Francis Chan: How Good Must I Be To Get Into Heaven?

well last last weekend I talked about joy and how did you do this week how how are you guys doing some of you guys are smiling now you weren't when I got up here now that I say it all so good it was smiling all week how did you do with the issue of joy was it was it better this week did you stay focused on the fact that your name is written in the book of life or did you let the things of the week discourage you yeah the thing I've noticed I don't know what's true in your life but whatever I teach on I tend to get tested on that very week right he seriously I left here when I left here I went because we have that basketball league and you know where I usually dominate and I go and and I go and I play in my game and you know our teams doing great we're ahead in the first half by 10 points you know second half were up by 15 you know we're gonna win we end up losing somehow and you know and I was horrible I mean I was like 1 for 10 you know I made one layup you know and it was just I saw I'm sitting on the bench it's gone I can't believe we lost I can't believe how horribly someone comes up how is your joy it's like hey you know I know and then then Monday I get sick you know when I get that flu aching tingly you know where your body just hurts you know I'm just laid out on the couch and you know fever and everything and wife walks by how's your joy you know and and it's an well thought it's like man I knew it you know because even you know how when you feel sick the last thing you want to do is think happy thoughts right you just want to stay in your misery and just you know everyone leave me alone and it's like our human nature we just want to naturally gravitate toward the negative and yet the truth is is even through the difficult times it was a choice all along even my mind I thought you know what I could totally get myself out of this right now I could totally choose to focus on the fact that my name is written that book of life am I gonna do it or not because there were times this week where it was difficult and I did choose say you know what I'm not gonna focus on I'm not gonna dwell on it I went to well on the fact that any second I'm gonna be in heaven any second my life's gonna be over my life is a vapor and then it's eternity with God and my name is in that book did you focus on that joy this week I hope so because we wouldn't want these messages just to last for the hour that you know we stay in this room that this is about a lifelong thing remember last week too you know that when Jesus was so rejoicing over his his disciples who knew God and he says any any praise to God is his gun I thank you Father that you have hidden these things you've hidden these things from the wise and the learned and yet you chose to reveal them to little children but that statement how he says you know he he has hidden these things from the wise and learned talking about there are those people in the world that are so educated so knowledgeable and they they're so self-reliant that they can't submit to a holy God they can't they can't feel like they have any need for a savior for mercy they're so proud they're so arrogant so into themselves and yet it's it's those who accept God as little children that really get it well right after Jesus makes that statement passage in the Book of Luke has to do with the man who is very educated and comes up to Jesus you know and this is the exact type of person that Jesus was talking about it was this expert in the law in Luke 10 verse 25 it says that this man comes up to Jesus who who is very wise very learned he was probably one of the religious leaders of the day and it says in verse 25 on one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus teacher he asked what must I do to inherit eternal life what is written in the law he replied how do you read it he answered love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself you have answered correctly jesus replied do this and you will live but he wanted to justify himself so we asked Jesus and who is my neighbor okay let's stop right there okay you get the story there's this man who is an expert in the law comes up to Jesus when they say they're an expert in the law they're talking about the law of Moses okay they're talking about the Old Testament law it's not you know like some cheesy attorney or something like that it's it's a it's a it's a man who I said because Kevin my attorney friends right up here it's a it's a it's it's talking about that didn't mean to offend the rest of the attorneys just to him okay Bankia is an expert in the law it was a lot of times these were very very religious people they knew all the law you don't read the Old Testament how meticulous all those laws are the ceremonial laws and everything so you really need to be an expert this man is an expert he stands up to test Jesus and he asks a question that everyone in the world wants to know how do i inherit eternal life what do I need to do if I want to go to heaven if I want to get there what do I need to do and so Jesus well you're an expert in the law what did the law say you need to do and the man's answer was well love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself which is interesting because that's how Jesus says you could sum up all the Old Testament law and prophets you can sum it up by saying love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind strength love your neighbor as yourself I mean look at all the laws you see that they all fit under those two categories and Jesus you could sum it all up all those laws I mean Christianity is not that complicated you love God with all your heart soul mind and strength that was the that was what they called the great Shema in in Deuteronomy 6:5 because it says hear o Israel the Lord your God is one you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength that was the great commandment in fact um you know that's the one that Jesus you know binding on your door posts you know fasten it to your head you know just talk about it wherever you go get this in your mind and that's why a lot a lot of Jews today they have you ever seen those mezuzahs you heard of that that it looks like almost like a doorbell that they have right next to their their doors as they walk in well guess what verses inside of those mezuzahs Deuteronomy 6:5 love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength see and so when this expert in the law says you know well here's how you get some of the law is how I read it you love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength you love your neighbor as yourself and Jesus says good answer you've answered correctly he says do this and you'll live so if you obey those two Commandments you'll have eternal life now why did Jesus say that I mean isn't that contrary to what the gospel teaches no because what Jesus is saying to this man is if you could really do that perfectly yeah you could have eternal life and the man listens for a while and then he goes you know he's thinking okay love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength I think I love the Lord my God with all my heart soul mind and strength it's kind of subjective right I mean a lot of you if I say hey do you love the Lord with all your heart if I go but do you know do we really though does anyone really love the Lord with all their heart soul mind maybe in your mind you may think you do but then that second command love your neighbor as yourself okay that means I was just to love my neighbor as much as I care for their needs as much as I care for my own and that's why the man goes it says he wanted to justify himself he goes okay but what do you mean by neighbor you know who's my neighbor just the guy next door because I love him you know he's trying to justify him says he's that's such an important phrase when he says but he wanted to justify himself this is what everyone wants to do they want to think they want to justify themselves say well I'm not such a bad person I've obeyed the laws of God and Jesus have you really you really love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind strength you've loved your neighbor as yourself okay because well depends where my neighbor is it's just me yeah and and the point is you got to understand something the point of the law is to show that you can't justify yourself understand that so you see people get confused about the law they think well in the Old Testament there was the law the law of Moses the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament you were saved by obeying those commands and in the New Testament were saved by grace no that's not true that was never the point of the law that was never the intention of the law the intention of the law was not to save anyone but so that everyone look at Luongo ooh I'm in trouble I've broken those in fact turn to Galatians chapter 3 New Testament if you don't know where Galatians is just again you look at the table of contents or you just stare at the corner and just flip it away you know so you see at Galatians Galatians chapter 3 Galatians 3 verse 10 look what it says here about the law and the purpose of law verse 10 Galatians 3 all who rely on observing the law are under a curse for it is written cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law clearly no one is justified before God by the law because the righteous will live by faith see what it says there it says those of you who rely on observing the law that you think well I'll get to heaven because I've been so obedient to these commands he goes all of you he's speaking to you and I'm sure there's some of you you know either watching on television or in this room where you believe that you know what I'll get to heaven because I I live by God's law what does that say it says curse said are you who are relying on that why because the Bible says cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law if you are thinking that you're gonna earn your way to heaven by obeying God's law then that means you obey every law perfectly your whole life otherwise once you break it James says you break one come in you've broken them all once you break it you're guilty and you're ready for punishment see that was the point of the law the point in the law was not that we look at it and see how good we are the point is that we would see the law and it would break us the work of the law is to destroy all of your confidence in your own human ability to please God by yourself that's what the law is supposed to do in fact if you have your Bibles turn to Romans chapter 7 verse 7 this one verse should to help you to understand what the law does for us because then you're going well then is the law a bad thing you know no look what Romans 7 verse 7 says it says what shall we say then is the law sin certainly not indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law for I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said do not covet you see what he's saying there it's saying that he wouldn't have known that he was breaking the law if the law wasn't that what the law is good he is for example he says take coveting KJ's know what coveting is coveting is when you desire what someone else had which probably none of us have ever done okay desiring what someone else had he says look I've coveted I've coveted but until I read the law and then suddenly you read the law and the law says one of the Ten Commandments says thou shalt not covet that means not ever don't ever desire what anyone else has the house shall not covet he goes when I read that then I understood I've broken the law see the law is a wonderful thing because without it we could just cover it kind of covered and not think we're doing anything wrong but the whole point of the law is that we realized ooh that's what God's standard is I've broken that so what do I do the law drives us to a need for a savior week oh god I've broken your law so what does this mean at the end of my life I'm just waiting right now