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The following is one of the saddest passages
found in the Bible. . . ."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. 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? And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." MATTHEW 7:21-23Jesus Christ Himself spoke those words when He gave His disciples a glimpse into the
future judgment that everyone would have to face. The people He describes thought they
were saved but in reality they were not. And while the Bible does not go on to identify
what group they represent, we can learn enough from their mistakes to prevent ourselves
from being one of them.First of all, these people are not atheist or agnostics, they refer to Christ as "Lord." They
claim they know Him, yet He does not know them. Therefore, we see, that simply
addressing Christ as Lord will not automatically get one saved and into Heaven. The Bible,
referring to Jesus Christ, says:"He that saith, I know him, and KEEPETH NOT his commandments, IS A LIAR, and
the truth is not in him." 1 JOHN 2:4Jesus, on another occasion, asked: "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and DO NOT
THE THINGS WHICH I SAY?" LUKE 6:46"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."
MATTHEW 7:21Giving God lip service is not enough. . .
Secondly, while we see that, to God, actions speak louder than words, we find these
people trusting in the wrong actions. In an effort to justify themselves before God, they
argue:"...Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied [witnessed] in thy name? and in thy name have
cast out devils? and in thy name DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS?"
MATTHEW 7:22These poor souls were trusting in the things they had done for God. But they were
shocked that, in spite of all the good things they did, God was not allowing them
into Heaven. However, the Bible clearly teaches that good works, even if done in
Jesus' name, CANNOT earn a person's way into Heaven. The Bible says:"NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which we have done, but according to his
mercy HE SAVED US." TITUS 3:5"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the
gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast." EPHESIANS 2:8-9Tragically, many today, CLAIMING to know Christ as their Saviour, ARE NOT
TRUSTING Him as Saviour. Instead, they are actually trusting in something else other than
Christ ALONE for their salvation. For example, perhaps you claim to know Christ as
Saviour. Perhaps you even go around calling Him Lord. But imagine yourself standing before
Him on that dreadful day of judgment. Imagine that He is on the verge of casting you into
Hell. In an act of fearful desperation, what would you say? What actions or deeds would
you trust and mention in an effort to justify yourself and save your soul from Hell?
Be honest with yourself. Would you say something along the following lines?"But Lord! How could you do this? Don't you remember, I was baptized."
"But Lord! What about all the times I went to church. I was a faithful member."
"But Lord! Remember all the good deeds I performed?"
"But Lord! . . . . . . . ."Perhaps you can add a few things to the ones mentioned. But remember, they all
represent something you are trusting in to save you. To which Jesus will say:"I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." MATTHEW 7:23
Finally, let us now look at what you truly should be trusting in. Referring to
Jesus Christ, the Bible says:"WHO HATH SAVED US, and called us with an holy calling, NOT ACCORDING
TO OUR WORKS, but according to HIS own purpose and GRACE, which was given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 2 TIMOTHY 1:9THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT YOUR SINS WERE PAID FOR BY CHRIST'S
DEATH ON THE CROSS."...Christ DIED FOR OUR SINS..." I CORINTHIANS 15:3 "who his own self bare OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY on the tree [cross]."
I PETER 2:24
"So Christ was once OFFERED TO BEAR THE SINS OF MANY..."
HEBREWS 9:28
"But God commendeth [proved] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
CHRIST DIED FOR US. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, WE SHALL
BE SAVED FROM WRATH [HELL] THROUGH HIM." ROMANS 5:8-9Nothing that you could do can pay for your sins. You must come to that realization and
REPENT; change your mind about sin and anything you are trusting in to save you.
Because instead of trusting in what you have done for Christ, you should be
trusting in what Christ has done for you on the cross. The Bible says:"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [REPENT], and shalt believe
in thine heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU
SHALT BE SAVED." ROMANS 10:9Therefore, a truly saved person, if confronted with the prospect of being cast into Hell,
would say:"But Lord! You promised, in your word, that you had paid for my sins with your shed
blood. Therefore I haven't been trusting in anything else to save me. I simply
repented and took you at your word."
IF you were to die today, are you 100% SURE
you would go to Heaven? The Bible says
YOU CAN BE SURE (1 John 5:13).BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps
you from going to Heaven are your sins, because:
"...your iniquities [sins] have separated
between you and your God," Isa. 59:2.
In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For
all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God;" Rom. 3:23.
And Jesus, referring to sinners, said that He:
"shall send forth his angels, and they shall
gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity [sinners];
And shall cast them into
a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth." Mat. 13:41-42SECONDLY, you must realize that there is
NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn
Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast." Eph. 2:8-9 Baptism, good deeds,
church membership, self-righteousness are all
examples of good works that cannot save you,
because: "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he [Christ] saved
us," Titus 3:5.THE ONLY WAY you can get saved
is through Jesus Christ. He said: "I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me."
(John 14:6) THAT'S WHY: "...while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Rom. 5:8-9) THEREFORE: You must REPENT
(change your mind); admit that you are a Hell
deserving sinner and can't save yourself. And
call upon Christ, and Him alone, to save you.
"if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus [REPENT], and shalt believe in thine
heart [TRUST] that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10:9SEND THE LIGHT
A Writing Ministry of Fargo Baptist Church
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