COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY! Good People Don't Go to Heaven, Bad People Don't Go to Hell

*How can we be sure we are accepted by Christ?
*The normal perspective would be "Good people go to heaven."
*The problem is, we will never know if were good enough
*We live in fear of God. We have no idea whether He would accept us. The saying goes, "I don't know if I'm good enough"
*If we know our good works are suppose to be achieved, its a task, theres no choice and we sometimes don't find the joy in doing it
*Christianity is nothing like that at all!
*Luke 15: 1-2: Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

*Luke 15:11-32: Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. he longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. 'So they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

*The religious leaders ask "Why are you (Jesus) hanging out with sinners?
*In the story of the prodigal son Jesus told, the youngest son wished his dad was dead so that he will get his father's inheritance
*In a middle eastern patriarchal society, it was surprising that the father did not act aggressively but agreed
*Fathers would not run but the son's father ran after seeing his youngest son from afar. The youngest son wanted to pronounce his speech but instead, his father hugged and kissed him
*That is what it is like to be part of the Christian faith
*We are never worthy to be called sons/daughters if we work hard, we become sons and daughters by faith
*Grace is not just giving something undeserving, it is giving more than something undeserving
*Mercy says "I will forgive you" but Grace says "I will adopt you as sons and daughters"
*Jesus' heart is for sinners and unbelievers
*The older brother in the story can be represented as the Pharisee, acting self- righteous
*The younger brother knew his sin and knew that the only person to go back was his father even though he hurt his father the most
*He knew what was the meaning of brokenness

Tim Keller 
"If you want God's grace, all you need is need. All you need is nothing"


*The rebellious do not WANT God but the self- righteous do not NEED God
*The only way we could bring self-righteous and rebellion together is to let both experience brokenness
*The Father takes those who are broken and hugs and kisses them

1. Your sin is much greater than you think
*Sin is failing to hit the bullseye
*We fail to meet God's will
*Our sin is much deeper, deceptive and dangerous than we think

Flanery O Conner
"The way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin"
*If they just lie a life full of good deeds, they don't need a Saviour

2. Jesus spent most of His time rebuking the self-righteous
*The self-righteous do not realize that their broken again and again
*We don't weep and cry over sin because we think we are acceptable of doing good
*Common saying :
"Some people have Jesus as their Saviour but not as their Lord"


*They just want something from God but not develop a relationship with Him
*Jesus doesn't bother much about that but the real problem is :
What the parable says
"The real danger is that many have Jesus as their Lord but not as their Saviour"


*Do you know what it's like to weep over sin and have the Lord throw His arms around you?

3. People tend to convert from being rebellious to become self-righteous
*This is dangerous and that is what Jesus is afraid of.
*Everything we do comes down to this:
"We can be forgiven. He is pleading and crying out for you to come into His arms"


*When Jesus declares "It is finished", all our good works do not count because He has forgiven and died on the cross for us already.

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Violence Not!

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth....... Thoughts on This Verse... God hates violence and demands that we not admire those who are violent or share in their violent lifestyle. (Prov. 3:31) God abhors those who do evil. God not only opposes them when they are alive, he also mitigates their influence after they are gone. He helps them be seen for what they really are. Far from being viewed as heroes, their legacy of hate and wickedness is spurned, shunned, scandalized, and forgotten. 


-Psalm 34:16-





**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Grace + Knowledge

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen....... Thoughts on This Verse... Where do you need to grow in your walk with the Lord? How about keeping the tandem targets of grace and knowledge together as your goal. So often we pursue one or the other. But something seems to come unhinged in our soul when either of those becomes more important than the other. Let's keep grace and knowledge together because we see them together in our Savior. 


-2 Peter 3:18-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Do not fear!

Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared....... Thoughts on This Verse... What guards your heart from fear? Only one protector is sure and faithful; his name is the Yahweh -- he alone is the LORD. He is our confidence and protector. As Paul said so powerfully long ago, prayer and the Holy Spirit are our assurance of God's deliverance. Either we will be delivered from death to serve God powerfully or we will be delivered through death to share with him in eternity. We will not be snared when our fate and future remain in God's hands! 


-Proverbs 3:25-26-



**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Shout!

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth....... Thoughts on This Verse... With joy, let's praise and make a joyful noise to the LORD of lords and the King of kings today. Let's find short moments during our day, seize them, and use them to give thanks and praise to our Father in heaven. When we are blessed, let's take a moment and pause for praise. In every good thing, let's share a phrase of praise to our gracious Father.


-Psalm 100:1-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

My Child!

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them [those who deny that Jesus is from God and who have the spirit of the world], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world....... Thoughts on This Verse... The world can often be a hostile place for believers. God wants his spiritual children to know, however, that they are not alone. He lives in us through his Spirit. We can be assured, therefore, that no matter what spirit someone else may have, the Holy Spirit of God is greater, more powerful, and more glorious. The victory is ours because God's presence in us is greater than any force that we will ever face. We have our victory assured over all forces, powers, spirits, or opponents.


-1 John 4:4-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Forget me not..

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it....... Thoughts on This Verse... How warmly do you personally welcome visitors at your church or in your Bible study group? When was the last time you invited someone new in your congregation over for dinner or included them in a gathering of your Christian friends? While some have the gift of hospitality, all of us need to be warm and open to folks we don't know who join us for Christian worship and fellowship. Why not make a commitment to meet and welcome one new person at church each week. In a cold impersonal world, we can make a huge difference in the lives of those seeking the shelter and grace of Jesus and his people. 


-Hebrews 13:2-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**