to come and answer to you as a judge and then you're gonna destroy me for everything I've done wrong and how many times I've broken the law no God loved you so much the Bible says that what he did was he sent a savior he sends his son down on the earth and that's what Jesus was doing on the cross Jesus was being punished for all the times we've broke in the law he was being punished for in the Bible says if we have faith in Him if we believe that he took the penalty for us then we can have eternal life I understand that but for those of you who say well I don't need that sacrifice I'll rely on observing the law I'll rely on how good of a person I am he says well curse it are you you already cursed you already blew it you can't say that you've kept the command your whole life and you're gonna continue to do so the rest of your life love your neighbors yourself just just look at that one you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself anyone anyone love me as much as you love yourself anyone I mean no you don't you told some of you guys think I'm alright but really I mean to love someone as much as yourself that's huge that's God's standard and so if anyone leaves you're thinking no I match up to God's standard you're so off that wasn't the point of law on the point of the law is to show us that I cannot please God on my own I need a Savior thank God for His mercy that he says yeah and you have broken my commands but rather than pouring out my wrath on you I poured it out my son if you have faith in him you can have eternal life but this man he's still trying to justify himself so he says to Jesus well who's my neighbor because maybe I did it and so then Jesus goes into this story that probably most of you are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan it's a great story verse flirty and reply and reply to this man's cancer question Jesus said a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers they stripped him of his clothes beat him and went and went away leaving him half dead a priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man he passed by on the other side so too a Levite when he came to the place and saw him passed by on the other side but a Samaritan as he traveled came where the man was and when he saw him he took pity on him he went to him and bandaged his wounds pouring on oil and wine then he put the man on his own donkey took him to an inn and care of him the next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper look after him he said and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers the expert in the law replied the one who had mercy on him Jesus told him go and do likewise G says if you want to turn you know earn eternal life well then do that everyone you pass who's in need love him like you like like yourself he tells a story about this this man who's going down from Jerusalem to Jericho he gets robbed he's beaten he's laying half-dead and this priest walks by this Levite walks by and understand there were a bunch of priests and Levites that lived in Jericho and so this was would be a popular traveled road by the priests whenever they would have to officiate at the temple and so it's interesting that these priests may possibly have been on their way to the temple and they see this man who's lying on the road you know half-dead but they gotta get to the temple they got to do their duty at the temple and so they walk right but they don't walk right by the guy you notice what it says it says they pass by on the other side of the road see because that would be rude to walk right next to the guy and see him so they passed by on the other side maybe had their face in their books you know pretending like they didn't see him there's so much easier to ignore isn't it you know than to just flat-out look at him you know you just pretend you don't see them see did this why because they didn't want their lives interrupted they had somewhere to go they had something to do they didn't want to stop and have their we most of us live pretty busy lives and we hate interruptions right I don't I hate to be interrupted you hate to be interrupted from the task and we don't even like it when we're on the freeway we don't even want that split second to let that one car with its blinker on we don't want him to pass through because that would slow us down like half a second of our day and so what do we do we pretend we don't see them right we don't look at them go no we do what the priest and the Levite do we just pass on the other side we just kind of look the other way I mean you I don't do that but I see you guys do it to me you know because I'm always trying to get in anyways the whole idea is is look we don't want we don't want even a split second interruption and and and yet what does this Samaritan do and it's interesting that Jesus uses this Samaritan as an example because again the Jews hated the Samaritans and their self-righteous and the Samaritans hated the Jews you know and so it'd be like that you know an Arab and a Jew today you know it's that type of conflict and he says you know but the Samaritan and Jesus using him as an example to show it's not about race okay the Samaritan the Levite passes by the priest these are people that should have stopped they walk right by but this Samaritan the people that you loathe this guy stops what does he do he bandages him out pours oil on him he goes he takes him to an inn he saddles him on his own donkey take him to this place cares for him overnight then gives the innkeeper money and says here here here take care of this guy anything else you need I'll come back and if you spend more than what I gave you I'll give you more money okay this guy spent a whole day with this person interrupted his plans this is time he could have spent on himself money could have spent on himself and he gives it to this person why because he was loving him as himself well what I want someone to do for me gosh in a perfect world I'd probably want him to bandage me up take me to an inn