Why Men Miss Heaven

I'm speaking today on the subject,
Why Men Miss Heaven. And we're going to look at Job
chapter 14, verse 14, for our text. Job asks this question,
If a man die, shall he live again? Now, Job opens the 14th chapter
talking about death and the shortness of life. He says, Man that is
born of a woman is of few days. and full of trouble. He cometh
forth like a flower, blooms for a while, and then he's cut down
and remembered no more. Life is like a fleeting shadow,
frail and fragile. The apostle wrote, it is apparted
unto men once to die, and after that the judgment. So death comes
to all men. Death is sure, death is certain,
life is brief. Now then, In verse 5 of this
chapter, Job says, man's days on earth are determined. The
number of his months are with God. God has appointed his bounds
he cannot pass. Now our lives, death is certain,
death is sure. But while we're living on this
earth, our lives are not in the hands of blind fate, as some
people believe. Our lives are not in the hands
of blind chance. But the living God who gave us
life, and God said, I kill and I make alive, before I formed
thee in the belly I knew thee, before thou camest forth from
the womb I set thee apart, the living God who gave life also
determines the length of life and the day of death. Now death
is certain, death is sure, but God determines the length of
life and God determines the day of death, and the psalmist wrote
concerning our day of death, the instrument of death is already
prepared. Now, the question, if a man dies,
shall he live again? Now, according to the word of
God, man shall be resurrected, some to the resurrection of glory,
and some to the resurrection of damnation, but all shall be
raised. Listen to these scriptures. First
of all, in Ecclesiastes 12, verse 7, the dust shall return to the
earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave
it. In John 14, verse 1, our Lord
said, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you, and I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. And then
our Lord said in John 11, 25, I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And again he said, because I
live, you shall live. And then in 2 Corinthians 5,
verse 1, Paul wrote, we know that if our earthly house of
this tabernacle, this frail tent, were dissolved, we have a building,
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heaven. God's
word tells us that though man die and is buried, and the body
goes back to the dust as it was, yet man shall live again. The
soul returns to God who gave it, and one day at the return
of Christ, the body also shall live. and men for centuries have
sung of the hope of heaven, when I can read my title clear to
mansions in the sky, I'll bid farewell to every tear and I'll
wipe my weeping eye. There's a land that is fairer
than day, and by faith we can see it afar, and our Father waits
over the way to prepare us a dwelling place there." Now, if death is
so sure and life is so short, if eternity is so long, and it
is, if heaven is so blessed, and if hell is so terrible, why
do men miss heaven? Why don't men make this their
goal of their existence, their object of their being, their
goal of their affections, to gain this glory, to gain this
blessing? to gain these benefits of God's
love. Why do men miss heaven? I'm going
to give you seven reasons. And I want you to take your Bibles
and follow along with me. I'm going to give you seven clear
reasons why men miss heaven, why some of you are going to
miss heaven. First of all, men miss heaven. Listen to me. Men miss heaven
because they love this present world. and cannot part with it. That's the first reason. They
love this present world and cannot part with it. Demas was a dear
friend and companion of the Apostle Paul. They went to places together,
they preached together, they were friends. Paul mentioned
Demas in his writings, in the epistle. But finally Paul wrote
in 2 Timothy 14, Demas hath forsaken me. Demas hath forsaken thee,
Paul. That's right. Demas hath forsaken
thee. Forsaken the gospel. That's right.
Forsaken the way of life. That's right. Forsaken Christ. That's right. Why in heaven's
name? Listen. Having loved this present world. That's why. Demas loved this
present world and couldn't part with it. Our Lord said in John
3, 19, this is condemnation. Light is coming to this world,
but men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds
are evil. When John the Baptist preached,
when he preached as the forerunner of Christ, announcing the coming
of the Redeemer, there was a king who went out to Herod, by the
name of Herod. Herod heard John, he admired
John, and he did many things, but John pointed to his major
problem, He had stolen his brother Philip's wife. He'd divorced
his own wife and stolen Philip's wife, and was then living with
her. Her name was Herodias. And John said to Herod, it is
not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. You're going
to have to give her up. And Herod, though he admired John, though
he appreciated him, though he was willing to do many things,
would not part with Herodias, and rather than give her up,
he had John beheaded. In Matthew chapter 19 verse 22,
there was a rich young ruler who came to our Lord and asked
what he must do to inherit eternal life. He was interested in heaven.
