The matre’d had slowly worked his way around the table until he was
standing behind me and then he very discretely leaned over and quietly
informed me that the restaurant had a dress code policy that all male visitors had
to wear a suit coat. I was totally caught off guard and embarrassed and
humiliated. Not only did I dress inappropriately for the occasion but I did not even
have a suit coat to wear even if I could go back home to get it. I was
also embarrassed for my girlfriend and for our hosts who were now having
to wear the smudges of my humiliation because of their association with
me and my inappropriate dress.
I did not know what to do and I wanted to die but before I could even
reign in my profound embarrassment Paul told the matre’d that I was his
guest and that he thought the rule could be waived in this case but the matre’d insisted that the rules must be followed by all patrons. Paul
then asked the matre'd to escort me to the back to see if there might be a suit coat that I
might use during
dinner.
The matre’d smiled and said that he would find me a coat and he lead me
to another room that I thought might be the “lost and found” room but
actually turned out to contain coats of many colors, sizes and styles
all nicely pressed and carefully hung on hangers. The matre’d calmed my
anxiety somewhat when he said that there are times when things like this
happen and these coats were there for people like myself that do not own
a suit and show up thinking that one is not needed. My host, Paul, saw
that I was lacking something that I needed and he made sure that I was
given what I needed to attend the dinner with him. He was my advocate
and with a humble measure of grace he came to my aid in my time of need.
Jesus has done the same for us. Anything less than perfection separates
us from God who is perfect. God loves His creation but since we are
unable to live a perfect life we cannot associate with God who is
perfect and we need an advocate to reconcile us to the perfect God that
created us. Just as Adam and Eve were forced out of the Garden of Eden
because of sin – we are thrown out of the presence of God for the same
reason. God does not grade our lives – and therefore our salvation - on
a curve like man does when administering a test.
To God one small sin is just as bad as many big sins in His eyes.
Even that one little sin separates the perfect from the imperfect.
Either you are absolutely perfect or you are not perfect and in need of
an advocate.
Have you ever said, “I think I am as good as some people and a lot
better than most people so I think I will go to heaven when I die.”
Of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, the most important
is,
Am I good enough
to go to Heaven?
The answer to that question will have eternal consequences. The way to
find out if you are good enough to go to Heaven when you die is to ask yourself if you have lived up to
God's standard
of goodness. We can’t use any standards set by man because man is not
in charge – God is in charge. Let’s start with the Ten Commandments.
Most people would probably say, "Well, I've broken one or two, but
nothing too serious, like murder, etc." So, let's go through them and
see how you do:
1. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.
Is God first in your life? Do you love God above all else? Imagine you
purchased a TV for your children, but the next evening you arrived home
from work and found that they didn't even bother to greet you. They were
too busy watching television. By ignoring you because they preferred to
watch TV, they were setting their love on the
gift rather
than the
giver,
a wrong order of affections. In the same way, if we love anything - our
spouse, our children, or even our own lives-more than we love God, we
are setting our affection on the gift rather than the Giver, which is a
transgression of the First Commandment. In fact, the Bible says that we
should love God so much that our love for our family should seem like
hatred
compared to the love we have for the God who gave those loved ones to
us.
Have you loved God with all your heart? And all the time? If not, you have committed the
oldest sin in the Book. You be the judge. On Judgment Day, will you be
innocent or guilty of breaking that Commandment? I'm not judging you -
I'm asking you to judge yourself
before the Day
of Judgment.
2. YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF ANY GRAVEN IMAGE.
This means that we shouldn't make a god to suit ourselves, either with
our hands or with our mind. Have you made a god in your mind that you're
comfortable with-where you say, "My god is a loving god who would never
send anyone to Hell"? Perhaps your god doesn't mind a "white" lie or fib
here and there - in fact, he doesn't have
any moral
dictates. In reality, that god doesn't exist; he's a figment of your
imagination. If your god is not the One revealed in Holy Scripture, then
you have made an image of God to suit yourself, something the Bible
calls idolatry. Scripture warns that no idolater will enter the kingdom
of Heaven (1 Cor. 6:9).
3. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.
Have you ever taken God's name in vain-using it flippantly, like "OMG,"
or in place of a four-letter word to express disgust? Even Hitler's name
wasn't despised enough to use as a curse word. If you have taken the
holy name of the God who gave you life and used it in that manner,
that's called blasphemy, and the Bible says, "The LORD will not hold him
guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Ex. 20:7).
