The narrow road to heaven
Being trapped in some kind of prison without knowing how or when to get out can be devastating. But there are those who have been sitting there for a long time without even knowing about it. They may know they have a problem in some way but don't understand how bad it is and don't do anything about it or don't know how to do something about it. Now I am not talking about physical prisons but emotional problems.
"A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel." Proverbs 18:19 NKJV
The intention of this article is to be helpful and try to make you understand why you have to address the problems and that there is a way forward. It could also be that you have someone close to you who has these problems but you have never really realized what the problem is.
Straight to the point: you have at some point been offended or hurt in such a serious way that you shut down or limited your feelings.
The purpose is not that you should live with suppressed emotions for the rest of your life. You may think you are protecting yourself from being hurt again. You may think you have learned to live with this. But the consequences of trying to live a life of suppressed emotions have huge consequences for those close to you. It also has consequences for yourself. One of the biggest consequences is that you become unable to solve problems. To solve problems you have to involve your emotions and they are turned off and you become trapped instead.
How can you confess without your feelings? There are basic mechanisms in how we function as humans. You talk to someone else about your problems and burdens to let them go, every psychologist or pastor knows that. Just confessing before God and not bringing up sin in the light can certainly work sometimes. But there is a good reason why you should confess to each other, God knows how we work.
How do you know if you have a closed emotional life? First of all, others sense your behaviour. You yourself are so used to how you behave that you may not even reflect on it. There are those who live with emotional immaturity for the rest of their lives and will never come to terms with it.
If someone avoids using their emotions, strange situations will arise on a regular basis. I can only give a few examples and of course there are different levels of this and different ways of how it comes across.
Lack of respect for others. For example, when someone is sitting and working in another room and you normally should have knocked, you just open the door without saying anything.
Lack of compassion. When someone is or has become ill and you should be comforted and instead you get an insensitive comment such as: why have you become ill in the form of an accusation. A child who fell and hit himself. Instead of saying something empathetic that involves feelings, there will be some other kind of reaction, for example just yelling and scaring the child instead.
If someone laughs, the person can tell you not to do it. Laughter involves emotions and it becomes disturbing to someone who shuts them off.
You can't be wrong and don't listen to others. You don't say sorry. You says hurtful things. You have a negative attitude. Ingratitude and outbursts of anger. A few things that of course can have other reasons. Depending on the personality type, you deal with suppressed emotions in different ways.
You have stoped your emotional development and behave like a teenager or a child in certain situations, depending on when you shut down.
The list can be made very long and most of it is due to shutting down or having immature feelings. It is impossible to live a healthy life and have healthy relationships without using your emotions. It becomes very difficult to deal with relationship problems.
How to proceed? How to use your emotions again? I don't think there is any easy shortcut to this. If you have lived most of your life this way, you need to take drastic measures if you want a change.
Why do you need to have a change? In addition to all the problems it causes in your relationships, you also become unable to solve spiritual problems. You also won't be able to practise confession effectively as I mentioned earlier. The consequences of being dragged with sin are clearly mentioned in God's Word
How are you going to proceed in practical terms?
1. Take a piece of paper and write down the difficult things that happened in the past, the things that once made you shut down your emotions. Put everything into words. Say it out loud to yourself.
2.Contact someone to talk if you have no one in the family you can talk to. It can be good to start a conversation with someone outside who has experience in self-care or therapy. Start with a phone call and progress to meeting someone to talk to.
3.Pull up all the old sins you didn't confess because you couldn't talk to anyone before. The word of God tells us to confess our sins to each other , it's a concept that works.
It doesn't help to judge someone who has immature feelings. You have no idea what is going on in a person's soul. However, it can be understandable that people can become distant due to being hurt all the time.
I listened to an interview of someone that represents a certain kind of teaching that many have criticized. Some of the points that has been criticized have been unfounded after I listened to the interview. I will not mention the church or person because it does not have to do with the article, there is the phenomenon of which I am looking for. Now it has been three years since I listened to the interview and now I have listened to it again, to check that I have not misunderstood something. During this time, I have come to one thing: A theological drift opens for a new one. They began by saying: "We do not need the law, it belongs to the old covenant." You can preach the gospel without the law, but it is a hefty theological drift, which I will address later. The law is good if one uses it properly (1Tim1: 8). It may not have been the intention from the beginning that it could be any theological drift, but because it has become easy to misunderstand the teaching so the result has still been there.
Now that I have heard a few more preachers from this theological orientation so I understand that it drifted more and statements like: "you have been sanctified through what Jesus did on the cross, there is nothing more you can do, everything is ready, you can not get better, the heaven is open for you", "Through Jesus, you have been sanctified.*" Such statements can be interpreted a little differently depending on who is listening. I think you should be clear about what they mean and do not try to explain itself to it's easy to misunderstand things.
*Sanctified in that meaning that a person has been set free from sin.
Where have we ended up?
Step 1 we do not need the law because it is tough for us and we do not want to offend people.
Step 2, we probably need not sanctification, for that is a difficult process for us and it's hard to confess sin and repent.
We have ended up exactly where God's Word is talking about: the man in the last days.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear
They can not stand the Word of God in its fullness any longer.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
To deny God's power is precisely what you do when you do not take holiness seriously anymore. The power of God to transform us in the sanctification process (confession and so on). Is to accept sin instead be set free from it. True grace is not to go on living in sin, it is to be freed from sin.