He was interested in living always. He was interested in the glories
of the great beyond. And he asked Christ, what shall
I do? And Christ said, sell what you have and give it to the poor. And the scripture says, when
he heard this, He turned and walked away, for he had many
possessions. Rather than part with his material
possessions, he was willing to walk away from the Son of God.
But my friends, no man can serve two masters. You cannot serve
God and mammon. And I believe there are plenty
of men and women today who are confronted with the person of
Christ, and they may admire his philosophy, his doctrine, his
teaching, his word. They are presented with the claims
of Christ, and they may admire his grace and his mercy, and
presented with the glory of Christ, and they may look with favor
upon eternal life. But men and women who cannot,
who cannot receive it, who must refuse it, because they love
this present world, and they love its attachments, and they
love it more than they love the Son of God. Like Esau, He despised
his birthright and traded it for a mess of pottage, and that's
what men and women are doing today. They love this present
world, and they will not part with it. And John said, if any
man loved the world, the love of God is not in him. Lord, lead me to seek Thee, and
seeking Thee to find Thee, and finding Thee to love Thee, and
loving thee to serve thee." Oh, the people of God, they love
comfort, they love entertainment, they love luxury, they love Christ
more. They love their families, they
love their country, they love their home, they love their job,
they love Christ more. And when it comes to parting
with these things, they're willing to part with them for Christ's
sake. Turn your eyes on Jesus and look full into His wonderful
face, and then, and only then, will the things of this world
grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and his grace. It
depends on who you love the most. That's it. And men and women
miss heaven because they will not part with this world. They
love this present world. Now the second reason. Men and
women miss heaven because Satan blinds them. It says in 2 Corinthians
4, listen to this scripture, 2 Corinthians 4, 3 and 4. If
our gospel be hid, it is hid to them who are lost, in whom
the God of this world, that's Satan, hath blinded their minds,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine
unto them, and they should be saved." Men are blind, spiritually
blind. They're not naturally blind,
they're spiritually blind. They're blind to the nature of
sin. Paul said, Paul was a religious
man, an educated man. In fact, one of the rulers said,
you've read so much, you've lost your mind. Much learning hath
made you mad. He was a respected man, but he
said this, listen, I had not known sin, except the law said,
thou shalt not covet. In other words, Paul said, though
I was religious, though I was trained in theology, though I
was educated, though I was a respectable person, I didn't know what sin
was. Now, you don't know what sin
is as long as you confine sin to outward acts alone. Sin has
to do with nature, attitude, motive, thoughts, imagination. Sin has to do with hatred, and
lust, and envy, and jealousy, and malice, and impatience, and
greed, and covetousness, and all of these things that go on
in the heart. Christ said, you've heard it said by them of old
times, thou shalt not kill. Now, I say unto you, this is
the interpretation of the law. This is the nature of sin. To
hate your brother is to be guilty already of murder. You're already
a murderer. If you hate someone, he said,
you've heard it said by them of old times, thou shalt not
commit adultery. I say unto you, to lust in your
heart is to be guilty already. You've heard it said by them
of old, and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. I say unto
you, if a man smites you on one cheek, turn the other. You've
heard it said by them of old times, love your neighbor and
hate your enemy. I say unto you, love your enemies.
Bless them that curse you. Bless and despise not. Pray for
them which despitefully use you. The law of God reaches the heart,
and men are blinded to the nature of sin. And they go about comparing
themselves with other people. Listen to the Pharisee in the
temple. Why he said, Lord, I thank you, I'm not like other men.
No, you're not like God either. But I'm not like other men, I'm
not like this publican, I'm not like this person, I'm not like
this person. When you're comparing yourself
with others, you're comparing yourself a lump of coal with
another lump of coal. Compare yourself with the Lord
Jesus Christ. I'll tell you something else,
men are blind to the holiness of God. Isaiah said, I saw the
Lord. And I realized that I was a man
of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips. Men
are blind to the holiness of God. Who shall stand in his presence? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart. The book of Colossians chapter
1 says we must be unrebukable, unreprovable, unblameable, perfect
in God's sight. And we're not that way. And there's
no way in the flesh we can be that way. And we're blind to
sin's nature and to God's holiness. Consequently, we're blind to
the way that God saves sinners. Not by works, but by the blood
of Christ that cleanseth us from all sin. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9
says this, For by grace are you saved, unmerited favor, unearned
mercy, unsought mercy. For by grace are you saved, through
faith. not through works, through faith,
and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. Then men
are blind to the sufficiency of Christ. We're complete in
Him. It is not Christ made a payment
and then we add to His payment. It's not Jesus Christ started
us all and we walk the rest of the way by ourselves. In salvation,
in the redemption of a man's soul, Jesus Christ and Him crucified,
Jesus Christ and Him buried and resurrected, Jesus Christ and
Him enthroned at God's right hand interceded. Jesus Christ
and Him coming again is the Alpha and Omega. That's the beginning
and the end of salvation. The author and the finisher.
