“Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.” Luke 13:25-28
Imagine this. You have a ticket for the Olympic ceremonies. You’ve been planning your trip for the last three months, and you are excited beyond belief. Once you land in the host country, you finally start to comprehend where you are. And as you walk toward the entrance at Olympic Stadium, you feel your heart start to pound in anticipation. You hand your ticket to the official, and then something goes incredibly wrong. They tell you that your ticket is counterfeit. You protest and try to complain. After all, you paid for it. But they won’t let you enter.
In Scripture, there are a number of examples where people plan and expect to be in heaven one day, but are not let into the Kingdom. They may have gone to church. They may have even known about Christ. But it hasn’t affected the way they lived. They’ve embraced a counterfeit faith.
Examine your life. Compare it to Christ’s commands in the Scriptures. Is your faith genuine? Or is it counterfeit?
By Tim Pitcher
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