What Happens When We Pass? - #5 "5 PEOPLE YOU WON’T MEET IN HEAVEN"

What Happens When We Pass? - 5

5 PEOPLE YOU WON’T MEET IN HEAVEN

… based on Matthew 7:21-23

NOTE:

Sermon Outline is in the Comments section

I like books! Are you writing this down? …

In fact, I suffer from bibliomania. Now, the real issue here …

most individuals who deal with a malady have someone at home to help them

overcome it. But I’m married to a woman who also suffers with this illness.

I mean, we plan vacations that include stops @ used book stores.

One of my favorite authors is Mitch Albom.

It doesn’t matter whether he’s writing fiction or nonfiction, within the 1 st

couple of pages I’m emotionally connected with the main characters. He’s

written: “Tuesdays With Morrie” … “One More Day” … “The Time Keeper” …

“Finding Chika” … “Have A Little Faith” … “The Stranger In The Lifeboat”,

along with many others. But this week I’ve been thinking about his story,

“The 5 People You Meet In Heaven.” And I thought I could tinker with that

as a conclusion to our series, “What Happens When We Pass?” & look at

“The 5 People You Won’t Meet In Heaven.”

Now with that as an introduction, listen to the words of Jesus,

as recorded by Matthew, to us who have gathered here for worship.

Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

“Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of

heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.

When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your

name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and

from the desk of . . .

Rande Wayne Smith

D.Min., Th.M., M.Div.

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performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get

away from me, you wicked people!” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus said, “Heaven & earth will pass away,

but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly

wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen

Okay, 5 people you won’t meet in Heaven. Now before any of you panic …

fear not, I’m not going to name names of real people this morning.

(That noise you just heard was Blake breathing a sigh of relief.)

But I have made up some names that represent different kinds of people,

who, according to Scripture, we won’t be meeting in Heaven. And obviously

the concern I have is that none of us will find ourselves in this message.

 The 1 st character I’m calling … Gary Goodguy.

And Gary is, well … he’s a good guy. Gary works hard at his job.

He coaches a basketball team for the Brown County intramural sports

program. Gary recycles, doesn’t water his lawn in the summer months when

he’s not supposed to, & he visits his mother-in-law once a week at the Brown

County Health & Living Community. He loads the dishwasher,

occasionally vacuums, & always remembers to put the seat down.

He gives money to whatever organization is standing inside IGA.

He tears up whenever he hears the Star Spangled Banner, & will even watch

“Dancing With The Stars” with his wife. Gary is a good guy.

The only problem with Gary is that he’s counting on these “good” things

to get him into Heaven. Now, Gary realizes that he does some bad stuff,

but he imagines that when he passes,

God will take all his good deeds & put them on one end of the scale,

& put the bad things on the other end … & the good will outweigh the bad.

Unfortunately, Gary is unfamiliar with some essentially important

Scriptural teachings:

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“Jesus saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves

had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us.” (Titus 3:5)

“It is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the

result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.”

(Ephesians 2:8-9)

If there’s one thing that the Scriptures teach,

it’s that our good deeds aren’t good enough to save us.

When I was in 3 rd grade, Frank Lawrence, who was my Pastor, taught our

S.S. class one day. He told us this story … & I’ve never forgotten it.

There were 3 fellows standing on a beach in NJ, & they decided to

have a long jump contest. They’re going to see who can get closest to

England! Fellow #1 is a bit out of shape. He’s the ultimate couch potato.

His idea of exercise is eating donuts while watching sports on TV.

He jogs along, jumps … & goes out about 5’. The 2 nd fellow works out on a

treadmill every morning. He runs & jumps about 15’ into the water. Now the

3 rd fellow is training for the Olympics. He runs & jumps, & lands 35’ out,

(which is about 5’ longer than the current world record). He’s really good.

My question is … who makes it closest to England? … You’re thinking,

“Well, Rande, that’s just ridiculous; no one got anywhere near close.”

But what if the 2 nd fellow says, “well, I got 3 times as far as the 1 st guy”?

And what if the 3 rd fellow says to the 2 nd , “well, I got twice as far as you”?

My friends, when God measures our goodness, He doesn’t compare us

to the actions of others. He compares us to the standard of Himself.

“You must be perfect – just as your Father is heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

And the conclusion for each one of us is …

“everyone has sinned & is far away from God’s saving presence.” (Romans 3:23)

If Gary Goodguy wants to get into Heaven, he’s got to recognize just

how “sin damaged”, how far short from God’s requirement, he truly is;

& appeal to Jesus Christ to be his Savior. No other religious leader in all

human history has claimed to be able to do that. Jesus Christ paid for

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Gary’s sins. That’s what he was doing on the cross. That’s what Scripture

teaches the cross is all about. (Matthew 26:28) But Gary has got to recognize

that. Gary Goodguy is someone we won’t be meeting in Heaven.