4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY.
I ignored this command for 22 years. Even though God gave me the gift of
life, I didn't give Him one day in seven. I was guilty of breaking this
Commandment.
5. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.
Have you
always
honored your parents implicitly, treating them in a way that's pleasing
to God? This doesn't mean you honor them only if you think they are good
parents. We are to respect and obey them just because they are our
parents. Ask God to remind you of the sins of your youth. You may have
forgotten them, but God hasn't.
6. YOU SHALL NOT MURDER.
The Bible warns that if we are angry at someone without cause we are in
danger of judgment, and that "whoever hates his brother is a murderer"
(1 John 3:15). We can violate God's Law by our attitude and intent. Have
you broken this Commandment by harbouring anger or hatred toward someone?
If so, God sees you as guilty of murder, and "no murderer has eternal
life abiding in him."
7. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.
Who of us can say that we are pure of heart? Jesus warned, "Whoever
looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her
in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). God has seen every thought you have had and
every sin you have ever committed. The day will come when you will have
to face His Law, and we are told that the impure, fornicators (those who
have sex before marriage), and adulterers will not enter the kingdom of
God (1 Cor. 6:9,10).
8. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL.
Have you ever taken something that didn't belong to you, regardless of
its value? This includes stealing an answer on a test, taking a pen from
work, even keeping extra change that you know isn't rightfully yours. If
you've taken anything that isn't yours, then you are a thief-and you
cannot enter God's kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9,10).
9. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS.
Have you ever told a lie? Maybe covered for someone by telling an
untruth? Then that would make you a liar. You may not
think deceitfulness is a serious sin, but God does. "Lying lips are an
abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 12:22), because He is a God of truth and
holiness. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the
Lake of Fire (Rev. 21:8).
10. YOU SHALL NOT COVET.
Have you ever coveted (jealously desired) anything that belongs to
another person? That's a violation of the Tenth Commandment, and the
covetous will not inherit the kingdom of God (Eph. 5:5).
Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments?
All of us have
sinned, and just as with man's law, you only have to break one law to be
guilty. The Bible warns, "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet
stumble in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10).
A little girl was once watching sheep grazing and thought how white they
looked against the green background. But when it began to snow she
thought, "The sheep now look
dirty against
the white snow!" It was the same sheep, but with a different background.
When we compare ourselves to
man's standard
we look pretty clean, but when we compare ourselves to the pure
snow-white righteousness of
God's
standard, His moral Law, we can see ourselves in truth: that we are
unclean in His sight. The Bible says it is appointed for men to die once
and then face judgment, and that the Law is the holy standard by which all
will be judged on Judgment Day.
To be good enough to go to Heaven, we must be perfect-in thought, word,
and deed. So on the Day of Judgment, will you be innocent or guilty of
breaking God's Law?
You know you will be guilty. This may sound strange, but the worst thing
you could do at this point is to try to clean up your lifestyle; you may
realize that you have sinned and think that from now on you will keep
the Ten Commandments, do good deeds, say the right things, and think
only pure thoughts. But should a judge let a murderer go because he says
he will now live a good life? No; the criminal is in debt to justice and
therefore must be punished.
Perhaps you think that God is good and will therefore overlook your
sins. But if you were guilty of terrible crimes in a civil court and
said to the judge, "Judge, I am guilty but I believe you are a good man
and will therefore overlook my crimes," the judge would probably respond
by saying, "You are right about one thing; I am a good man, and it's
because of my goodness
that I am going to see that justice is done, that you are punished for
your crimes." The very thing that many people are hoping will save them
on Judgment Day, God's goodness, will be the very thing that will
condemn them. If God is good, He
must punish
murderers, liars, thieves, etc., and God's place of punishment is the
"prison" of Hell. God judges on a pass / fail basis and there is only
one of two places that everyone will go after they die. Either you go to heaven where
everything is good or you go to hell where there is NOTHING good in it.
No happiness – no joy – no comfort – nothing good.
What a terrible place Hell must be! If you hear that a man received a $5
fine for a crime, you could conclude that his crime was insignificant.
But if he received the death sentence, you could conclude that his crime
was heinous. In the same way, we can catch a glimpse of how abominable
sin must be in the sight of an utterly holy God by the punishment given
for it: "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23) and eternity in Hell.
