Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

Pastor's Pen's:
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Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2005

Grace Church of Burlington February 13, 2005 “No matter how much you do, God isn't going to love you more.  And no matter what you don't do, He's not going to stop loving you.”   Melvin Adams, former Harlem Globetrotter             When asked, “Are you a Christian?” most Americans will say, “Yes.” According to statistics, most Americans believe in God and think they will go to heaven when they die. However, the Bible clearly says, But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”(Matthew 7:14). Why is it then that so many people think they are Christians if they are not?  Well, a false Christian is deceived by what seems logical to him. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).             A false Christian . . . believes in God. Simply believing in God does not make you a Christian. Satan himself, along with all the demons of hell, believes in God. James says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (James 2:19). The difference is that a true Christian doesn’t just believe in God, he knows God personally. In order to truly know someone, we must spend time with that person. If you have no desire to spend time with God through prayer and learn more about Him through reading His Word, you should consider whether you really know Him.             A false Christian . . . believes in self. Some people think that they are Christians because they strive to live a moral life. They assess themselves as “good” in comparison to others. Based on their good deeds, they believe they have earned the “right” to enter heaven. The Bible teaches that our good deeds will not purchase our entrance to heaven, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). If we could receive salvation by being a good person, then the Cross makes no sense and God sent His Son to die for no reason. To say that you are good enough to enter heaven on your own is to reject the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.             A false Christian . . . believes in religion. Being a Christian is not about a religion, it’s about a relationship. Salvation is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Going to church, and even teaching a Sunday School class does not win you brownie points in Heaven. The Lord Jesus condemned the “religious” leaders and all their religious rituals when He said, “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13).  Jesus described such people as those who washed the outside of the cup while the inside was still unclean (Matthew 23:25).  God is concerned with your heart, not with your outward religion.             A false Christian . . . believes in unconditional mercy.  “God is too good to send me to hell. His mercy will prevail.” It is true that God is merciful, but He is also perfectly just. He is too holy to just “write off” our sin; the penalty must be paid. For those who accept His Son, God’s justice falls on Jesus, and they receive mercy.But for those who reject His Son, God’s justice falls on them. Jesus explains it thisway, “Whoever acknowledges Me before men,I will also acknowledge him before My Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in Heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).  God’s justice and mercy find their ultimate expression on the cross, where Jesus died as an atonement for our sins. By pouring out His wrath on Jesus, He pours out His mercy on those who believe. But those who reject His mercy by rejecting His Son will most definitely suffer His wrath. John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”             Becoming a true Christian is as simple as receiving a gift. In fact, salvation is a free gift. We cannot earn it. We cannot buy it. Jesus bought it for us with His own blood.  Paul says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Rom. 6:23). In other words, the wages, or consequence, of our sins is death.  If you acknowledge that you are a sinner, if you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, if you repent of your sins and invite Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you will be saved. Jesus promised, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Rev. 3:20).             So the bottom line question is: Which one are you?