Isaiah 64: 6
“We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
and our sins sweep us away like the wind”
I was watching one of my favorite movies called God’s not Dead last weekend. The first time I watched it, I did not notice the quote between Mark(a successful, wealthy, mean guy who cared nothing about Jesus) and Mina’s mother (an old, sweet woman with dementia). It triggered my thought channel in a way I never would have thought of. Here it is:
Mark: You prayed and believed your whole life. Never done anything wrong. And here you are. You’re the nicest person I know. I am the meanest. You have dementia. My life is perfect. Explain that to me!
Mina’s Mother: Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble because he doesn’t want them turning to God. Their sin is like a jail cell, except it is all nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to leave. The door’s wide open. Till one day, time runs out, and the cell door slams shut, and suddenly it’s too late .
Now, I do not wholeheartedly agree with this quote because God is ultimately the one in control. Anyone who has ever read the book of Job, for example, understands that Satan still had to get things done by going through God first. However, I completely agree with the comparison of sin to a comfortable jail cell that makes it hard for anyone to ever want to leave. Looking back on the days when I cared nothing about living for God, a sinful lifestyle DID seem comfortable and it was easy. It was effortless to just continue walking down a path that I knew was not God based, but I only cared about “me” and what I wanted to do at the time. There were no rules and no boundaries other than the ones I set in place myself (and my mom of course).
I’m sure some of you have been at a point in your life where you know you have been going against God and you didn’t feel any conviction about it, but somehow, you still think you will “compromise” with God once you depart from this earth because you thought of yourself as a good person. I have. A few years ago, I was at a point where I prayed every night, posted facebook statuses about God, went to church a few times, stayed out of trouble, did well in school, helped people out, remained respectful to everyone, and kept a positive attitude in general. There is nothing wrong with these things at all. In fact, those are all GOOD things to do! However, in reality, my lifestyle did not fully and sincerely reflect the lifestyle God wanted for me. More importantly, my heart or mind was not truly set on his son Jesus Christ. So, all of my good deeds were self righteousness. Fortunately, by the grace of God, I was pulled off that road of destruction and onto the path of life.
So, why should you TRULY trust Jesus? If you are or have ever been in my shoes, here is one reason why:
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”
This passage is probably one of the scariest scriptures in the bible because there ARE people out there who call on the Lord’s name out of insincerity . Some people DO use the Lord’s name when their heart is not truly on him and their lifestyle is actually the opposite of one who is a follower of Christ. Similarly, this applies to those who actually ARE sincere in calling on the Lord, but deliberately continue to live a lifestyle that opposes the ways of the Lord. Being sincere in calling on the Lord should not be a substitute for obeying the word of God. These are examples of something I like to call a “dead spirit” for God. The desire to truly follow Jesus is drowned out by selfish desires and worldly wants that only give us temporary pleasure. (Luke 8:14) Therefore, producing a “lukewarm” effect. In other words, it is being halfway with the Lord and halfway with the world.
What good is it to go to church if you’re not listening to the pastor and you’re consistently checking the time before you leave? What good is posting about God on social media if your heart is not truly set on him? Most importantly, why let “you” and your desires on this temporary earth get in the way of eternal joy, peace, and love with God in heaven?
1 Corithians 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
An eternal life with God is unimaginable. God has a beautiful life in store for those who choose to follow him. All we have to do is believe in our hearts that Jesus died for our sins and live to serve him. There is nothing on this earth worth losing your soul over! (Mark 8:36) Anything put before God is an idol. Don’t let “you” stop you from accepting God’s free gift of grace because of the things you want this present time. If Jesus sacrificed his life so that YOU can have eternal life, why can’t you sacrifice those fleshly desires for Jesus in return and follow him? After all, your SOUL is on the line when you choose to follow your sinful nature instead of Jesus.
Galatians 5: 19-21
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
The main reason you should follow is this: Jesus will be back one day and his desire is for us all to repent and be saved! The bible makes it very clear that Jesus will be back to judge the world according to everything they have done.
2Peter 3:9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.”
Revelations 22:7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”
God wants us to be all for him. This means surrendering your life to his son Jesus. This may seem scary or even “boring” to some, but this is not so. Of course there are certain standards in place and things you have to give up, but there are many other ways to have fun that is acceptable in the sight of God. Even after accepting Christ, you will not be perfect. However, after understanding the significance of obedience, it is easier to strive for perfection each day. Living for Jesus is totally worth it and it will provide you with the best life possible. Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
In saying all of this, you may not be mean or conceited like Mark in “God’s Not Dead”, but if your heart is not truly on Jesus, what makes his position with God any different from yours? This is why no matter who we are or what type of person we are, we all need Jesus to be saved! It is literally impossible to save ourselves.
Ephesians 2:8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
At the end of service on Sundays, my pastor asks this question in the mist of his call to discipleship: “On the outside, you may be outwardly religious and you may seem like a good person, but if you were to face God and he asks why he should let you into his kingdom, what would you say? You would not have anything to say because you don’t know Christ or the cross.” Jesus is the only way to salvation. No matter how good, bad, or righteous we may think of ourselves, we must have Jesus in order to be declared righteous in the sight of God. So, why not escape the comfortable jail cell of sin while the door is still open? There is no amount of good deeds you can do that will make you right with God. Our righteousness is like filthy rags(Isaiah 64:6) and can only be deemed clean by wearing Jesus’ cloth of righteousness. Your dead spirit can ONLY be brought to life by faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.
kyrajohnson19 