You Don’t Deserve It

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““Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’” – Matthew 22:8-9

It’s highly debatable because many will believe that their goodness has proven that their heart is righteous, and they are worthy of salvation.  Yet, others will argue that even the unrighteous perform works of goodness, shall they also be saved?  The reality of it all is that not one of you, no not one, is worthy of salvation.  I break it down into 6 steps:

1. God created mankind perfect in accordance to His plan.  Perfect to fellowship with Him in paradise.
   
2. Satan tempted mankind and succeeded in convincing him that God was not sovereign and Lord of all.  His lies caused man to look within for his purpose and authority.  The fall of mankind.
   
3. Over centuries man became less dependent on God and more self-righteous, and drawn to the sinful nature established in the original sin of Adam.
   
   
4. God is immutable though and requires perfection in order to fellowship with mankind.  With a sin filled heart and mind we are not capable of ever achieving this perfection.  There is a chasm between you and God, that any amount of good, or great works, can close.  You cannot remove the sin from your life, it’s impossible and God knows this.
   
5. God sent Jesus Christ, created not by the seed of a man, but by the Holy Spirit.  He created Him perfectly to be born in a world of sin and to redeem those sins through His death.  Jesus lived a life of perfection, within the will of the Father, unlike Adam; and in dying a sacrificial death redeemed the sins of mankind.  Upon His resurrection, He has defeated Satan’s hold on mankind and opened a door for all to be forgiven and redeemed to the Father. 
   
6. He alone has defeated Satan, you do not need to.  Because you were born of man, you are inherently sinful and unrighteous.  You could not defeat Satan if you tried, for sin is in your very nature.  
   
   

You don’t deserve heaven.  Your life is unrighteous by God’s standards and you cannot purify or sanctify yourself, regardless of how many good works you do.  There is only one scale for judging the righteous and unrighteous.  You could pile all of the good works and love and charity and boastful kindness you want on one side of the scale, and place your inherent sin on the other and sin will win every time.  Yet, if you were to place one drop of Jesus Christ redeeming blood on one side of the scale and the sin of mankind on the other, Christ’ blood is victorious. 

God’s grace is in the fact that even though you and I don’t deserve fellowship and eternity with Him in heaven, He has allowed it to those who accept the redeeming sacrifice of His Son – Jesus Christ.  By no other means can you achieve perfection enough to be in God’s presence.  Jesus Christ is the mediator and stands before God on your behalf to cover your sinful nature.  He alone can stand at the Father’s side and plead your case. 

Choose this day to accept His grace and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He lived, He died and rose again on the third day so that you may one day stand in God’s presence. Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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