Make the Right Choice

“Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda.”  Those are the “three stooges” of regret and wrong choices.

Or maybe you’re more familiar with this phrase, “If only I . . .”  That is the woeful wish of wasted opportunity.

Some may remember the famous Frank Sinatra song, “I Did it My Way” which speaks of the end of life.  It starts with this phrase: And now, the end is near And so I face the final curtain.  Just a bit later in the song, he speaks of Regrets, I've had a few. 

We’ll see today that there is one regret that can be avoided.

We all can look back and think of situations where we would like a “do-over” if that were possible. 

But there is no rewind button in life. 

There are no mulligans after our earthly round is played. 

There are no extra rehearsals when the final curtain has closed. 

There are no alternative endings which we can write that will make things as we wish them to be.  

So what do most people do?  Sadly, this is where the lucrative self-help market shines.  The self-help speakers and books are simply another way to avoid presenting the only solution for making the correct choice on the most important decision of all of life.  After all, the most important decision anyone will ever face is that of either accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  

Today, we’re going to look at a section of Scripture which is almost more like a self-destruction manual as opposed to a self-help manual.  Each area we’ll be going over today is a guarantee to spending eternity in hell.  So, as you look at the headings for each point I’ll be sharing, please do not think of them as instructions that we ought to follow. They are simply negative instructions that would guarantee a person will not go to heaven.

We remember last week’s pronouncement Jesus made to the Pharisees at the end of our study:  You will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come. We’ll see Jesus saying this first part again today.

In this message, we’ll be looking at various choices which will keep people out of heaven.

We must help others to make the right choice.

Choose to Be Self-righteous. - 8.22

So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

You can almost sense the sarcasm dripping from their question.  We remember that these Pharisees were the ones actually seeking to kill Jesus earlier.  Now they’re asking if He plans on committing suicide.  So it is obvious that they understood that Jesus had been speaking about His death.  

Suicide has carried with it a very dark stigma over the centuries in nearly every culture that recognizes that the One true God is the creator of all that there is.  In the Jewish culture, it was wrongly understood and wrongly taught that anyone who committed suicide would automatically go to the worst part of hell one could imagine.  When we understand this faulty thinking, we see just how wrong the Pharisees were in their understanding of God’s requirements for heaven.  They felt as though they were a “guaranteed shoe-in” for heaven; thus, Jesus must be going to hell by committing suicide.  Now when we consider that they were the ones plotting His murder, while, at the same time, thinking they were certain to get into heaven, it boggles the mind at how far away from God they truly were.

The harsh reality was that Jesus would willingly give His life, but it would happen by the actions of these very Pharisees who were now twisting and mocking Jesus’ words.  And of course, Jesus had stated that He was going back to the Father; so it is He who will be in heaven, not the Pharisees.  

Their sarcasm, as well as their thinking that they were above the Law and God’s teachings, was one of the worst forms of self-righteousness one could find.  If a person thinks they can go to heaven by their own righteousness, they are sadly mistaken.  They will indeed die in their sin. 

Please understand that a person does not even have to be as arrogant and smug as these Pharisees to stay out of heaven.  Any form of trying to do good, in order to gain entrance into heaven, is of no value.  Any idea of following a prescription of rules and tradition, in order to experience eternal life, falls flat. 

Throughout the Bible, it is clear that, of ourselves, we have no righteousness.  The only righteousness which can open the door for us to eternal life is found in none other than Jesus Christ.  It doesn’t matter how much we do that is good; it doesn’t matter how much we speak for God; it doesn’t matter how pious we may try to be; without the righteousness of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, a person will die in their sin.  If a person dare to trust in anything other than Jesus Christ, they will never be in the presence of Jesus Christ.

So, this arrogant, self-righteous attitude is a sure-fire way to keep out of heaven.  Let’s go on to look at the next example of how to not get to heaven.

Choose to Be of this world. - 8.23

And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.

Again, we see that Jesus doesn’t bother to respond to their ignorant comment.  Instead, he explained more about what He meant in verse 21.  Not only did they not come from heaven, the Pharisees whole way of living and thinking was of this world.  Jesus, however, was not of this world’s way of doing things.  Now it is helpful to understand that, in this context, the idea of world is referring to an invisible, spiritual world. 

