I've Got a Golden Ticket!

When Jesus Of Nazareth Of Nazareth warned the grownups that no 1 will ever come in into the Kingdom of Heaven unless they have it as a small child, no 1 suspected that what He said was actually true.

It's obviously a "nice sentiment" that Jesus expressed, but He certainly wasn't serious. After all, He said it to grownups -- His disciples, apostles and what-not gathered around Him. And besides, everyone knows that Jesus Of Nazareth can't intend that to come in the Kingdom, one cannot be an adult! After all, if you haven't received the Kingdom by age -- what? 12? -- you can't acquire in? So Jesus Of Nazareth didn't really intend what He said. He was just making a point, right?

To a degree, that have to be true. After all, everyone presumes that Paul, the apostle, "entered" into the Kingdom of Heaven -- and he was manner past times childhood.

But too many people, having satisfied themselves that Jesus Of Nazareth Of Nazareth "couldn't" have got meant what He said, wind up throwing the whole statement out -- almost as if Jesus hadn't said anything.

But He did. He said, "I state you the truth, whoever makes not have got the land of Supreme Being like a kid shall not come in into it."

So what's His point?

Since He doesn't explicate it, we have to depend on the Holy Place Spirit for interpretation. This could be a good topographic point to stop this article... but I won't! Instead, I promote you to travel to your "prayer closet" and inquire Him what He intends -- who cares what I might have got to say? (If you believe this is a cockamamie approach, bank check out 1 Toilet 2.26f.)

Now -- assuming you just checked out that transition and concluded that you are the 1 who is responsible to go on out from the Holy Place Spirit (the Anointing) what Jesus Of Nazareth meant -- did you happen to glimpse at the adjacent verse, 1 Toilet 2.28? It says, "And now, small children, stay in him..."

Notice, Toilet addressed his fold (apparently including the adults) as "little children". Like what Jesus Of Nazareth talked about.

John doesn't explicate what exactly makes them "little children". But it's always a good policy to check up on and see if an writer do additional usage of a term, since every case may assist clear up its meaning. In 1 Toilet 3.1 Toilet writes, "Consider this: The Father have given us His love. He loves us so much that we are actually called 'God's dear children'. And that's what we are!" And down in 3.10, he continues, "This is the manner God's children are distinguished from the devil's children. Everyone who doesn't make what is right or love other trusters isn't God's child."

This doesn't actually say that the manner Toilet utilizes "children" and the manner Jesus Of Nazareth utilizes "children" are the same. But (in my opinion) they have got to be somewhat similar. See what haps if you set Jesus' Word together with John's Word: This is the Truth -- no 1 can come in the Kingdom of Heaven unless they have it as people who are who submitted and obedient to God, living lives in which they take to do right and love other Believers."

Does that make sense to you? It makes to me. But it also raises a challenge -- are you living a life in which you persistently make what is right in obeisance to God, including loving your (highly seeable and often unlovely) blood brothers and sisters?

If you can't state a clear and resounding, "Yes!" to this, then you can't claim to be His kid nor can you anticipate to come in into the Kingdom of Heaven!

But I do have got a clear Word of hope. And, actually, the lines that "inspired" this idea come up from an old children's film -- "Willy Wonka and the Cocoa Factory". But, first, allow me ask: is there any more than worthy beginning for "insight" than from a children's movie? How many ways may we be "as small children" -- may we bask the games and amusements which little children enjoy, or are we too grown up for that?

God forbid!

Anyway, there's a song (in the 1971 version) in which Charlie's grandfather happily sings, "I've Got a Golden Ticket", to a merry, cheerful, tune. After Charlie discovered Willy Wonka's "last Golden Ticket" in a cocoa bar, his grandfather began to appreciate that life wasn't over for him yet. He realized he'd begun to look at his life as filled with calamity and problem -- but suddenly he began to see that a spot of "good luck" had swept in and changed everything.

Prompting him to sing, "I've got a Golden Ticket..."

Which is precisely why you and I can be quite happy about our prospects for getting into the Kingdom of Heaven, despite our adulthood. In malice of our leaning to often do what is not right and our battles at modern times to love others as Jesus Of Nazareth loves them -- we don't have got to be afraid we might not be "childlike enough" to be received into the Kingdom. And why is this?

Because, we've got a Golden Ticket...

So -- what is our "Golden Ticket"?

Consider this: Paul, the apostle, had a lovely "name" for the Holy Place Spirit in his Christian church letters. He called the Holy Place Spirit, our "down-payment" Oregon even "certificate of promise" [KJV, "earnest"; Ephesians 1.14 and 2 Corinthians 1.22.] Just as Charlie had a "Golden Ticket" which guaranteed entry into Willy Wonka's fantastic Cocoa Factory, Supreme Being have got given us a "Golden Ticket" guaranteeing entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.

It's the Presence of the Holy Place Place Place Spirit within us.

When you trusted in Jesus Of Nazareth Of Nazareth for your salvation, Supreme Being performed a miraculous and occult work: Through the Holy Spirit, He made you One with Jesus Christ. And as proof that you're in Christ -- that you're saved and already in the Kingdom -- He gave the Spirit to you, to dwell inside you, living in a close, experiential communion and communication with you, every minute of every day.

Do you have the Holy Spirit home in you? If you do, He's your "Golden Ticket" you're "promise of entry".

But, if you can't state whether He is or is not residing within you -- you necessitate another small talking with Supreme Being about it. Just "ask" Him for the Gift of the Holy Place Spirit and He'll give Him to you. [Luke 11.13]

Charlie's "Golden Ticket" wasn't of any value to him at all when it remained hidden in an unopened package. We've looked at Scriptures which name out for you to come in into a personal and experiential human relationship with the indwelling Holy Place Spirit. If this "package" which Jesus Of Nazareth have offered you hasn't been received by you, hasn't been opened by you yet -- you're trying to do entranceway into a Kingdom without the necessary Ticket.

But as for me, I'm dancing and vocalizing every twenty-four hours to a merry, cheerful, melody called, "I've Got a Golden Ticket..."!

© by Emil B. Swift