You're not good enough
You’re Not Good Enough
Romans 3:10; 22-24; John 1:12
At a very early age I wanted to play football. My parents took me to Herb’s Sports Shop in Pueblo, Colorado – the only place in town where you could buy a helmet and shoulder pads and football pants.
I think we call it Pee Wee Football here in Texas.
I played Defensive End – I played right and left end – if the ball went Right – I went left…if the ball went left I went right.
When I got to High School they had hired a new coach. I heard through the grapevine that he was a tough man, a hard man, a man that was seldom pleased. I wanted to play football so bad. I went to see our new football coach. I said, “Coach, if you’ll give me a chance I’ll make your team.”
Coach looked me over – up and down. I think he was looking for a muscle. As a fourteen year old high school freshman my most prominent features were my Adam’s apple and two bony elbows. After coach looked me over he simply said, “I’ll give you a chance.” I learned later coach gave anyone a chance.
For a short while, I did alright. Then the day came in practice, my junior year. We had a talented young man on our team that I’ll never forget, his name was Ron Bones. Ron Bones left a lasting impression on me. Ron was talented. Ron was also very big and very fast. Ron had learned the little intricacies of the game of football – like how to annihilate your opponent. The day I lined up across the line from Ron Bones I came to several conclusions…
· As long as I had played against guys my own size, I convinced myself I had what it took to play football.
· I had vastly overrated my ability
· I was not as GOOD as I thought
We deceive ourselves in many ways. We tell ourselves that we are better than we are. Nowhere is this more DANGEROUS than in overrating our being acceptable to God.
Many people think – “I’m O.K., I work hard. I don’t cheat on my IRS forms. I love my wife, my family. Oh, sure, one day, the real bad people will get what they deserve – the rapists, the murderers – those kinds of people.
But God says, “There is no one righteous, not even one…”
Romans 3:10 There is no one who does good, not even one.
There once was a young man who tried hard to do good. He was named for Israel’s first King. He determined at a very young age to be so religious he would EARN God’s favor. No one studied harder or worked longer at being good – keeping rules, attending and leading meetings, giving resources and time like so many who have religious passion without a relationship with God. He became judgmental and combative.
Then one day, he compared his morality to the standards of God and here is what he said, “I am the CHIEF of all sinners.” His gospel message and his testimony has been preserved now for more than two thousand years. He went to the world of His day, saying, “If Christ will forgive me, He will forgive anyone. If Christ will SAVE me, Christ can SAVE anyone.”
I read an argument in USA Today for requiring teenagers to be tested for drugs in order to get a driver’s license. The argument was presented by Doug Hill. Doug says that making mandatory a drug test for teens to get a driver’s license would send a MESSAGE that society takes seriously drug use…a message most kids just don’t get.”
God has been sending a message for years that SIN is serious business with Him, most people just don’t get it.
Too many people say, “My sins are just not that serious…”
A lot of people are kidding themselves about how good they are. They think they will go to Heaven because in their eyes, they are pretty good people.
Could I ask you a question? If someone were to ask you, “How can I get to Heaven?” What would you tell them?