 A 2 nd one is … Hannah Holdout.

In Matthew 19 we read the story of a successful young man

who asks Jesus what he must do to receive eternal life.

Now Jesus wanted to challenge this fellow to do some self-evaluation.

So, He replied, “you want eternal life, just obey God’s laws & commands.”

“Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal;

do not accuse anyone falsely; respect your father & your mother;

& love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Matthew 19:18-19)

Now listen to this fellow’s response …

& then Jesus’ response to his response.

The guy confidently replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments.”

(I’ve done the work. I’m doing what I have to do.)

To which Jesus responded,

“If you want to be perfect, go & sell all you have & give the money

to the poor, & you will have riches in heaven.”

“When the young man heard this, he went away sad,

because he was very rich.” (Matthew 19:20-22)

Now Jesus’ directive, “go & sell all you have,” wasn’t something that he

told all would-be followers to do. However, Jesus asks it of this fellow

because He knew that $ was #1 in his life. He knew that materialism had

become his god. And what was the young man’s response? … He walked away.

Hannah Holdout would love a relationship with Christ.

Hannah Holdout would love to know that she’s going to Heaven. But like the

wealthy young man … there’s something in her life that she just won’t give up.

I’ve met a lot of Hannah’s over the years, who struggle with something

that keeps them from fully embracing Christ. Maybe it’s materialism,

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excessive shopping; the need to have more & more stuff: the newest styles,

the latest gadgets. For other Hannah’s it’s a habit that they’re afraid that

Jesus will make them give up: partying, alcohol, pornography, gossiping,

exercise, maybe a hobby, some recreational pursuit, sports, making money.

They want those things more than they want Christ.

Please don’t miss this … we don’t get into Heaven without Christ. (John 14:6)

And we don’t get Christ if we insist on holding onto something, (whatever

that is for you & me), that He’s asking us to surrender. (Matthew 10:39)

And my question this morning is … is what you’re holding onto worth

more than what you’re forfeiting? May I say to any Hannah Holdout’s …

you will never regret anything you give up for Christ.

Once Peter said to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything & followed you.”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or

father or mother or children or fields for my sake,

will receive a 100 times more & will be given eternal life.” (Matthew 19:27-29)

 Another person we won’t be meeting in Heaven … Charley Churchgoer.

Scripture gives us a classic example of Charley in John 3. His name is

Nicodemus, & he’s no beginner in this Church stuff … he’s a religious pro.

He’s a Pharisee. He’s studied the Law, interpreted the Law, taught the Law.

So, Nicodemus goes & meets with Jesus one evening, hoping to have a

deep theological discussion. How impressed is Jesus with Nicodemus’

religious credentials? … He doesn’t appear to be at all.

Jesus looks him in the eye & says … “I am telling you the truth,

no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.” (John 3:3)

What’s Jesus asking Nicodemus to do? … He’s asking him to start over …

that’s what it means to be born again. And then Jesus adds …

“this is a spiritual thing; you can’t do it for yourself.” In other words,

entrance into God’s Kingdom is not about external rituals.

Now I think some rituals are wonderful. We practice certain rituals here,

& they can help us worship God. But until that internal transformation takes

place, the external rituals will get us nowhere.

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And if Charley Churchgoer thinks he’s going to get into Heaven simply

because he’s a “good” Catholic, or was baptized a Presbyterian,

or confirmed a Lutheran, or attended a Baptist S.S., or raised a Methodist,

or because he faithfully attends Bear Creek Church, Charley is destined to

find out that religion just doesn’t cut it with God. God only welcomes those

into Heaven who have welcomed His Spirit into their lives.

When we put our hope & trust in Jesus, & receive His forgiveness,

& determine to follow Him, The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives.

So, we better not think that one day we’ll get into Heaven with the line …

“I’m a churchgoer.”

 Here’s another one … Alice Alltalk.

Now on a positive note, Alice Alltalk has done something that Charley

Churchgoer has failed to do. Alice has “accepted” God’s invitation

concerning eternal life. She has said aloud … “Jesus,

I want you to be my Savior.” And that’s good … as long as it’s just not words.

But Alice is all talk. She has no ongoing vital relationship with the Lord.

She thinks she’s getting into Heaven simply because she said “the right

words” at some point in her life. Please listen to what Jesus says about that

because it’s of the upmost importance.

Remember His words in our Gospel lesson?

“Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven,

but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.”

Now let me explain this so that no one’s confused.

