Matthew 19:25 asks the question succinctly, ‘Who then can be saved?’ The parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25 tells us that it is possible to be born again, to live a holy life, to give everything you have to the poor and still not make it to heaven. Five of the virgins did not make it to heaven despite all the sacrifices they had made here on earth. The door was shut on these five virgins despite all their holiness and giving to the poor and being born again.
Consequently, from this story, Jesus is saying, for you to make it to heaven, you need an extra anointing of the Holy Spirit. You need an extra knowledge of the Word of God. You need an extra amount of prayer. You need to be fully prepared for that day. The problem with the virgins was that they did not have an extra knowledge and revelation of the Word of God. What the parable of the virgins is telling us is that in heaven only the Word is spoken and you must have the Word of God fully inside of you to be able to make it.
Finally, we will discover that even if you are born again, living a holy life, compassionate to the poor and have the Word inside of you and you make it to heaven; you can still be thrown out … of heaven.
Matthew 22: 1-14 tells us the story of the king who invited some special guests to his party and all of them gave one excuse or another for not being able to make it. Then the king asked his people to go and invite people from the streets to the party and the beggars, the street people, the market women all came to the party organised by the king. That will be one of the surprises of heaven. You will see the mallam at your gate in heaven. You will see your taxi driver in heaven. You will see the area boy in heaven. But some people you expect to see in heaven – the bishops and the pastors – might not be there because they, in the final analysis, refused the king’s invitation or they did not qualify.
The disciples asked Jesus in the story of the rich young ruler, ‘who then can be saved?’ Jesus replied that with men, this shall be impossible; but with God all things are possible. Meaning that in the final analysis, we can make it to heaven only by the grace of God.
Despite all that you have done, the only way you can make it to heaven is if God allows it, because even all that you have done may not fully qualify you. It is impossible for you as a man to make it to heaven. It is possible only by the grace of God.
The reason Lazarus made it heaven was because God allowed him. The name Lazarus means ‘God allows or God permits’. It means that Lazarus, the beggar, made it only because God, by His grace, allowed him to do so. When you have done all that you on your part have to do, such as being born again, living a holy life, being compassionate to the poor, giving to the kingdom, having the Word of God inside of you and speaking it, having the right attitude, then ask for the grace of God to bless all these and beg God that whatsoever He decides to do, He must allow you in. I am sure that He will.
See you in heaven…by His Grace