I preach to a group of people in assisted living and have been doing it for six months. A member of my congregation died last week. He was healthy in the short time I knew him and he was a real nice guy and sweet. I was glad for the opportunity to get to know him better. Alas, that won't happen this side of heaven.
We, of course, believe he is in heaven because he was a good guy. But, being good isn't what it takes to go to heaven. I was reading Matt 5, the sermon on the Mount, and Jesus raises the bar considerably for those who want to go to heaven. He concludes, "Be perfect, as my Father in heaven is perfect." Wow, who can attain that?
The chapter dealt with murder in the Old Testament being punished by death. Jesus says if you are angry with your brother, your consequence is hell. Then, he talks about adultery and the Old Testament punishment was death. He expands this idea and says that if you even lust for a woman in your mind or with your eyes, your punishment is worse than death, it's hell. So, all these Pharisees thought they were pretty righteous and could handle the 10 commandments just fine, thank you, until Jesus comes along and raises the bar so high that nobody can clear the bar.
Good, nobody I know qualifies to go to heaven because he or she is good enough. My friend, Harry, who died was a good guy but that didn't qualify him to go to heaven. Hopefully, his relationship with God was one where he had been adopted into the family as one of God's sons.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
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