How do we know this?  Well, it is obvious that Jesus and the Pharisees are on planet earth during this exchange. They are in this world, though they’re not of this world.  For someone to try to understand this in a physical aspect would make Jesus to be mentally deranged.  The context is dealing with the spiritual, so why would Jesus suddenly go to the physical?  That would be senseless.  All that is spiritually of this world is completely against God. 

Listen to what John MacArthur states about this:  Materialism, humanism, immorality, pride, and selfishness—“the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16)—are the world’s hallmarks. It is utterly opposed to divine truth, righteousness, virtue, and holiness. Its opinions are wrong; its aims are selfish; its pleasures are sinful; its influences are demoralizing; its politics are corrupt; its honors are empty; its smiles are phony; its love is false and fickle. 

So what exactly is Jesus saying?  Simply that all their ideas and thoughts are Satanic in origin.  None of it comes from God.  In fact, later on, Jesus speaks of their origin as being of Satan, since he is their father.  Those are harsh words, but factual and true.  

My friends, if we are truly born again, then we will not behave or think like this world.  When we find ourselves slipping into that worldly mindset, we must confess it and surrender ourselves anew to the authority of Jesus Christ.  We may walk the same planet as everyone else, but this world is not our home.  This world does not dictate how we live or think.  Our minds are to be set on things above. 

In addition, we need to stop complaining about the unfairness and animosity towards Christians.  Instead, we should accept what Jesus said and rejoice when you are persecuted for righteousness sake.  We should not spend our energy and time complaining and fighting against the world for earthly rights and freedoms.  We need to think in a Kingdom way, in a heavenly way; praying for this world and asking God for boldness that we would proclaim Jesus Christ to this dying world.

So, if a person wishes to make sure they don’t go to heaven, they can choose an attitude of self-righteousness or choose worldliness; both will keep them out of heaven.  But the next verse shows that even without those obvious attitudes, there’s a really simple way to avoid heaven.

Choose to Not Believe. - 8.24

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

So many people are curious as to what the ultimate sin is that will keep a person from heaven.  Very simply, I believe the Bible shows it to be unbelief.  You see, a person can be self-righteous, then finally come to a point when they recognize that as sin, because they recognize who Jesus is.  Then they believe. 

A person can also be worldly-based and worldly-minded, then come to an understanding that it is all empty and wrong.  They can confess that as sin because they now understand that this world cannot offer what Jesus can offer.  They then recognize who Jesus is and can then choose to believe. 

So, it boils down to the question of whether or not a person believes that Jesus is Who He said He was and that He did what He came to do.  If one believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; that He forgave the guilt of all our sin; purchasing us and saving us to become children of God, then one will experience eternal life or salvation.  However, if a person just won’t accept Jesus for who He said he is and what He offered, then you will die in your sins.  

By the way, in the Greek text, the wording for the conditional statement in verse 24, should read:  for unless you believe that I am.  “He” is not found in the Greek.  Why is that important? Once again, Jesus is blatantly stating that unless a person believes that He is God, they will die in their sins.  There is no sugar-coating.  Jesus is declaring once again that He is God by using this I am statement.  

My friends, nobody has the right to pick and choose what to believe in the Bible.  We cannot pick and choose what to believe and still say we are saved.  There is no other way to heaven other than through Jesus Christ.  Yet, even for these Pharisees, there was still hope which Jesus offered.  Notice Jesus’ use of the word, unless.  Jesus was letting them know that they don’t have to die in their sins, if they would simply believe that He is God.  However, if they refuse and continue to not believe, they will die in their sins.  

Now, we move to the next section.  We see that there doesn’t even have to be an intentional hostility towards Jesus to keep a person out of heaven.

Choose to Ignore the Facts. - 8.25-30

So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?  I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.”  They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.  So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.  And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”  As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.

Ignorance is not bliss; it is damning.  As we read this, don’t you find yourself amazed that those Pharisees had the gall to ask Jesus who He was?  They had been hearing His authoritative teaching, plus seeing the miracles that only God could do.  Yet, they could not get past the fact that He claimed to be God.  So, they were going to be held responsible for all that they had done and would do.  They had been privileged to be a part of all this; they had been privileged to be in God’s very presence; yet they chose to denounce Him, trying to fit Him into their mold.  

