Friday, November 7, 2014

What About Nonbelievers?


            WHAT ABOUT NONBELIEVERS?

                                                              Matthew 25:31-46                 

Matthew 25:31-32:   “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”


            Ten year olds wonder about heaven.  Climbing the stairs to their second floor fifth grade classroom, Missy announced, “I’m going to heaven.”

            Scotty yelled up from the stair bottom, “Yeah, God is good!”

            Brian said, “Everyone’s going to heaven.”

            Missy shook her head, disputing, “I don’t think that’s true.” 

            Brad agreed with Missy, “Yeah, No one who doesn’t believe in Jesus can go to heaven.”  

            Cassie offered, “Everyone I know believes in Jesus.”

            Brian disagreed, “I don’t believe in Jesus.  But I believe that God is too good to allow anyone He created to go to hell—if there is such a place.”

            Missy and Brad said together, “Hell’s for real, Brian!”

            Many people agree with Brian, though.  God is love.  He wants everyone to live in heaven with Him (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:4).  But many refuse to turn away from sin.  They reject belief in Jesus and His offer of salvation.  They live without Jesus on earth.  So God gives them what they want: existing apart from Jesus forever. 

            That’s the total expression of free will.  God loves everyone He created.  And He loves us so much that we get to choose whether we love Him—or not.   

            Missy added as thy entered their classroom, “Jesus gets to judge who goes where.”

            Missy is correct (Matthew 28:18).  Everyone will spend eternity somewhere.  And everyone gets to choose where they spend eternity.  There are two choices: heaven or hell.  People’s choices on how to live and in whom to believe usually show others their eternal destination.  

            The “I didn’t get the memo!” excuse won’t work for people entering eternal punishment.  God does everything possible to keep people from hell, EXCEPT violate their free will.  He provides everyone enough time and evidence of His existence for them to decide what to believe while alive.    

Take Home Nugget   

            But there are also believers in Christ who’re not sure they’re really saved.  They remember things they did that they don’t think God will forgive.  Hebrews 8:12 reminds us about God’s new covenant [in Christ]: “For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.”  See the lesson linked below for how to have salvation assurance.

Will you take me to heaven if I’m not too bad?

Will you really forgive the awful things I did?

Heavenly Father, Jesus makes me very glad

That He forgave and uncovered each sin I hid!

  J.D. Griffith

  



No comments: