How to Get Into Heaven

As our Lord Jesus winds up this sermon, He drives home repeatedly the message that obedience is not optional. He contrasts two ways — the way of obedience and the way of disobedience — over and over. He speaks in terms of two ways, two trees, two destinies, and two builders. We’ve looked at the two ways and the two trees. This morning we come to the two destinies. These are (1) entering the Kingdom of Heaven or (2) being excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven. As you could know just by thinking about it, Jesus is the one who gets to make the final decision about who enters the Kingdom and who’s excluded from it. That’s really what He’s announcing here. He’s already talked about the two ways and the two trees. But now, He reveals that He is the final arbiter. He tells us what His criteria are, too. How will He decide who to let into His Kingdom and who to exclude? Strictly by evaluating whether He knows you and whether you obey His Father.