JP42: CALM IN THE STORM: HOW YOU CAN GAIN THE CERTAINTY OF HEAVEN IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

Conversations with a growing number of people reveal a common concern.  There's a feeling that something is not right in the world in a new way.  We see this reality through a string of back-to-back events impacting millions of people on a global scale.

From the pandemic to civil uprisings to the war in Ukraine to the rising cost of necessities, symptoms of a broken world are materializing in a way that affects all of us in varying degrees and forms.  

With so much uncertainty in the present, can we be certain today about our prospects for heaven in the future?

The answer is absolutely! We can be certain today that we are headed to heaven, but Jesus soberingly says, in the second of three closing statements from the Sermon on the Mount, that some will miss out.  

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Mt 7:21–23).

Jesus is clarifying the nature and conditions for his people and ancestry who became corrupted by power, money, and fear.  Influences that caused them to love religious practices and positions of influence rather than God the Father.

Jesus’ proclamation raises some questions though.  

Perhaps the most obvious is how could it be that religious people find themselves denied entry to heaven?

Others may ask, ‘who is anyone else to tell us how to live’? People who don’t know our life experience at all?'

Exclusive truth claims can be hard to digest.  Yet, in the case of eternity, the person making the exclusive truth claim is the Devine Jesus - God, who became man.  

Today, rather than allowing the very real distractions of a broken world to dim our path, allow the way of Jesus, who died for you, to light the way, simply and calmly, to heaven.  He will carry you and the weight of your past.

Move Beyond Talk

Jesus is eager for you to know that He only wants authentic faith.  More than words of admiration and religious practices, Jesus calls for real faith expressed in hidden obedience to the will of God.  

This move toward authentic faith travels along the path of humble repentance, childlike faith, and surrender to Jesus as Lord, trusting Him to deliver us from the penalty of our sin and make us into new creations in Christ.  Click here for a short visual explanation of how to begin an authentic relationship with God through the finished work of Jesus.

Replace Rituals

Further clarifying, Jesus says doing the same practices that He did will not merit heaven.  In doing so, Jesus helps frame our perspective even more.  

No external religious practice can substitute for a relationship with Jesus where our will submits to His.

Prepare For The Future

Looking forward to the judgment of God, Jesus calls our attention to a situation we want to avoid - arriving in heaven to meet Him, having lived life on our terms.  

Instead of words and rituals to our credit, Jesus just wants our hearts yielded to Him in the everyday happenings of life.  

Here's how Jesus' brother James describes the contrast between authentic and counterfeit religion:

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (Jas 1:26–27).

Preparing for the future involves readying for the day we meet Jesus through repentance and faith, revealed in a life of simple acts of obedience to God and love of neighbor.

Let's guard against a religion of words and practices that substitute for authentic faith.  Instead, focus on the things hidden to the world but find applause in heaven.

Questions for application:

1. Is your faith based on a personal commitment to Jesus or performing religious rituals such as church attendance, serving, or giving?

2. What obstacle keeps you from following Jesus as Lord?

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for loving me personally and making a way for me to be reconciled to the Father through your death and resurrection from the grave.  Grant me the grace I need to submit my will to yours through the power of your Holy Spirit, finding the calm of your daily presence that transcends any uncertainty.

Calm In The Storm: How You Can Gain the Certainty of Heaven In An Uncertain World

1. Move Beyond Talk

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.” (Jn 14:5–7).

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (Jn 14:21).

2. Replace Rituals

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:8–10).

3. Prepare For The Future

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (Jas 1:26–27).

Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash

‍