Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Matthew 3:9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father."
WHERE IS YOUR CONFIDENCE?
Ben was one of those members you saw in church only on Christmas and Easter. Ben didn't consider church attendance to be important, but church membership was very important to him. When he died, he wanted to be buried in the church. He looked upon his church membership as his ticket to heaven.
One day when the pastor visited Ben and shared his concern about Ben's lack of attendance, Ben simply smiled and told the pastor not to worry. "Pastor, I've been a member of the church nearly all my life. I was confirmed in the church, and still believe everything I was taught." But when the pastor asked Ben what exactly he believed about how a person is saved, Ben muttered something about since he considered himself to be a Christian things would work out okay for him in the end. In other words, he didn't say anything about Jesus' blood and righteousness as being his one and only hope to stand blameless before God on the judgment day.
The Pharisees and Sadducees thought that because they were descendants of Abraham, they had a guaranteed reservation in heaven. A common saying in John's day was "Abraham is our father." The Pharisees and Sadducees didn't see a personal need for a Savior. They viewed their blood descent from Abraham as their ticket to heaven.
Do we ever run the risk of making the same mistake as Ben? Could our hearts ever become misguided like those of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Just because we're members of a Christian congregation doesn't automatically make us members of God's family. Just because our Mom and Dad attend church faithfully doesn't give us the right to claim a place in heaven. One's confirmation certificate is no ticket to paradise.
Jesus is our only ticket to heaven. He alone satisfied God's righteous requirements of perfection. He alone paid the full penalty for our sins with His substitutionary death on the cross. The following question is aimed at our hearts: "Where are you and I placing our confidence for salvation?" Messenger John gives the correct and wonderful answer: "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of he world!"
