What Kind of People Will Enter God’s Kingdom?

"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven," said Jesus (Matthew 7:21).

"I think it means that whoever says something real fast and doesn't mean it will not enter," says Danielle, 9.

If the speed of one's speech were the issue, Northerners would be signing up for speech classes in the South, and natives of New York City would be doomed.

"Not all people go to heaven," says Jordan, 7.

Jordan, do you know you are being politically incorrect? Everyone assumes that when loved ones die they go to heaven. I think Jordan is saying we're wrong to think that.

Jesus is still the most controversial person who ever lived. He constantly offended the powerful and empowered the helpless. Jesus not only said the first shall be last and the last shall be first in his kingdom, but he backed it up with action. He dined with prostitutes and tax collectors, and overturned the tables of temple moneychangers - those at the center of the religious establishment.

Jesus healed people whom religious leaders said were born in sin. He even healed on the Sabbath, which further offended them. They had their rules. He had compassion.

Jesus said that some of the most unlikely people would enter his kingdom. But the big shocker is that many religious people who do things in the name of Christ won't make it.

"The only people who are going to heaven are the ones that do God's will," says Chris, 11.

Chris, a group of people once asked Jesus, "What shall we do that we might work the works of God?"

Because we live in a world where productivity is rewarded, it's easy to assume that whoever piles up the best good works will have front-row seats in Jesus' kingdom.

Jesus must have surprised the inquirers with his answer: "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 8:29).

The very nature of a kingdom is that it glorifies its king. If our good works could get us into God's kingdom, you know who would be taking the bows. Oh how we love to take credit to ourselves. The only people bowing in Jesus' kingdom will be those who fall on their faces to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.

"People who say `Lord, Lord' will not go to the kingdom of heaven because they do not believe," says Shelby, 9. Shelby has scored a perfect 10 with her statement. What you believe is the ticket to entering or being turned away from God's kingdom.

Jesus said that in the day when he's examining kingdom credentials, "Many will say, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast our demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?'" (Matthew 7:22).

"Not everyone will go to heaven, but some people will talk about it," says Joshua. "That is not enough."

Talk is cheap and so are deeds. If you trust either as your ticket into Jesus' kingdom, you'll find that your ticket is a counterfeit. Faith in Jesus and his work on the cross is the ticket that opens the door to God's kingdom.

"Just because you say you're a Christian, doesn't mean you are one," says Andrew, 9. "If you don't believe in Jesus, the doors will not open," concludes Amad, 7.

Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated columnist, producer, author, speaker and website developer. To see more material like this, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. The Kids Talk About God website contains free, online content for children and families. See Carey’s Kid TV Interviews. Hear a book talk. Print free lessons from the "Kids Color Me Bible" and make your own book. Let an 11-year-old girl take you on a trip around the world in the Mission Explorers Streaming Video. Print Scripture verses illustrated by child artists. Receive a complimentary, weekly e-mail subscription to our Devotional Bible Lessons.

Bible quotations in this Bible lesson are from the New King James Version. 

Copyright 2007 Carey Kinsolving