I used to wear a small, rectangular patch on my vest’s chest pocket flap that read ”hell ?? wheels.” Kinda strange, ain’t it? What can it possibly mean? Well, if you were to pull the two question marks off the patch, you could easily replace them with that lil’, ol’ preposition – “on”; then, it’d read “hell on wheels,” and that’s an expression that most bikers hold near and dear!
You know what it is—that pure, 100% reckless abandonment of everything safe and sane! Ol’ timey cowboys used to call it “hell bent for leather.” Hey, bikin’ involves risk anyway, and it can be elevated to new heights with this attitude. But, that’s part of the life, man—live fast, love hard, die young, and all that stuff!
I’ve changed the idea behind that phrase a bit, though—how ‘bout hell after wheels? Ever thought that way? Well, that’s really what those question marks signify. Let me show you what I mean.
The first question is this: “Have you reached a point in your life where, if you were to die today, you would know for certain that you’d go to heaven?” So, what would you say to that? The Bible mentions only two possibilities for the hereafter—heaven or hell. Which one would it be for you?
The second question is a little bit more difficult: “If you were to die today and stand before God, and He was to ask you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ what would you say to Him?”
How ‘bout that one? Well, a lot of people would say somethin’ like this: “I’ve lived a pretty good life—certainly as good as ol’ Joe down the street.” But, I must ask, is ol’ Joe’s righteousness—and a billion others like him—what God demands of us to enter into His heaven?
Still, others might talk about going to church or obeying the Ten Commandments or keeping the Golden Rule or even loving God. But, are any of these answers correct? Hey, just what is God’s standard for getting into heaven?
If you don’t mind, let me share a thought or two about this. First, we all need to realize that heaven is God’s free gift to men—simply, that means heaven cannot be earned nor is it deserved. You see, men are sinners and jus’ plain cruddy! But I want you to know that God is merciful and doesn’t want to condemn anyone. Neverthe-less, God is just and must punish sin ‘cause He’s given His word to do such.
So, how does God handle this dilemma? Well, the problem has been solved in the Person and through the Work of Jesus Christ! Christ is the infinite God-Man who died upon a cross to pay for men’s sins and purchase a place in heaven for them. Thus, God can forgive men for what they have done because His justice is satisfied by the sacrifice of His Son.
Saving is all His idea, and all His work…All we do is trust in Him. (Eph 2:8)
You might want to know how all of this works. Let me help you with that. The Bible tells us that while men are great sinners doing great sin, God has supplied His grace to them. That grace—God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense—is without cost or charge to men. Jesus Christ foot the bill!
Hey, why must God’s salvation be a free gift? Well, because men are dead in their sins—and, as dead men, they are without ability! Think about it: dead men don’t walk, talk, think, or decide–they’re dead! Hey, the sad fact is that men can’t do anything to please God ‘cause they’ve got no ability—as one once said, “All they can do is rot!”
No one’s living right, not even one. (Rom 3:12)
You might object to this and say, “I’ve done, at least, a few good things in my life,” and, “Won’t God take that into consideration?” Okay; let’s assume you’re correct and you have done most things right in your life. For argument’s sake, though, say you still do wrong three times each day. Let’s see now: three times three hundred and sixtyfive times 70 years… Hmmm… That’s only 76,650 sins in a normal lifetime!!! (What were your three today–using God’s name in a worthless way, disobeying the posted speed limit, plotting revenge on someone in a rival club, staring at some woman’s body, swiping something that didn’t belong to you, bending the truth a little, or craving something that you couldn’t have?)
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (I Tim 1:15)
So what’s your take on things now? The truth is clear—man cannot save himself; he’s a real scuzball! But, God’s standard for men is “to be perfect as God Himself is perfect.” And it’s a sure bet–we ain’t perfect!
You say, “C’mon, gimme a break! God can’t be so uppity as that.” Well, look it up yourself in Matthew 5:48. Hey, it has to be that way, man, because of WHO God is–His character demands it. Notice this in two ways: one, the Bible states that God is too pure to have sin in His presence– God is really spotless; and, two, it also says that He will punish sin–God is always truthful and keeps His promises!
So, what’s a man to do? The good news is nothing—nada, zip, zilch, zero! Like we’ve said, God’s taken care of it through His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s right–God has done it all! And, His free gift—remember, Jesus toted our note!—is heaven.
However, before you carry my previous thought too far, know that God demands a response from you to get His gift. You have to receive it! Think about it this way: suppose I wanted to give you a gift—I planned what to give, I saved my money, I went shopping, I paid the clerk, I brought it home and wrapped it, and I carried it to your house—even if I did all those things, you still have to take it!
That’s what God wants men to do—receive His gift of heaven. You do that through a thing called faith. So, next question: what’s faith?
Well, faith is NOT just saying “Yes” to a series of propositions; nor is it an acceptance of historical facts or trusting in some temporary thing. A lot of people believe certain things in the Bible or that Jesus really lived about 2000 years ago in Palestine or that God took care of their finances, gave them traveling mercies while on their scoots, healed an injury, or whatever.
Rather, genuine saving faith is the wholehearted embracing of Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord—Jesus is your true Road Captain. To believe in Christ is to entrust all of you and all that you have to Him! Listen to what He said: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’ seat—I am. Self help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way.”
What’d’ya think? Does all this sound decent to you? If it does, that’s ‘cause God’s Spirit is drawing you to Himself, and it’s time for you to entrust yourself to the resurrected and living Christ—call out to Him, repent of your sins, and accept the gift that God offers by trusting in Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And, then, live a life that honors the One who paid the price for sinners.
Hey, friend, I won’t say that it’s easy, but I will say that it’s necessary (jus’ don’t forget those ??)!
Copyright (c) 2006 CrossWind Ministry
