Jesus is a Choice. Choose Jesus!

Message by: Harrison Briner

Today is a hard message: Not everyone is going to Heaven.

Jesus is a choice. Choose Jesus!

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matthew 7:13-14
[13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

There are many ways to hell, but there is only one way to Heaven.

Everyone thinks they lose when they choose Jesus. They think they will lose the things the world says are fun or good, but what you lose when you choose Jesus, you lose anxiety, you lose fear…

The world will tell you you are not enough. He does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

The world says to live your own truth, and that's not true.

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Some people look at the cross as a joke, and they will perish.

Matthew 22:14
For many are called, but few are chosen.

We have to choose to look at each other.

Not everyone looks to Jesus, and it's hard to think about the fact that not everyone chooses Jesus and therefore…. not everyone will see Heaven.

Matthew 7:21-23
[21] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ [23] And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Here, men are making a name for themselves, using Jesus' name…. But they are doing it for themselves. “We,” or “I,” is not Jesus.

One day, every knee will bow and confess Jesus is Lord…. Not, “We.” Not, “I.” But JESUS is Lord.

Right after the feeding of the 5,000, and then Jesus somehow crosses the sea, Jesus says…

John 6:53-66
[53] So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [54] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. [55] For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. [56] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. [58] This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” [59] Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. [60] When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” [61] But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? [62] Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? [63] It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. [64] But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) [65] And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” [66] After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Verse 66 is one of the saddest of all of scripture.

These people just saw His miracles, but because of the hard teaching, many turned away.

The road is narrow.

Not everything is going to be easy, but God is always with you.

Ezekiel 36:26-27
[26] And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

When you receive Jesus and his righteousness, He calls you to stop walking in the ways of this world. He calls you AND defines you. The enemy will come against you and tell you you're less, but you're not.

God will take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. That is powerful! He holding you in His hand. You are His!

Titus 3:3-7
[3] For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. [4] But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, [5] he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, [6] whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, [7] so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

You are no longer slaves to this world, you are heirs!

John 3:16-17
[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Not everyone is going to Heaven; Jesus is a choice.

There is an action and reaction to everything. When you accept Jesus, you change your ways. Choose the right actions. Even if they are not the actions the world would choose.

Choose Jesus today!

We are called to make disciples of all nations. Go spread the gospel, and help others CHOOSE JESUS.