All through the Bible, God shows us things that we cannot
do without.
1. WITHOUT CHRIST you cannot see God, you
cannot know God and you cannot go to Heaven.
Life has many lessons, which teach you that there are
some things that you cannot do without. Jesus Christ
is somebody you cannot do without. The Word of God
says so plainly.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for
WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING.
John 15:5
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from
the covenants of promise, HAVING NO HOPE, AND
WITHOUT GOD in the world: But now in Christ Jesus
ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the
blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:12-13
Without a Ticket
One day a young Ghanaian man travelled to a European city
with the intention of living there. The public transport in that
city was made up of trams and buses. This young man began to
move around this city, amazed by the efficiency of everything
that seemed to function like clockwork. His greatest surprise
was that everything seemed to be free. The trams were free and
the buses were free. He simply sat on them and enjoyed a free
ride to any part of the city that he wanted to go to.
One day, when he had been in the city for about six weeks
he got onto a tram as he usually did. To his disbelief, two
smartly dressed conductors got onto the tram that morning and
announced that everyone should please pull out their tickets.
The conductors went around from person to person and everyone
seemed to produce a ticket. When they got to him he was taken
aback and explained himself to the conductors.
“No one ever sold me a ticket. The tram driver never asked
me for a ticket and no conductor ever came around to sell tickets
to me either.”
He went on, “I don’t know why the others have tickets because
no one ever sold one to me.”
The conductors were not impressed with his story and asked
him to come off the tram at the next stop. There, they showed
him a metal box at the tram station and told him, “This is where
you get your tickets.”
“But no one ever asked me for a ticket,” he protested.
“Yes”, said the conductors. “Usually no one asks but
occasionally we check to see if people have bought tickets.”
“Anyway,” they said, “Where do you come from? Do you
have a passport?”
“I do,” he said and produced his passport. His passport was
valid and it had the right visa. But the conductors said, “Without
a ticket you cannot sit on the tram. Let us please go to the police
station.”
At the police station he was made to pay a huge fine for being
on a tram without a ticket.
After that, he was treated as a suspected African drug dealer.
He was searched, hassled and made to strip completely naked.
It was a most humiliating and troubling experience for this
young traveller. He had had his wallet, his food, money and even
his passport but there was one thing that he needed. Without that
one thing he encountered trouble.
2. WITHOUT HOLINESS you cannot see God, you
cannot know God and you cannot go to Heaven.
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no
man shall see the Lord:
Hebrews 12:14
Without Qualifications
When I was in university, there were some students who went
for lectures in different departments and seemed to form a normal
part of the student body.
After some years it was discovered that they did not have the
required Advanced Level passes for entry into the university.
To my amazement they were stripped of all the credentials and
qualifications they acquired during the years they had spent in the
university. People who had earned degrees after years of hard
work were simply stripped of those qualifications and turned into
nonentities. It was as simple as that.
Without certain qualifications you cannot be in university. Is it
any surprise to you that God would require certain qualifications
for seeing Him?
3. WITHOUT FAITH you cannot see God, you cannot
know God and you cannot go to Heaven. No matter
who you are, you need to walk by faith to see God.
But WITHOUT FAITH it is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
Without a Passport
One day, I got myself ready to go on another international trip
to minister the Word of God. I packed my bags, my clothes, my
shoes, my toiletries and everything I usually pack. Normally, I
do not check to see where my passport is because it is usually in
the same place.
That day, my flight happened to be in the afternoon and I had
to get my passport out early. To my utter surprise my passport
was not where I usually kept it. I searched my whole house from
top to bottom, ransacking every nook and cranny for the missing
passport.
After two hours of searching, I suddenly remembered that
my passport was in the Korean Embassy. I panicked because I
knew I could not travel without a passport and also the Korean
Embassy was only open at certain times. Miraculously, I was
able to retrieve my passport from the Korean Embassy just
minutes before they closed. God had delivered me from aborting
an important trip that I could not make without a passport.
Your journey to Heaven will be aborted without faith. You
cannot access God and you cannot go on a journey to Heaven
without faith.
4. WITHOUT THE SHEDDING OF THE BLOOD OF
JESUS you cannot see God, you cannot know God
and you cannot go to Heaven.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood;
and WITHOUT SHEDDING OF BLOOD is no remission.
Hebrews 9:22
Without a Visa
One day, I invited a French-speaking preacher to Ghana.
This preacher got himself a ticket, packed his bags and got on a
flight to Accra, Ghana. We were expecting a powerful visitation
through his ministry.
When he arrived at the airport, he duly presented his passport
to the immigration officers.
“You do not have a visa,” they told him.
He stuttered, “I’m sure I do,” taking his passport from the
immigration officer.
This was his second trip to Ghana but somehow he had
forgotten to get another visa.
“I am sorry,” said the immigration officer, “You cannot come
to Ghana without a visa.”
An argument ensued as this European preacher tried to
bulldoze his way into the country. But the immigration officials
would have none of it (they probably remembered the numerous
Africans who are sent back from the shores of Europe for the
same reasons). To his amazement, this European preacher was
put back on the very plane he came on and within one hour he
was on the flight back to his country.
He had his bags, his Bible, his itinerary, his passport and his
money.
But without a visa he simply could not enter the country.
Without the Blood of Jesus you simply cannot enter Heaven.