A man was stranded in the desert. As he crawled across the burning sand, dying of thirst, he encountered a necktie salesman. "Can I interest you in a nice new tie?" the salesman asked. "Are you crazy?" the man gasped. "I'm dying of thirst and you want to sell me a necktie?" The salesman shrugged his shoulders and moved on, and the dying man resumed his crawling. Finally, he came upon an unbelievable sight. There, in the middle of the desert, was a huge restaurant with neon lights and a parking lot filled with cars. The desperate man crawled to the front door. He whispered to the doorman, "Please help me in. I have to have something to drink." The doorman replied, "I'm sorry, sir. Gentlemen are not admitted without a tie." Friends, we can hardly fault a man for being shortsighted in thinking he had no use for a tie in the desert. But there is an event for which everyone ought to prepare. One day each of us is going to die. When that happens, will we be ready to enter heaven? Will God let us in? Now, I realize there are some folks who question whether or not there really is a heaven, or they even wonder if God exists. Most folks, however, don't. Surveys show that almost 95% of the American people say they believe in God, and over 85% claim to believe in heaven. So even though we may not think about it a lot, most of us have to admit that making sure we are ready to enter heaven is probably as important as anything in life. As we consider this question today, let's pause and pray that God would help us understand the truth He reveals in His Word and by His Spirit.
So, who gets into heaven? Many folks adopt what I call a common sense religion. They say, "Good people get into heaven. If you are a good person, you get to go there; if you aren't, then you may be in trouble." This view is typified in that old 50s song, Where, oh where, can my baby be? She's gone to heaven so I have got to be good so I can see my baby when I leave this world. A problem, though, for those who take this view is that they never know if they are being good enough. How good does one have to be? These days people often say that because God is a God of love, He will accept almost everyone into heaven. Only the worst sinners, the Hitlers and Stalins of the world, will be excluded. Those who think about this more seriously, however, realize human evil is very widespread and that, as Chuck Colson says, "We are a lot more like Adolf Hitler than we are like Jesus Christ." Those who think seriously very seldom say, "I know I am good enough to make it to heaven." Common sense religion offers little comfort.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ provides a marvelous alternative. It is indeed good news. Understanding the message that we are saved by simply trusting in Jesus brings great relief to our souls. We no longer need to worry about whether or not we are good enough, because how good we are is no longer the question. It is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, His goodness counting as our own, which makes us ready to enter heaven. This great evangelical doctrine -- that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone -- is about the most beautiful teaching I can ever imagine. Here at First Baptist Church we joyfully embrace this truth, and I delight to proclaim this great news. I can assure you, with confidence, that I have no intention of modifying or compromising this teaching in the slightest. Yet, I have to admit that there are a couple of things that sometimes trouble me and make me question whether it is sufficient to just tell people, as the Apostle Paul did, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." I wonder, is believing in Jesus Christ enough?
The first problem is this: Some people claim to be Christians, but don't act like it, at all. I know people who say they are believers in Christ, but whose lives show no evidence of being born again, of receiving spiritual life from the Holy Spirit. These people say they are Christians, but on the outside they don't look like Christians. Maybe you have had a conversation similar to this: "Hey, Joe, there is a question I have been wanting to ask you." "What is that, Dan?" "I was just wondering if you have ever received Jesus Christ as your Savior?" "Oh, yeah, I did that." "Great! How long have you been a believer?" "All my life, I guess." "Oh. Well, do you go to church at all, Joe?" "To weddings and funerals. I quit going to church after the 5th grade." "Do you read the Bible much, Joe?" "No, I always thought it was pretty boring." "Do you pray?" "Oh, yeah, whenever I am in big trouble, I do." "Joe, would you be interested in reading this book I have about being a follower of Jesus?" "Hey, I don't want to be a religious fanatic or something. I believe, but I'm not going to be a Jesus freak or anything like that. I'll just keep living my life here the way I want to, and when I die, I figure the good Lord will take care of me then." Do you know folks like Joe? To be honest, although I believe we are saved by faith alone, I can't help wondering whether or not the type of faith Joe has is enough to get him into heaven.
The second problem I have is that some Bible passages seem to teach that faith by itself is not enough to save us. We are on a journey through the Book of 1 Corinthians, and we have come to Chapter 6:9-11. To be honest, I originally planned on skimming over these verses, but some conversations I have had in recent weeks make me think that God may have some very important things to say to us in this passage. 6:9,10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. There is a clear parallel with this list and what Paul said in 5:11. It is interesting to us that two types of sinners he adds to this list are male prostitutes and homosexual offenders. In recent times there has been considerable discussion about the precise meaning of these terms, but it seems obvious that the Apostle Paul viewed homosexual behavior as a serious sin. The problem for me, however, is the fact that Paul insists those involved in these sinful activities will not enter the Kingdom of God which, at least in my understanding, means they will not be saved; they will not get into heaven. My question is, "Wait a minute, Paul, what about being saved by grace through faith? Are you saying that people need to stop doing these things before they can become Christians? Isn't that salvation by works?"