And I am complete not when I fulfill certain requirements. I am complete
not when I've done all that I can do. I am complete not when I
do my best. I am complete in Christ. In Christ
I am complete. being a blind to that. And men
miss heaven because they're blind to the nature of sin. How many
people will admit, I'm a great sinner, I'm the cheapest sinner,
God be merciful to me the sinner. Can you find one? One old writer
said a sinner is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost hath made him
so. How many people understand the holiness of God? No. God
says you thought I was altogether such in one as yourself. How
many of us can see God in His immaculate, immutable, unchangeable
holiness, and ourselves in our uncleanness? How many have seen
God in His holiness, and us in our sin, and the nation in its
uncleanness, and have fled to Calvary's mountain and said,
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day, and
theremore may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away. Men miss heaven because they're
blind. They're blind to sin, they're blind to the gospel,
they're blind to the sufficiency of Christ, and they try to substitute
for the way of life everything in the world but the blood of
Christ. Notice the third thing. Men miss heaven because they
refuse God's counsel and God's call. Just refuse it. Listen
to what God says. Proverbs 1, verse 24 and 25.
Turn over there. Proverbs 1, 24 and 25. God says this, you have set at
naught my counsel. I have called, and you refused. I stretched out my hand, and
no man regarded. That's right, we've turned our
back on the word of God. God's word says all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God. And we, we say, well we
be not sinners. God's word says kiss the son,
lest he be angry. And we cry, well we won't have
this man reign over us. God's Word says that all men
should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father, and our
voices are lifted up in hatred. Crucify Him! Give us Barabbas! God's Word says the wages of
sin is death, and Satan whispers in our ear and says, You shall
surely not die. God's Word says there is therefore
now no condemnation to them who are in Christ. We have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the false prophet
comes by and says, Peace! Peace! And there is no peace. God in grace and mercy calls
us to repentance. God in grace and mercy calls
us to faith. He says, come to me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden. I'll give you rest, but you will
not come, that you might have life. I've called, and you refused.
I stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. How many will
say, just as I am, without one plea? But that thy blood was
shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God,
I come, I come. Men miss heaven because they
will not hear God's call and respond to God's outstretched
offering, God's outstretched payment, God's offer of mercy.
Now, the fourth reason. Men miss heaven because they
have a false view of God's mercy. Now, this is very important right
here. This is a missing note in present-day preaching. People
come and say, well, why did Christ live on this earth and go through
this toil and agony and thirst and hunger and hatred and all
these things? Why was he born and worked in
a carpenter's shop, born in such a lowly state and lowly condition? Why was he so mistreated and
sent to Calvary's cross to die? There's a reason. There's a reason. Men miss heaven because they
have a false view of God's mercy. Deuteronomy 29, 19, and it shall
come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, when men
hear the words of this curse, that is, God is angry with the
wicked, the soul that sinneth, it shall surely die. I will in
no wise clear the guilt. When he hears that word, he says,
as he blesses himself in his own heart, I will have peace,
though I walk in the imagination of my own heart. I will have
peace. It shall not come down to me.
