Romans 14:10 “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 “…we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

We’ve all heard the ancient saying, “All roads lead to Rome.” Indeed, the Roman Empire was famous for her roads. Sadly, however, many people have applied this ancient “wisdom” to Heaven. Many people still think that all roads lead to Heaven. Many people seem to feel that whatever religious road you travel, as long as you are sincere, you will find yourself in Heaven when your travels come to an end.

In a sense, I suppose, it’s true. The Bible does say that we will all stand before the throne of God one day. The better question, I believe, is not whether all roads “lead” to Heaven, but, “Do all roads stop there?” The Bible is very clear on this.

I’d like to share with you a sort of “Road Map to Heaven.” If you follow this map very closely, you will know for certain what the Bible says about going to Heaven…and staying there! As with any map, the first thing to do is to establish where you are on the map. It’s like when we go to the shopping mall; we look at the directory to find the stores in which we are interested. First, we look for the little red arrow or star that says, “You Are Here.”

The next thing to do is to decide where we are going. Once you establish where you are and determine where you are going, your route has been decided. It’s just that simple. Often, we will arrange to meet our children at a certain place and time. Our “Road Map to Heaven” is not much different.

First, we need to establish where we are.
Next, we need to decide where we want to go.
Then, we need to be willing to meet the Father where He has determined for us to meet Him.

To do all of this, we are going to refer once again to the Romans. That is, the epistle to the Romans: the sixth book of the New Testament. When I was a kid, my parents used to refer to this little “road map” as the Romans Road.

First, we need to establish where we are. Like a cosmic Global Positioning System, the first two chapters of Romans pinpoint the location of each and every one of us. Where are we? Bad news: we’re lost! It’s true. The Bible declares that we are lost before we even get started. As you read through chapters one and two of Romans, you find that you are either an unrighteous heathen, (code for “lost sinner”), or you are a self-righteous hypocrite, (also code for “lost sinner”). So how does a person who knows they are lost find their way? Again, the answer is simple. They find a “fixed point of reference” to establish a standard to measure their movement and progress. Hikers and sailors have, for years, used the North Star as their fixed point of reference to gauge their movement and progress. Fortunately, Romans 2:15 gives us our fixed point of reference, our North Star.

No matter what religion or creed you follow, you have this same standard: it is your conscience. The word, “conscience,” of course, means “with knowledge.” That is, each of us is born “with knowledge” of right and wrong. That little “voice” in our head that tells us when we are doing wrong is called the conscience. The Apostle Paul declares that the very reason you even have a conscience is because the true and living God has given it to you. And what is the standard for the conscience? Paul declares that it is the Law of God, written on the tablets of your heart. (Romans 2:15… “the law written in our hearts, our conscience also bearing witness…”) Thus, none of us is excused from sin. None of us can argue with God, “I didn’t know I was breaking Your Law.” That would be a lie, too. We each know when we are doing wrong. Our conscience accuses us every time we do. The very fact that we are lost is the result of acting contrary to our conscience, thus, breaking the Law of God. You don’t need some preacher to thump you over the head with his giant 50-pound Bible to tell you that. You already have your own personal giant: your conscience screaming in your ear.

So, you have a pretty good idea already of where you are. Just to make sure of it, let’s use the “Romans GPS” for confirmation. . .

Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” What does it mean to be righteous? It means to be “right with God.” That is much different from being “right with men.” If you are having a difference with your fellow man, you may or may not be to blame. You may be right, or the other guy may be right. You may have to compromise to settle the matter. However, if you are having a difference with God, (and you are), there is never a question of who is right or wrong. You are wrong! God is right. There’s no compromise. His Law, written on your heart, tells you, “You are un-righteous, lost.”

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” What does it mean to “sin?” The word “sin” is actually an athletic term. It comes from the sport of archery. In ancient times, they would set up the mark or target, usually a ring atop a tall pole. The archers would attempt to shoot their arrows through the mark, through the ring. Whenever the archer would miss the mark, the spectators would shout, “Sinner! Sinner!”

So, too, God has set up the mark: ten rings, ten targets. They are called the 10 Commandments, the Law of God. And each of us hears those words, “Sinner! Sinner!” Why? Because, each of us has missed the mark. We come short of the glory of God.

So we are damned and doomed, right?
We are destined to be lost forever, right?
Ah, the Good News!

Romans 5:8 says, “But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” What is being said here? Is God breaking His own Law? Absolutely not! Quite to the contrary, God is fulfilling His law. And in so doing, He is offering the one and only opportunity to establish your destination as Heaven.

Romans 5:10 says, “We are reconciled to God by the death of His Son [Jesus Christ].”

Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

That is, through Adam, sin was introduced to mankind. We have all sinned. Because sin is eternal, we all deserve to experience eternal death.

However, Romans 5:17 & 18 say, “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offence of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One [Jesus] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Romans 5:20 continues, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

So, we’ve established where we are: we are lost sinners in need of the Savior. We are in need of “justification.” Justification simply means, “just as if you’ve never sinned.” God has provided for our “justification” through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Next, we must decide where we want to go.

Because we are sinners, we deserve to be eternally separated from God. This is what the Bible calls “spiritual death.” We are created as eternal beings. We are going to exist eternally somewhere. The choice must be made whether we want to experience eternal death outside of Christ (hell), or eternal life in Christ (Heaven). You might think, “This is a no-brainer.” But some people would actually rather go to hell than to humble themselves before God and enjoy the pleasures and treasures of Heaven for all of eternity. How crazy is that? Listen, God won’t force you to go to Heaven. He wants you to go, He’s opened the Door for you to go, He’s prepared the Way for you to go, but He will not force you to go. If you don’t go, it’s your own fault. It’s your decision. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God wants you to go to Heaven!

Next, we must be willing to meet the Father where He says to meet Him.

Where is that? The Father says that He will meet you at the cross of Jesus.

As a student in Bible college, I took a required course we affectionately referred to as ‘P.E.’ Not ‘Physical Education,’ but ‘Personal Evangelism.’ In this class, Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill in Athens, was held in the highest regard as the standard for personal evangelism or witnessing. And make no mistake about it, Paul, there, was brilliant; polished. It was perhaps his most eloquent sermon. But what do we know about the Church of Athens?

Who can quote a verse from Paul’s epistle to the Athenians? Oh, wait a minute; there was no church in Athens! Paul never wrote an epistle addressed to the Athenians. Why? You see, when Paul left Athens, he traveled on to Corinth. And what did he say to the Corinthians? “Brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, [but] declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).

It seems Paul was not happy at all with the overall results of ministry in Athens. Yes, there were a handful of converts (only two are mentioned by name in Acts 17:34), but no church was ever established. Why? Well, Paul gives a hint in his Corinthian letter. He told them I preached to you Corinthians Christ and Him crucified.

See, as you read through his sermon on the Areopagus in Acts 17, he is “cut off” by the Epicureans and Stoicks as soon as he mentions the resurrection, and he never refers to the name of Jesus Christ or the crucifixion… Acts 17:30-31 - And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. [This is, of course, Jesus Christ, by Whom we will all one day be judged.] Paul’s preaching was changed from that day on.

He would never again preach without going straight to the cross of Jesus Christ. He knew that Jesus was cross-cultural. Paul does, however, present a powerful truth in verses 30 and 31 that all men must consider. Judgment Day is Coming!

The Bible speaks in many places of a final day of reckoning. The books will be opened and all will be laid to bear. All people everywhere will be judged for their refusal to repent. “Repent of what?” you may ask. Repent of idolatry. Idolatry is anything that comes between you and God. Even good works can become a form of idolatry.

The Stoicks said, “Discipline is the issue. Fast often. Deny your cravings. Endure life.” Idolatry.

The Epicureans said, “Indulgence is the issue. Eat up. Satisfy your cravings. Enjoy life.” Idolatry.

Paul wanted them to understand that the issue is neither enduring life, nor enjoying life; the issue is eternal life. The final day of reckoning is coming and you must repent.

Flip Wilson made famous a certain line in the 60’s… Remember? “Here come da judge! Here come da judge!” Well, He is coming! And just who is the judge? None other than Jesus Christ Himself. In John 5:22, Jesus said, “The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son.”

