“For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
At the final team meeting for a Prison Ministry that was
soon to take place, they wouldn’t let me in. Others entered the facility to meet
with the “inside team,” but not me. I signed the guest book like the rest and we
all successfully went through the metal detector near the entrance to the
facility. But when the badges were handed-out, there weren’t any for a few of us.
I learned that our status was still under review, simply because our admission
request was late and the person who would sign-off on it had been on vacation.
And here is a question for us all – when the gates of heaven are opened on what
has been called, the “Last Day,” will they let us in? What is our standing
right now in relation to the Kingdom of God?
A week ago Thursday, however, when we were present at
the gate once more – this time not for a team meeting, but for the ministry
itself – we were all accepted. The paperwork had been completed and we could go
in. I gave over my driver’s license like the others, and in exchange was handed
a badge with my picture on it, marked with the terms “Volunteer” along with
“Escorted” and “Religious Services.” This time, when the gates opened to the
Sally Port at the back of the Admissions area, they let me in. Everything was in
order and this time, I was accepted as part of the team!
When the “Gates” of heaven are opened, will they let us
in? And what do we have to do in order to become acceptable to the One who is in
authority? The good news, by the way, is this: our Reviewer is never on
vacation. And much like the prison officials who reviewed our request, our
Reviewer is in favor of admitting us. Not just for a weekend in a prison, but
we’ll get our “badge” and be let into the joy of the Lord – forever.
As to the question, “what do we have to do in order to
become acceptable?” - Our Scripture for today is the answer: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should
boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). When you look through the Bible, you find all
sorts of people who encountered God in one manner or another, and then they
ACTED in response. Noah built an ark, Abraham left his home and most of his
family; Moses returned to Egypt and faced Pharaoh. The prophets left everything
to give out the Word of God, even though the response from their listeners was
often disappointingly small. Peter and the other apostles left their businesses,
their families and their way of life to follow Jesus. And all of them acted out
of faith in the Lord.
They had faith in His character, that He loved them and
He would bring them through. They had faith that His cause was just and that His
purposes were good, not only for their own lives, but also for other people as
well. “God is love,” as Scripture says in places
like 1 John 4:8, and those who have trusted Him, KNOW it is true. Noah built
his ark, not merely because he was commanded to do so, but out of His trust that
the Lord knows what is good and right. Noah and all the others acted out of faith in
the Lord.
At the prison, we were privileged to be guided by George
Bowman, who was in charge of all the arrangements for our time in prison. It was
interesting because not only is George a fine gentlemen, but we saw at close
range that he looks to the Holy Spirit of God for his decisions. When there were
changes in the schedule, and many did occur, his decisions about these changes
were all based in prayer and God’s direction for that moment. He had faith in
the Lord and looked to Him in everything. Men and women of faith are not only
names in the Bible from long ago; but such people are with us today and they are
models for us all.
Now, compare George Bowman with King Louis XIV. Professor
William G.T. Shedd wrote about this famous leader, who was often called in his
lifetime, the “Sun King” of France. Louis was on
his deathbed, but regained consciousness and asked his “confessor,”
Pere Tellier, to “give him absolution for all his sins.”
The king had lived what Professor Shedd called a “profligate”
life. He did what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it, and he seemed to
have no real concern for God or man. However, now that he was facing imminent
death he was concerned about what comes next, but his way of handling his
concern was interesting.
His “confessor” asked him
if he was suffering. “No,” replied the king, “that’s what troubles me. I would like to suffer more, for the
expiation of my sins.” And here’s what Professor Shedd had to say about
the king’s response: “Here was a man who had spent his
days in transgression of the law of God. He is conscious of guilt and feels the
need for atonement. And now, upon the very edge of eternity and brink of doom,
he proposes to make his own atonement, to be his own redeemer and save his own
soul... instead of giving himself to the infinite passion of Calvary.”
The king was trying to win a “badge” of salvation
through his own works.
Once again, our Scripture for today, verses that
many Christians have memorized, tells us: “For by grace
you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. it is the gift of
God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Ephesians
2:8-9). The emphasis in the original Greek language is on the word, “saved.” It is entirely through the work of God that
anyone on earth at any time now or in history, can be made right with Him. Yet
the astonishing thing is that so many have attempted to be saved by
their own efforts.
In 1 John 2:1-2, Jesus Christ is called “the Righteous One,” and He is also referred to as the “Propitiation,” the “atoning
sacrifice” for our sins. It is HIS work though the grace of God that
causes us to be “saved.” Our part is to BELIEVE, to
have “faith” in what He has done. When I went into
that prison, my picture was on the badge that was clipped to my collar. The
guards let me in because of that badge. When we enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the
Father will look at each one and it will be His Son in us that will
get us through. The Father will look at You, and if He sees His Son in you, He will let
you in.
The mistake of the king of France was that he thought
that some act of his own would make him acceptable to God. He was not sorry for
his sins and he did not trust in the living Christ. After a wasted life, he
thought a few minutes or hours of sincere suffering on his part might be enough.
Salvation “is the gift of God; not as a result of works.”
Can you imagine an eternity in heaven in which King Louis XIV and others like
him would “boast” about saving themselves?
I can’t, either. Let's be like George Bowman, the
leader of our recent prison weekend, who looked to God for his
decisions. Let's be like Abraham, Moses and Peter, who trusted in the Lord.
Lord, forgive my sins. I trust in You and what You
have done for me. In Jesus Name. Amen.
