3 Who Won't & 1 Who Will Series

3 Who Won’t & 1 Who Will

Matthew 18:8-9

http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/3Wont1Will.html

Three out of four people here won’t be in heaven. And when I say ‘here’ I mean in our text, not here in this room. But wait a minute, the people in our text represent all people everywhere, so I suppose there’s truth in this for us in ‘here’ today. You only have a 1 in 4 chance of being the right person and truly being saved. The odds are against us today. Most of the world is lost, choosing to be one of the other 3 people. Make sure today that you are positive that you are ‘the one!’

3 important statements:

“God has no grandchildren, only children”

“To be 99% sure is 100% unacceptable”

“The only thing longer than life is eternity”

Take that first statement—

Studies show that if your parents never had kids, neither will you! In other words, just because your parents were Christians doesn’t mean you are...no spiritual genes were passed along to you when you were born...you must be born again! If you’ve never been born then you’re not here...and if you’ve not been born again, then you’re not saved!

Here’s a command to obey—

2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.

Philippians 2:12

...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Do you know that you know that you are saved? Have you ever nailed it down 100%? If Jesus were to ask you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” what would you say? With fear and trembling you’d try to work it out, and word it just right. So, how about it? Examine yourself right now before God examines you on that day. Be honest today, because He will be just on that day! The question is not ‘if’ you are saved, but ‘how’ you are saved. What are you trusting in?

We’re going to spiritualize our text now, but only in ways well warranted by many other scriptures. [Tonite we’ll look at this passage in context for the primary interpretation]

v. 8-9 “Offend” = cause to stumble, fall short, or fall into a trap...to trip up.

Don’t allow anything to trip you up and push you over the edge into hell, for it is a literal fire that never ceases [everlasting]. Mark 9 calls it a fire that never will be quenched, and then it says ‘where their worm dieth not’.

“Worm” is a metaphor. Worms thrive on the remaining life found in dying flesh. The point? These worms never starve, because YOU never die all the way. I believe the Bible, and the Bible says hell is real, final, and fatal. It is forever, you are conscious, tormented, it is dark, you are alone but you hear the wailing of others, and worst of all it is hopeless. There’s no way out on that day, but there is on this one!

Ill.—I need a volunteer and a knife! The Bible says that if your hand was sending you to hell it should be nothing to you to cut it off, or your foot, or pluck out your eye!

I see in our text 3 people who won’t be in heaven, they’ll be in hell:

1. The Person of Profession [Hand offends them]

This person is depending on good works they do [with their hands]. But should they?

Matthew 7:21-23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Titus 3:5

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Or sometimes the person of profession is one who just raises that hand to profess to be saved. They have profession of salvation but not possession of it.

“I’ve always been saved” “I was raised in a Christian home” “My momma always said I was a Christian”

Again, God has no grandchildren. You cannot depend on your upbringing to get you into heaven.

Many false professions exist today. Are you one of them? You aren’t saved by:

Walking the aisle, making a public profession at the front, raising your hand in a service, being baptized, going to church, being confirmed or sprinkled. And you aren’t saved because you ‘just feel it’ either!