There is a day of reckoning pending and you must stand before Jesus Christ and make an account.

Listen to the words of C.H. Spurgeon, the prince of preachers: “God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world, and we sigh and cry until it shall end the reign of wickedness, and give rest to the oppressed. Brethren, we must preach the coming of the Lord, and preach it somewhat more than we have done, because it is the driving power of the gospel. Too many have kept back these truths, and thus the bone has been taken out of the arm of the gospel. Its point has been broken; its edge has been blunted. The doctrine of judgment to come is the power by which men are to be aroused. There is another life; the Lord will come a second time; judgment will arrive; the wrath of God will be revealed. Where this is not preached, I am bold to say the gospel is not preached. It is absolutely necessary to the preaching of the gospel of Christ that men be warned as to what will happen if they continue in their sins.

Ho, ho sir surgeon, you are too delicate to tell the man that he is ill! You hope to heal the sick without their knowing it. You therefore flatter them; and what happens? They laugh at you; they dance upon their own graves. At last they die! Your delicacy is cruelty; your flatteries are poisons; you are a murderer. Shall we keep men in a fool’s paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we to become helpers of their damnation by our smooth speeches? In the name of God we will not.”

Listen, Judgment Day is coming!

There is a hell to shun, and Heaven to gain. Boycott Hell!

How? Meet the Father where He has determined… Come to the cross of Calvary… come to Jesus! God will meet you only at the cross of Jesus Christ and He will take you to Heaven with Him, but only if you desire. God would say to you, “You can go to hell if you want to, but only over My dead body.”

The wages of sin is death, so God became a man in Jesus Christ and died in our place, that we might live in that place He has prepared for us. God takes no pleasure in any man or woman going to hell. His pleasure is to spend eternity together with you in Heaven. He would rather die than to live forever without you! So He did. And all you have to do is to accept His sacrificial death on your behalf and give your heart and life to Him.

Romans 10:9 & 10 say, “If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

For many of us, this is review. We are already saved, and perhaps we don’t “need” to review this map for ourselves. But for others, this may be the very first time anyone has ever shown you “How To Get To Heaven.”

Maybe you thought being a Christian was following a bunch of rules, living by a giant list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” And now you realize that it’s as simple as a child who says to their loving Father, “I’ll meet You where You say to meet You. I’ll meet You at the cross.”

Won’t you do that today? Simply call upon the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Confess your condition to Him: “Jesus, I am lost without You. I have broken Your Law. Please forgive me. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sin, and rising from the dead again. Come into my heart and life. Be my Lord. Amen.”

For we who have already done that, here is the challenge: break out this old map, blow off the dust, and share it with someone this week. Ask God to give you one person this week with whom you can share this Good News.

~ In Jesus’ Name!

http://www.albanymaranatha.org/writings/roman2.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

that is right. one goes to heaven, and the other to hell.

The War is Over,….

Peace at last for all mankind
Religions call a truce
We've criticized and been maligned
using God as our excuse

Love each other lovingly
no need to point and blame
Won't you join us tenderly?
Help us bury all our shame!

Drop our swords of battle
Toss our gauntlets in the fire
Remove our shields of honor
and share our heart's desire

No need to tell another
how to interact with god
Let every man do what he can
without presuming that he's odd

Drop our swords of battle
Toss our gauntlets in the fire
Remove our shields of honor
and share our heart's desire

No push'in and no shove'in
No preaching in the pews
Don't criticize another
for the pathways that they choose

Let everyone be peaceful
with the maker of their soul
No need to tell another
which religion to extol

Everyone be Peaceful



Music here:

http://www.csonline.net/designer/ideas/spirit.htm

Heard it a million times from you guys. You are basically asking EVERY organized religion to agree. You will probably get your wish, but maybe you should be careful what you wish for.

What????

Look who's talking,…a member of a religion that can't rest until it's proselytized the whole world into converting to its belief that an archaic bigoted doctrine is the word of God.

I think you better go look in the mirror again.

WHO’S asking EVERY organized religion to agree with THEM????

All roads don’t lead to heaven????

