Mrs. Phillips enjoyed teaching and relished life. Our school had a sliding board fire escape tube. About once a month we would do a fire drill by sliding down the fire escape slide. At the end of the school year we were allowed extra slides down the long tube. Mrs. Phillips taught us that when we obeyed the rules and applied ourselves – learning was fun!

Let me draw your attention to another schoolmaster – the Law of God or the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments can be found in both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. They must be very important if they are stated twice by God in His Word the Holy Bible. The law teaches us how far we have fallen from the holiness of God and His standard of conduct. Galatians 3:24 explains that the law or Ten Commandments is our schoolmaster to actually bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:10-24)

One evening I had a conversation with a young man who was skateboarding on the sidewalk. I shared my one and only experience on a skateboard. After awhile I asked, “Can I ask you an interesting question?” “Sure,” he replied. I asked, “If you died tonight, are you 100% sure you’d go to heaven?” He quickly replied, “Yes.” “How do you know that to be true?” I asked. “Because I’m a really good guy,” he said.

“God gave us a standard to determine whether we are good. It’s called the Ten Commandments. Let’s see how you would do,” I explained. “Have you ever told a lie?” “Yes, I have,” he said. “What does that make you?” I asked. “A liar,” he replied. We went through the Ten Commandments. “Have you ever lusted in your heart for someone?” I asked. “Of course,” he replied. “Jesus said that is the same as adultery,” I told him as we continued.

When the truth came out, the young man wasn’t all that good by God’s standards. No one is. Satan deceives people into believing they will be good enough for God on judgment day. The schoolmaster, the law, teaches us that we are not good enough. That’s why we need a Savior. That’s why Jesus willingly died on the cross for our sins. Only His pure sinless blood can make atonement for our sins. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). A gift is received by faith not works.

Are you 100% sure that if you died tonight, you would go to heaven? You can be. 1) Repent and turn from your sins. (Acts 2:38); 2) Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. “For as many as received him to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).