Will You Silence the Alarm or Heed the Warning?

 

Earlier this week, I returned from an Open-Air Mission team event in Oxford. It was a short 2 day mission speaking to people attending St Giles Fair.

One of the preachers, based in London, began a talk that I don’t remember having heard before. He had the heading “Ignored Warnings” on the board. As people started to stop, he put up some pictures of the Titanic, a failed NASA mission and Grenfell Tower.

Then he asked people what happens when a fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night in a hotel. He suggested that everyone would come to their doors and look out into the corridor. If there didn’t seem to be any problem and the noise had stopped, people would go back to bed. The assumption is always that it’s a false alarm.

He explained each of the pictures and the warnings that had been ignored. With the Titanic it was the fact that there were icebergs, engineers had warned the 1986 NASA launch team about mechanical problems and with Grenfell Tower there was a campaign group warning about fire risks in the building.

In fact, with most accidents of this nature, there have been multiple warnings prior to the tragedy.

By this point, a small crowd had gathered and were listening intently. The preacher then placed the word JUDGEMENT on the board and explained that God is warning us of a coming judgement. He has sent prophets and messengers and they have recorded these warnings in the Bible.

At the judgement, people’s lives will be examined and each person will be found guilty because of sin. They will be sentenced to eternity in a horrible place called Hell.

He asked the listeners how people had survived the Titanic. Someone said they had clung on to pieces of wood. The preacher pointed out that whilst that was true it was only a temporary solution as those objects would sink or the person would die of hypothermia. Someone else then said that they were rescued by lifeboats.

The preacher explained that through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, He is the lifeboat, and can save us from the coming judgement.

By this point every person, including the team members, were gripped by this message. The preacher challenged people to respond by getting into the lifeboat and being rescued before it was too late.

With the help of God’s Holy Spirit, he conveyed a sense of solemnity and urgency that isn’t always present during these talks and encouraged people to be brave and step forward to take Gospels from his hand. After an initial pause, multiple people went forward and the team had conversations with them afterwards.

I spoke to a girl who thought she was a Christian. When I asked if she was sure of Heaven she said that she wasn’t and that this was why she had gone forward to take the Gospel. She wanted to be sure and to avoid the judgement to come. We had a good conversation.

I don’t think any of those present will forget that warning of the judgement to come.

Afterwards, I realised that we all ignore warnings constantly about all manner of things: 

• we silence alarm clocks or put them on snooze
• we remove batteries from the beeping fire alarm rather than replacing them immediately
• we put pieces of tape over flashing lights on our car dashboard or just hope the light will go off
• we fail to investigate burglar or car alarms when they are sounding
• we drive past signs saying the road is closed or move the cones out of the way
• we sack or demote whistle-blowers aiming to permanently silence them
• we ignore red flags in relationships

I’ve twice heard and seen security vans with loud speakers shouting that they are being attacked and for the police to be called only for people to just carry on as normal.

Why do we do this when as a society we are supposedly more safety conscious and risk averse than ever before? Why do we do this when most people are afraid of dying?

I think it’s because we don’t really believe bad things will happen to us. We don’t really believe the warnings and we don’t want the inconvenience or cost of having to change the way we do things.

Even after the accident happens and the tragedy occurs, a few years down the line, have we not reverted back to the same patterns that caused the problem in the first place. We don’t seem to learn from our mistakes no matter how many times we are warned.

God’s warning of judgement is the most serious warning of all because it applies to all humanity and how we respond determines where we will spend eternity.

Don’t silence the alarm or put it on snooze as there’s no guarantee you will wake up. The wise thing to do is to heed the warnings in the Bible and to flee from the wrath to come.

Ask God to forgive you for the things you’ve done wrong in your life. Believe that Jesus died for you on the cross. Turn away from those wrong things (repent) and commit your life to Him.

Do it today, you might not have tomorrow.

 

10 Reasons People Will be Refused Entry to Heaven (and End Up in Hell....)

A friend of mine who is associated with the Open-Air Mission has a short talk entitled "Are you sure you aren't going to Hell?" It's not a popular subject but if there are only two destinations after this life then surely we must make sure we're heading for the right place!

During evangelism, I speak to lots of people from all walks of life and the number one answer when I ask them whether they are sure they are going to get into Heaven is, "I hope so" or "hopefully." Sadly, professing Christians often say this too.

When I explain the Gospel to these people sometimes it's like a light goes on as they understand for the first time. Others walk away stating that they will continue trying their best. A few are offended by the suggestion that they are on the wrong path. 

So, what are the things that will cause us to be turned away from Heaven on Judgement Day?

