The Only Bridge to Heaven

By: Evangelist Doug Lowery

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

The picture in front of us is a masterful illustration of the true way of salvation. It is a wonderful visual aid to help grasp the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The focal point of this painting is the cross. Our eyes are drawn to the cross, which creates a road from earth to heaven and acts as a bridge over the chasm of fire. Notice the title of this pictureThe Only Bridge to Heaven. The words of Christ are crystal clear in John 14:6, when He declared Himself to be the only way to heaven. Consider Christs uniqueness: He is the Only One ever born of a virgin, the Only One to live a sinless life, to die for the sins of the world, and to rise from the grave by His own power. Observe the two directions people are heading. According to Matthew 7:13 and 14 (below), these Two Directions are called the broad way and the narrow way. (All Bible verses in brown.) 1- The Broad Way 2- The Narrow Way

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Emphasis mine) The wide gate draws

2 the crowd! The vast majority of the worlds population is on the broad road and going the wrong direction. King Solomon wisely said, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12) In other words, you can assume you are on the right path to heaven because of your religion, your good works, your baptism as an infant, or a myriad of other things, and be sincere in your beliefbut, you can be sincerely wrong! The greatest act of love in human history was when Jesus went to Calvarys hill and bled and died for the sins of the worldand, your sins. But God commendeth (displayed, proved) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath (from going to hell, and ultimately the lake of fire) through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:8-10, Emphasis mine) Justified=a judicial term meaning cleared of all charges; declared innocent (We are all guilty, but Christs blood has the power to cleanse away our sins if we ask His forgiveness.) Reconciled=to be restored to fellowship; turning a relationship of hostility into friendship John 3:16 declares, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (on the cross), that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Should not perish! What does that mean? It means that God does not want you (or anyone else) to perish and spend eternity in hell away from Him! The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) But have everlasting life. This refers to being given the promise of heaven after you die, but it also refers to being given eternal life now, in this life! John 5:24 teaches this truth: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. These verses are speaking to the reader about hell and heaven, which are the next two truths you will see in this riveting picture. When you follow the broad way, it leads downward to the chasm of fire, a place the Bible calls hell. In contrast, the narrow gate leads to a glorious, beautiful, sinless place called heaven.

1- HellEternal Destruction

2- HeavenEternal Life

Satan is the great deceiver. The father of all lies (John 8:44) would have you believe any of his following lies about eternity: 1- Satan says: This life is all there is. When you die, thats it. You only have this life, so live it up! Theres no God to answer to, so therefore no future judgment. The Bible says: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)

3 2- Satan says: You will reincarnate. You will have many lifetimes! You will have many chances to get it right by living a better life each time. The Bible says: AgainAnd as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27) John 5:28 and 29 announce, Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 3- Satan says: There is no literal place of eternal fire and torment. A loving God would never allow anyone to go to such a place! The Bible says: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:41 and 46) Luke 16:19-31 and Mark 9:43-48 give us Jesus words warning of hell. The passage in Mark emphasizes five times that the fire (of hell) is not quenched (put out). By the way, the word saved (found throughout the New Testament) means that we can be saved from hell and sins penalty when we come to Christ. 4- Satan says: You are not that bad. Just do enough good works, and God will show mercy on you and let you into heaven based on what you do in this life. The Bible says: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9) Other supporting versesGalatians 2:16, and Titus 3:5-7. Gods amazing grace wants to justify you, reconcile you, save you, and clothe you with Christs righteousness. For he (God the Father) hath made him (Christ, God the Son) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (Parentheses mine) # 1 on the picture is directly above the end of the broad way. The artist pictures a steep, downward, slippery slope that falls off into the chasm of fire. # 2 is directly above people leaving the broad way and getting on to the narrow way. The artist details several people approaching the cross! There are two decisions presented in this picture.

1- Reject & Blaspheme 2- Repent & Believe

When you continue on the broad way, you choose not to trust His sacrificial death for you on the cross, and you reject and spurn His mercy, love, and grace! In the same chapter that reveals Gods infinite love for us (John 3:16), we read about His wrath and condemnation on those who do not believe: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36) Do not reject the Son of God and blaspheme His grace, love and mercy. The Bridge to Heaven is available.

4 Repentance and faith are two sides of the Gospel coin. Instead of heads or tails, it is repentance and faith! This is not some casual flipping of a coin to see who will kick or receive the football; this is life and death, this is your eternal soul, and this is the most important decision of your entire life. Repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:20 and 21) was the message of the Apostle Paul. God commands all men every where to repent. (Acts 17:30) Repentance is a genuine, godly sorrow for sin that results in turning from sin to God (2 Corinthians 7:10). The Greek word has the idea of a change of mind. This does not mean being indecisive or fickle. Rather, it is getting serious in your mind about sin, about God and eternity, and your soul. You change your mind about yourself, and see yourself as God sees you: a hellbound, hell-deserving sinner. Repentance is not reformation or cleaning up your life. Gods goodness brings you to the place of repentance (Romans 2:4), and the Holy Spirit works in your heart to convict you of your sin. (John 16:8) When you truly repent, you understand that you cannot save yourself; and you claim the blood of the crucified Christ to forgive and cleanse you of all your sin. Then, the coin turns over and you believe (trust) that Christ alone can and will save you. Faith does not just believe in the historical Jesusit is trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection for the payment for your sin. To be saved, you need to realize that The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Then, you must do what Paul instructs in Romans 10:9 and 10: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Confess that you need the Lord Jesus. Agree with God that you are a sinner; then, showing godly sorrow, repent of all your sins to a holy God. Then, believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the grave! Trust Christ, and Christ alone, to be your Savior from sin, death, and hell. Do not delay. Do not put off salvation. You may not have tomorrow. Dear friend, prayfrom your hearta prayer like this: Dear Lord Jesus, I am truly sorry for my sin. I see my sin, and I see Your sacrifice for me on the cross. Thank You for taking my sins on your body and dying in my place. I am amazed at Your great love for me. I believe that You died on the cross for me and then rose againto prove You were God in the flesh. I turn to You from my sin and trust You alone to save me. Please make me Your child. Give me the gift of eternal life now and the promise of heaven when I die. Lord Jesus, I want to live for You because You died for me. Forgive me by Your mercy and grace, cleanse me by Your blood, and change me by Your power. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen If you prayed that prayer and meant it, please let us know so that we can rejoice with you and be of help and encouragement to you in your new walk with Christ. Go to Contact Us on this website, and either e-mail or call us. We would love to hear from you so we can answer questions you may have and point you to a strong, Bible-believing church in your area. A local church is vital for fellowship with other believers and growth in your new life with Christ.