Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me

he will be saved” (John 10:9).

What is the way to heaven? How can a person make sure that when he dies he will definitely be in heaven? These are important questions for us to think about. We all know that we will not continue our lives here on earth in our present condition. We all know that one day we will die. We also know that after life here on earth there is heaven and there is hell. We know that we will either go to one or the other. We also know that hell is a place of judgement and punishment and suffering; it is the place that no one wants to go to. So how can we make sure we will enter heaven when we die? The answer to these questions is given to us in these words of the Lord Jesus.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ is the door to heaven.

Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” This means that the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the way to heaven, there is no other way. He alone is the door that leads to heaven. If anyone wants salvation from their sins and eternal life in heaven, then he must come to Christ. If he does not come to Christ then he will never have salvation but will spend eternity in hell.

We know that the Lord Jesus alone is the way to heaven because He alone has been sent by God the Father to save sinners. Before He was born, the angel said to Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). This was a message from God to Joseph telling him that Christ has been sent by God the Father for a specific purpose: to open the way to heaven to all who will repent and believe.

We also know that the Lord Jesus alone is the way to heaven because He alone died for sinners. The Bible tells us, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). No one else has ever died for the salvation of sinners. No one else has ever claimed that they came to earth to die for sinners; but Jesus made it clear during His life that His purpose in coming here to earth was to die for sinners (Matt. 16:21).

We also know that the Lord Jesus is the only way to heaven because He is the only one whom God the Father has raised from the dead in a resurrection body. The other people in the Bible who came back to life like Lazarus did not come back in an eternal body. Christ’s body when He was raised from the dead was an eternal body to show that God the Father accepted His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary on behalf of sinners. He is the only one who could offer a sacrifice for our sins because He lived a sinless life; and God the Father accepted His sacrifice on our behalf when He raised Him from the dead.

This means that there is no other way to be saved except Christ. If you try to earn your salvation by your good works and by your religious works you will never succeed. That is not the way of salvation, Christ is the way of salvation. God will never accept anyone into heaven who thinks he can enter by his own efforts; God will only accept those who come through faith in Christ.

2. The Lord Jesus receives all who come to Him.

Jesus says in this text, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me he will be saved.” This means that there is a guarantee here. Jesus does not say, “If anyone comes to me, I may accept him or I may reject him.” He says, “If anyone enters by me he will be saved.” This means all who come to Christ have a sure and a certain salvation: they will be saved.

It is Christ who holds the keys to heaven and it is Christ who makes this promise. It is therefore a very precious promise. It means that there is a sure and a certain way to enter heaven: it is through Christ Himself.

3. What you must do to get saved.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Here we are told the two things we must do if we want salvation. Firstly, we must repent. This means we must turn from our sins and make a clean break with sin. If you continue to live in your sins and to pursue sin then you will never be saved. You must make a clean break from sin and continue to turn from your sin throughout your life. God is pure and holy and will not receive you unless you are determined to flee your sins.

Secondly, we must trust in Christ alone for our salvation. You must not trust in your good works or in your religion or your church or your baptism. You must put all your hope of entering heaven upon Christ alone. You must come to Him and trust Him fully and eternally. Only then can you be saved.