I feel like sharing the sermon that God has placed on my mind this morning. It's a simple topic, but one that most folks need to reconsider.
I have often heard comments like, "He's really a good person. He just needs God in His life." I'm sure I have even thrown those types of words out, and I realize the intended meaning when we say things like that. We mean that the person is hard working, mostly honest, provides for his family, and is glad to help out a friend in need if he is able. Things like that. And those are all important qualities to have. But I'm afraid that our society is made up of a whole lot of really "good" folks who are on their way to Hell!
You see, the idea that someone can be a "good" person is a lie straight from Satan, and is trapping many people! We in the church are even contributing by making such comments about our lost family and friends. By saying nice things about them being "good", we are actually pushing them towards the very gates of Hell!
The Bible is clear that no one is "good" instrinsically, even if they have some good, moral qualites about them.
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;" (Isaiah 53:6)
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)
"Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness; but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6)
And in many, many other places in God's Word. Let's consider some passages from Luke Chapter 18, verses 9-27. I suppose a good title for this would be:
Good People Going to Hell
I: "Good" People Are Not Justified
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
One thing I notice is that the Pharisee prayed "with himself" in verse 11, and not with God. He was obviously "proclaiming his own goodness" as the writer of Proverbs calls it. The publican recognized that he was in fact a sinner and asked God for mercy. Jesus said that the publican went to his house justified, but not the Pharisee. Being justified means to be declared righteous before God !
Paul writes a lot about justification, but let's look at just a few verses from Romans chapter 3:
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
I know those are some deep verses but they are so powerful! He says that the righteousness of God is manifested in Jesus Christ and we can all have that righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ when we believe! (v21 & 22) He goes on to explain that Jesus does this freely because of His amazing grace (v24), and that Jesus is "a propitiation" for God which means that His sacrifice satisfied and appeased God's wrath against sin. This is why we can claim His righteousness for the remission of sins! (v25) Jesus declares His righteousness because He is just and is the justifier of we who choose to believe in Him! (v26)
But "good" people are not justified unless they repent of their sins and accept Jesus!
also,
II: "Good" People Are Not Born Again
15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
These verses speak of the innocence of a babe and that the kingdom of God belongs to such as them. We must receive the kingdom of God as a little child, without relying on all our "goodness" and past history. We must become as innocent as a child by being born again, spiritually!
Look at Jesus's words to Nicodemus in John chapter 3:
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I think these verse speak for themself pretty nicely. A spiritual re-birth is needed to enter the kingdom of God. This passage speaks of another Pharisee, but this time he has an open mind and is not proclaiming his own goodness like the first one we looked at. Nicodemus is not yet persuaded to accept Christ and be "Born Again" at this point, but later he will speak up for Christ among his peers in John 7:50, and will eventually help bury Jesus in John 19:39, indicating that he gradually came to faith and belief in Christ and was indeed "Born Again" sometime after this first encounter with the Master!
But being a "good" person does not mean that person has been "born again".
Let's continue along in Luke 18 with another rich person who is "good". We will see that:
III: "Good" People Are Not Going To Heaven
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
This rich ruler was a very "good" person. He obviously thought that his goodness counted for something, but he still wanted to make sure that he would in fact acquire eternal life.(v18) Jesus wanted him to realize that only God is truly "good", and that this rich ruler was not really "good", no matter what he thought of himself!(v19) The guy claimed that he had kept each of the 10 Commandments that Jesus mentioned (which is not possible, but that is another sermon) from his youth up, and I'm sure that society had branded him as a very "good" person.(v20-21) He failed the test of the first of the 10 Commandments, however, "Thou shalt have no other god's before me" as he had made his riches his true god. When Jesus told him to sell all that he had and give to the poor so that he could have treasure in Heaven, he went away sorrowful, without salvation, because he had great riches.(v22-23) Even though he was a "good" person he could not go to Heaven! Even if all his "good" deeds outnumbered all his "bad" deeds, he could still not go to Heaven without being obedient to Jesus and accepting His invitation of "and come, follow me." (v22)
So, good people can not go to Heaven based on their own "goodness" nor based on their riches.(v24-25)
They that heard this teaching asked, "Who, then can be saved?" and Jesus explained that it is impossible with men, but it is possible with God!(v26-27)
In Luke 19 we see another man. We don't know for sure if he thought of himself as "good", but chances are someone in his family would have said that he was actually a "good" person no matter what his life was like! We do know that he was rich, however, and we know that he learned "it is possible with God" first hand because Jesus states in verse 9, "This day is salvation come to this house". He is an object lesson in answer to the question of "Who then can be saved?" Zacchaeus did not get caught up in his riches like the good ruler did in the chapter before. He also could not trust in own "goodness". He repented of his sins and received Jesus joyfully!(v6) That is the type of person who can be saved! Here are the verses from Luke 19:
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Zacchaeus decided to do basically what Jesus had suggested to the other rich ruler in Luke 18. He gave half of his goods to the poor and wanted to make restitution to anyone whom he may have cheated!(v8) He did this after he received Jesus joyfully, and not as some work trying to earn his way into heaven. He did good things because he had repented and recieved salvation, not because he was "good" in and of himself.
As the Bible says in Ephesians Chapter 2:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
You see, we are saved by grace through faith in Christ when we are born again and allow Him to justify us. It is not because of any works that we may do out of our own "goodness". We then have a home in Heaven, but before we go there we are called to do good works because we are saved!
So "good" people are not justified, are not born again, and are not going to Heaven.
I could go on and on, as more verses keep coming to mind as I type, but I believe this is where the message should end.
I'm also reminded of a great old Southern Gospel song that goes along perfectly with this topic. It was by the Dixie Melody Boys as they were doing a spin off the the Dukes of Hazzard theme song, called Good Ole Boys. I found the song on You Tube and I really hope you will listen to it.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzDd9Agob_g&feature=related
And here are the words:
Just some good ole boys, never meanin' no harm,
You can take it from me, I used to be a good ole boy.
Good ole boys, they come a dime a dozen,
Doin' good, good as they care to be.
And everybody loves to be around them,
Because a good ole boy, he'd never harm a flea,
But the only life they know is their pleasure,
They live their lives for things that they enjoy,
And when they're asked about the love of Jesus,
They say don't worry about me, I've been a good ole boy.
Good ole boys won't make it into heaven,
Good ole boys won't wear a crown,
Good ole boys won't live forever,
Where the Saints of God are found,
So don't you dare be misled,
Only Jesus gives real joy,
You can take it from me, I used to be,
A good ole boy!
The weekend comes and they're out on the road again,
Waylon and Willie, playing on the radio,
They worked all week and they didn't cheat one person,
'Cause a good ole boy is good, don't you know,
So good ole boys, I beg you heed this warning,
'Cause very soon we're going to see the Lord,
And when he asks just why you should go to heaven,
I pray you won't say, "I've been a good ole boy".
Good ole boys won't make it into heaven
Good ole boys won't wear a crown,
Good ole boys won't live forever,
Where the Saints of God are found
So don't you dare be misled,
Only Jesus gives real joy,
You can take it from me, I used to be,
A good ole boy!
My prayer is that all who read this little sermon will one day be rejoicing with me with Jesus in His Kingdom!
God Bless!
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