Counterfeit Ticket to Heaven — E.A. Johnston

Father in heaven, I come before you by the blood of your son Jesus, and I ask you, in Jesus' name, to work on hearts today, that your spirit will attend your word and be a and on their way to hell without Christ, that they've been resting on a rotten foundation of a false profession of faith, that it's either Christ or eternal ruin in a devil's hell.

Show somebody here where they are going and come and disturb folks. Let them turn from their carnal security to be blinded by the cross and awaken to their lost condition. Let them see bleeding and dying Christ who loved me and gave himself for me.

False Assurance and the Danger of Easy-Believism

I pray these things in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. I've watched good church folks who were close to me die and go to hell. This message is a solemn warning in a day of spiritual decay. You better sit up and listen to me, friend, because both your feet may be dangling over the edge of hell.

I quit going to a big Baptist church because the staff minister told the people there all they had to do to go to heaven was to close their eyes and raise their hands if they wanted Jesus. It made me sick to my stomach to be in the presence of such heresy when those people were sitting on the very brink of eternal ruin and a staff professional was lying to them.

Then the same staff minister told his story of how when he was eight years old he was at church and he responded to his pastor's invitation to become a Christian and he walked in now and made a public profession.

Then he pulled out his wallet and took out a crumpled old folded piece of a church bulletin that had his name on it as proof of what he did that day and he as he told his story he got all choked up and his voice broke and he shed some crocodile tears because his hope of heaven rested only on a time in the past where he did a physical act to become a Christian.

Regeneration Is a Supernatural Work of the Spirit

But salvation is not found in a physical act we do but in the supernatural act of the Spirit of God working the grace of regeneration in the heart. So many Southern Baptists face eternal ruin because they've cheapened the gospel and watered it down to a few easy steps that only require you to walk an aisle or raise your hand or repeat a prayer to get you into heaven.

And if you try to witness to them and hand them a track they'll quickly inform you they've already done that because they can look back and point to a time in their life where they performed some physical act to become a Christian.

But although they are baptized and have joined the church they have no victory or power in their walk because they've never had any reality of God in their life. They represent the verse from Proverbs which states there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

They are good church members who have had a good opinion of themselves but their hope of heaven is only a hole in the wall because they've never been born from above or washed in the blood. Listen to me friend.

Salvation Must Agree With God's Judgment

I'm going to be honest with you because I care about your soul. It doesn't matter a hill of beans what you think about me. I don't care. Most folks don't like me anyhow and it doesn't matter a hill of beans what you think about your security of salvation if it doesn't line up with God's view of you.

You can think you're saved when he knows you're lost. Just because some minister back yonder told you that you were now saved doesn't mean you are. You're going to take his word or God's word. Modern evangelists have broadened the way of salvation in ways Jesus never did but there are many who profess Christ without ever possessing Christ.

The Narrow Gate and the Cost of Following Christ

In Matthew's gospel Jesus declared, enter ye in at the straight gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in there at because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it.

Jesus is saying if you want him you have to get to him and there is only one way to him and it's a narrow way a straight way where you have to bend and sincere humility and heartfelt repentance and press your way in with great difficulty and then he goes on to say that behavior and belief go hand in hand that if you have faith then you will have works that if your heart has been changed your life will be changed and he warns you of cheap evangelism that makes a merchandise out of the souls of men just so they can grow their church and look good within their denomination but beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Testing Faith by Its Fruit

You should know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.

Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire wherefore by their fruit you shall know them. Is jesus talking about you friend.

Is he bragging on you and your good fruit or is he condemning you for being a corrupt tree that has no good fruit because you were never regenerated. To begin with you just did what the minister asked you to do and you joined the church mistaken that for salvation.

And since that time you've been serving in the church and building on your track record of service as proof that you are a truly saved individual. But we need to keep reading the words of christ and the rest of the passage.

Mere Profession Cannot Replace Knowing Christ

Not every one that saith unto me lord lord shall enter in to the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. Many baptists will say to me in that day lord lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils.

Look at all the works i've done since i joined the church. Doesn't that prove to you that i'm a christian. And then will i profess unto them. I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity. In other words your outward life doesn't line up with your inward life.

You're still rotten on the inside because you are not born again. You made a decision to become a christian by some physical act of yours. But you are yet a stranger to a work of grace upon the heart whereby the spirit of god worked regeneration in you.

All you have to show for yourself is a church membership on a piece of paper and a track record of service. But that won't cut the mustard with me. I know you're lost even if you claim you're saved and you're sitting on the rotten plank boards of an empty religious profession.

Building on the Rock Through Repentance and Faith

You need to get your sins washed in my blood through repentance and faith so you can build on a firm foundation. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them i will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock.

And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and 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.

That's how jesus handed his sermon that day. Those people went home to their houses that day with jesus sermon ringing in their ears. They could hear the howling wind as the storm intensified. They could hear the rotten wood of their false foundation creak and crack as it gave way to that overpowering flood.

Examining What Will Survive the Final Test

His message solemnized their hearts. Your trouble is friend. You've been living on an easy street of an easy believism. And the storm of testing hasn't come yet. The floods haven't come yet to wash away your foundation.

The wind hasn't blown on your flimsy structure to test it yet. But it will come. I've seen folks lose the race in the last lap and draw back. You better be sure what you're resting on will hold up at the great day discovery when the lord who has eyes of fire will test every man's work to see what sort it is.

You better not be relying on a thing you did when god was never in it. To begin with you must be born again. It's repent or just go on to hell. You better become a seeker of god friend and get serious with him and make sure what you're holding in your hand is not a counterfeit passport to heaven.

They will only burn up with you in the bottomless pit of fire and brimstone.