Can Jesus be Trusted?

It was good to be back in the pulpit this past Sunday. We are so blessed to have had time together as a family and refresh ourselves in the Lord. I am especially thankful for the support and ministry of Grace and Truth Church which has been an extraordinary blessing in our lives.

This past week we went back to basics with a gospel message from John 14:1-6. I had it on my heart to preach this message for 2 reasons- 1) For visitors and newcomers to really grasp what the Gospel is, and 2) For mature believers to be refreshed with the simplicity of the pure gospel. In my sermon I tackled two topics. In my message I dealt with the reality of Heaven. Jesus promised he goes to prepare a place for those who believe in Him, and that he would not tell us this if it were not true. Can Jesus be trusted? As Christians we are convinced that Jesus can be trusted or we would not be Christians at all. To trust in Christ and take him at his word is what saving faith is. We live by faith and not by sight, scripture says, and to live by faith is to order our lives based on the authority of God's word. Not only does Jesus teach us there is a Heaven but that there is also a Hell.  In Jesus public ministry he spoke more of Hell than he did about Heaven. What is Hell? Jesus used the term Gehenna to identify the place we call Hell. Gehenna was an incineration dump outside the city of Jerusalem where people basically burned their garbage, and where the refuse of sacrifices where burned. Unlike modern times where we have garbage pickups at our front curb, people had to burn their garbage in the ancient world. Gehenna had a perpetually burning fire and a stench that was absolutely disgusting. This was the metaphor Jesus used to describe what Hell will be like. Just like the garbage of Jerusalem was burned up and destroyed so not to pollute the land, every sinner who does not believe in Christ and does not have their sins atoned for, will be thrown into the "Lake of Fire" so not to pollute the New Heavens and New Earth. The bible says in Rev. 21:8 "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” The idea of a "Second Death" is terrifying to say the least. But this implies that there is something far worse than physical death in store for those who reject Jesus. That is eternal death. And Our Lord was quite specific in warning us against Hell, Matt. 18:8-9 "And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire."

This is because our sins are so detestable and offensive to the holiness of God, it is the equivalent of taking the putrefied trash and bring it into the most elegant palace. Hab. 1:13 says "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong" and in Ps. 5:4 "For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you." As I said on Sunday the Tabernacle in the wilderness was built after the pattern of Heaven (Heb. 8:5). All things unclean and detestable were not be found in the camp of the Lord, because his presence was there and therefore it was a holy place. In the same way Heaven is God's dwelling place and there can be no unclean or detestable thing there to defile his presence. Rev. 21:  27 "But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life."

This is why there is no other way into Heaven accept through Jesus Christ. That is because nothing can cleanse away our sins, accept the blood of Jesus. Nothing can make us fit for Heaven except the sacrifice of his life on the cross, in our place. If we reject him, we reject Heaven.


Can Jesus be trusted? I am not a gambling man. But if I was, I would say there is too much at stake to bet against Him. My hope is that whoever is reading this article will trust Him too.