Blessed Assurance
Polls show, and it has not changed much in the last fifty years, that most people think they are going to heaven. While 89% of Americans believe in God, 85% feel that the gates of paradise will swing wide open, and they will march triumphantly through those pearly gates.
A poll taken by Jesus two-thousand years ago does not agree with those statistics. His poll said Not Many. But thankfully it did not say, “Not Any.”
The greatest pollster who never gets it wrong said in Matthew 7:21-23,” Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Jesus made it clear that many have a false assurance of going to heaven. The uncomfortable truth is Not everyone who talks about heaven is going there. Jesus pushes the truth even further by saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” That is a shocker. Even though they call him Lord, they may have a false assurance.
Jesus is saying here that not everyone who makes a public confession of faith, not everyone who walks down an aisle to accept him as Lord and savior. Not everyone who goes through the waters of baptism will enter into the kingdom of God. This shocking statement should get out attention as it was not said by a Denominational leader or Church council but by Jesus, the greatest, prophet, preacher, prognosticator of all time, who has a 100% track rate.
Jesus is saying that Many will stand before him one day and say to him the reason you should allow me into your heaven is because I have done a lot of good works for you. I gave money to help the poor, I didn’t hurt a lot of people, and I gave a lot of blood to the Red Cross, etc.…etc.…
To put it as crystal clear as possible they are not Christians. They have a profession of faith but not a possession of faith. Jesus is on their lips but not in their heart. It is not everyone who says Lord, Lord. But only to those to whom he really is Lord, master, savior, the boss in every area of their life…
To make it even more shocking Jesus said, in Matthew 24:24,” For false Christ’s and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” I believe that in the End Times, the closer we get to the Coming Again of Christ we will see a lot of demonic wonders by such religious people.
So how do we perceive the true believer from the non-believer? The genuine from the false.” I John 5:13 tells us that we can have absolute assurance, that we can know that we have eternal life right now. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
We can know in the same way we know a good apple tree from a bad apple tree. You judge the tree by its fruit. “Jesus said “You will know them by their fruits” (Mathew 7:16).
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but He who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
To those whose religion is all in their mouth and not in their hearts Jesus said, “I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:23).
The those who love Jesus Christ and manifest it in the way they live, walk, and treat others. He will say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23).
Let us live in the light of that eternal day. Soon the fleeting hours of this life will be gone. Gone forever with its death, its tears and strife. We only get one chance on this temporary, revolving planet so let us make the best of it.
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Robert Bryant