Today we need to talk about something very serious. We are going to talk about heaven. We are going to talk about those people who think they are going to heaven but they are not. Like someone who goes to the store to buy a lot of things and when they go to check out they are told you’re credit card in cancelled.
In the Bible it says: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” – Ephesians 2:8-10
“Waayo, idinku waxaad ku badbaaddeen nimco xagga rumaysadka, mana aha wax xaggiinna ka yimid, laakiinse waa hadiyadda Ilaah, mana aha xagga shuqullada, si aan ninna ugu faanin. Waayo, innagu waxaynu nahay wixii uu sameeyey, oo waxaa laynoogu uumay Ciise Masiix shuqullada wanaagsan aawadood oo Ilaah hore ugu diyaariyey inaynu ku soconno.” – Efesos 2:8-10
Do you want to stand before God and have Him tell you that your good works have been cancelled?
The Bible says:
“We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Yet no one calls on your name
or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us
and turned us over to our sins.” – Isaiah 64:6-7
“Waayo, kulligayo waxaannu noqonnay sida wax aan nadiif ahayn, oo xaqnimadayada oo dhammuna waa sida dhar wasakh ah, kulligayona waxaannu u engegnay sida caleen oo kale, oo xumaantayadiina sidii dabayl oo kale ayay noo kaxaysataa. Oo innaba lama arko mid magacaaga ku baryootama, ama niyadiisa u kiciya inuu ku xagsado, waayo, wejigaagii waad naga qarisay, oo xumaatooyinkayagii aawadood waad na wada baabbi’isay.” – Ishacyaah 64:6-7
“And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.” – Hebrews 9:27-28
“Waxaa dadka looga dhigay inay mar dhintaan, taas dabadeedna la xukumo, sidaas oo kalena Masiix, isagoo mar loo bixiyey inuu qaado dembiyada kuwa badan, ayuu dembila’aan mar labaad badbaadin ugu muuqan doonaa kuwa isaga sugaya.” – Cibraaniyada 9:27-28
It is a lie to think that you will go to heaven because of your good works. It is like walking in the desert thinking you see a pool of water that you can drink from; but when you get close to the water you see that it was just a dream. There is no water. The same is true if you think that your good works will bring you to heaven. You are dreaming. It is not true. You will stand before God alone and God will say your good works mean nothing.
The only thing we can do to get into heaven is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Savior of the world. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and if we put our faith in Him and believe in Him our sins will be forgiven and we will go to heaven. We go to heaven because our sins have been forgiven; not because we have done good works on this earth.
Salvation does not come from the good things that you do: salvation comes from believing in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
In Pakistan there was a man named Zahid. He was a strong muslim leader and a sheikh in one of the mosques. He was a leader of the young men of the mosque. One night Zahid took the young men into the streets to terrorize and kill any Christians that they could find. They young men walked the streets until they finally found some Christians.
The Christians ran away but one of them dropped his Bible. Zahid picked it up and put it in his shirt so that he could read it later and prove that the Bible was full of lies and contradictions. Later when Zahid started to read the Bible a great white light filled His room and the voice of Jesus spoke to Zahid “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
In Somali this is
“Markaasaa Ciise wuxuu Toomas ku yidhi, Anigu waxaan ahay jidka iyo runta iyo nolosha. Ninna Aabbaha uma yimaado, xaggayguu ku yimaado maahee.” – Yooxanaa 14:6
For the next three nights the light and the voice appeared to Zahid until the fourth night. Zahid got on his knees and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Zahid’s sins were forgiven and he received eternal life. He started to tell everyone about his faith in Jesus Christ and was arrested. He was tortured and sentenced to die. They took Zahid and were ready to hang him. But suddenly the guards came and said that Zahid was to be set free. And today Zahid may still be walking from town to town in Pakistan sharing the truth about Jesus Christ.
It is not by works that we are saved: we are saved by putting our faith and believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
One day some people came to Jesus to ask Him what they had to do in order to go to heaven and Jesus answered them:
““Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going. – John chapter 14
“ Qalbigiinnu yuusan murugoon. Ilaah waad rumaysan tihiin, anigana i rumaysta.Guriga Aabbahay wuxuu leeyahay hoyaal badan. Haddaanay sidaas ahayn waan idiin sheegi lahaa, maxaa yeelay, waxaan u tegayaa inaan meel idiin sii diyaariyo. Oo haddaan tago oo meel idiin diyaariyo, mar dambe waan soo noqon doonaa, oo xaggaygaan idiin qaadan doonaa, in meeshaan joogo, idinkuna aad joogtaan. Oo meeshaan tegayo iyo jidkaba waad taqaaniin. Markaasaa Ciise wuxuu Toomas ku yidhi, Anigu waxaan ahay jidka iyo runta iyo nolosha. Ninna Aabbaha uma yimaado, xaggayguu ku yimaado maahee. Haddaad i garateen, Aabbahayna waad garan lahaydeen. Hadda ka dib waad garanaysaan, waadna aragteen.
Runtii, runtii, waxaan idinku leeyahay, Kii i rumaystaa, shuqullada aan sameeyo, isna wuu samayn doonaa, oo shuqullo kuwan ka waaweynna wuu samayn doonaa, maxaa yeelay, Aabbahaan u tegayaa. Oo wax alla waxaad magacayga ku weyddiisataan, waan samayn doonaa in Aabbuhu ku ammaanmo Wiilka. Haddii aad wax igu weyddiisataan magacayga, waan samayn doonaa. Nabad baan idiinka tegayaa, nabaddaydana waan idin siinayaa, sida dunidu u siiso anigu idiin siin maayo. Qalbigiinnu yuusan murugoon, yuusanna biqin. Waad maqasheen inaan idinku idhi, Waan tegayaa, waanan idiin imanayaa. Haddaad i jeclaateen, waad farxi lahaydeen, waayo, Aabbahaan u tegayaa, maxaa yeelay, Aabbuhu waa iga weyn yahay. Haatan waxaan idiinku sheegay intaanay dhicin, in markay dhacaan aad rumaysataan. Mar dambe wax badan idinlama sii hadli doono, maxaa yeelay, kan madaxda dunida ahu wuu imanayaa, isaguna waxba iguma laha. Laakiin tani waa in dunidu ku garato inaan Aabbaha jeclahay iyo inaan sameeyo sida Aabbuhu igu amray. Kaca, aynu meeshan ka tagnee.
Jesus is calling you to follow Him. Jesus is offering you salvation. If you want to have your sins forgiven open your hearts and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life. Amen.