1. Unforgiven sin. If we stand before the God of the Universe on Judgement Day carrying the huge burden of the sins we have all committed during our lives, we can't really expect anything other than to be condemned. If we entered Heaven with our sin it would be spoiled. Remember that this is how the Garden of Eden was ruined in the first place. Adam and Eve were given a perfect life in a perfect Creation and would have lived forever with God but their rebellion led to destruction and death. God cannot have anything to do with sin because of His holiness and perfection.

2. Not believing in God (Atheism). Perhaps this is obvious but it's worth saying that a person who doesn't believe in or acknowledge God cannot enter Heaven. The Bible says that for someone to come to God they "must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11 vs 6) Part of this reward is eternal life in Heaven which is not for an unbeliever. There will be no Atheists on Judgement Day. The Bible actually says that there are none now, in Romans 1, it refers to Creation and evidences of God all around us leaving people without excuse if they deny Him.

3. Sitting on the fence (Agnosticism). A label that I'm hearing more and more frequently these days. There comes a time when we need to make up our minds and decide what we believe. We begin on the broad road that leads to destruction so really there is no sitting on the fence. We are either children of God or of the devil. We have either passed from darkness to light or we are still in darkness. This is why the Gospel message is urgent. If people fail to respond to Jesus before they die, there is no hope for them. There is no purgatory or crossing over from Hell to Heaven. If we die as Christians we go to Heaven, if not, it's Hell, forever. What a terrible thought.

4. Rejecting Jesus. I meet people who say that they believe in God but they aren't into Jesus. Some believe He was just a good man or a prophet. Others don't understand His significance at all. This despite the fact that our calendar is dated from His time on Earth. People who reject Jesus as both God and God's Son won't enter Heaven. They have rejected the only Person through Whom they can be saved. "Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". (John 14 vs 6)

5. Trusting in good works/trying to earn salvation. As mentioned above, this is probably the biggest reason people will be refused entry to Heaven. One small sin (a lie, thinking a bad thought, not loving God fully all of the time) is enough to keep someone out of Heaven no matter what good things they have tried to do. The Bible says that all have sinned therefore all die. There are no scales on Judgement Day weighing up our good and our bad deeds. The standard to reach Heaven is perfection all of the time for our whole lives....clearly this isn't the way to get there as it's impossible for us who are born in sin.

6. Failing to repent. There are people who carry the Christian label but who don't see the need to repent. Repentance is a complete change of mind and direction. We should stop going our way and doing what we want to do and should instead go God's way and do what He wants us to do. This doesn't mean we will be able to obey Him perfectly, but our lives should change when we become Christians and we should be recognised by the way that we behave afterwards. A lack of repentance is usually to do with pride and a failure to accept that we are sinners in the first place. Jesus' instructions were clear; we must repent and believe to get to Heaven. 

7. Choosing a sinful lifestyle/living for this life. Although similar to the previous point, this is more deliberate and isn't usually found in professing Christians. There are people who know what they are doing and choose the pleasures of this life over the life to come. They make a conscious choice to revel in sin and often the excesses of it. They aren't concerned about the consequences and their consciences become dull over time. This is not the same as a person who changes when they become a Christian (like the prodigal son,) this is someone who arrives at Judgement Day having chased after sin and worldly things their whole lives. They cannot enter Heaven.

8. Following a false religion/prophet. Many Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others are sincere in what they believe but they are on the wrong path. Their prophets and leaders are false as are the books that they follow. The Bible warns us to be on guard against these traps of the enemy. It also says that "even if an angel or anyone else proclaims something contrary to the Gospel that has been received, they should be under a curse" (Galatians 1 vs 8) How many people have been led astray by these false visions and appearances? People who are following a false religion cannot enter Heaven as they are still carrying their sin.

9. Refusing to be rescued. The Bible makes it clear that God desires all to come to repentance and be saved. It says that people are without excuse if they reject Him. It states that "all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved". There's an illustration of a drowning man waiting for God to save him. He rejects the various rescues that are attempted failing to recognise that God is behind them. Some people for reasons of their own won't accept the hand that God is holding out to them. These people won't reach Heaven as they have stubbornly refused to be helped into the lifeboat.

10. Doing nothing/feigning ignorance. Because we begin on the broad path heading for Hell, doing nothing just means that we continue on that path and reach the final destination. Exercising faith in Jesus is a conscious decision that takes us off the path to destruction and places us on the path to eternal life in Heaven. Likewise pretending there is no decision to be made or claiming ignorance about spiritual things doesn't give a person a free pass as God sees everything and He knows our hearts. He has put eternity in our hearts so we know that there is a life to come. We won't enter Heaven if we do nothing or claim to be ignorant.

It's been quite depressing writing this list but I do so in the hope that some reading this might recognise themselves within it and change course before it's too late. 