The song I wrote says, “No need to tell another which religion to extol”.

Believe what you will, but why try to shove your beliefs down the throats of others by implying that their pathway to God is a dead end? Isn’t that a bit arrogant of a religion?

Completely different. You aren't very good at similarities, are you?

1) I am not asking all religions to agree. Why would I? I want all people to accpet Jesus. Why would I say "The Hindu religion must be changed to accept Jesus"? That would be just plain dumb.

2) I don't shove my beliefs down anyone's throats. You do and cry anytime someone mentions Christianity in a positive light. That's your problem.

3) Are you mentally ill? I have to wonder, when you get so worked up when someone you don't know says that a religion you have already rejected is the only way to a place you don't believe in and you get upset. WHY? WHY? WHY? It makes NO SENSE. When I read about Islam or Judaism, they always explain WHY THEY ARE THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION. But I don't get upset. I don't go into their forums and post why they are wrong. Because I'm okay with other's believing their beliefs are right. It's no skin off my nose. I can't imagine why a sane human being would be offended...but someone who was insane...or PRETENDING/LOOKING to be offended...I can understand why such a person might be "offended".

keep the lights on, kids.

peripherals and minutia are the distraction.

even a bull in a bullfight will butt his head against a wall because of his stubborn adamance and determination to plow through a red veil.

Putting fingers in the ears and blinders on the eyes does not remove the Judgement due man.

Just looking into one's own conscience to ask it why it knows and feels right from wrong, even without all the necessary information. It's so much more than learned fear or trepidation to walk circumspectly in this life.

We are all governed by conscience and that is the realm of a conversation with God.

Cast that off and nothing but death remains.

Death is DEATH of the conscience, nothing more.

As Jesus has said, "let the dead bury the dead....follow me"

Who said anything about being offended?

I don’t approve of cancer either, but I’m not “offended” by it.

Proselytizing is proselytizing. Period.

It makes no sense to ask people to believe in Jesus without also asking them to believe that the Bible is the word of God.

But that doctrine contains a lot of very negative proclamations that are most certainly detrimental to the well-being of humanity as a whole.

The religion is pushed on the idea that it is saving individual souls. But what people don’t seem to realize it that overall it is an extremely evil and detrimental dogma for mankind as a whole. It has mankind fighting over religion and over the nation of Israel.

If you get enough people to believe in that prophecy and they will fulfill it simply because they believe it’s coming. They’ll choose sides, and cause the things in the prophecy come about thus causing that confrontation to become a reality!

In fact, members of the U.N. have already voiced concerns about how the proselytizing of religions (mainly the middle eastern religions - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) are causing great political unrest in the region.

Why feed that fire? Just to save your own personal butt from a hypothetical eternal damnation?

Personally, I’d forfeit my soul to save the world. I’d just turn away form religion altogether if it’s going to be the nemesis of mankind.

It has nothing to do with being personally ‘offended’, I’m looking at trying to save humanity from the monster of the middle eastern mythology.

Look at what it’s preaching,… either agree that Jesus is the King of Kings (and the Bible is the word of God) or else you’re siding with the devil!

That’s basically what’s saying!

Why can’t they just drop this foolishness and quit this stupid proselytizing? All it’s going to do is culminate into a hellish war of devastation where no one wins, and all of humanity loses.

I am soooo glad my spirit is free of all the limitations put on it by religions. It is a free spirit of good will and positivity now vs before when it was chained and burdened by the limitations of "my religion is right and yours is wrong", or "those people are going to hell for doing those things", etc.... I have only personal judgements now and they are my own. It is so freeing, I cannot understand why others would not like to have control over their own lives vs some archaic religion telling them what to do.

I already know what some will say but I am a very virtuous and moral person so I do not need religion for that either.

Freedom, can't beat it with a stick

Do you agree that Christianity is right?

Not for me it isn't, for others it is their choice. I have issues with doctrines and concepts of Christianity. Everyone has the right to believe how they want to, just don't force it on me.

Read the manual, folks. If you read and believe, the conclusion becomes obvious. If you don't believe, you'll have problems with it and I'll pray for you. God can show you The Way.