and pay for everything so I'll do that that's pretty amazing Jesus that's the way I want you to live you do that you'll live you want to turn a life do that perfectly your whole life and love the Lord your God your heart soul mind and strength everything your whole life now when Jesus says hey which one do you think was the one that had mercy or which one do you think was the good neighbor the man goes he doesn't say this Samaritan you notice that in his answer is the Samaritan because he doesn't want those words coming out of mouth that Samaritan did was right he goes no one who had mercy on him the third guy you know the last guy she says go do the same thing now a lot of times we'll read that story and we'll go well that's horrible man what a horrible you know a priest going to the temple you know a Levite heading to the temple maybe you know and they wouldn't even stop for someone in need well this morning on your way to church we planted a few people okay no matter which way did you did you remember seeing any of these people were going to show on the screen go to the next one uh-huh your memories coming back huh yeah the next one okay we had people in need no matter what direction you came from we covered every angle okay there was someone you passed now the question is is did you stop and ask that person don't say you didn't see I'm here okay okay well that's another issue is maybe you know what we are so focused on where we're trying to get that we don't look around and see the need I mean you were just thinking I'm late for church I got to get in there I got it you know I mean let's say the majority so how many of you stopped and talked to one of those people trying to help him out okay thank you him okay someone give him a pin okay no but the point is this no that's awesome and I got to say this okay just I was just at the North Campus at you know our lemon you know Park Church and we had a homeless person you know a fake homeless person and that there's only about 200 people that show up there about 30 people stopped and she she didn't go to our church you know she she was literally she literally cried she was Frances I've never experienced anything like this she was this church is amazing the love she's crying she says there there were probably 30 people who stopped invited me in some people went into the church and they came back out and said are you sure you know one lady sat and talked to me for five minutes two guys asked me out no but no but she goes no but the whole thought is she said she goes one lady was so kind I began to cry and I had to tell her I'm just a setup I'm just a fake right not really homeless and she goes it was just so amazing the love and it's not man that's so awesome that's so awesome so if you want to go to a loving Church go to ok but the idea is here I mean same thing happened last night and there's something about you know maybe it's here we are in such a rush and I know you want to get a seat and you know those you guys are watching in the other room but we still wouldn't get to see you should have stopped anyway ever guys anyways but the whole point is you know here at this campus one of the concerns is you know it is so busy and there's so many people going around but men do we have our eyes open for people who are in need because we can look at you know the this priest is Levi and Gugu how why would they ignore him and yet aren't we doing the same thing every day just passing people by you know I don't remember how long ago I gave a message on the love of God one time and it was just a very good feel-good message where he's God loves me and there wasn't a ton of application as far as what you got to do and someone came up to me afterwards and said you know what that was so refreshing to leave church and not feel guilty because you hammer us every week for I suppose that I can't help it it's just what it says but I bring that up because ok this is something you could look at and you would feel guilty you go oh I didn't stop I saw her I thought about stopping I just didn't stop I was uh I was one of them and maybe you can think of throughout the week different times you did that but the point is not guilt okay I want to point something out to you look at verse 28 okay it's a phrase that you that could have slipped by really easily in verse 8 when Jesus says you have answered correctly do this and you will live okay now in context Jesus is telling the man if you can do this perfectly yeah you can have eternal life but the other thing you got to understand this phrase that Jesus uses do this and you will live is mentioned several times in the Old Testament you find it in in Leviticus chapter 18 verse 5 when when God is listing out the laws and then he gets to the moral laws and he gets to sexual immorality and he talks about hey when you go into this land if you live according to these rules live according this law you'll live turn turn to Ezekiel if you have your Bibles turn to Ezekiel chapter 20 in Ezekiel chapter 20 he uses this phrase three different times starting in in verse 11 he uses it again in Nehemiah chapter 9 we won't look at that one but look at Ezekiel right now Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 11 and listen to what God says here he says I gave them he's talking to people of Israel I gave them my decrees made known to them my laws for the man who obeys them will live by them also I gave them my Sabbath's as a sign between us so they would know that I the Lord made them holy yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the desert they did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws although the man who obeys them will live by them see what he's saying here he says I gave them these commands and they rejected them even though and the man who obeys those commands would live by them he's not talking about eternal life there in the Old Testament he's talking about manda your life if you really wanted to live he's saying that these people I gave him these laws these