Climbing to Heaven on a Rope of Sand That the Winds of Eternity Will Blow Away — E.A. Johnston

Humanity's Sinful Nature and Need for Salvation

Well, I've got an important message for us tonight friends, and I'm gonna unburden my heart to you. Because I feel manny today or deceived. The title of my message tonight friends is Climbing to heaven on a rope of sand.

I was listening to a fellow evangelist. And he was sad. He was sad because he just visited his best friend in the hospital. And his friend had blood poisoning. The doctor said he could only live a few days.

His situation was bad because of that blood poisoning. In your situation is bad friend because you have a poison in your blood as well. When Adam fell we fell. We each are born with the rune nature and a bent towards sin.

If you don't believe me just watch little children play and see their selfish nature. Come out naturally from them. Little Johnny Got in trouble for what he did to his sister. His mother was scolding him.

And she said little Johnny the devil's in you. The devil made you pour water. On your sister's new dress. The devil made you slap her and the devil had you even spit on her? And little Johnny answered and said mama the devil may have been in the first two things.

But it was my idea to spit on her. Well listen friend man is a sinner. You are a sinner. Billy Graham got saved in the gospel meeting where Mordecai ham was preaching and Billy Graham at the time was a Good clean church member.

And he got mad at the preacher for pointing him out and calling him a sinner. And later Mordecai ham said he never pointed Billy Graham out as a sinner. But the Holy Spirit sure did. Well tonight friends the Holy Spirit Might put his finger on you and convict you that you are a big sinner.

You look like a nice group of people. Some of you been church members for years, but this is what God has to say about you. This is his description of you in the book Job. God describes your condition in Job 15 16.

We read. How much more abominable and filthiest man? Which drinketh iniquity like water? That means you can't get enough of sin. You drink it like water. It's not enough for you to look at one naked picture of a woman on the internet.

No, sir. You got a drool over a thousand until you're satisfied. You just can't get enough of sin. You drink it like water. Listen to me. You're not a sinner because you sin. You sin because you're a big sinner and every one of you is a sinner.

That's not me saying it. It's what God says about all of us for in Romans 323 it reads for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So man is a sinner. He's alienated from God and he goes to build in.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

He tries to reach God Through various ways. He tries to build like the foolish builder found in Matthew's Gospel. Turning your Bible's friends to Matthew's Gospel in chapter 7 beginning in verse 26. Jesus is the one speaking here.

These are the very words of Jesus friends. He's been talking to a large group of people in a long discourse. And he's getting ready to wrap up his message. He ends it with the following parable. He says two men built a house one built his on a firm foundation.

He dug deep into the rock, but the other man Built his house on the wrong foundation. Because that man chose a foundation made of sand. Listen to Jesus words friends. Listen to what he says and everyone That hear these sayings of mine and do it them not Shall be likened unto a foolish man Which built his house upon the sand in the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and Great was the fall of it.

When Jesus ended his discourse he spoke with such heavenly authority and power From heaven that his audience left that place to return to their homes with that terrible scene Fresh on their minds. They could actually see the crashing waves Beating against the shore.

They could see the rising flood the floodwaters Pound against that house with violence and as they walked along the sound of breaking timber Rang in their ears until the drowning cries of the victims Were swept away to destruction.

What a picture friends of mankind building on all the wrong foundations to reach heaven by their own means By their own merits by climbing a rope of sand that the winds of eternity Would just blow away.

Christ Alone Is the True Way to Heaven

Jesus said any who try to climb up to heaven Heaven other than by him the Good Shepherd is a thief and a robber. In John 10 1 Jesus says Verily verily I say unto you He that entereth not by the door Until the sheep fold but climbeth up some other way is the same as a thief and a robber.

Listen friends the way to heaven is through Jesus. He's a narrow way through a straight gate where you must press through. Men would rather steal up to heaven by an easier way By less strict ways. So men climb up to heaven on different ropes.

Religion and Good Works as False Foundations

They climb the rope of religion. The Jew the Hindu the Buddhist the Muslim the Mormon the Catholic the Baptist Climbed the rope of religion to heaven. They wrapped themselves in the robes of their religion.

Encountered as righteousness they view religion as salvation. So they follow the tail end of that rope of religion all the way to the grave and down they go. They die in their sins because the rope of sand they climbed on is blown away by the winds of eternity.

Others climb up to heaven on the rope of good works. They believe they're good enough for heaven because they're not bad enough for hell. They climb a rope of good works. Hoping that they're good works will outweigh the bad.

They believe that God keeps a giant scale right there at the pearly gates of heaven. And when you get there all your works go on that scale. And if your good works outweigh your bad works, then there you go friend.

Yeah, just pass right into heaven because the good outweighs the bad. But it doesn't work that way. I'm telling you One sin enough is to damn you and send you to hell. One lie one item stolen. One lustful look one lustful act is enough to send you to hell friend.

D .L. Moody used to use the following illustration of a man. Hanging off a cliff while grasping onto a chain. And Moody would ask how many links in the chain. Need to be broken for the man to fall to his death.

Just one just the smallest one. The smallest little link friend is not to send you to destruction. One sin will send you to hell as well. Amen. Try to climb up to heaven on the rope of good character.

Character, Church Membership, and Human Merit

A Daughter will save her deceased father. Why daddy was a good man. He'd help anybody I know he's up with God now. Men and women. Try to climb up to heaven by good opinion of themselves in a long track record of service.

They'll say Lord Lord did not do this for you. Lord. Lord. Did not do that for you? But in Matthew chapter 7 in verses 22 and 23 we read Jesus saying this to them. Many will say to me on that day. Lord Lord.

Have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out devils and in thy name? Done many wonderful works. And then I will profess unto them. I never knew you. Depart from me ye that work iniquity.

Listen friends. Others climb up to heaven on the rope of church membership. They mistake church membership for salvation. I asked a elderly lady why she was going to heaven and she informed me. It was because she'd been a member of the Methodist Church for 30 years.

But church membership won't save your friend. But that too is just a rope of sand. There will one day be blown away by the winds of Eternity and some climb up to heaven. Hear me now some climb up to heaven on the rope of theology.

Theology, Reformation, and Decision Cannot Save

They rest their doctrines. They rest on their doctrines. They trust their theology to get them into heaven. There are many Seminary professors and hell-to-night friends because they trusted theology instead of trusting in Jesus.

Listen to me some men climb up to heaven on the rope of reformation. They examine their lives and to make some good Resolutions they decide not to do this and they're not going to do that anymore. And they clean themselves up a little bit to feel better about themselves.

Make themselves more presentable to others, but they fail to realize that if they never sinned again. It wouldn't undo all the sins. They've already committed. No, sir. That's just another rope of sand that will dissolve with the gusts of eternity.

And finally some men try to climb up to heaven on the rope of decision. Listen to me friend. They can point back to a time when they made a public profession of Christ by a decision they made. But decisions are just commitments that can be broken.

We decide to join a spa to work out. We decide to lose weight this year. We decide to do this and we decide to do that. But we end up quitting our decisions. The rope of decision has damned its multitudes.

Through easy believism. Let me ask you friend. Is a person saved by Decision they make or by the regenerating work of the Spirit of God. You better get it right friend. You better hear me now. Do men climb to heaven.

Do they climb on ropes of sand. Sure they do some you hear. Hanging on to a rope of sand right now. It's dissolving while I'm speaking to you men. Try to climb up to heaven by means other than by Christ alone.

Jesus Christ as the Way, Truth, and Life

But Jesus declares I Am the way the truth and the life. No, man. Come upon to the Father but by me. Here Jesus answers the three greatest questions of the human heart. How can I be saved? Jesus says I am the way how can I be sure?

Jesus says I am the truth. How can I be satisfied? Jesus says I am the life and in John 6 35 Jesus declared I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me Shall never thirst but the Gospels for the hungry the weary the thirsty.

Let me ask you friend. Are you hungry for God? Are you sick and tired? Of your sins, are you thirsty for Christ then come? Christ is the bread of life. He invites poor sinners to come to him and believe on him.

He's got a pure gospel promise to all who come in repentance. Confessing they are sinners and own them as their Savior and Lord Jesus says in him that cometh to me. I will in no wise. Cast out that's Christ's reception of sinners.

The New Birth and Genuine Conversion

Listen friends in my message tonight. Probably it's one of the most important messages you'll ever hear in regard to your soul's destiny for some of you have discovered the foundation you've been resting on that the rope of sand.

You've been climbing on and that foundation is as rotten as a Whole dead skunk and it stinks to heaven just as bad. God's Spirit may convince you tonight friend that you've got nothing to hang on to. Because your faith is just a hole in the wall.

Because you've been climbing to heaven on your own rope of sand. Are you here tonight? Hanging on to rope of sand but listen to me friend. Don't you want to know now before it's too late? Look, you're not in hell yet.

There's still time for you friend. There's time for you to repent and turn to God then believe on Christ. Do not fault the preacher for being honest with your souls. Listen to me. I'd rather tell you the truth and try to make it laugh.

I'd rather see your soul in heaven than feed your lie and send you down to hell. Listen to me friend. If you've been deceived wouldn't you want to know it before you die before you're cast into? Devil's hell.

I want you to know about it. How many here want to know the truth about yourself the truth of your conversion? Do you want to know if you're really saved? Listen to me friend. Listen to me. You got to be born again.

You got to be born above and washed in the blood. Oh friend. Don't you know you have to be born again? You got to have the life of God in the soul of man. You got to have the reality of God inside of you.

It's a divine power working on the heart through Regeneration. Listen to me friend. It's not just a public testimony. It's it's receiving a revealed Christ with their revealed Christ changes of life. Changes a heart from a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.

Listen to me friend a false face nothing. But a hole in the wall in a rope of sand is a rope of sand still. Asperius conversion won't get you to heaven friend. Mistaken Reformation for repentance won't do.

Listen to me. Mistaken church membership for salvation won't do. I'm gonna close this with a hymn and as I sing this hymn, I want you to do something. Oh, please won't you do it? Won't you get serious with God?

Repentance and Faith Before It Is Too Late

God gets serious with those who get serious with him if you've been resting upon a false foundation of sand. If the Holy Spirit's shown you tonight that you've been climbing up to heaven on that rope of sand.

And he's brought conviction to you tonight, and if God has spoken to you don't let this day pass. Without repenting of your sins and exercising faith and faith in Christ Jesus. Bleed with your friends.

Some of you here may not be here next year. Some of you here may die this week and wake up in eternity. Wake up in a Christless eternity. Saddle it tonight friend if you've not trusted this blessed Savior.

Receive him now. Before it's too late. Look at that man on the cross friend. Look at that man on the cross. Look at that blessed man on the cross with his arms outstretched. See him there. Beckoning you to come to him and believe on him.

Christ's Substitution and the Solid Rock

Look at that blood-stained Savior for sin friend. Look at him. He says look unto me all ye ends of the earth. And be ye saved for I am God and there is none else Here in his love. Not that we love God.

But that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Listen friends. I know I'm a sinner and I need a substitute for sin. So do you friends so do you? Settle it with God right now as I sing.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and Righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name on Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand.