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- God is good to all:
- God is faithful, each person determines how far he wants to go
- God is no respecter of persons
- His grace is available to All
- Expect surprises in heaven.
Introduction
Heaven and hell are open to both the poor and the rich. God is no respecter of persons. Whether you are rich or poor, the gate of heaven is open and regardless of your effort, only His grace will get you to heaven...For we are saved by His grace, not works.Whether you are rich or poor, black or white, coloured or Hispanic,,, whatever the world people call you, it doesn't matter, Heaven is open. It is a place for those who are born again and remained connected to Jesus as a branch, who love God and obeyed His word to the end of their lives. Heaven is open to all the people that can endure hardship till the end, those that can endure tribulation, rejection, poverty and even shame. For those that will persevere in faith and love, in holiness and righteousness, heaven is open to all.
Rejoice, friends, whether you are counted among the haves or the have not, don't worry, Jesus died for you to make it to heaven, where there is no suffering and no lack whatsoever. All you need is to give your heart to Jesus Christ, Son of God and follow Him all the way, in peril and in joy, in heaviness and in celebration, in poverty and in wealth, knowing that the reward of eternity in heaven is more valuable, compared to the temporal suffering on earth.
Surprises
Heaven will be full of surprises, just as some surprises are already happening before our eyes here on earth. You will meet people you least expect to see, already resting on the bosom of the Lord.
I will give you a few examples - Who would have thought that a black man would rule America for a single day, not to mention for eight good years. An African American, Barak Obama of Kenya descent ruled the only surviving Super Power - America for eight (8) good years. Who would have also thought that a wealthy businessman Trump, would one day, push all the hard politicians away and occupy the White House in USA. It happened because God is in charge of all things and He decides who rules where, and at any point in time.Jesus and the rich young man
The story of Jesus Christ and the young rich man is depicted in the picture and repeated here for you to understand why greed for money, love for money and earthly possession will become a stumbling block for the rich - because the money would eventually become their god, instead of the Living God. It is idolizing their possession that will disqualify them. Mathew 19:21-25
a) As the Lord Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
b) No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness, You shall not defraud; honour your father and your mother.” He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
c) Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”d) At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. But, reading further into Matthew we find another popular quote, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For with God, all things are possible.” Just as [with God] a camel might pass through the eye of a needle, it seems possible the rich can go to heaven.
Rich God
God is a rich God, and many of the men He used in the bible were very wealthy. God promised great wealth to many of his followers. Genesis 13 talks about how Abraham was already very rich in livestock, silver and gold and God blessed him with much more as the story unfolds.
David, King of Israel, and his son Solomon were very rich and powerful. After King Solomon asks for an “understanding of heart,” in Kings 3:5, God replies with, “I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again. I will also give you what you have not asked for: all your life you will have wealth and honour, more than that of any other King.”
Even after losing everything, Job is rewarded with more material wealth than he had previously because of his faith. So if so many blessed men in the bible were also very rich, why do so many interpret it as impossible for a rich man to go to heaven?
The rich that can go to heaven:
Is it possible for a rich man to be saved by grace, just as all men may be saved. The answer is YES! The Scripture includes numerous accounts of men who were wealthy and yet who also followed the Lord faithfully.
Perhaps the best example of a believer who was wealthy is Abraham (Genesis 12). Wealth in itself is not evil. The Bible says the love of money is the problem. In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul says this:
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. For many rich people, their wealth is their god. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:24:
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. A person who makes wealth his god clearly is not devoted to the true God. Probably the best example of this is when Jesus gives the gospel to the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-26:
The rich, who is not greedy will enter. The rich and greedy, who are selfish and not rich towards God will have a problem making it to heaven. We are not judging anyone, but here to reinforce the thread that many rich men will be in heaven.
The rich that will make heaven will be those who obey the admonishing of Apostle Paul in 1 Tim 6:17-19, which says: "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life"
They should be careful in their conduct and avoid being high-minded. They should not trust in their uncertain riches, but trust in the Living God. They should do good and be rich in good works, be ready to distribute, ready to communicateTheir Task and challenges
The young man in the story actively sought out Jesus and wanted to follow Him. He led a good life and obeyed all God’s commandments. But Jesus looked into his eyes full of love and told him that in order to follow Him he had to first give up all that he possessed and give his riches to the poor.This is the first lesson for the rich that want to enter heaven - Sell all you have and give to the poor, then come and follow Me - Why was that, so he can transfer his trust from material wealth to God.Without his knowledge, his riches and wealth had become his god and he had so much trust in his possession that no one can successfully serve God and mammon. Unfortunately, the young man was grieved and walked away. So, the young man loved Jesus with his head, but his heart was elsewhere – in his earthly treasures.According to the scriptures in Matthew 6-24 says, “No man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. One cannot serve God and mammon.
The curse of not making heaven is in the love of money, and greedy pursuit of material wealth. It is not a curse on the man, but on his attitude, love and worship of money, instead of love and worship of God. There is nothing like pursuing money without regard to what you can do with it. Money answereth all things, says the bible, money is a defence and if you observe these two characteristics of money, they are similar with some qualities of God.
With money, almost everything and everyone is within your rich. This is why filthy musicians, horrible adulterous men and even disgraced celebrities can access the President of any country, they have money and access to power. Money is powerful when you spend it and when you keep it safe in the bank. and God never says money is bad, neither did God condemn anyone for having money. He warns against greedy pursuit for money, covetousness and unwillingness to share.
The story is analysed in full:
And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." Then he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said,
"YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER, and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
While it may be difficult for one who is devoted to their wealth to set it aside, if necessary, and come to faith in Jesus Christ, the same barrier exists for all men in one way or another. This is why the Apostles asked the question above and why Jesus responded by saying that the impossible is possible for God. The truth is no one can be saved in his own power to live righteously and choose God over our earthly desires. Salvation comes by faith alone, and faith is the free gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). That is why Jesus says it is impossible for men, and possible only with God.
Note that the reverse of Matthew 6:24 is also true. If a person loves and is devoted to God, he will despise wealth. That is to say, he will not put his confidence in his wealth or rest in it. We see this with Abraham as well, as Scripture tells us he never saw this earth as his home. Hebrews 11:9-10 puts it this way:
By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Abraham was never devoted to his wealth. He always looked forward to heaven, where his true home was.
So, in summary, Scripture does not tell us that a wealthy person cannot go to heaven. Rather, God says that a person who devotes himself to wealth and gains more of it cannot be a servant of God, because such a person is giving evidence that money is their master, and he cannot serve two masters.
What does the bible say about Running Eternal Race?
The race to eternity is an interesting race on earth. It is an uncommon race, there is no one competing with you anyway, but there are spectators monitoring your movement, countenance and steps all the way through. There are a crowd of witnesses physically and spiritually monitoring you. These witnesses include your family members, friends, colleagues, neighbours etc. In the realm of the spirit, the angels and the demons are monitoring every step you take. This is why, Hebrews 12:1 says 'Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. This scripture confirms there is a race set before us, secondly, we should know how to run to win.The race of life is an endurance race with a difference. You should remain connected to your source throughout the race if you want to win. Your duty is therefore to stay focused on Christ and the Holy Ghost and be guided and strengthened by Him. If your trust is in Him, you are depending on Him, and you are able to wait on Him for wisdom and direction, Isaiah 40:31 says He, the Lord will renew your strength and you will soar on wings like eagles; you will run and not grow weary, you will walk and not be faint.In the race, trials and temptations will come, and hardship and persecution will also come, but blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him, according to James 1:12. As heaven-bound pilgrims, we glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Apostle Paul asked a question to the Corinthians, saying: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.Believers are the light of the world, and this consciousness should remain fresh in our hearts and guide our conduct in the race. We are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.This is a race we should run, with our eyes wide open. We should serve the Lord and His people and His interest as we run the race. If we have this understanding, we will do our work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Romans 12: 6-8 says, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.FIRE...
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