Am I Good Enough to Get to Heaven?

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/334bda77/am-i-good-enough-to-get-to-heaven-40-acts

Heaven is a rather curious subject...

There are many opinions about whether or not Heaven is real, with most irreligious folks being completely ambivalent, that is, until death comes knocking at their door. Suddenly, they are not so ambivalent; suddenly, they are not so apathetic. 

As conversation slowly proceeds about what comes after this life, I have found that one who is face to face with his mortality, oft quietly turns and asks hmm . . . How do I get to Heaven?

People have asked that question for all time and eternity.

Including those in the early church in Jerusalem. Remember with me that those people were the first to receive the Holy Spirit and his power.  They were the ones who realized there was actual freedom in their faith as they began to understand they were loosed from keeping the Law - a veritable yoke on their backs. What’s more, they were the ones who realized there was relationship with the Almighty because of what Jesus the Messiah had done on the cross.  And think of it--Jesus' disciples were in those early gatherings - eye witnesses of his life and miraculous works --those who knew what he was like as a human being. Oh and of course, there were firsthand accounts of those who had seen Jesus after he came back to life. Discussions must have been electric!

But guess what? Even in the precious early years of Christianity, disagreements happened.  Early on in the church, there was a dispute about procedural matters: how to do things, how widows should receive food, who should give it to them--resolved by the appointing of those who could do such things while leaving the teaching to the apostles, Acts chapter 6.  But here in chapter 15, they disagreed over the most important matter of our Christian faith:  

-->>How do we come to salvation in Jesus Christ?  

-->>How do we get to Heaven when we die?

If you read between the lines in Acts 15, the Jewish believers really thought they were superior to the Gentiles who were coming to believe in Jesus.  "Some men" ­­not authorized by the church leaders in Jerusalem, took it upon themselves to travel to Antioch to let the new Gentile believers know that they had to be circumcised in order to be saved.

Why is this important?  

Because if that group of Jewish believers had prevailed, there would be no John 3.16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him will not die but have eternal life.  Instead it would be 

whoever believes in Jesus Christ + our good deeds has eternal life. 

No, No and No.  Notice who did the work of salvation: Jesus. Jesus’ death paid the debt for sin … the work is done. Our part is to believe, repent of sin, and follow Him.

From the Jewish believers’ perspective - they were trying to keep the Law of Moses, many already seeking God as righteous Jews, not just living by the ten commandments but the 613 laws the rabbis taught, the oral law.  (of those 613 laws, 248 were positive commandments, “thou shalt…” and 365 were negative, “thou shalt not”). There were a whole slew of laws on keeping the sabbath alone!  They wanted the Gentiles to observe these same things to become Christians. Hmmm.

After Paul and Barnabas met with the Jerusalem leaders, including James and Peter,  [This is James, the half-brother of Jesus, the one who gave us the book that bears his name--five chapters of practical, really good stuff for life; James the apostle had been put to death earlier, you will remember]. James gives the guidelines--no, the Gentiles do not have to become Jews first to become Christians, but some practices should be avoided: idol worship, including sexual immorality surrounding those idols, and blood (again, because in some pagan idol worship there was drinking of blood…ugh). While even these were not matters of salvation, without avoiding these, fellowship with the Jewish believers would have been ne’er impossible.  Crises averted. The Church goes forward.

Hear me now: We do not work to earn our way to heaven. Every other faith is about doing… working to earn God’s favor and ultimately, MAYBE Heaven.  

Christianity is accepting God’s grace,

extended freely to us through believing in Jesus Christ,

seeking his forgiveness for our sin.

Then, the matter is done.  

Faith alone by grace alone through Christ alone.

**if we could earn our way to heaven by our good works,

there would have been no need for Jesus to come to earth and die.

Having been next to the ICU bed and the more dire hospice patient - these conversations are as real as conversations get. First, there is far too much evidence to deny that there is life after death. And if there is a Heaven, these people want to know - how do I get there?

Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God ....

your Savior, your forgiver, your Lord.

On this, there is no discussion, no debate.

There is no eternal glory, no heaven forever with God,

without an individual assent and surrender to Jesus as Lord.

Heaven comes in Christ alone. Amen!

Check It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG6HTCYYTpU&list=RDdG6HTCYYTpU&start_radio=1

Because of Grace,

Christine

no. 40, Acts