MEETING NEEDS (20 OF 52)
Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46
This content is part of a series.
Meeting Needs (20 of 52)
Series: Discipleship
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 25:31-46
A major concern of many is about getting into heaven. We talk about it in the larger culture beyond the church. We talk about it within the church. We concern ourselves with the question of whether or not we or others are getting into heaven or en route to hell. We discuss a need to follow certain theological or doctrinal positions to be sure we are in the right. We talk about using the correct translation of the Bible, saying the right prayers, participating in the right rituals, following the right protocols, singing the right songs, believing the correct things about God, and even saying to correct things about God.
When it comes to what Jesus actually taught in relation to gaining access to heaven, most of our concerns tend to fall by the wayside. Jesus simply did not address so many of the things we tend to believe are important. In fact, Jesus did not lay out any specific formula for being assured of our salvation. He did not give us a doctrinal entrance exam for heaven, he did not leave a series of rituals we need to follow to get us in. At the end of Matthew's gospel, however, he lays out the closest thing we could consider as an entrance exam to God's presence in eternity. It looks very little like so much of the issues that normally concern us.
Here in Matthew 25, Jesus lays out a test for us in the context of a judgment scene before God. He tells us that God will sit in judgment to separate people into those who will live in God's presence and those who will not.
Jesus says nothing about doctrine here. Jesus says nothing about religious ritual. He says nothing about sacraments, reading Scripture, regular devotional times, tithing, singing songs of praise, speaking in tongues, serving as missionaries, evangelism, church planting, wealth, or any of a great list of things we often determine to be of great importance. It is not that none of those things are ...
Series: Discipleship
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 25:31-46
A major concern of many is about getting into heaven. We talk about it in the larger culture beyond the church. We talk about it within the church. We concern ourselves with the question of whether or not we or others are getting into heaven or en route to hell. We discuss a need to follow certain theological or doctrinal positions to be sure we are in the right. We talk about using the correct translation of the Bible, saying the right prayers, participating in the right rituals, following the right protocols, singing the right songs, believing the correct things about God, and even saying to correct things about God.
When it comes to what Jesus actually taught in relation to gaining access to heaven, most of our concerns tend to fall by the wayside. Jesus simply did not address so many of the things we tend to believe are important. In fact, Jesus did not lay out any specific formula for being assured of our salvation. He did not give us a doctrinal entrance exam for heaven, he did not leave a series of rituals we need to follow to get us in. At the end of Matthew's gospel, however, he lays out the closest thing we could consider as an entrance exam to God's presence in eternity. It looks very little like so much of the issues that normally concern us.
Here in Matthew 25, Jesus lays out a test for us in the context of a judgment scene before God. He tells us that God will sit in judgment to separate people into those who will live in God's presence and those who will not.
Jesus says nothing about doctrine here. Jesus says nothing about religious ritual. He says nothing about sacraments, reading Scripture, regular devotional times, tithing, singing songs of praise, speaking in tongues, serving as missionaries, evangelism, church planting, wealth, or any of a great list of things we often determine to be of great importance. It is not that none of those things are ...
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