Now, remember I still believe the Bible teaches salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. So how do I, how do we, solve these two problems? Let's start with the second: What does the Bible really teach in the texts which seem to say that we need to forsake certain sins before we can be ready for heaven? I think the answer is that Christians are expected to obey the Lord. Let's look at 6:11a And that is what some of you were. Some of the folks at Corinth had been involved in some pretty heavy sin. Whether it was heterosexual or homosexual immorality, whether they were drunks or thieves, is not really the issue. Paul's point is that at one time many of the folks in the church were obviously unfit to get into God's Kingdom. 6:11b But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Now, some folks get intimidated by the theological vocabulary Paul uses, but there is no reason to be. Let's look at the three terms he uses to describe what has happened to the Corinthians. Some suggest "washed" refers to baptism. But, Paul could have certainly said "baptized" if that is what he meant. It is more likely that "washed" refers to cleansing from sin and the old life that occurs when a person is born again and given life by God's Spirit. This would be consistent with what Paul says in Titus 3:5, God saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Then Paul says, "You were sanctified." That phrase is a little confusing to many because we expect him to use the present tense and say, "You are being sanctified. You are in the middle of the process of becoming holy and becoming who God has called you to be." Paul, however, is simply referring to the first step of that process, where we are set apart as God's people to live in a way that pleases Him. "You were justified" is a phrase that we cherish. It means to be considered righteous, to be considered just as if we had never sinned. It involves the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ being credited as our own. It is Jesus' perfect score being put next to our name. It is the reason why we who have done and said and thought so many things which are against God's will, are now able to relate to Him as our loving Heavenly Father.
Now, we don't want to get bogged down in the details. All three of these are what happens when a person becomes a Christian. Paul clearly assumes that everyone in the Corinthian church has had these experiences. And when these things have happened to someone, I think Paul would find it incredible to suggest that this individual could also fit one of the labels he used in Verses 9 and 10. For example, a person who has been washed, sanctified and justified is not going to be a swindler. Oh, he may on occasion be less than honest in making a deal, but his whole pattern of life will not be trying to defraud and take advantage of other people. The same is true of all the categories of sin which Paul mentions. A Christian may on occasion fall into any of these wicked behaviors, including homosexual sin, but someone who really has trusted in Christ will not always be stuck in these things. Paul is in total agreement with what the Apostle John writes in 1 John 3:9, No one who is born of God will continue to sin (or practice sin);...he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Maybe you are thinking, "Wait a minute, Pastor Dan. This sure sounds like salvation by works. How does this fit in with being saved by grace, by just trusting in Jesus?" Well, it fits quite well. Indeed, salvation is received by faith, not by works. Notice the last part of 1 Corinthians 6:11, ...you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Our salvation involves the Holy Spirit applying the work of Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, to our lives. We become a Christian, receive God's gift of salvation, and are made ready to get into heaven, simply by putting our trust in Jesus. If we truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be saved. But, this is not merely something that happens to us on the outside. It's something which happens on the inside. And at the same time that we are forgiven and justified, the Holy Spirit washes us through regeneration and sanctifies us, sets us apart, to live as children of God. It is a package deal. We can't say, "Well, I want to receive Jesus and be justified, have my sins forgiven, but I don't want to be washed or sanctified. I still want to be a swindler." When by God's grace and the enabling power of His Spirit, we receive Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us, takes up residence, and makes it impossible for us to be the same people we were before we trusted in Christ. Oh, we still act the same way sometimes, but we are not the same people. We are new creatures in Christ.
Friends, as I have studied the Bible, I have found that Paul, James, John, Jesus, Peter, and every other New Testament writer are in agreement. We can't get ready for heaven by works, we can't get ready for heaven by trying to do good things or by trying to stop doing bad things. We are made ready for heaven when our sins are forgiven as we receive by faith the gift of salvation that God offers us in Jesus. When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved. When that happens, however, good works inevitably follow. No, not all at one time. We do not become a Christian one day and get rid of all our sins by the end of the week. Throughout our lives, we Christians struggle with our old, sin nature. But, as believers in Jesus, we are no longer the same people we were. We now win some of those struggles with our sin nature. We grow slowly, but surely, to be more and more like Jesus Christ. For a Christian, faith and works are linked together. As Martin Luther put it, "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that stands alone." That is reflected in Ephesians 2, that great passage where Paul writes, Ephesians 2:8,9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast. But then adds, 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
There is an old saying, You can't put the cart before the horse. The horse needs to pull the cart, the cart can't pull the horse. Many folks and some churches have made the mistake of putting works before faith. They think that trying to obey God or participating in religious activities will somehow earn His favor and then maybe He will give us faith. No, the horse has to come first. We start with faith and that leads to works. As soon as we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are ready to enter heaven. If something were to happen and we would die shortly after we trusted in Christ, we would be welcome there even though we had not done any good works, just as the thief on the cross was. But, if we have really believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are not going to continue to be an idolater, or an adulterer, or a homosexual offender, or a thief, or a greedy person, or a drunkard, or any of the things Paul mentions as he lists those who will be excluded from God's Kingdom.
