3 Who Wonât & 1 Who Will
Matthew 18:8-9
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The queenâs death this week took social media by storm. Our world has long been captivated by Camelot. Millions follow closely all the details of the royals and so many people just love the dramatic elements--from the castle weddings to the divorces to the sibling rivalry. And now his highness the adulterer has ascended to take the throne.
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One of the subtopics trending online was whether Elizabeth is now in heaven or not. And everyone has an opinion and evidence they put forth. What is most interesting to me is not the conclusions that were drawn, but rather the evidence cited.Â
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Almost everyone who said she is now in heaven listed her good deeds as the reason. Several pointed out that she prayed. Many spoke of her love for others and devotion to her country. One chimed in that everyone goes to heaven, and that includes the queen. A few people pointed out that Billy Graham spoke positively about her. My favorite: the double rainbow which appeared over the castle settles it all!
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Almost everyone who said she is now in hell cited decisions she made which negatively affected people in the empire, or even judgments she made concerning family members. A lot of those came across as just jealous that they themselves arenât royalty.
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My opinion? That doesnât matter, first of all. Secondly, itâs a little late for all this concern. Truth is, she spoke a lot of Christ, and the cross, and faith, and I wouldnât be surprised if she were saved. I can also dig up concerns about the Church of Englandâs teachings and some quotes of the queen that sound like salvation by works, rather than grace. Itâs not for me to decide.
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So hereâs my real opinion on the whole matter: Itâs so revealing that almost no one making their points about her spoke of the gospel and what God says is the way of salvation. It was all about her, and not about her beliefs. Christ is almost never mentioned. The gospel wasnât a part of the conversation.
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We arenât here today to talk about the queen. Weâre here for Jesus. Weâre here to preach His Word!
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[read text]
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Three out of four people here wonât be in heaven. And when I say âhereâ I mean here in our text. But wait a minute; the people in our text represent all people everywhere, so I suppose thereâs truth in this for us in âhereâ today. In todayâs verses you only have a 1 in 4 chance of being the right person and truly being saved. The odds are against you today. Most of the world is lost, revealing to be one of the other 3 people. Make sure today that you are positive that you are âthe one!â
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In the parable of the sower, 3 out of 4 gospel seeds didnât make it.
Jesus said the way to hell is broad, and most go there, and that few inherit eternal life.
And His next parable of the wheat and tares applies to the church, with Christ pointing out that many in the room whom we would say are saved just look like it outwardly, and are not.
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3 important statements:
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âGod has no grandchildren, only childrenâ
âTo be 99% sure is 100% unacceptableâ
âThe only thing longer than life is eternityâ
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Take that first statementâ
       Studies show that if your parents never had kids, neither will you! In other words, just because your parents were Christians doesnât mean you are...no spiritual genes were passed along to you when you were born...you must be born again! If youâve never been born then youâre not here...and if youâve not been born again, then youâre not saved!
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Hereâs a command to obeyâ
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.
 Philippians 2:12
...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
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Do you know that you know that you are saved? Have you ever nailed it down 100%? If Jesus were to ask you, âWhy should I let you into heaven?â what would you say? With fear and trembling youâd try to work it out, and word it just right. So, how about it? Examine yourself right now before God examines you on that day. Be honest today, because He will be âjustâ on that day! The question is not âifâ you are saved, but âhowâ you are saved. What are you trusting in?
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Weâre going to spiritualize our text now, but only in ways well warranted by many other scriptures.Â
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v. 8-9Â Â Â Â Â Â âOffendâ = cause to stumble, fall short, or fall into a trap...to trip up.
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Donât allow anything to trip you up and push you over the edge into hell, for it is a literal fire that never ceases [everlasting]. Mark 9 calls it a fire that never will be quenched, and then it says âwhere their worm dieth notâ.
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âWormâ is a metaphor. Worms thrive on the remaining life found in dying flesh. The point? These worms never starve, because YOU never die all the way. I believe the Bible, and the Bible says hell is real, final, and fatal. It is forever, you are conscious, tormented, it is dark, you are alone but you hear the wailing of others, and worst of all it is hopeless. Thereâs no way out on that day, but there is on this one!
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Ill.âI need a volunteer and a knife! The Bible says that if your hand was sending you to hell it should be nothing to you to cut it off, or your foot, or pluck out your eye!
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I see in our text 3 people who wonât be in heaven, theyâll be in hell:
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1.    The Person of Profession [Hand offends them]
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This person is depending on good works they do [with their hands]. But should they?
Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not
of works, lest any man should boast.
Or sometimes the person of profession is one who just raises that hand to profess to be saved. They have profession of salvation but not possession of it.Â
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âIâve always been savedâ âI was raised in a Christian homeâ âMy momma always said I was a Christianâ âIf anyone is saved, I am!â
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Again, God has no grandchildren. You cannot depend on your upbringing to get you into heaven.
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Many false professions exist today. Are you one of them? You arenât saved by:
Walking the aisle, making a public profession at the front, raising your hand in a service, being baptized, going to church, being confirmed or sprinkled. And you arenât saved because you âjust feel itâ either!
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Ill.âwhat if I told my wife I didnât feel married anymore? She could say, look at my finger, do you see this diamond? Iâd say, no, give me a magnifying glass, ok, yes, I see it!
       Our marriage is a fact, not a feeling. Weâre going on 30 years now until this illustration...now itâs grinding to a swift halt!
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Feelings come and feelings go...feelings are deceiving. Last week I had a feeling of power from deep within me. Was it boldness? Was I about to conquer the world? No! It was a milkshake and a pound of cheese fries from midnight the night before! And it was a powerful feeling!
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Salvation cannot be worked for with your hands, you canât raise your hand and profess it, or feel it. This kind of person should cut off their hand of profession before it offends them, pushing them into hell!
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2.    Person of Pride [Foot offends them]
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This person stands on a foundation of pride, and itâs poor footing. They arenât sure if they are saved or not, and donât want to humble themselves to make sure.Â
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âPride is a foundation which gets lower and lower with each layer you pour on.â
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Proverbs 29:23
A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Thatâs how it was for my pastorâs wife when I was a kid. Yes, jaws hit the floor when she walked the aisle, but oh the respect everyone had for her on that day. Pride would have brought her low [hell] but honor upheld her...itâs such a respectable thing to do, to make sure!
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I preached this message 25 years ago and 7 people got saved, including an 80 year old man everyone would have thought was saved, and our assistant pastorâs teenage daughter too. The point is, your salvation is not about others and what they think, itâs between you and God. I donât care if Billy Graham signed my BibleâŠI have to know Iâm saved!
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Yes, to swallow your pride and get saved today would hurt at first, like cutting off a foot perhaps, but cut it off you must, lest it be what drop kicks you into hell from your head to your feet!
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âTo be 99% sure is 100% unacceptableâ
       For youâd be taking a chance of going 100% to hell for 100% of eternity!
I John 5 says these things are written that ye may know!
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3.    Person of Passions [eye offends them]
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This person loves the world. Itâs all they see in life.
1 John 2:15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Itâs ok to have loved the world at one time, but once you are saved you become the bride of Christ, and should never return to your âold flameâ.
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However, some lost people in honesty would say, I still love the world, and donât want to leave it. I respect that. Itâs an honest answer. Itâs better than some professing Christians who just consider their salvation as âfire insuranceâ, but have never truly repented and given their heart to Christ and been born again from above.
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They are like my high school friend Mike who said, âIâm having too much fun...thereâs too much to give up if I got saved.â But Mike was a fool, and died in a motorcycle accident about a week after he said those words! Today in hell he wishes he would have plucked that eye of passions out and seen something invisible...
2 Corinthians 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
âThe only thing longer than life is eternityâ
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So, weâve seen three people who wonât be in heaven, whoâs the one who will be?
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v. 3 This one understands the true cost of redemption. They are willing to pay a small price by coming forward today and doing business with God, and they will be assured of a great and valuable possession as a result.
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And they also realize the real price is not theirs to pay, but was paid for them in full on Calvaryâs cross where Jesus hung and died for them.
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If the price for heaven were an eye, hand, or foot we would gladly give it. But Jesus had His eye on YOU that day 2000 years ago. And He gave His hands and His feet and everything in between.
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He did the work for you...you person of profession.
He suffered the ultimate humbling for you...you person of pride.
He demonstrated eternal love for you...you person of passions.
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Jesus is the real King. [of kings!]
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Whatever is keeping you back from being saved...cut if off!