I can tell by the look in their eyes when they’ve tuned me out and they’re wishing me off the planet. Even family. It’s not that they don’t love me, it’s not that they’ll not tolerate me. It’s that I make them very uncomfortable. Which is never my goal, but almost always the outcome. And such is the life as someone who loves to share Jesus and wants everyone regardless of heritage to become a part of my family. To share my Father. The Lord Jesus Christ.
And to ask most of them, they’d say they already do. But deed… “the proof ain’t in the puddin’,” as the saying goes.
It’s been the case as far back as Genesis. Someone always trying to get in by somebody else’s coattails, or by works, or just assuming God would never let them go to Hell. And so those of us who know the truth, continue to tell the truth and those who don’t want to know, shut us out. But that doesn’t change the book. –
In the book of Nehemiah, which happens to be where I’m reading, I was dreading chapter seven. It’s a chapter of name after name after name. And as I read I prayed, “God, please let me get something out of this besides a glaze over my eyes.” And as I traveled through the names, hoping someone’s would pop off the page and capture my attention, it didn’t. It wasn’t the name God wanted to capture my attention with. It was registration process.
In verses 64-65 my heart broke.
These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.
Urim and Thummim were priestly devices found on their breastplate and used to determine God’s will. In my small mind, I imagine it to be as a priest flipping a coin. Don’t believe everything I tell you, I might lead you astray. But that’s still how I see it.
But for today, there’s no more coin flipping. And there’s only one Priest that matters and that’s the Lord Jesus Christ. Friends and family can tune me out, shut me down and tell me to go away, but when it comes to their final days, the question will remain “Are you a part of the family of God?”
Matthew 7:21-23 King James Version (KJV)
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. 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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
There were 642 persons (verse 62) who professed to be children of Israel. But the word said they were polluted. What an indictment. And it’s the same indictment that’s going to be against those who profess to be children of God but have never made Him Lord and Savior. Oh… they believe in Jesus. But then again, so does Satan. They believe in God. Satan knows Him personally. That won’t keep him out of Hell. Some of them go to church, most do not. But to tell you the truth, Satan’s in church every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday. He never misses a revival. He’s usually sitting beside of me trying to get my attention off task. The question still remains, “Is your name written down in the Lamb’s book of Life?”
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Those who are not written down, having accepted what Jesus Christ did for them on the cross as payment for their sins, are still covered with the pollution of this world. They won’t enter into Heaven with that pollution on them. They’ve got to be clean, and the only way they can be is to be covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. And why would they be?
If your child died for someone so that they could be free, and that person denied what they did and never acknowledge with gratitude the cost that was paid for them, why would you want to spend eternity with them?
God not allowing folks in Heaven sounds harsh until you view it from there.
What a privilege to be a child of the King! A member of the Family of God. You can’t change the book. Not the Bible or the Lamb’s book of Life. Both were written in indelible ink.