OK, I hope that helps you understand better what God is saying in this text and in other passages such as James 2 where the Lord tells us that faith without works is dead, or as I would say, faith without works is not really faith. So, with that in mind, let's go back to the first problem: What about those who claim to be Christians but don't act like it? What about people like my friend Joe who say they believe, but who don't seem to have any desire to obey God? First, I want to say that it is not my job to decide whether or not Joe is really a Christian. That's God's role. If I think Joe is a Christian, but God thinks he is not, Joe is not getting into heaven. If I don't think Joe is a Christian, but God thinks he is, then he gets in without any problem. But, as we relate to friends and family members, it is helpful for us to have some type of perspective on what is happening in their souls. We long for that knowledge. Often people ask, "Pastor Dan, do you think my sister is a Christian?" Or they ask, "Do you think my dad will get to heaven?" We especially ask that question when someone we care about dies. There are lots of times when we can say, "Yes, I'm almost sure my dad is in heaven. He claimed to be a believer in Jesus Christ and his life was full of evidence that God's Spirit was working in his life. It is God, not me, who judges his heart, but everything I saw makes me think he was truly a Christian." Other times we may have to say, "I'm almost sure my dad won't be in heaven. He claimed to be an atheist and said he had no use for Jesus. Yes, he could have changed his mind and heart sometime before he died, but I have no evidence that he did." And then there are the many times when we have to say, "I don't know if my dad is in heaven. He said he believed, but I really did not see much evidence of that. God knows his heart, and I just hope his faith was real."
What is going on with folks who say they believe in Jesus but who don't show any signs of being a follower of Jesus Christ? I don't know much about plumbing, but I know when a drain is plugged, you want to figure out where the blockage is. Maybe a trap at one end of the pipe is plugged, or maybe things are stuck at the other end of the pipe. With people who claim to be Christians, but who don't live that way, the blockage is in one of two places. Either between their head and their heart, or between their heart and their hands. What I mean is this: There are some people who believe in Jesus in their head, but they don't believe in their heart. They believe the facts about Jesus, but they don't embrace Him as their Savior. They believe in Jesus as a historical figure, just as they believe in George Washington. James would say that their faith is no better than the faith that demons have. It is a type of faith that has never made it to their heart or soul, a type of faith that really doesn't impact their lives, and the type of faith that does nothing to prepare them for heaven. It is a spurious faith, a faith that is not genuine. Yet, I think there are also people who for some reason are plugged up between their heart and their hands. Their faith in Jesus is real. It is more than just believing the facts. In their heart they really do trust and love Him. But, for some reason, it doesn't show on the outside. It is not affecting their actions -- their hands, what they do -- at least not yet. Friends, that person is ready for heaven. That is the amazing grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, they have a serious spiritual problem, they need to learn to be able to put their faith into action, but they are indeed ready for heaven. So you see it makes a big difference if the blockage is between the head and the heart or between the heart and the hands. Someone who is trusting in Jesus in their heart will be saved, someone trusting in Jesus only in their head is not ready for heaven.
So, how can we tell what the problem is in someone's life? We can't. Only God can. When we talk to people who say they believe in Jesus, but don't live that way, we should ask them to examine their own heart and make sure they are truly trusting in Jesus Christ. I find it helpful to ask that question in the present tense. Not, have you trusted in Jesus?, but, are you trusting in Jesus? Now, I don't believe people change their minds on this. Those who truly have trusted in Jesus are trusting in Him today. But, by asking in the present tense it may help the person to not confuse faith in Jesus with a religious ritual they went through in the past. Then what we need to do is pray that God would be working in that person's life, either bringing him or her to true faith in Jesus if that has never happened, or in helping that person live out his/her faith in daily life.
Friends, my closing question for you today is very simple. Are you ready for heaven? Will you get in? Are you sure? Maybe your answer is, "No, Pastor Dan, I'm not ready. I know I'm not. I know I am not trusting in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Oh, yeah, I go to church and most of the folks here assume I am a Christian, but I'm not -- and never have been." If that is the boat you are in, I encourage you, I implore you, to turn to Jesus Christ today. It is not too late. As God's Spirit enables you, stop trusting in yourself or something else, and receive the salvation that God freely offers through His son Jesus Christ. Others of you might say, "Pastor Dan, I think I'm a Christian, but I'm in that list that Paul gives. I'm having an affair, or I'm involved in a homosexual relationship, or I've been stealing from my company, or greedy could be my middle name, or I get drunk every week, or I'm slandering or trying to swindle someone." My advice, my exhortation, to you is that if you are a Christian, it should not be that way. There is something wrong. I encourage you to examine your life and make certain you are trusting in Jesus Christ. If you know you are, but still struggle with this sin, then you need to ask God to help you. Maybe you need to talk to me or someone who can encourage you as you seek to overcome a sinful habit.
Are you ready for heaven? If you are trusting in Jesus Christ, you are ready. If you are not trusting in Him, do so today.
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