For it is by grace you are saved through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast . Ephesians 2:8-9

Traditionally, the expression “for heaven’s sake” has been used 1. to express frustration when someone is upset or fed up with a situation (for heaven’s sake, stop banging the table!) 2. to convey shock or disbelief, (for heaven’s sake, I didn’t expect to see them here!) 3. to empathize an urgent request (for heaven’s sake, open the door!).  In today’s message, may we use this expression in a more rewarding and uplifting way.  Here goes….

My wife and I were riding our bicycles in our neighborhood recently and we rode by my cousin, Jim, walking with his wife, Lynn. We stopped to say hello and our conversation turned serious very quickly.  He said that he had a recent heart attack and declared dead, but was miraculously resuscitated back to life.  Wow!  My questions to him were immediate. I asked if he believed in Heaven.  He said he did.  I then asked him how he would get into Heaven.  He said, “by being a good person.” My mind sunk, but my heart rallied because I knew God had orchestrated our meeting – Why?  For Heaven’s Sake!!  God had given Jim a second chance to live on earth, and here He was again – This time giving me the opportunity to share with my cousin His Truth about the only way to gain entry into Heaven.

We agreed that being a good person and good works have their place, but for Heaven’s sake, we can only enter in God’s way.  The importance of recognizing Jesus and what he did to redeem us from our sinful nature became our conversation focus.  I shared with him the good news and what the Bible said:  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) My cousin was open and receptive, and I believe in our heart of hearts it was all For Heaven’s Sake!

John 3:16; Eph 2:8-9; Romans 10:9; Matthew 7:21-27; John 3:3; Romans 6:23