Have You Made Your Reservation Yet_
Teachers
Lesson Summary
Shelby Krider taught this class using the practical analogy of making hotel reservations to explain spiritual entry into heaven. He began by establishing that entering heaven requires a 'reservation'—made when a person is born again through baptism and faith in Jesus Christ. Drawing from 1 Peter 1, Krider explained that God has reserved blessings in heaven for those who have experienced spiritual rebirth. He then explored what 'born again' means biblically, citing John 3:3-5, which declares that being born of water and spirit is essential for entering God's kingdom. Through passages in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 6, Krider connected baptism to death and resurrection in Christ—showing how baptism symbolizes dying to sin and rising to new life. The class emphasized that while God never breaks His covenant with us, believers can cancel their own reservation in heaven by turning away from the Lord and walking in darkness rather than light. Krider warned against losing the hunger for righteousness and turning one's back on Christ. He concluded by painting a beautiful picture of heaven as God's dwelling place, where believers will eternally be with the Lord and experience unimaginable joy in His presence. The overall message centered on the security of salvation through proper commitment to Christ, combined with the sobering responsibility to maintain faithfulness to that covenant.
Key Scriptures
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God's great mercy, he has caused us to be born again into a living hope because of Jesus Christ's resurrection. Now we hope for the blessings God has for his children. These blessings, which cannot be destroyed, spoiled, or lose their beauty, are reserved in heaven just for you.
Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth. Unless you are born again, you cannot be in God's kingdom.'
For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit.