1. Helping The Church Reach Heaven 1

2. Introduction HEAVEN is our goal! Revelation 21 gives a beautiful description of heaven Rev. 2:10 “…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” 2

3. The sad reality is this --- many Christians fall away and will be lost What can we do to prevent this from happening? How can we help one another go to heaven? 3

4. I. A scriptural foundation 4

5. 1. We must have the right priorities Those who fall away from the faith somehow have a change in priorities We need to encourage one another to put first things first 5

6. Mt. 6:33 [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 6

7. Mt. 33:37-40 [37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. 7

8. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 8

9. Phil. 3:8 8 Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, 9

10. 2. We must know whom we serve We must know who God and Christ are God is love --- 1 Jn. 4:7 10

11. God has revealed himself to man His great love moved Him to provide for man’s salvation 11

12. Christ reveals God to man Jn. 1:18 [18] No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 12

13. Phil. 3:10-11 [10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; [11] If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 13

14. 2 Pet. 3:9 [9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 14

15. 3. We must learn to be selfless The message of the cross is one of selflessness Selfless living leads to a fulfilled life 15

16. Mt. 16:24-26 [24] Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 16

17. [26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 17

18. 2 Tim. 3:1-5 [1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 18

19. [3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, [4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 19

20. Mt. 7:12 – How to live a truly selfless life [12] Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 20

21. II. Some things we must do 21

22. 1. Be ready to take on the devices of Satan Mt. 10:16 [16] Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 22

23. 2 Cor. 2:11 [11] Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. Devices --- lies, deception, discouragement, false teachers, 23

24. 1 Pet. 3:15 – Christians must be ready to give an answer [15] But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 24

25. 2. Develop a sense of family that no one would want to leave God is our Father Christians – God’s children – are God’s family 25

26. Gal. 3:26-28 [26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. [27] For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 26

27. 1 Jn. 3:1 [1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 27

28. THIS MEANS THAT WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST! The church is a family and we must have the love that family members should have for each other 28

29. 3. We must learn to accept correction Most people today despise correction Our society, affected by relativism, teaches that no one is wrong HOWEVER – We know that God’s word is the standard of right and wrong 29

30. Having this absolute standard from God we need to realize that sometimes there is a need for correction 30

31. Proverbs 3:11 [11] My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 31

32. Heb. 12:6-7 [6] For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. [7] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 32

33. Rev. 3:19 [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 33

34. 4. We need to be actively involved in the work of the church 2 Cor. 6:1 [1] We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 34

35. 5. We need to let heaven motivate us Heaven is real --- we need to make it our goal We must not allow the temptation to live in the moment dominate our thinking and actions 35

36. Heb. 11:13-16 [13] These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. [14] For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 36

37. [15] And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. [16] But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. 37

38. 6. We must examine ourselves in order to maintain our zeal for serving God Titus 2:14 [14] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 38

39. In order to make changes in our lives when needed – we need to maintain our zeal 39

40. 2 Cor. 12:15 [15] And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. 40

41. References: Cauley, Kevin. Helping the Church Reach Heaven. Annual Southwest Lectures, Hopkins Publ., 2012 41