Will You Fit In, In Heaven

Title: Will you fit in to heaven?

Theme:

Text: Matthew 13:33

“The kingdom of heaven is like” uses 8 times by Matthew

Leaven is a symbol of sin

Introduction

I read a statistic last Sunday from a poll done by George Barna, reputable research agency. Polling people in America they found that 93% of people believed in heaven, 71% believed that they would go to heaven while only 17% believed they would go to hell if they were to die.

Now what intrigued me the most is that 7 in 10 believe they were going to heaven yet I wonder what kind of heaven they were going to. I think this is important. The Bible talks a lot about heaven. Over 500 times we see a reference or mention of heaven in the Bible. So if there was an authority on heaven then it would have to be the Bible.

Yet I don’t believe that these have a Biblical concept of heaven. So I have titled this message, “Will you fit in to heaven?” I think that is a good question to ask. The Bible talks about certain characteristics that make up this place called heaven. So I ask you if you don’t live a Biblical Christian life here on earth what makes you think you will fit into heaven.

Or if you are one of those who believe that because you are a good person. Maybe you don’t lie on your taxes, or you give to the needy, or you don’t “drink, smoke, and chew and hang around with those who do” because of all this you feel you will make it into heaven, I must ask you that same question “Will you fit in?” I want to not just five things that the Bible says are in heaven, let us see if we will be comfortable.

Heaven a place of Safe Deposits

Matthew 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Heaven is a place where we are laying up our treasures.

The Bible says that heaven is a place of holiness

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Here we read that to see God, or to be with God in heaven we must be holy. We have live a life of holiness.

Holiness basically means to be set apart from this world.

This is what Paul was saying in Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

NIV Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.

Another translation reads, Message “So here what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life- and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well formed maturity in you.”

A candidate for heaven will be one who is in white robes

It is interesting that in Revelation 7:14 those who are in heaven that came from earth are referred to as ones who “have washed their robes, and made them white”.

John inquired of those standing before the throne, “And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14 AV)

In the glorious days of old Rome all those who were applicants for office wore white robes. They were called candidates because clothed in white, as the word literally means. Candidates for Heaven are known by the garments unspotted from the world. Let me ask you, “Have you ‘washed your robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb”.