As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”
But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village. As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” LUKE 9:51-62 NLT

Not everyone is going to heaven

But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! MATTHEW 5:20 NLT
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? LUKE 9:23 NLT
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-11 NLT
From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” MATTHEW 4:17 NLT

Not everyone is ready for heaven

You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect… And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. LUKE 12:40, 47 NLT

Only Jesus can make us ready

God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. HEBREWS 2:10 NLT
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 1 PETER 1:3-4 NLT

Community Group Discussion Guide

1. When it comes to difficult life issues, are you more comfortable with God’s teaching or what is commonly accepted in American culture?
2. How can your group be open to all people who attend our church and still point them to the truth of God’s word in a loving way?
3. What is your reaction when you think of the fact that not everyone will go to heaven?
4. None of us are good enough for heaven. How do you feel toward Jesus knowing that he is good enough and makes heaven a reality for you?
5. Read through 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. What do you do with the list of things Paul outlines there?
6. Are you ready for Jesus to return? Are there some things in your life that need to change? Close your group with a time of personal repentance of sin and a time of giving thanks for all Jesus has done to forgive us of our sins.

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a quiet place where you can be alone with God. Read through Luke 9:57-62. Imagine that you are one of these men, and that you have approached Jesus and offered to follow him, but you feel the tug of something holding you back. Open yourself to God and ask him to search your heart. What is that thing that’s keeping you from following Jesus more fully? What do you need to let go of so that you can follow him? As you move through your week, allow yourself to remain open to God, and ask him what it would look like to let go of that thing so that you can follow Jesus more fully.