December 12 (II Cor. 13:5)
John McArthur addressed the issue of salvation yesterday in a rather refreshing manner. He actually used the bible to prove there are great multitudes who are absolutely convinced they are going to the kingdom of God when they die who are, in actuality not. It reminded me of an analogy Todd Freil used several months ago about a lady who boarded a plane she was sure was bound for Toronto, Canada. The passenger next to her mentioned how much he was looking forward to his vacation in France. She told him he was on the wrong plane. He looked at his ticket and said, “No, this plane is going to France.” The steward overheard them and advised the lady she was on the wrong plane confirming the one she was on was going to Paris, France. Again, she told the steward he was wrong and insisted the plane she was on was going to Toronto, Canada. The steward looked at her ticket and advised her she would have to leave the plane because she had the wrong ticket. She refused just as the pilot came on the overhead speaker and said, “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen; this is your pilot speaking. We will be taxiing for take-off in approximately five minutes; please remain seated and fasten your seat belts. If all goes well, you should be having a late dinner in Paris.”
Like that lady, there are great multitudes who think they have their ticket for the kingdom of God who are on the wrong plane (road). They have believed any number of incorrect teachings on the topic of salvation, and as a result are absolutely certain, unshakably sure, they are bound for eternity in the kingdom of God, when in actuality, if they don’t respond correctly to the true gospel message, they are absolutely, certainly, unshakably, and surely bound for eternity in the kingdom of hell. This is a warning, not a treatise on salvation. I have written one and/or you can download John McArthur’s message from last week if you want to hear a presentation of the true gospel. It is literally a matter of life or death for all of us to pass the test Paul mentions in II Corinthians 13:5. Jesus tells a story on the topic in Matthew 22 about a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He invited a bunch of people who were too busy to attend. Then he sent his servants into the highways and byways to invite the common people. Finally he closed the door because the hall was full. While speaking to his guests he noticed a man there who wasn’t clothed properly (he had the wrong ticket). He had that person thrown out into the outer darkness, “in that place where there will be a weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It’s a powerful but simple analogy.
The king was God the Father; the Son was Jesus; the attendants at the wedding were the chosen of God, i.e., the church, the bride of Christ (see verse 14); and, the improperly clothed man represented the great multitudes who think they’re bound for the kingdom of God who are not. They’ve got the wrong ticket. I beseech you in the Name of Jesus to make sure of your calling. Get my book or go to John McArthur’s site at www.gty.org and listen to his two hour message. It’s a two or three part message in the full version. It is literally a matter of life and death. Your eternal destiny is determined by whether or not you have faith in the true gospel message not some cheap imitation. Tens of thousands of preachers who have been duly ordained by bible colleges and universities and liberal seminaries around the world are preaching a gospel foreign to scripture. And just about every one of them use a few verses from God’s word to convince their victims they are bound for heaven if they just receive Jesus, get baptized, buy one of their many items that guarantee holiness, and give a gift to their ministries. They make giving so easy no one in his right mind would take the chance their magic formula doesn’t work. Of course, if you are one of God’s elect, you will check the scriptures to see if they things they tell you are true. And that’s God’s word for us today.
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