"I can't go. I have to finish!" "I need to do more!" Imagine hearing these, and similar, words coming out the mouth of your 96-year old father who is in his final moments of life. Heartbreaking. Sad. Worrisome. Well, this is a true story. A friend of mine from church told me this about his father who recently passed away after a stay in hospice. My friend's father was a devout Mormon. My friend, himself, is a former Mormon who has since left that church after coming to a saving faith in the true Jesus Christ. Regardless of the faith of my friend's father, how many countless individuals from all faiths, especially Christianity, will lay on their death bed afraid that they have not done enough to please God? Even after 96 years of life this man still could not die in peace because his work wasn't finished. And you know what, even if he had 96 more years of life ahead of him, he still would not do enough to earn his way into Heaven. How many Christians will take the words of Jesus Christ, like those from His Sermon on the Mount, and believe them to be a guide for living? I have heard it said that the Sermon on the Mount is the "Christian Constitution." I'm sorry, but it is anything, but that. Jesus was not encouraging people to live a life they could not live because God requires it of them. Rather, He is telling you that God demands you live a perfect life so you will realize you cannot live that way. This is so you will come to the end of yourself and finally realize that you can only enter into Heaven through the grace and mercy of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Besides, if you believe that your obedience and repentance will stand up to God's requirement, what will your conversation look like when you come face to face with a perfect God?
You: "Here I am, Lord."
God: "Why should I let you into Heaven?"
You: "I gave my best effort to live up to all you commanded."
God: "Did your righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees according to Matthew 5:20?"
"Did you obey the whole Law and not stumble at even one point in accordance with James 2:10?"
"Finally, were you as perfect as Me in accordance with Matthew 5:48?"
You get my point. The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, "No!" You are not, and will never be, obedient enough to God's righteous standards. And you know what is even worse? "For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law (Galatians 3:21)." Even if you were 100% obedient to all that God commands, you will still go to Hell because you will still be spiritually dead to Him. No amount of obedient living can restore the Holy Spirit to a person. Only through faith in Jesus Christ will the Holy Spirit of God be restored to an individual. So, not only are you living a life you cannot live, it's a life where success is failure! The Christian life is not about pleasing God through our works. It is about recognizing that God is already pleased with you through your faith in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:9-11 says, "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." Christians are called to rest from our works. Where is the rest when a person is dying and feels there is still more to do? Furthermore, if we are working to please God we are actually being disobedient. Think on that for moment. By trying to obey God you are disobeying Him. God's law was not designed to show us how to get to Heaven. His law was designed to show us we can't get to heaven by obeying His law. If you want to be on your deathbed in fear that you haven't done enough then let me encourage you to keep at it because the law hasn't completed its work in you. It is time to rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment