J.I. Packer once wrote,
…the life of heavenly glory is a compound of seeing God in and through Christ and being loved by the Father and the Son, of rest and work, of praise and worship, and of fellowship with the Lamb and the saints. Nor will it end. Its eternity is part of its glory; endlessness, one might say, is the glory of glory.
Concise Theology, Heaven
Imagine seeing God face to face so to speak, being loved by him, resting and working as we were first created to rest and work – without distress and disappointment. Imagine being with Jesus and other believers without the encumbrance of sin and sorrow. Imagine endless glory and delight.
If you can begin to imagine these things, you are still only glimpsing a shadow of heaven for it is far better and more desirable than anything we can imagine. But to be free of the stain of sin, the sorrow of work frustrated by the fall, to never again fear disease and death, to never again mourn because of a tragedy…these are the things our hearts long for. These are the things we are promised in heaven – the things to which we look forward.
But to enter into that eternity, one thing is required. Jesus must know you when you arrive. If he does not, your disappointment will be greater than any you’ve ever experienced, and your fall will be terrifying and eternal.
In his sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about these things. So let’s read what he said. (Read Matthew 7:21-27)
The Two Types of Self-Deceived People
The Self-Deceived Professor of Christ
So, in this conclusion to his sermon, Jesus talks about two kinds of people. The first is the self-deceived professor of Christ. But at first glance, this person seems genuine. To Jesus, they say ‘Lord, Lord.’ We hear in these words, in their repetition, feelings of urgency, respect, and even dependence. Isn’t that how all believers call on Jesus?
The scene is the day of judgment, so they are declaring Jesus to be Lord in a public setting. How many times have we sung with strong emotions declaring him to be Lord and calling upon him with urgency and humility? How many times have we professed that he is our Lord, naming ourselves Christian? How many times have we prayed in the name of Jesus, told others that Jesus is the Way, and professed our devotion to him, saying, “Lord, Lord!”?
Could it be that he would tell us to depart? Is it possible that he would deny knowing us? Unfortunately, it is a very real possibility.
To make matters worse, these same people prophesied in his name, cast out demons in his name, and worked miracles in his name. And still, he claims to not know them. He sends them away. He doesn’t question the validity of their prophecies, the effectiveness of their exorcisms, or the reality of their miracles. He just doesn’t know them.
What a shock that would be. What is their fault? Why does he reject them? Why might he reject me even though I preach his word and pray for his people? Why might he reject you, even though you call him, Lord?
Only one thing will disqualify us; that we work lawlessness instead of doing God’s will, instead of working lawfulness. If we fail to love God more than anything or anyone else, and if we fail to love our neighbors above ourselves, then we fail to do the will of Jesus’ Father. And that is grounds for dismissal.
The Self-Deceived Student of Christ
But there is a second type of person who will be equally shocked by their tragic fall in the end. They are the self-deceived student of Christ. Jesus describes people who hear his words and obey them and people who hear his words and disobey them.
The difference between these two people is not what they hear but what they do how they fair when the storm comes. Doing what Jesus says allows the one to build a firm foundation that will carry them through the storm. Not doing what Jesus says causes them to be destroyed by the storm because they have no foundation.
There’s that person who reads her bible every morning, faithfully attends worship services, learns all the ins and outs of theology, and can defend her religious views with clarity and authority. Is she wise? By all human appearances, yes. But when the storm of judgment comes will she stand through it? Maybe. Maybe not.
How can we be sure? Well, Jesus says it comes down to doing what you hear. Which means it’s possible to hear the word as we read it every day and ignore it as we live our lives. It’s possible to hear Jesus speak through the preachers and teachers we follow and yet take no obedient action.
It’s like the child who hears the parent say, don’t touch the oven, it’s hot. The child says, ok, I understand, but when the parent’s back is turned, the child’s hand is burned.
We can hear Jesus and yet ignore him. And if we do, our fall will be great.
Making Sure He Knows You
So, if the image of heaven that you carry in your mind and heart causes you to long for your eternity there, then you need to make sure Jesus knows you. But how. Here’s a summary of what we’ve already read.
- Do God’s Will
- Obey God’s Will
- What you hear Jesus say do
In these ways you prove yourself to be a true professor and student of Christ.
But what is the will of God? What does Jesus command?
We’ve already addressed this question in part when we talked about what we love. It’s what Jesus says is the greatest commandment. It comes late in the gospel of Matthew, almost like a summation of his teachings. He says the greatest commandment is this,
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets
Mat 22:37-40
But another verse caught my attention in Matthew this week that I think we should consider. In chapter 9 verse 13 Jesus tells the Pharisees,
Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’
Mat 9:13
It’s so easy for us to see our bible reading, our church attendance, our great acts of spirituality, and our strong emotions as the “sacrifices” we make to prove that we belong with God in heaven. But are we merciful? Do we forgive those who sin against us? Do we treat others as more important than ourselves? Do we seek to glorify God at the risk of humiliation and suffering?
Hearing Jesus is easy. Living the life he’s called us to live is nearly impossible. Performing for Jesus is something any of us can do. Loving his Father above all else and then putting love of self beneath love of neighbor…at that, I fail every day.
So, if it is nearly impossible to do what Jesus is demanding, is there any hope to prove that our faith in Jesus is genuine?
Yes, there is. It’s simple, but difficult. You must cast yourself on the great mercy of God which we find in our crucified Lord.
If Jesus’ words teach us anything it is this: the bar for eternity is extremely high and by ourselves, we have no hope of surmounting it. Thankfully, the one who desires mercy and not sacrifice made a sacrifice so that he could offer mercy to anyone who asks.
That is not to say that we should ignore Jesus’ words. No, we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling. But, all the while we must recognize that all our righteousness is like filthy rags.
Apart from Christ giving me his righteousness, I have no hope.
As Jesus hung dying on the cross, a condemned criminal hung beside him. Rebuking another criminal he defended Jesus’ innocence and acknowledged that Jesus was Lord over a great kingdom. He acknowledged the reality of eternity and his guilt before God and men. And he made one simple request. “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
No “Lord, Lord.” No miraculous deeds. No great life of religious devotion. Just a humble submission. He just cast himself on the mercy of Jesus. And that’s what we must do. While striving to obey him, we must, in child-like faith, cast ourselves upon his mercy. He saves. In Him, we can find our hope for eternity.
