THE LONG ROAD TO HEAVEN
Today I want to talk a little bit about the road to heaven. We know that heaven is far apart from the earth. But do we know that the long road to heaven can also be extremely perilous? Assuming that all Christians will go to heaven someday. When they are 500 feet up on their way to heaven, gravity suddenly pulls them down to earth and they fall head first against the hard concrete surface below them. Can you imagine what kind of head injury they will suffer? They might crack their skull open, or break their neck. Isn't that an awful sight to see? Is that not a very risky journey? That could happen to Christians who believe that they are saved and that they are on their way to heaven, but the gravity of sin can suddenly pull them down, and they fall straight to the ground, crack their heads or break their necks. Is that not a possibility even though we think that we are saved now? Yes, it could happen because Jesus said in Matthew 24:13, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” In other words, we have not reached the end yet. Anything could happen between now and the end of time. How long is the time period from now until the end, one year, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, or more? Do we know? No, we don't know. Only He knows, right? What does this sentence tell us? It says that those who can endure till the end would qualify for eternal life - we have endured till the end and passed the tests. Would I believe anyone who says that once we are saved yesterday we are saved forever? NO, of course not. Why? Because yesterday was not the end. We cannot guarantee how long we would or could endure! The test is still going on. Salvation is a partnership between us and God, and either one of us could end or terminate the partnership for whatever reason. Sometimes we do not even realize that our partnership with God has ended because of so many distractions that we face each day in our lives.
The common Christian partnership that we usually see between God and us I called the Convenient Partnership. In this type of partnership, we can claim every promise of God listed in the Bible, but He can demand nothing from us because we have promised Him nothing that is written in the Bible or written anywhere else on paper. We are under “grace,” so we say. That's why I called this “grace” partnership the “Convenient Partnership”.
But, can we believe a Preacher, an ordained minister, who says that we are saved forever once we are baptized or say that we believe in Jesus? NO, because we don't know what we might do tomorrow. Jesus said those who endure till the end will be saved. Should we believe our Bible teacher because he is our best friend? God forbids unless he is smarter than Jesus! Was Judas Iscariot saved? No, he was not and so were many others. They did not endure till the end.
But you say that Paul did not say that. Who cares what Paul and the others say. They can say whatever they want to say. They can believe in whatever they want to believe until their face turns blue. They are not the owners of heaven. They don't hold the key to the Kingdom of God. And for me to believe them they must agree with what Jesus says and must not contradict Him. Only Jesus can save us, and no one else! They can say anything that they want to say, and I do not care a bit! Also, what we think and what we believe about ourselves doesn’t matter either. What God thinks about us is what counts, and nothing else matters!
And so, do you know what I am talking about, the gravity of sin that can drop us like bird droppings? I am talking about the powerful gravity of our bad habits that can pull us down and prevent us from reaching heaven. Why are bad habits so important? Because bad habits are part of us, like our hearts, lungs, our brains, and our characters. When we have bad habits, bad or evil characters, they will stay with us. They are part of us. Do you think that God wants people with defective or bad characters to live with Him if they do not repent? Read here what Paul says about himself - “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If then, I do what I will not do, I agree with the law that [it is] good. But now, [it is] no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but [how] to perform what is good I do not. For the good that I will [to do], I do not do; but the evil I will not [to do], that I practice”. Paul admits that his evil habits still control his life. Now if I do what I will not [to do], it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” I believe what Paul wanted to say was it was the bad habits that dwell in him that make him do what he will not do. Paul continues to say, “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:15-25).
In other words, Paul says O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from my bad habits?
I am not very sure what he was talking about all in the present tense. But I think he was talking about his bad habits that controlled his life at various times. How do we change our bad habits? It is not easy. It is very hard! Read again what Paul wrote about his struggle with sin (bad habits) before Saul became Paul, or even after Paul became Paul. The Law makes him see his bad habits clearly. He apparently hates to see himself struggle with sins (bad habits) every day, and he blames the Law because the law makes him see his faulty character.
Do you think the Prophet Enoch will ever say, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” NO, he would not! Do you know why? Because the Prophet Enoch was raised differently from Saul! The habits that the Prophet Enoch had acquired during his lifetime of service were totally different from Saul’s bad habits! The Prophet Enoch walked with God all the way to the finish line.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14). Do you know why Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children? Because little children have an innocent conscience, no bad habits, unlike most adults. They don’t have the bad habits like most of us adults do. That, I see, is the main difference between little children and adults - their habits.
By the way, have you ever heard little children say, “O wretched boy/girl that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” No, you will not. Or, do you think that you will ever hear the Prophet Enoch say, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” No, you will not hear him say that either. Do you know why? Because Enoch was not raised with the habits that Paul had acquired when his name was Saul; little children were raised knowing nothing about bad habits. They have innocent minds.
So, Paul now appeared to suggest that we should ignore the Law so the law can no longer remind us of our bad habits and sin. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:24-25). What is he saying in the present tense? Paul is saying that he is still living in sin. He is still controlled by his bad habits.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul apparently doesn't know that faith can save no one. Matthew 7:21-23.
Some indeed have been saved by the grace of God, like the thief on the cross. But he was an exception. There is nothing more that the thief can do. He died on the cross minutes or hours later.
How about us? We are still alive. We still have plenty more years to repent. The devil has 50 or 60 more years to deceive us after we are 30 years of age. That's a long time to repent and endure, with or without our bad habits, a very long time.
Do you know how long Job had endured? Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that [there is] none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still, he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause." (Job 2:3).
