Wednesday, November 7, 2007
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It's a very impressive new bridge. We saw it recently as we traveled near the Ohio River. As you look at it from the city where we were staying, it appears to be complete. But when you go a few blocks and you look at it from downriver, some additional information becomes apparent - important information. It's only partly completed. It will get you part way there - but then it will drop you in the river.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Beautiful Dead-End Bridge."
Every religion, including yours and mine, is in a sense, a bridge that starts us in the direction of where we all hope to end up for all eternity - heaven. Sadly, every religion, though, is a bridge that doesn't get you all the way across. Most religions look like they will get us to heaven, but they won't. They can't.
God makes that clear in many places in His Book, including in our word for today from the Word of God. Romans 3, beginning with verse 20 says, "No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law" - that's doing good things - not doing bad things. "Unless we are righteous - free of the stain of sin - we can't enter a perfect God's perfect heaven." Romans 3:23 goes on to say, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." "Fall short" - every one of us, no matter how good we try to be, falls short of God's holy and perfect standard; falls short of ever living in His heaven. So a lot of religious folks are living in a deadly false security, believing that our goodness and our religion will get us where we want to go. But that security is actually a bridge to nowhere.
Thankfully, the next verse has some good news. It says that all of us who have fallen short of being with God can be "justified (that means made right with God) freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Redemption means that it took Jesus paying the price to get us back for us to ever be right with God. And that's what He did when He died that awful death on that awful cross. That was love for you like you've never known. He loved you too much to lose you. So He paid the price for your sin - the price you should pay. Bottom line: Jesus is your only hope. Not Christianity, but Jesus.
Every religion, every morality; ultimately dependence on my efforts to get God's approval. But in Ephesians 2:8-9, God clearly says, "It is by grace (that's undeserved love) you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works." Now if God says it's not by works that we get to Him, why would we depend one more day on what He clearly says won't work? Our only hope is His Son. Our only hope is Jesus' death for us and His resurrection from the dead that proves He can give eternal life.
Honestly, what are you depending on to get you to heaven? That's the life-or-death question. If it's anything or anyone else other than total trust in Jesus Christ, you're not going to make it. He's the only bridge that reaches all the way across from our sin to God's heaven. Every other bridge will fail you. Every other bridge will cost you heaven - no matter how beautiful the bridge.
And God is coming to you today with this message because He wants you to spend eternity with Him. That's why He's moving in your heart right now, calling you to abandon all other hopes and to place all your hopes in His Son, Jesus. If you're not sure you've done that, don't risk one more day without Him. Tell Him, "God, I have no hope but Your Son, and today I'm turning my life over to you completely. I'm putting all my trust in Jesus to be my Rescuer from my sin."
I'm praying that this will be your personal Jesus-day. And I want to help you understand how to begin this new relationship with Jesus. That's why I wrote this little booklet called Yours For Life. And I'd like to send it to you if you'll just let me know you want it. You can do that at our website, yoursforlife.net or by calling us toll free at 877-741-1200.
You can go to sleep tonight knowing where you're going when you die; knowing that you are going to heaven because Jesus is going to get you there.