commands in the Bible says that his commands are good and they bring life and he says yet they rejected the very commands that would bring them life because if a man would obey those he would live by those he would find real life if he obeyed these lots see Jesus did not come to destroy our lives he does not give us these commands to make us miserable he says if you obeyed them they'll give you life this is life you understand that when he says love your neighbor as yourself it's not like I'm great I got loved people Jesus says don't reject that command because that's the very command that will give you life what I'm saying is this some of you are not content in life you're frustrated and you think you would be content if you had more maybe you were paid more if you made more money you had more stuff the truth is is you would find contentment if you gave away more Jesus says it's more blessed to give than to receive and you would be amazed how much life you would receive by giving to others by really loving others as yourself sometimes people get depressed they get down they think well I know what I'll do I'll go buy something next time why don't you try giving something away just try it maybe Jesus is right that it's more blessed to give than to receive and maybe that Samaritan went home happier the next day than the priest and the Levite that possibly God's law would bring us life see life comes when we obey these commands are not a pain if we obey them we will live by them I tell you you'd be blown away how much life it gives you when you sacrifice for someone else you take your mind off of yourself and you love your neighbor as yourself how much life it gives you when you see someone less fortunate and just to hang out with people who are less fortunate how much life it brings to yourself because contentment is not about how much you have it's about how much you give and blessing comes not from receiving more and more for yourself see and and don't leave here feeling guilty you know for example if if you like last week we talked about joy and we talked about man rejoicing that the fact that our names are written in heaven you don't have to do that okay don't feel guilty for it you can stay mad okay just be angry go ahead the Bible just telling you the way to have life you-you-you don't want to love your neighbor as yourself don't do it be selfish live for yourself just hoard everything you can keeping discontent and wanting more glad to it be selfish but you learn to give and you'll learn that's where life comes from you start loving God with all your heart soul mind and strength you'll have life do you know people who love their neighbors as themselves you know people like that I mean to some degree anyways you know the people that just it seems like they're selfless they just love to give don't you see a life in them don't you see that there's a joy and a peace and a sense of living that those who are trying to grab everything that they can get don't have don't you see the people that obey this book really live by it see what I want us to do as a church is to recognize this is what brings joy this is what brings life these commands are not a pain you do this and you will live by them Jesus says you know even though even this whole issue of baptism you know people I feel guilty I haven't been baptized you know what there's there's life and obeying the commands of God baptism the whole idea of getting baptized is saying you know what I used to think I knew the way to happiness I used to think I could get to heaven on my own I think all these things I'm dying to that old way I'm come and I'm gonna start following Jesus I'm gonna start living the way this book teaches because I believe this book brings life life here on earth and life eternally and that's what baptism is a picture of I'm dying to my old self I'm rising again to a new life and if you haven't obeyed that command I encourage you get baptized just obey whatever command it is in your life that you're thinking about this obeying right now or maybe there's stuff in your life that you're struggling with is it really bringing you joy so really bringing you life to stay in your sin whether it's drug abuse alcohol abuse some of you are thinking about leaving your families people do it every month here I'm Tanya and you think you're gonna find more life out of it I have counseled so many couples and I tell you you will be miserable to leave your family behind stupidest mistake you'll ever make you're going against the will of God you're going against what God wants man don't you understand I just talked to a guy had the greatest conversation this week I'm gonna bring us up a guy who his wife died last month but been married 25 years four years ago they were getting divorced and the last month before that divorce was final he looked at her and said I don't want this I will do anything to fix this marriage she said the same thing they called off the divorce stayed married four years later she gets cancer and dies I'm talking to him on the phone he goes Frances I can rejoice the rest of my life no one I did the right thing it goes a man forever I don't know I did what was right and he's this man watching her on that hospital bed you know all her hair was gone her eyes were faint he was when I saw her you gotta understand when I met her she was just a knockout you know her long beautiful brown hair her beautiful green eyes he goes and seeing her going through the chemo and everything she was more beautiful in that hospital bed than she's ever been her whole life and he just like you know just the life as he said he got to spend those for years with her I'm Tanya I'm not saying it's easy to obey God's Word all the time it's difficult it is so difficult but nothing will bring you life like obedience

Channel: Crazy Love

Views: 28,929

Keywords: Francis Chan, sermon, church, GOD, Jesus, Crazy Love, Crazy, Love

Id: gvg_aMH03Mc

Length: 33min 53sec (2033 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 02 2014