Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 30th, 2022 Are You Going To Heaven? – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 15 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 30)

Read the “0730 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

Good morning. Are you going to Heaven? Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you can not.

“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

But there is a problem…

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

Our righteousness is no good. We would need our righteousness to exceed that of the Pharisees, which means the righteousness of the Pharisees is also no good…

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20)

No one is justified by works of the law…

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

There is only one righteousness that would exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, and that’s the righteousness of God.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2Corinthians 5:21)

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” (Philippians 3:8-9)

When you receive Jesus as your Saviour, you get the righteousness of God. When God looks at you, He sees His Son. He sees the water turned to wine. He sees the woman with the issue of blood healed. He sees the blind given his sight, and the lepers cleansed, and the lame healed. He sees the vacant cross and the empty tomb. Our righteousness is as filthy rags, we need a Saviour: we need Jesus.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Receive Jesus as your Saviour, then you can answer yes to the question: “Are you going to Heaven?”

Peace.