Transcript: Does Being Good Get You to Heaven?

Does Being Good Get You to Heaven? Study Guide

“In spite of all their differences and peculiarities, the religions of this world share one common denominator: How you live your life on this side of the grave determines what happens next.” Andy Stanley, How Good is Good Enough?

I. Main Question:

Is being good, good enough to get you into Heaven?

(A) A Common Answer
(1) A lot of people believe that if they live a good life . . . that maybe they might

find their way to Heaven. (a) Problem with This Thinking

(i) We all face the reality in life of limitations. As humans beings we are limited creatures. We are finite beings. The reality is this, we cannot do everything.

(ii) It’s a reality of life. We cannot do everything on our own. (b) When We Believe We Can Do Everything

(i) We try . . . to do everything on our own.
(ii) The inevitable: We are quickly brought to our knees in

exhaustion. (B) The Christian Answer

(i)

Just as we cannot humanly manage all the things of life on our own, we likewise are unable to work our way into Heaven.
(a) There are not enough hours in the day to work our way into Heaven. (b) There are not enough dollars to buy our way into Heaven.

(c) Given ten thousand lifetimes, there is no possible way that anyone could ever do enough good deeds or garner enough credit on this Earth to gain entrance into the presence of God.
(d) Any effort to do so will bring you to your knees in exhaustion.

II. The Question That’s Left:

Can we ever really get to Heaven?

(A) The Answer: Absolutely, yes!
(i) We must call upon the One and just one person who is able to do the

impossible.
(ii) Only Jesus Christ is able to do what we cannot. That is, only Jesus is able to save our sinful souls, wash us white as snow, and make peace with us and God the Father.

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Does Being Good Get You to Heaven? Study Guide

(iii) The Bible is replete with scriptures that drill into our minds--you cannot work your way into Heaven, but God can!
(iv) A state of spiritual lostness can never be remedied by human means.

III. Recap

(a) It’s in our very nature to sin.
(b) Prior to salvation, even our greatest deeds are or our best intentions are

inneffective in saving our souls.
(c) Any attempt or even any good intention we might have to work our way

into Heaven is an offence to God because it attempts to steal from His well-deserved glory.

There is no effort on our end that will be able to save our souls. We are eternally lost. But fortunately, there is hope.

“For the wages of sin is death, the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The way Jesus said you enter into [His] Kingdom:
(A) Confess that you are a sinner
(B) Repent from that sin
(C) Believe that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is able to save you from that sin
(D) Request for him to cleanse you from all unrighteousness
(E) Admit that you can’t do any of this in [your] own efforts, but rather [you] need

God, and God alone, to apply His perfect work--the work that He did on the cross . . . to save our souls.

Christ knew that there was nothing that we could do to earn his mercy.

He knew the sins we had committed. He knew the mistakes we had made. But yet he loved us anyway. And so He sent His son to die on the cross for your sins . . . and if we will just confess with our lips, and call upon the name of the Lord, He will save us . . . change us, and He will give us that promise of Heaven for eternity.

Key Scriptures:

Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8;

Transcript: Does Being Good Get You to Heaven?

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