Do we fear God? No, we treated Him like our high school chum! Do we shun evil? No, we love our bad habits. We think that bad habits have nothing to do with hell. Are we saved after our heads are immersed underwater, or sprinkled with holy water? No!
Do we not believe that our bad habits can drop us like bird droppings from the sky? Yes, we should. If that is not true, why then would Jesus say "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)?
Salvation is a working partnership between God and us in which we must walk hand-in-hand with Him, just like what the Prophet Enoch did until we reach the finish line. That’s what Jesus meant when He said in Matthew 24:13, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” We have to keep working together in a partnership with God until we reach the finish line - the end. Unless we can manage our bad habits, they will stay with us until we die. For further study, please read my article The Triad of Salvation.
The common Christian partnership that we usually see between God and us I called the Convenient Partnership. In this type of partnership, we can claim every promise of God listed in the Bible, but He can demand nothing from us because we have promised Him nothing that is written in the Bible or written anywhere else on paper. We are under “grace,” so we say. That's why I called this “grace” partnership the “Convenient Partnership”.
But, can we believe a Preacher, an ordained minister, who says that we are saved forever once we are baptized or say that we believe in Jesus? NO, because we don't know what we might do tomorrow. Jesus said those who endure till the end will be saved. Should we believe our Bible teacher because he is our best friend? God forbids unless he is smarter than Jesus! Was Judas Iscariot saved? No, he was not and so were many others. They did not endure till the end.
But you say that Paul did not say that. Who cares what Paul and the others say. They can say whatever they want to say. They can believe in whatever they want to believe until their face turns blue. They are not the owners of heaven. They don't hold the key to the Kingdom of God. And for me to believe them they must agree with what Jesus says and must not contradict Him. Only Jesus can save us, and no one else! They can say anything that they want to say, and I do not care a bit! Also, what we think and what we believe about ourselves doesn’t matter either. What God thinks about us is what counts, and nothing else matters!
And so, do you know what I am talking about, the gravity of sin that can drop us like bird droppings? I am talking about the powerful gravity of our bad habits that can pull us down and prevent us from reaching heaven. Why are bad habits so important? Because bad habits are part of us, like our hearts, lungs, our brains, and our characters. When we have bad habits, bad or evil characters, they will stay with us. They are part of us. Do you think that God wants people with defective or bad characters to live with Him if they do not repent? Read here what Paul says about himself - “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If then, I do what I will not do, I agree with the law that [it is] good. But now, [it is] no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but [how] to perform what is good I do not. For the good that I will [to do], I do not do; but the evil I will not [to do], that I practice”. Paul admits that his evil habits still control his life. Now if I do what I will not [to do], it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” I believe what Paul wanted to say was it was the bad habits that dwell in him that make him do what he will not do. Paul continues to say, “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:15-25).
In other words, Paul says O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from my bad habits?
I am not very sure what he was talking about all in the present tense. But I think he was talking about his bad habits that controlled his life at various times. How do we change our bad habits? It is not easy. It is very hard! Read again what Paul wrote about his struggle with sin (bad habits) before Saul became Paul, or even after Paul became Paul. The Law makes him see his bad habits clearly. He apparently hates to see himself struggle with sins (bad habits) every day, and he blames the Law because the law makes him see his faulty character.
Do you think the Prophet Enoch will ever say, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” NO, he would not! Do you know why? Because the Prophet Enoch was raised differently from Saul! The habits that the Prophet Enoch had acquired during his lifetime of service were totally different from Saul’s bad habits! The Prophet Enoch walked with God all the way to the finish line.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14). Do you know why Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children? Because little children have an innocent conscience, no bad habits, unlike most adults. They don’t have the bad habits like most of us adults do. That, I see, is the main difference between little children and adults - their habits.
By the way, have you ever heard little children say, “O wretched boy/girl that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” No, you will not. Or, do you think that you will ever hear the Prophet Enoch say, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” No, you will not hear him say that either. Do you know why? Because Enoch was not raised with the habits that Paul had acquired when his name was Saul; little children were raised knowing nothing about bad habits. They have innocent minds.
So, Paul now appeared to suggest that we should ignore the Law so the law can no longer remind us of our bad habits and sin. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:24-25). What is he saying in the present tense? Paul is saying that he is still living in sin. He is still controlled by his bad habits.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul apparently doesn't know that faith can save no one. Matthew 7:21-23.
Some indeed have been saved by the grace of God, like the thief on the cross. But he was an exception. There is nothing more that the thief can do. He died on the cross minutes or hours later.
How about us? We are still alive. We still have plenty more years to repent. The devil has 50 or 60 more years to deceive us after we are 30 years of age. That's a long time to repent and endure, with or without our bad habits, a very long time.
Do you know how long Job had endured? Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that [there is] none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still, he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause." (Job 2:3).
Do we fear God? No, we treated Him like our high school chum! Do we shun evil? No, we love our bad habits. We think that bad habits have nothing to do with hell. Are we saved after our heads are immersed underwater, or sprinkled with holy water? No!
Do we not believe that our bad habits can drop us like bird droppings from the sky? Yes, we should. If that is not true, why then would Jesus say "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)?
Salvation is a working partnership between God and us in which we must walk hand-in-hand with Him, just like what the Prophet Enoch did until we reach the finish line. That’s what Jesus meant when He said in Matthew 24:13, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” We have to keep working together in a partnership with God until we reach the finish line - the end. Unless we can manage our bad habits, they will stay with us until we die. For further study, please read my article The Triad of Salvation.
Finally, don't do or say anything that the prophet Moses would not do or say. Why? Because the prophet Moses is the mouthpiece of God.
Comments