Ticket to Ride

This morning, I'd like to share a dream I had when I first became a Christian.

It was 1994. I was brand new to this thing called GRACE. I came out of a religious background where 'crossing T's and dotting I's' were of the most importance. The church teaching was focused on striving in your own strength and leaning on your own good deeds for righteousness. Jesus was talked about and the cross was hung in front for all to see, but the power behind it was denied. They didn't outwardly say that, of course. But all understood that even though yes, Jesus died on the cross, our right standing before God and our entrance into heaven was judged more by our church status and being a good person than by solely having faith in Jesus and a relationship with Him, being cleansed from our sins because of His finished work on the cross. Amazing how you can preach Jesus yet miss Him at the same time. It's baffling. 

So back to the dream. I was 19, home in New Jersey from college on summer break. I was so new to this new life in Jesus, I didn't even realize that He could speak to us through dreams. I was just coming out of sleep, enough to dream and remember it. It was a very short dream, really more of what felt like a snippet of a larger story, an image, a reel...

I saw a dark, black hole. Very deep, an abyss. And I saw people falling into it. It was jarring. But what caught my attention the most about these people is that I understood this one thing about them: they were 'good people.' Good in what I considered to be good. They probably did nice things. They probably had good manners. They were ordinary, law-abiding citizens. Then why were they falling into the abyss?? Then I woke up.

I was perplexed all morning over the dream. How very odd. How disturbing really. How contradicting to what my childhood religious classes taught me. I was so confused over it that I ended up sharing my dream with my mom who sort of listened in silence and didn't know how to respond either. 

And that's when I started to understand more about our need for the real deal and this one fact:

We ALL need Jesus.

Even those who think they are good enough on their own merit.

Heaven's gates open to those who know Him. Period. That's the bottom line, folks. It's the hardest truth to tell people. It's the hardest one to swallow because our society tells us otherwise. We're told it's only the really, really, really bad people that don't go to heaven... ya know, like the rapists and the murderers... but the truth is -- we ALL have sinned and have gone astray. NO ONE is good. NO, NOT ONE!

I know. Let that sink in. 

It's pretty despairing  -- if we didn't have a solution.

BUT WE DO! 

And this is what God was trying to teach me that morning through the dream. He had to give me the bad news in order to understand how good the Good News is!

The Good News is -- we don't have to try to earn our way to heaven!! Our 'ticket to ride' has already been purchased by the blood of Jesus. We must only accept it, asking Him directly to forgive us of our sins. We must ask HIM, not a priest or preacher or man of God to forgive our sins. We must surrender to Jesus as the Lord of our lives (which is the best thing you'll ever do because God is so kind and loving and has amazing plans for us!). 

So, today's question is this: 

Do you know Jesus? 

Knowing Him starts with repentance. It's saying, "Jesus, forgive me. Even though I think I am a pretty good person, I know I don't get it right all the time. I know I sin. And I need to be cleansed. Wash me from the inside-out, God. I put my trust in You."

And then ask Him to be your friend. "Jesus, come into my life so I can know you."

And tell Him you want to follow Him. "I want to know your ways. I want to follow You and learn from You. In Jesus Name. Amen."

And that's it, friends. Of course, that's not the end, it's just the beginning. Much like a marriage. The saying, "I do," is just the promise that is made, it's just the beginning. Now they get to walk through life together. 

And that is all God is looking for. He's just looking to have you near Him. THAT'S why Jesus died. He died so He could bridge you to your Father and be reconciled to Him. He's the only One who could have done it and He did it. He did it because He obeyed the Father. He did it because He loves you. He did it in hopes that one day you would accept His very special offer. He did it because He knew that your own good works weren't going to be good enough. But His sacrifice would be.

***

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

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Psalms‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.14.2-3.NIV

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.3.22-31.NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.7.21-23.NIV

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

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Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.10.13.NIV

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