Ungrateful humanity never bothers to thank God for His wonderful
blessings of life, color, light, food, joy, beauty, love, and
laughter, so He will take those blessings away from them. Instead of
showing their gratitude by obeying Him, they use His name to curse.
Their punishment will be just and severe to the uttermost. According to
the Bible, Hell is a place of
eternal, conscious torment, where the "worm does not die, and the fire
is not quenched"; there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth," "everlasting
punishment," and "eternal fire . . . the blackness of darkness forever."
I am afraid for you, but I am not the only one who doesn't want you to
end up in Hell. I care enough about your eternal salvation to give
you the chance to understand and accept the free gift of God. And God Himself is not willing that you
should perish. Because God is rich in mercy, He made a way for you to be
forgiven. To make clear what an incredible thing He has done for
you, let's look again to civil law: You are standing in front of a
judge, guilty of
very
serious crimes. All the evidence has been presented and there is no
doubt about your guilt. The fine for your crime is $1,000,000 or life
imprisonment, but you haven't two pennies to rub together. The judge is
about to pass sentence . . . he lifts his gavel,
when someone you don't
even know steps in and pays the fine for you. Justice has
been served, the law has been satisfied with the payment of the fine,
and you are now free to go. What's more, the one who paid your fine
showed how much he cares for you. His payment was evidence of his love
for you.
That's what God did for you, 2,000 years ago. He sent His Son, Jesus of
Nazareth, to pay your death penalty in your place. Jesus died on the
cross on your behalf, so that you could live. You are guilty; He paid
the fine. It is that
simple. The Bible puts it this way:
"Christ has redeemed us
from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us . . . But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Gal. 3:13; Rom. 5:8).
It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us. The only thing that would
satisfy the demands of Eternal Law was the shed blood of the sinless Son
of God.
What love God
must have for you! Jesus suffered unspeakable agony, so that
you wouldn't have to be punished for your sins. Then three days later He
arose from the dead, defeating death.
His sacrificial death and resurrection mean that you need no longer be
in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life if you
obey the gospel.
What should you then do?
The Bible tells us and it is easy to do once we
choose to do it. Simply repent (turn from your sins) and put your trust
in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Don't put it off; you may not
have tomorrow - 150,000 people die every 24 hours. Would you sell an eye
for a million dollars? How about both for $20 million? No one in his
right mind would. Your eyes are priceless to you, yet they are merely
the windows of your soul. Your life (your soul) is of such value that
Jesus said that you should despise the value of your eye in comparison.
He said that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it
from you, for it is better to enter Heaven blind, than to go to Hell
with both eyes.
In other words, of all the things that you should prioritize in your
life, it's not your health, your vocation, etc. -
it's your eternal
salvation.
Can you see your predicament? You are guilty of sinning against God
Himself, and because He has given you a conscience, you know right from
wrong. "Conscience" means "with knowledge," so isn't it true that every
time you lied, stole, etc., you did it
with knowledge
that it was wrong?
Does the fact that you have sinned against God scare you? It should. You
have actually
angered
Him by your sin. The Bible says His wrath abides on you, that you are an
enemy of God in your mind through wicked works. But let fear work for
your good, in the same way that a fear of jumping out of a plane
mid-flight would make you put on a parachute. Let your will to live open
your heart to the gospel of salvation.
Think of a man who has committed adultery. His faithful wife is more
than willing to take him back, so what is the attitude in which he
should approach her? It should be one of tremendous humility,
asking for forgiveness,
and determining in his
heart
never to
even think
of committing adultery again. That's how you should approach God. If you
are not sure how to pray, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer. Turn
from your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ in the same way you
would put your faith in a parachute to save you. You don't just
"believe" it will benefit you, you actually entrust your life to it by
putting it on. The Bible says,
"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.
13:14).
When you do that, God will forgive every sin you've ever
committed and grant you the gift of eternal life. Then read the Bible
daily and obey what you read.
For the wages
of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Romans
6:23
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no-one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
(Ephesians 2:4-10)
There is therefore now
no condemnation to those that are
in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)
God has a very simple way to receive salvation
from the judgment of eternal damnation and it is a gift from Him - there
is no way you can earn it by doing something. You simply receive
His gift or you reject it.
Click here to
find out
By the way, someone cared enough about you to give you this tract.
Show
God you love others by doing the same for them. - Ray Comfor