Jesus responds by saying, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He.  In this context, it appears that Jesus is speaking of His future crucifixion.  Of course, we remember the centurion who was with Jesus at the crucifixion stating:  Surely He was the Son of God!  We recall from what was done in the wilderness when Moses lifted up the serpent, all who looked upon it were saved from death.  The symbolism is here again showing that for all who truly look to Jesus, they will experience salvation.

However, this is not the only thing that should stand out to us.  It is also the fact of Jesus stating that His Father has not left Him alone.  And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone. 

My friends, we have been given the promise, for those of us who believe, I am with you.  Never will I forsake you.  I am with you to the end of the age.   These are promises from God’s Word. 

It doesn’t matter what you or I may be going through in our lives; God has not left you alone.  In the darkest of times, the Light of the World, the Great I Am, is still with you.  When it feels as though everyone else has left you alone, you can know that your Savior is still with you. When it feels as if God himself is not involved in your life, remember the promises from the Word of God that he is with you and will not leave you.

Then we read that interesting and encouraging last sentence, in verse 30.  As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.  We don’t know how many.  But there were many who made the right choice to believe in Him.  Jesus is going to speak to this group later.  However, for the majority of people, they would die in their sins.

Reflections

As we reflect on this passage today, we recognize how easy it is to avoid heaven. 

You see, many of us were self-righteous at one time. We may have felt that we were better than many, because we didn’t do a lot of the obviously foolish, stupid things.  We may have actually done a lot of good stuff that was better than what some others who said they were Christians did.  At least, we may have thought so.  

Or we might have used to be worldly-minded at one time.  If it couldn’t be rationally and logically explained, then all it must have been was hocus-pocus.  If it didn’t make sense to our minds, then forget it.  

Many were very much people who would believe in ourselves; we could do it ourselves.  We thought we had no need to believe in Jesus.  If something needed changed or needed to be done, it was in our court.  By our self-discipline and stubbornness, things would work the way we wanted them to work.

Personally, I was probably guilty of all of the above ways of thinking. I even chose to intentionally ignore the evidence.  I would be encouraged to read my mother’s Bible, but refused to do so.  I would be required to watch Billy Graham on TV as he preached Jesus Christ.  I did, but only to get pointers on the musical skills of those singing and playing.  I would be asked to observe others who were Christians, but when I saw them being picked on and ostracized, I felt vindicated that there was not really any benefit to this Jesus thing.  

As I reflected on how I used to be, it was then that I gave God praise and glory for saving someone like me.  You see, Jesus was already at work in my life in so many ways during my younger years.  There were members of my family who were praying that Jesus would get ahold of my life.  In my childhood, I had every reason to not believe in Jesus Christ. 

Yet, in God’s grace and mercy, He never gave up on me.  I had some wonderful friends in school who were genuinely born again.  They were true friends.  We got along well because I wasn’t like so many others who were just rebellious; my legalism and self-righteousness and all those forms of religion kept me away from that.  But those true friends, along with some family members, moved by the Holy Spirit, caused my spiritual soil to be ready.  Then there was that glorious evening when I was a little over 13 years old. I was once again forced to watch the Billy Graham crusade; then the Holy Spirit took hold of me and let me know that unless I believed that Jesus was God and my Savior, I would indeed die in my sins.

My friend, where are you in this picture?  Are you one who is counting on your own righteousness to get you into heaven?  That’s the wrong choice, for it won’t work.

Are you one who is comfortable with the world’s ways and are willing to take your chances on that?  That’s the wrong choice, for it won’t work.

Or maybe you’re one who is more comfortable looking for reasons to not believe in Jesus?  That’s the wrong choice, for it won’t work.

Or could you be one that if you choose to ignore the facts, then maybe you’ll sneak in on a free pass? That’s the wrong choice, for it won’t work.

Please make sure that you are among those who have made the right choice, because you have chosen to believe in Him.  And if you are, be certain to make sure that others know that you’re a part of God’s family, because of Jesus Christ; and that they can be part of that family as well.  Let them know that any other choice ends up in total helplessness and hopelessness.  It’s only when we acknowledge our helpless and hopeless condition, accepting Jesus’ offer of eternal life, that we can be of any help to any one.  We must help others to stop making the wrong choice. We must help others to make the right choice.