I've Been Good

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV). The Apostle Paul makes it very clear in our reading this morning that there is only one means to gain eternal life. It is only through grace that we may be given a place in heaven. The following little story illustrates how some people think of their efforts to win a place with Christ. There was a certain man who had worked all his life and was ready for a vacation. He wanted to go to a far away place he had never been before. He thought to himself, "You are a good person, you've helped the poor and cared for the needy. You deserve this trip." He went to the airport and got in line to get on the plane. In his mind, he felt no need to buy a ticket because of all the great things he had done for people in his lifetime. He thought he had earned this trip. As the line got closer and closer to board the plane, he grew more and more anxious to start enjoying himself on his journey. It came his turn at the ticket counter and to the amazement of the ticket agent, he told her he didn't have a ticket, but he deserved a free trip. He went on to explain what a good person he was, and how he never hurt anyone or caused anyone any sort of pain, but the ticket collector told him firmly, "You still need a ticket sir." Becoming concerned, he told her "I have never stolen from anyone, nor cheated anyone in all my life." The ticket agent stood firm and insisted he could not board the plane unless he could produce a ticket. He said, "I have given money to the poor and fed the needy." Still not being moved by his plea the ticket agent said, "If you want to get on this plane you have to have a ticket. No exceptions." The man was shocked. He walked away with his head held low and thought to himself, "I figured if I was a good person, who never hurt anyone and took care of other people, surely I would be able to get a free plane ride." Some people view heaven that way. They think if they are good, never hurt anyone, and take care of others; they will get a free ride into Heaven. Salvation is a free gift through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. No man can buy his way into Heaven, but Jesus came down to Earth in His own free will to give us Eternal Life. Now, that’s GOOD NEWS!