See Anything Good Lately?

Psalm 53: 1 – 6

See anything good lately?

To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A Contemplation of David.

1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, no, not one. 4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? 5 There they are in great fear where no fear was, for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; You have put them to shame, because God has despised them. 6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice, and Israel be glad.

There are 10 secretaries and 10 Pastors on staff here. I receive all the walk in and phone calls. Ask yourself a question, ‘how many churches are there that you can just pick up your phone and immediately get a Pastor?’

Since our Senior Pastor is popular and well known we wind up getting calls from around the world.

So, as I looked at today’s Scripture one of the many phone calls stuck out in my thinking.

The guy on the other end of the call was upset. This seems to be about half the calls we get. So, he filled me in on what he was perturbed about. There is this Christian guy at his work who is driving him crazy.

He was telling me while at the same time inferring that he is asking me a question? This co-worker keeps on telling him that he needs to turn his life over to Jesus Christ and get saved or else he is destined for hell and not heaven.

Has this topic ever come up with you in your interactions with people? How would you answer this man?

You might respond that our Lord Jesus said as reported in the Gospel of John chapter 14 verse 6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” You would be right in telling him so, however, I believe the Holy Spirit refrained me from doing so. So, I asked him a question. I asked, ‘Do you believe that there is a heaven and hell? If so, then how does a person know that he or she can get to heaven and not to hell?’

The other end of the phone was quiet. So, I continued the conversation. I asked him, ‘If a person was ‘good’ would that qualify him or her to go to heaven? The guy finally spoke us and told me, ‘yes’.

I said ‘Okay’ then what would he consider or qualify a person as ‘Good’?

The guy remained quiet again. Boy was this turning into a one-sided conversation. So, I said, ‘There was an old nun by the name of Mother Theresa who gave her life to minister to poor and dying people. Would she be a person who did or was ‘Good’?

He spoke up and agreed that she was ‘good’ in his opinion.

‘Okay’, I said, then compare yourself to her and how do you come out?’ Here we go again, quiet.

I told the man in truth what I thought he was thinking and that was that he is ‘not good enough on his own to get to heaven.’ I then added, ‘neither am I’.

I continued, ‘Jesus Is alive. He Is real. He Is the Son of God Who loved us so much that He came to earth and died a tortuous death on the cross for us and that He arose victorious and Is back in Heaven. If we want to go to be with Him and hopefully all our loved ones than we need to agree that He gave His life for us and ask to be with Him forever. In the book of Romans chapter 10 it gives us the formula, “8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”