I will have peace. My friend, listen to me. God
Almighty not only will punish sin, God must punish sin. God must punish sin. The scripture
says the soul that sinneth it shall surely die. The scripture
says the wages of sin is death. God must punish sin. If he's
going to remain God and just and holy and righteous, Now God
is merciful, but God is holy. God is love, but God is truth. God is grace, but God Almighty
is righteous. And in order to save you and
me and forgive our sins, God must do it in a way that is in
keeping with his love and his truth. That is in keeping with
his mercy and his holiness. That is in keeping with his grace
and his righteousness. God can't be love and mercy at
the expense of holiness and righteousness. Well, how's this going to be
done? I'll tell you how. If you go to Calvary's cross,
there you'll see hanging on that cross, not only the love of God,
but the justice of God. Jesus Christ took our sins and
paid for them, and therefore God can now, because Christ died
for our sins, be just and justify us. Go to Calvary's cross, and
you see not only the mercy of God in sending his son, but you
see the righteousness of God in inflicting upon him the just
recompense of our reward. And now I'm free because the
debt's been paid. God just didn't overlook it and
put it aside, the tenant didn't exist. Christ paid for it. In Psalms 85.10, here's a verse
of Scripture that all of us ought to commit to memory. In Psalms
85, 10, it says, mercy and truth. Now, those are opposite. Mercy
and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Now, I want to go to that place
where God's mercy met God's truth and they were satisfied, both
of them. I want to go to that place where
God's peace toward sinners And God's righteous indignation and
wrath against our guilt met together and kissed each other in reconciliation. Do you know where that was? Well,
it wasn't in a baptismal pool, and it wasn't in an altar at
the front of the church, and it wasn't in a preacher's hand,
and it wasn't in a decision you made. It was at Calvary. That's where mercy and truth
met together, righteousness and peace kissed each other. That's
where the love of God was honored and the law of God was honored.
And that's where the mercy of God was honored, and that's where
the righteousness of God was honored. But men have a wrong
view of God's mercy. They think, well, God's just
sitting up there in heaven, and if I say, now, Lord, I'm sorry,
forgive my sin, well, I guess we will just forget it. No, you
don't either. Not a holy God. That sin's got
to be punished. You've got to pay for it, or
somebody's got to pay for it in your place. Now, the next
reason why men miss heaven is because they lean on their own
righteousness. Paul said they're going about to establish their
own righteousness and won't submit to the righteousness of God.
Now in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. I don't care how holy
you are and how pious you are and how moral you are and how
clean you are, in your flesh there's no good thing. And in
the flesh no man can please God. And your righteousnesses are
filthy rags. And you can dress it up in religion,
ceremonialism, legalism, ritualism, and all the other isms, but it'll
still be fallen flesh in God's sight. You need a perfect righteousness. And I'll tell you the only place
you can get that is in Christ. For Paul said, Oh, that I may
win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, filthy rags, but that which is of God through
the faith of Jesus Christ. If you lean on your works, you'll
perish. If you lean on Christ, you'll
live. And too many people right now, you say, are you going to
heaven? Yes, I am. How do you know? Well, I'm doing
the best I can. That's not good enough. How good
does a man have to be to go to heaven? Perfect. How holy does
a man have to be to go to heaven? As holy as God. You say, well,
nobody's going to make it. Right, my friend. Christ is holy
because He is God. I'll make it in Him, wrapped
and robed in His righteousness. covered with his blood, but not
in myself. Not by works of righteousness
which we've done, but according to his mercy hath he saved us."
Now, the sixth reason why men miss heaven is because they establish
a false refuge. It says in Isaiah 28, we've made
a covenant with death. We're not afraid to die. We're
in agreement with hell. We think there ought to be a
hell. When the wrath of God shall come through, it won't touch
us. We have a refuge. It's a refuge of lies, God said. We have a hiding place. It's
a hiding place of falsehood, God said. Now, my friend, good
works is a false refuge. But the Scripture says, not by
works of righteousness. By the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified. Church memberships are false
refuge. It wouldn't protect Judas. It
wouldn't protect Ananias and Sapphira. It wouldn't protect
Simon Magus. It wouldn't protect Demas. And
it won't protect you. And baptism is a false foundation,
it's a false refuge, whether you receive it as a child or
an adult. The only refuge suitable in which you can hide is Christ
the Lord. It's Christ the Lord. In Christ
you are pure, perfect, and holy. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and His righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. Now last of all, me in
this heaven because of unbelief." It all boils down to this basic
fact. They could not enter in, Paul
wrote in Hebrews, because of unbelief. Unbelief. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath eternal life. He that believeth not God
shall never see life. Do you believe? Do you believe
Christ is the Son of God, that he died for sinners like you
and me? that he was bared and rose again, that he's at the
right hand of God interceding for us. Will you receive him
and trust him and commit your life to him? Will you submit
to him? Will you lean upon him? In him
you have life. Now these messages are available
at a small cost on cassette tapes. If you'd like to have them, you'll
receive the address from the announcer. Until next week at
this same time, I bid you a very pleasant good day.

Why Men Miss Heaven

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Why Men Miss Heaven

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book