Heaven’s Gate Romans 10:5-13
Last week we looked at Romans 3. We saw that even though we are made in God’s image with the ability to think and to decide, even though we are given the great gift of free choice; the simple fact is we make wrong choices at times. And because God is perfect and just those mistakes need to be punished and rectified.
We saw that some “religions” say you have to be perfect or you can’t get to see God. Others say you have to be good more than you are wrong in order to get to heaven. We saw how many beliefs let men decide what is good or bad and leave it up to us to made things right with God.
God gave us the Ten Commandments so we will know what is right and wrong in his eyes and that we can’t do good all the time. Romans 3:20, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law…”
But remember God loves you; Romans 8:3, “What the law was unable to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son…” And it was God’s son that that fulfilled all the work for us by living the Commandments perfectly. It was God’s son who paid the punishment for our sins at the cross. Romans 3:24, “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Christianity is not a religion, it’s a choice to trust God, a choice to accept Jesus as our savior; simply, Christianity is faith. Romans 3:22, “…righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” We also saw that faith is more than just an acknowledgement that God exist and that Jesus is his son; even demons know this. Christian faith is an acknowledgement that we cannot live up to God’s standards and it’s a total reliance on the blood of Christ at the cross for our redemption. And that brings us to our scripture today.
Several years ago I read an obituary for a man named George Swanson. George was buried in his white corvette. He always said he was going to drive that car to the pearly gates and enter heaven in style. Today’s verses show us how to demonstrate our faith in Christ and how we are going to enter heaven.
If you declare with your mouth and believe in your heart. Saving faith has two parts; inward faith and outward confession. Pastor Dennis Davidson wrote,” Belief without confession is denial and confession without belief is ritual.” So let’s look at belief.
When I was young we were taken to church, I went to Sunday school; if you asked me if I believed in God, believed in Jesus, I would have said yes but unfortunately my emotional attachment to it was the same as if you asked me if the sky was blue and I said yes.
As a child I was told Jesus died for “us”, this big cloud of us; and the why wasn’t explained well either. But then one day a minister was explaining things differently. He was talking about the crucifixion. He was talking about the one being crucified with Jesus, the one who asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his Kingdom but it was Jesus response that he focused on, “Luke 23:49, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” And that struck me, it wasn’t you will be with the masses, it wasn’t you will be part of the big cloud of “us”; you will be with me.
From the cross Jesus tells us it is personal. That changed everything and I realized Jesus loved me; yes he loves everyone but he loves me. He loves me so much he paid the price for my sins at the cross and he didn’t ask me to do anything first. Romans 32:10, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” When this was revealed to me my heart was filled with love and gratitude and most of all true belief and faith. See and believe what Christ has done for you as an individual see the love Jesus has for you as an individual and you will be transformed.
We’re here so we know Jesus died for our sins but true belief comes from your heart not your head; Proverbs 4:28, “Watch over your heart for from it flows the springs of life.”
Confess with your lips Jesus is Lord. How do we do this? Some think it’s a grand confession, begging forgiveness while on your knees. Let’s look at the crucifixion again. Luke 23:42, “Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’” No grand spectacle, just a short and simple statement but there’s a lot in these few words. Jesus, remember me. An unadorned testimony that acknowledges who Jesus is for if he didn’t believe there would be no reason to ask Jesus to remember him. When you enter your Kingdom; acknowledging Jesus is God and asking for forgiveness.
They were both on a cross and yet this man believed Jesus was going to a Kingdom not on earth;
Heaven and he asks Jesus to remember him and not leave him in the darkness for all eternity. This points us to back to Luke 13:27, “But he will reply, ‘I do not know you…away from me you evil doer.’” In heaven Jesus will remember those who accept him and he will turn away those who reject him.
By asking Jesus to remember him in heaven this man is saying he accepts Jesus is God and is asking that his sins be forgiven. A simple statement born in faith, a simple statement acknowledging Jesus as Lord and asking for forgiveness.
And Jesus response? That’s nice but first you have to get down from this cross and pay back everyone you stole from. Wow, that’s great; too bad you waited so long, it’s too late now.
Today you will be with me in paradise. Heartfelt faith and a sincere desire to be near God and you are instantly redeemed and saved. And it doesn’t matter if you are ten or fifty; it doesn’t matter if you are young or on your death bed; an honest faith and a truthful desire for God is enough.
And we see by this exchange at Golgotha that it doesn’t matter if you confess your faith privately or in front of a church full of people; God hears you and the result is his grace and mercy.
And just to remind ourselves, we saw last week by looking at Adam and Eve, at Abraham, Sampson and David; once God sees you as righteous, he never changes his mind.
Once you confess your faith to God, I believe he asks us to confess to men. Don’t panic, I’m not saying you have to shout it on the street corner. I believe we confess our faith to men by going back to the two commandments Jesus gave us.
Jesus tells us to love God and part of loving someone is telling others. I love Jen, I talk about how she blesses me, how I’m proud of her photography and paintings. I love God so I should talk of all he’s done for me with others. Part of confessing my desire to have God in my life is not being afraid to let others know God is a part of my life.
Love your neighbor like you love yourself. Jesus doesn’t mean a passing fist bump kind of love. You love yourself so you do what’s in your best interest; you love your neighbor so you do what’s in their best interest. And again Jesus is the model to look at. Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” If Jesus could leave the glory of heaven for us we can afford to be uncomfortable for someone else.
Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” I hear many offer prayers for the families of those lost in a mass shooting, how many pray for the shooter, pray that they see God and accept Christ for forgiveness? I admit I can have difficulty with this and I pray for God to help me with it.
We may not like someone, we may not like how they treat us; but Jesus says we need to love them. When our son passed did we hate the one who sold him the heroin? He was just a symptom of Jared’s disease and I prayed he would see what he was doing to others and to himself.
I remember at Jared’s funeral, the girl he was doing drugs with that day came with her father. She was distraught and broke down. Jen and I heard people saying “How dare she show up here”, “What is she doing here?” Dakota and her father were treated like the lepers in scripture. Jen and I went to them, hugged them, prayed for them and asked Dakota to get help because we didn’t want to go to her funeral.
We know people were grieving and they turned that grief into anger at her, but she was grieving too and we felt God tell us to hold her and to love her.
As we come to a close again I want you to take away that Christianity is a faith not a religion. Christianity is a trust in God and a dependence on Christ at the cross.
Whether it’s between just you and God or in front of a full church, tell God. “I know I make mistakes in my life but I want to know you and I want Jesus as my savior. Know that by your belief and simple acknowledgement you are made righteous and glorified. And once God sees you as righteous he never changes his mind.
And last, I read this by holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel; “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference, the opposite of life is not death, its indifference, the opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.”
Don’t be indifferent. Live out Jesus commands of love. Show love not just to those you like, you speak louder when you show love to those that you don’t like. By your actions and words you are honoring God. By your actions and words you are confessing your belief. By your actions and your words you are living out your faith.
God Bless You