9.3.2015 AM I GOOD ENOUGH TO GO TO HEAVEN? ron comfort

of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, the most important is, am i good enough to go to heaven? the answer to this question will have eternal consequences. the way to find out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed God's standard of goodness, the Ten Commandments. most would say, 'well, i've broken one or two, but nothing serious, like murder, etc. so let's go through them and see how you do:  1. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. is God first in your life? do you love God above all else? imagine you purchased a TV for your children, but the next evening you arrived home from work and found that they didn't even bother to greet you..they were so busy watching TV. by ignoring you because they preferred to watch TV, they were setting their love on the Gift rather than the Giver, a wrong order of affections. in the same way, if we love anything- our spouse..children or even our own lives more than we love God, we are setting our affection on the gift rather than the Giver, which is a transgression of the first commandment. in fact, the Bible says that we should love God so much that our love for our family should seem like hatred compared to the love we have for the God who gave them to us. have you loved God with all your heart? if not, you have committed the oldest sin in the Book. you be the judge. on Judgment Day, will you be innocent or guilty of breaking this commandment?  i'm not judging you-i'm asking you to judge yourself before the Day of Judgment.  2. YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A GRAVEN IMAGE. this means that we shouldn't make a god to suit ourselves, either with our hands or with our mind. have you made a god in your mind that you are comfortable with-where you say, 'my god is a loving god who would never send anyone to hell? perhaps your god doesn't mind a 'white' lie or fib here and there-in fact, he may not have any moral dictates. in reality, this god doesn't exist; he's a figment of your imagination. if your god is not the one revealed in Holy Scripture, then you have made an image of God to suit yourself, something the Bible calls idolatry. Scripture warns that no idolater will enter the kingdom of heaven I corinthians 6.9  3. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN. have you ever taken God's name in vain-using it flippantly, like 'OMG', or in place of a 4 letter word 2 express disgust?  even hitler's name wasn't despised enough to use it as a curse word. if you have taken the holy name of God who gave us life and used it in this manner, that's called blasphemy and the Bible says, 'the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. exodus 20.7  4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY. i ignored this command..even though God gave me the gift of life,  i didn't give Him 1 day in 7.  5. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.  have you always honored your parents implicitly, treating them in a way that's pleasing to God? this doesn't mean you honor them only if you think they are good parents. we are 2 respect and obey them just because they are our parents. ask God to remind you of the sins of your youth. you may have forgotten them but God hasn't. 6. YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. the Bible warns that if we are angry with someone without cause we are in danger of judgement  and that 'whoever hates his brother is a murderer'. I john 3.15. we can violate God's law by our attitude and intent. have you broken this command by harboring anger/hatred toward someone? if so, God sees you as guilty of murder and  'no murderer has eternal life abiding in him'          7.  YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. who of us can say that we are pure of heart?  Jesus warned, 'whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. matt. 5.28.  God has seen every thought you have had and every sin you have ever committed. the day will come when you will have to face His Law and we are told that the impure, fornicators (those who have sex before marriage) and adulterers will not enter the kingdom of God. I cor. 6.9-10  8. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL.  have you ever taken something that didn't belong to you, regardless of its value? this includes stealing an answer on a test, taking a pen from work, even keeping extra change that you know isn't rightfully yours. if you've taken anything that isn't yours, then you are a thief and you cannot enter God's Kingdom.  I corinthians 6.9-10 9. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS.  have you ever told a lie?  then that would make you a liar. you may not think that deceitfulness  is a serious sin, but God does. 'lying lips are an abomination 2 the Lord'. prov. 12.22  because He is a God of truth and holiness, the Bible warns us that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. revelation 21.8  10. YOU SHALL NOT COVET.  have you ever coveted (jealously desired) anything that belongs 2 another person? that's a violation of the 10th Commandment and the covetous  will not inherit the kingdom of God. ephesians 5.5  who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments? All of us have sinned and just as with man's law, you only have to break one law 2 be guilty. the Bible  warns, 'for whoever shall keep the whole law and offend in one point, he is guilty of all'.  james 2.10  a little girl was once watching sheep grazing and thought how white they looked against the green background. but when it began to snow she thought, the sheep now look dirty against the white snow! it was the same sheep, but with a different background. when we compare ourselves to man's standard we look pretty clean, but when we compare ourselves to the pure snow-white righteousness of God's standard, 'when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. for scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. but God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. much more than, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life'. rom. 5.6-10  Jesus invites you to, 'Come to Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; (then Jesus said to His disciples, 'if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross every day and follow Me'. mt.16.24) for I am gentle and humble in heart: and you shall find REST for your souls. for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. mt. 11.28-30                                    215.721.9821