Why is this message important? Has it to do with the gospel at all?
* There are Christians who do not believe in hell.
* There are those who believe that all will be saved sooner or later.
* We need to understand the human condition totally lost without God.
* We must as Christians realise how important it is to live in purity and obedience to God, to
ourselves are not lost.
* If no hell , then there is nothing to be saved from.
There are two places of destruction: one is now and one is coming. Now: hell ( has several
names ) , the place is a prison and the haunt of demons. The place is created for demons
2Petr2:4
The place that will come later is the lake of fire where the devil and all who followed him will be
thrown into the eternal fire , it is created for demons. Matt25:41 Then he will say to those on
his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.
The Evil goes from prison to eternal punishment , however, is not the evil completely shut in as
we read further down. None of these places are for man, but man has fallen to sin and a slave to
sin , therefore we must realise a man totally lost condition if he dies without belonging to God.
Hell is not the same as the lake of fire that comes after the judgement. Rev 20:13-15 The sea
gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and
each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found
written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Is hell right now? Luke 16:23-24 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw
Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on
me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in
agony in this fire.’
Has hell with ( sin / death ) the devil to do? Matt 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Rev 6:8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades
was following close behind him.
Jesus has defeated Satan on the cross, because he's got the keys to his kingdom.
Rev 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on
me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and
now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Are dead people and demons in same place?
Rom10:6-7 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will
ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that
is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
Answer: yes .
Ps88:11-12 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your
wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
2Petr2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in
chains of darkness to be held for judgement;
Luk8:31 And they (the demons) begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
Rev 9:11 hey had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon
and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
Rev 11:7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss
will attack them, and overpower and kill them.
Rev 17:8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss
and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the
book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it
once was, now is not, and yet will come.
Rev 20:1-3 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and
holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or
Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed
it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were
ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
Who / what is it that torments in hell? Mark9:47-48 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck
it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be
thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.
Who will pick us up when we die?
Luk 16:22 The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.
The rich man also died and was buried.
Judas v 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body
of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
What does the testimonys says about eternity ?
There are a number of testimonies of both heaven and hell. All is not exactly the same , the
heaven have so much. About hell , there is also a number of people who can testify bout the
torment there.
There are also false testimonies of eternity. As a Satanist who indicated he visited hell and said
that it was warm and comfortable there. Of course , the devil is a lier, father of all , he does not
show the truth about the darkness for someone until he is completely stuck, and it 's too late
"She's in heaven now" At funerals, it seems that everyone seems to come to eternal rest and we wish that the dead may rest in peace. I do not judge someone's passing away, we have no right to determine what happened before anyone died. Maybe God came and appeared at the last moment and that person was willing to believe and confess their sins.
Is it enough to go to church, pray to God and of course forgive his neighbour?
Is it not Joh3:16 enough? (For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.)
The Christian life begins with Joh3:16, believing in Jesus means communion with God, obedience and holiness.
We walk on a narrow road
Matthew 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Luk13:23-27 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
Our calling is primarily fellowship with God. That which was broken by the fall of man shall be restored again. 1cor1:9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Fellowship with God is the foundation of our life with God, but without a living relationship with God so we can forget about sanctification and true obedience, none of this will become a reality.
Sins that we have not repented from is a hindrance for us to enter the kingdom of God.
Rev 3:4-5 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.
Rev 2:7 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Victory over the enemy of souls, the sin.
Judas is an example of one who was in the team and healing people, (Mark6:7) but still lived in unrighteousness, he was lost forever, Jesus called him a devil (John 6:70)
Mark 9:45 "And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell."
Not willing to repent: Hebrews 10:26-27 "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." read Numbers 15:30-31 which has similar meaning.
A pure heart is a condition for us to see God. (Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.) Consequently, if we do not have a pure heart and we will not see God. Do we have little sins hanging here and there? What does that matter?
Gal 5:19-21 "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Paul describes the struggle going on between the flesh and the Spirit in Romans 7. Fact that you do what you hate, that carnal deeds come from the sin that dwells in man. That there is a sinful nature in man and we have a tendency to fall for the sin is not the same thing as we are completely lost because we was not able to kill the flesh to 100%. The continuation and the solution is found in Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," Some eng. translations have an addition for those who do not live according to the flesh but after the Spirit. We find that further down: by the Spirit kill the works of the flesh, etc.
Our goal as Christians is to become blameless: 1Tess5: 23 "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
How do you get free from the bondage of sin? In some cases it is sufficient to choose the way of the Sprit as God's Word speaks of, we simply choose the path that is right according to God's Word. Or we are reminded by the Holy Spirit what we should choose. The whole basis for the forgiveness of sins, confession, by addressing sin in the light the power of sin must be broken. Confession is basically facing another human being and God. It costs you nothing of your pride of that in solitude confess your sins before God that you did not dare tell anyone. Jak5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." I do not think you understand this verse until you have begun to practice "confession" in its true sense.
Disobedience...
Matt7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "
Some said that they obeyed God but lived on in iniquity that is disobedience to God's Word.
Luke 9:25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
Is there hope?
There is hope, God is for you and loves you, the one he loves he disciplines (Heb12:6).
Phil 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Keep your heart pure, live in obedience to God and stay close to him and everything will be fine.