Some of you are thinking … “now what a moment, Rande, you just told us that

we won’t be seeing Gary Goodguy in Heaven because of his good deeds.

But now Jesus seems to be saying just the opposite. So, which is it?”

Let me explain the role that good deeds play in our quest to get into Heaven.

Good deeds don’t get us into Heaven. Faith alone does. However,

& don’t miss this, genuine faith is never alone. Say that with me … genuine

faith is never alone. Genuine faith is always followed up with good deeds.

Alice Alltalk says that she has faith in God.

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God’s Word says to Alice … “prove it!”

“What good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do

not prove it? … Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes &

don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, ‘God

bless you! Keep warm & eat well’ – if you don’t give them the necessities of

life? So it is with faith: if it is alone & includes no actions, then it is dead.”

(James 2:14-17)

Allice Alltalk says that she has a relationship with Christ, that

she’s on her way to Heaven, but there isn’t the life experience to back it up.

 Another person we won’t be meeting in Heaven … Pete Putoff.

I’ve known 5,280 Pete’s.

And sadly, they put off their relationship with the Lord until it’s too late.

I was reading Jon Sindlinger’s obituary in the Brown County Democrat

last week. I’m hoping he was a believer. But he was only 61 years old. This

time last month, I wonder if he could have imagined that he would now be

dead? … Our lives can end in an instant … & there’s no coming back.

“Everyone must die once, & after that be judge by God.” (Hebrews 9:22)

Now Pete Putoff has heard about Christ. He’s just never taken the

time to come to faith in Him. Pete might even come to Bear Creek Church on

occasion. And he realizes that he needs to do something about what he’s

heard … but he has yet to make a decision for Jesus. What’s Pete’s

problem? … Why does he procrastinate when so much is at stake? …

At some point Pete has got to decide … & his not deciding is a decision.

Some “Pete’s” put off their decision because they’re just too busy …

“I’ll get around to it later.” Well, the truth of the matter is,

their priorities are all wrong. Jesus tells a parable about Pete.

There once was a rich man who had all this land which produced an

abundance of crops. He said, “I need to tear down my barns & build bigger

barns. Then when I get all my stuff in order, & I’m financially well off,

then I’m going to sit back & say, ‘I’m a lucky guy’.”

“I’m going to take life easy; eat, drink, & enjoy myself!” (Luke 12:19)

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“Now I’ve got the time to start considering religion.”

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! (And when God refers to someone as a ‘fool’

they’re in deep do-do.) This very night you will have to give up your life.’”

(Luke 12:20)

His preoccupation with business left him unprepared for eternity.

How many people do we know who have been too busy with lesser priorities

to begin a true relationship with Jesus Christ? Too busy with their job …

too busy with their family … too busy with ________________; & they tell

themselves, “someday I’m going to sit down & take care of spiritual matters

… but not today.”

Listen to the words of Scripture …

“As the Holy Spirit says, ‘If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn.’”

(Hebrews 3:7)

Do you know what The Holy Spirit is saying this morning to Pete Putoff?

“Today is the day to be saved!” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

This is eternally important. It can’t be put off.

The heart, according to Scripture, is going to get harder, as time goes by,

& opportunities are not taken. (Matthew 13:15)

So, as we close right now, I want us to bow our heads, & close our eyes,

& pray. Seriously pray. What we’ve been talking about over the past 5

weeks is eternally important. We are not guaranteed that we’ll have a

tomorrow. And if you’ve never done business with God,

right now you will have an opportunity.

If you’re Gary Goodguy, would you tell God right now …

“God, I recognize for all my goodness, I can never work my way into Heaven.

I recognize that my sin will keep me out. I want to be forgiven,

& I understand that only Christ can do that.”

If you’re Hannah Holdout; if the only reason you’re not following Christ

is that there’s something you won’t give up … think about what you’re

clutching onto & recognize that it’s not worth it. Pray …

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“God, with your help, I’m going to let go of this thing.”

If you’re Charley Churchgoer, please understand that all your

attendance & activity here at Bear Creek Church is not going to get you into

Heaven. Pray …

“God, I’ve never put it into words before, today I’m going to say it. I want

Jesus in my life. I want to follow Him. I want Him to be my Lord & Savior.”

If you’re Alice Alltalk, say just the opposite …

“God, I’ve said this to you before, but now as I look at my life, I realize that

I never really meant it, but today, I want it to be more than talk.”

And, if you’re Pete Putoff, this is the opportunity that God is giving you.

And it may be your final opportunity. Don’t pass it up.

All you have to pray is … “God, I’m ready, today is the day.”

Now, with our heads bowed, I invite you to pray from your heart.

This is your moment with God. He is listening.

MARANA THA