to go to live in heaven when they die, most won’t get there.

Jesus was once asked this question ... “How many people are going to be saved?” Essentially the person was asking - how many people are going to make it to heaven?

Jesus doesn’t give an answer but this is what he says ... If you have your bibles open, you can open them upto Luke 13: 22

22As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he taught the people in the towns and villages. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"

Jesus answered: 24Do all you can to go in by the narrow door! A lot of people will try to get in, but will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, you will be left standing outside. You will knock on the door and say, "Sir, open the door for us!"

But the owner will answer, "I don’t know a thing about you!"

26Then you will start saying, "We dined with you, and you taught in our streets."

27But he will say, "I really don’t know who you are! Get away from me, you evil people!"

28Then when you have been thrown outside, you will weep and grit your teeth because you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom. 29People will come from all directions and sit down to feast in God’s kingdom. 30There the ones who are now least important will be the most important, and those who are now most important will be least important.

In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 7, Jesus uses an illustration of a road in a similar way ... He says

13Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. 14But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.

What do you think that Jesus is meaning when he talks about the way to heaven being like narrow gates, doors and roads?

I think you are right ...

Jesus said that getting to heaven is like choosing to go through a really narrow gate or a door. Imagine that we have 2 doors - a really, really big one and a small, narrow one. As the crowd approaches the little door - they just keep walking. Most people choose to walk through the really big door. Most don’t even see the narrow door and miss it all together. But if we want to get to heaven, we need to find the narrow door and walk through it. If we don’t we will end up being thrown into hell.