New Hope Notes
Isn't Just Being Good, Good Enough?
Ask Seek Knock
Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
June 8, 2003 - W0323
You may say that the Bible doesnít explain everything. And youíre right, it doesnít. In fact the Bible says, ìIf every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be writtenî. (John 21:25) In other words, if the Bible explained everything in detail, the whole world would not be able to contain it all. On the other hand, it also says ìBut these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His nameî. (John 20:31) So even though the Bible does not address everything in detail, it does address faith. And thatís why we always emphasize the importance of daily devotions. Itís in spending time with Him that He will be able to answer those gnawing questions that seem to take up residence within us.
So today we want to address this question: Isnít just being good, enough to get us into heaven? ìAnd someone came to Him and said, ëTeacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?í ÖJesus said to him, ëIf you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Meíî (Matt.19: 16,21) You see, weíre not the first to ask that question. This man who asked Jesus that question thought it was enough to have status, wealth, and be of good character. He thought all of that was enough to secure eternal life. The Lord however, tells him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him.
Still, isnít being good, enough? Well, what would we compare goodness to? Do we measure our goodness against murderers, thieves, or terrorists? Are we comparable to Mother Theresa who gave her life to serving the poor in Calcutta, India? Or would we be right up there with Jesusí disciples? Well listen to what Paul says to Timothy: ìIt is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners among whom I am foremost of allî. (1 Tim. 1:15)
Thus, the Bible tells us that we are way off the mark if we think we are good enough to get into heaven on our own merit because we are all sinners. Well then, how good do we have to be? Letís take a look at three considerations to answer the question, isnít just being good, good enough? The first isÖ
1. TRUTH IS NARROW.
ìEnter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and here are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find itî. (Matt. 7:13-14)
What does that meanótruth is narrow? Well, itís like in mathematics. Your calculations must be exact in order for you to arrive at the correct answer. For example, the distance from Earth to Mars is approximately 48 million miles away. So if you were to travel to Mars from earth and were just one inch off in calculation, you would miss Mars by 800 miles.
So does it mean we have to be narrow-minded? Well, in a sense, yes. If we want truth to guide our life, we canít be just good enough. We cannot just be truthful sometimes. We must be narrow in order to be accurate otherwise we risk veering off course. Remember in order to enter through the narrow gate we need to be following Jesus. So another important consideration isÖ
2. ETERNAL LIFE COMES THROUGH BELIEVING IN JESUS CHRIST, NOT IN OURSELVES.
ìJesus said to him, ëI am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Meíî. (John 14:6) ìAnd He said, ëSee to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ìI am Heî, and, ìThe time is nearî. Do not go after themíî. (Luke 21:8)
Eternal life comes through believing in Jesus. Yet sometimes we are tempted to follow other ways that sound like truth. But donít you believe it because thereís only one way to the Father and thatís through Jesus. That being said, you may wonder what about non-believers who are good people? Well, itís still not about how good we think we are, the possessions we acquire, or even what we do. What then, what is it about?
Let me give you an illustration. Letís say you were booked on a flight to Hawaii. And instead you board a plane to Los Angeles. Now you can do all the right things, be the best person on that plane, and have all the money in the world. However, when that plane landed, you would still be at the wrong destination. The only way to get to Hawaii would be to change planes.
So too is our journey. You see we must put our faith in Jesus Christ because the way to the Father is through Jesus. So if weíre on the wrong plane or wrong path, weíll head for the wrong destination. Of course we must still live a good life and with that in mind, understand thatÖ
? IT IS NOT BY OUR PERFORMANCE, BUT HIS.
ìHe saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spiritî. (Titus 3:5)
During World War II, Germany wanted to occupy all of Europe. On top of that, they wanted to annihilate prisoners, gypsies, and Jewish people and cause genocide to take place. One country, Holland wanted to remain neutral. So they announced on Radio Free Europe that they were not for or against Germany, That announcement came at eight one night. And by one oíclock in the morning, Germany had sent in 500 Nazi airplanes, 1500 tanks, and 50,000 ground troupes. They over ran Holland and put them under German occupation. It didnít matter that they chose to stay out of the conflict and remain neutral.
So listen carefully, the devil will no more respect our declaration of goodness than Germany did Hollandís stand of neutrality. He canít wait for you to just stay neutral because thatís when he launches his attack. We donít need to declare how good we are. Instead, we need a victor who will destroy and overcome the enemy and give us a way through. We need a savior. And thatís exactly what Jesus did on the cross. ìBut thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christî. (1 Cor. 15:57)
So itís not about declaring how good we are. Itís about walking in Godís truth. Yes truth is narrow so we must be diligent in our walk with the Lord or weíll miss the mark. Moreover believing in Jesus is the only way to receive eternal life realizing that it canít be obtained on our own merit. And finally, the third consideration isÖ
3. SALVATION IS NOT SPELLED D O. IT IS SPELLED D O N E!
We are in the middle of a war. The adversary of our soul and the demons of the world will come after our futures. And understand that the enemy can dupe us. The devil may be defeated, but heís not stupid. He is crafty. And if he thinks he can get us to believe that being good is enough, then heís got us. We donít have to tell people how good we are. Instead, we need the one who will gain us victory by stemming the enemy and then leading us to liberty. Thatís why we are so thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Heís given us liberty and freedom. The Bible says we then leave the kingdom of darkness and through Jesus come into the kingdom of light.
Sure a lot of us will still have things to work through, but at least now weíre on the right path. And weíll work on character and behavior along the way. Itís not our performance, but His. And thatís what it means to have faith in Christ. ìFor by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boastî. (Eph. 1:8-9)
We are so grateful for His mercy for without it we would be heading southward to a destiny of hell. So we must make a decision. Heís given us an invitation and Godís truth means following a narrow path. And the only way to eternity is through believing in Jesus Christ. Thus, the decision we must make is whether or not we will receive the grace of God and allow Him to apply it to our ineptitude and our life.
Many of you have said yes and know our entry into heaven is only by His mercy. And it is because we are so thankful for His mercy that we begin to change, not because we have to. Rather we have a genuine desire to please the One who laid down His life for us. Incredibly our debt is paid in full. So His offer is clear. The choice is yours. What will you choose? Will you receive His mercy or try to go it alone? Let your answer be yes because it will be the most eternal decision youíll ever make.
Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever wondered if being good was your ticket to heaven? How has that influence the way you lived your life in the past? In the present?
2. The Bible says the world is narrow that leads to life. How are you doing in this area? If it needs attention, what specific thing can you do to help you stay on track?
3. Before coming to Jesus, what was your view of eternal life? How has that affected your life decisions?
4. Do you confidently declare your faith in Jesus Christ or do you tend to shy away from taking a stand choosing instead to remain neutral? Share your thoughts.
5. When youíve done something wrong in the past, did you admit it right away? Or did you dismiss it because thinking it was just a minor thing? How would you respond to the same incident today?
6. How does knowing that Jesus laid down His life for you make you feel?
7. What most impacted you about what you learned today and how will you apply it to your life this week?
Summarized by Rhonda Pang