In the movie, "Lilies of the Field", during the scene where all the people had joined together and were working diligently to build the chapel, a local business man who owned the building supply store asked another man a question. The man that he asked was not a believer in Christ. The business man asked him why the people were doing this, why were they giving their time, their resources, their energies to help build this chapel. He told him that it was because of their faith and they wanted to pass on their faith to their children and give them a place so they could grow in their faith. Then the business man asked the nonbeliever why he was doing it- why was he helping? This is the point of this morning's message. His reply was-- you know I don't believe. I don't believe that there is something else out there after this life, but just in case I am wrong, just in case there is something, I am doing this for insurance.
The nonbeliever was helping build the chapel- giving of his time and resources to do some "righteous" work so that when his life was over and he discovered that there was a heaven and a hell out there he would be safe because of the work that he did. Your good works are not an insurance policy. They don't secure you a place in heaven. They don't save you from hell. You can build churches, you can give monies to the church, you can go to church, you can teach Sunday school, and countless other "righteous" works but they are not your guarantee that you'll be saved. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." (Titus 3:5)
If our works insure us a place in heaven, or escape from hell, then the rich young ruler had nothing to worry about (Matthew 19:16–30). This man was a "worker"-- he kept the law, he supported the work of the temple. Yet he went to Jesus and asked Him what to do to be saved. If his works had been enough to insure his eternity he would not have left Jesus sorrowful. And Jesus would not have made the statement indicating that this young man did not have eternal life.
There is no eternal life insurance policy. You can't pay enough premiums through doing good works. But there is an "assurance". There is assurance of eternal life when we put our faith in God's gift of eternal life that was given to us through His Son Jesus. Jesus is the way that leads to eternal life and delivers us from eternal death. Works are not the way, they don't secure anything.
Have a great day. You can't buy eternal life insurance, but you can have assurance of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
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