As an aside, all the time you are still living and breathing it's never too late to change direction, no matter what you have done. God promises to forgive us and place us on a path to eternity in Heaven if we turn away from our sin (repent) and believe Jesus died for us on the cross. Then, we need to commit our lives to following Him as Saviour and Lord.

Let's make sure we won't be refused entry to Heaven on Judgement Day but will instead be welcomed in because of Jesus' perfect life, death and resurrection for us.

Am I Good Enough to Get to Heaven?

Taking a break from the Bridging the Gap series, I wanted to touch on something that was briefly mentioned in Ten Deadly Views that are Prevalent in Society.

I had a chat with an 82 year old man named John in the street today. He walked past my book table and was squinting to read the sign, presumably to find out what I was offering. I greeted him and, still at a distance, he said “Is it about religion?” I obviously told him that it was about Christianity. He waved his arms around in frustration and said that he didn’t want to know anything about religion. I suggested that it might be important, and he came over to talk to me.

John said that in the past, he had spent time in a Catholic church with nuns and also in a Church of England. He continued that he didn’t believe any of it now and didn’t go to church. He then began listing all of the good he had done in his life. He was trying to walk away from me the whole time he was speaking, partly because of the cold weather but also I sensed that he didn’t really want to hear what I had to say in response. I found the encounter interesting because it was cold and there was really no reason for him to even stop and talk to me. I hadn’t imposed myself on him and it wasn’t just a case of him politely listening to me, he obviously felt the need to converse on the subject, maybe even to reassure himself that he was on the right path.

I often pray during conversations like this not immediately knowing what to say to engage the person. I tried a basic Gospel explanation knowing I only had seconds before he left. In reply, John told me that he didn’t believe in an afterlife and that he would just be dead in the ground. He didn’t believe God was there and didn’t believe in Heaven or Hell. He laughed when I spoke about God having created us.

Yet, John, who claims not to believe in God or an afterlife, had spent most of the conversation telling me about all of the good he had done in his life. It begs the question, why bother if there is no God, no afterlife, no Judgement Day?

John is typical of many people who are suppressing the truth about God. We have been created with a conscience that knows right from wrong and we can see the hand of God in creation. This is why we feel guilt when we sin and why people who claim not to believe in God, like John, end up doing good works “just in case.” If we are honest, we know deep down that we are accountable for our sin because God has created us with that knowledge.

A staggering number of people, even professing Christians think that salvation and entrance into heaven is at least partly based on good deeds. These people usually also think that their good will be weighed against their bad and as long as they haven’t committed a serious crime (according to the definition of society e.g. murder, rape, child molestation,) then their good will outweigh their bad.

It amazes me that people are willing to risk their eternal destiny on something so subjective. It’s also incredible that more people aren’t wanting to know the definitive answer to the question: “Am I good enough to get to heaven?” They leave it until it’s too late to do anything about it when they have already died and are standing before God awaiting judgement.

The Open Air Mission has a tract with this question on the front. A lady was handed the leaflet and read the question aloud she then said ,“No, actually, I’m not.” I tried to engage her in conversation but she was off up the street continuing her shopping, apparently not concerned enough to give a few minutes of her time to find out how she could get to heaven.

The good news is that the Bible gives us the answer to this most important question. It tells us that none of us are good enough to get to heaven. All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3 vs 23.) God’s standard is perfection and none of us are perfect.

Whilst talking to John I acknowledged that from what he had said, he had lived a pretty good life and done a lot of good things for people. I asked him whether he thought that was enough and whether God’s standard was the same as our standards as human beings. He admitted that he wasn’t perfect and quickly followed that up with the observation that no one is. It made me sad that this man at 82 was striving to lead a good, moral life yet was missing the mark and was unwilling to hear the solution. He refused a booklet and rushed off saying that he was cold. Please pray for him.

God knew that we could never live up to His standards because of our inclination to sin. He therefore sent His only Son Jesus to die on a cross in our place and for our sin. Jesus lived a perfect life with no sin of His own. Then, he literally stepped in and took the punishment that you and I deserve. Jesus bridged the gap between us in our sin and a Holy God. It is only through Jesus that we can approach God, have our sins forgiven and ultimately enter heaven.

So, the title question is really a trick one. The amount of sin we have committed is irrelevant because we have all sinned. Likewise the number of good deeds because we are not perfect. One small sin is enough to keep us out of heaven, forever and doing something good doesn’t cancel it out!

The answer will always be, no, we are not good enough to get to Heaven. However, if we trust Jesus, our sin can be replaced with His perfection and this is all that God requires for entrance to Heaven.

Here is the full verse, part of which I mentioned earlier;

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3 vs 23-24