Will You Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven?
There's a real danger in Christianity today to believe that all it takes to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven is to say a prayer. Don't get me wrong! The prayer of confession is absolutely necessary. But, the scripture says explicitly, "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
When you declare that "Jesus is Lord," it is more than words; it's a commitment to live under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It's signing up for a different way of living. It's living in agreement with the Apostle Paul, who said, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 ESV)
Paul is perhaps the best example of this radical conversion God requires. He went from opposing God's will and persecuting believers to being a persecuted believer committed to doing God's will to the point of death.
Have you experienced this conversion? Is Jesus the Lord of your life? Is He in control? Does He direct your decisions and influence how you use your time, talents, and treasure?
Christianity isn't our life with a little bit of Jesus thrown in. It's complete submission to Jesus, allowing him to live in and through us to the glory of God. Anything less won't do, and this truth is clearly described in one of Jesus' parables.
The Parable of the Sower
"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mark 4:3-9
Jesus starts and ends this parable by telling the hearers to listen carefully, and he does this every time he's emphasizing a critical truth. The parable (a story cast alongside a truth to illustrate that truth) describes a sower/farmer who sowed seeds in different types of soils.
As Jesus explains the parable to the disciples, we learn that the sower/farmer, though not identified, probably represents Jesus and all who proclaim the Word of God, which is the seed. The soils represent the different hearers (people) who hear the word.
Four responses to the message of the kingdom:
The seed that was sown along the path represents those who do not understand the message of the gospel because of their hardhearted indifference and unbelief. Upon hearing the message, Satan comes immediately and takes it away, so there's no response to the message.
The seed sown in rocky soil represents those who at first receive the message but eventually fall away because the word doesn't take root in them. On account of persecution or the competing lures of this world, they prove their confession isn't genuine.
The seed that was sown among thorns represents people who receive the message, but their preoccupation with the things of this world makes the word unfruitful. Three competing concerns cause the unfruitfulness and ultimate rejection of the word. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things.
The seed that was sown on good soil represents those who genuinely accept the message and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and one hundredfold.
What Jesus is revealing through this story is four different responses to the kingdom's message. Three of the four responses reject the message, while only one accepts it and produces fruit. For a long time, I considered the third seed to represent believers who receive the word but struggle to produce fruit, like Christians who were in the process of maturing and growing in their faith. I was wrong.
I now see that the barrier to accepting the message and committing to God is that they love the world more than God, which is adultery.
James, the brother of Jesus, said, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4 ESV)
For the rich, which is most of us living in the United States, the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things are real threats to our faith and eternal destiny. The enemy's chief weapon for our generation isn't persecution; it's abundance.
Riches have the power to deceive, and a comfortable lifestyle, once embraced, isn't easy to give up. A Biblical example of this is Demas, who worked alongside Paul but later deserted him because he was "in love with this present world." (2 Timothy 4:10a ESV) If someone who served alongside the Apostle Paul could fall away, we should take notice.
Will you inherit the kingdom of heaven?
The difference between those who receive and accept the kingdom's message and those who don't is the fruit they produce. Jesus often used fruit as an example to describe the outward evidence of a person's spiritual condition. Like a tree, a person can produce good or bad fruit.
In speaking to those coming to be baptized, John the Baptist admonished them, "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8 ESV) because he knew they thought baptism alone could save them. He then warned them, "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and through into the fire." (Luke 3:9 ESV) The life of the believer must produce good fruit in line with his confession of faith in Christ.
What does bearing good fruit look like?
In our sinful nature, we bear things like envy, rivalry, idolatry, and fits of anger. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;" When we submit to God and seek the help of the Holy Spirit, he will direct and guide us to bear good fruit.
A fruitful life is outwardly focused, seeking ways to please God and serve others.
Some examples are:
Honoring your boss even if they don't deserve it
Providing a meal or groceries to a family in need
Forgiving someone who hurt you
Fixing the car of a single mom who can't afford to pay you
Choosing to suffer the loss rather than damage the relationship
Giving up something you want to provide money to a ministry that serves the poor
Jesus said, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." (John 15:4-6,8 ESV)
Bearing good fruit is not a matter of will or effort. As Jesus said, “apart from him we can do nothing.” It is God’s will and his work that we are invited to participate in. It starts with a true commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and continues as we abide in Him, seeking his presence and the Spirit’s leading as we seek to glorify the Father.
For Further Reading
The 2 Most Important Components of Managing Money Well
4 Steps to Being a Successful Saver
Christmas Joy without Financial Misery
Ending your Year with Gratitude
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