Idiom: rub shoulders (used idiomatically: yes)
One could go on and pick many other scriptures , you know in the erm the New Testament not only were there those three questions that we mentioned earlier on about salvation , but there are three unanswered questions in the New Testament in Mark chapter eight , Jesus asked that question of which there is no answer , for what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and looses his sole or what shall a man or a woman give in exchange for their soul , Jesus did n't try and answer , there is no answer to that question , then again in , in Hebrews chapter three , er chapter two and verse three there is an unanswered question , how shall we escape if we neglect so greater salvation , and finally one other the apostle Peter , he asked the question in , in chapter fo , first apostle in chapter four and verse seven seventeen for it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God and if judgment begins with us first , what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God again there is no answer to that question , simply because the answer is so horrific , it does n't bear thinking about , but thank God all maybe safe , all will not be safe , but all maybe safe , God has provided a salvation that is available to all and if we are not safe it is because we choose to reject his s , his offers of mercy , so we thank God that all may be safe , but the solemn fact remains is that all will not be saved , well that leads us on to , to this third proposition , not only that the bible teach that all maybe saved , not only does it teach that all will not be saved , but it is quite clear that some will be saved whom we did not expect to be saved , we can be quite sure about that because judgment does n't rest with us , way back Abraham says perhaps one of the most important statements in his life when he said there in , in , in Genesis chapter eighteen and we actually sang the wo tho the quotation in the song we just sang a few moments ago where he says will not the judge of all the earth be right , judgement is not yours and mine , that 's God 's prerogative and the other song that we 've been , the song that we 've been singing , that song by faber there 's a wideness in God 's mercy lets be honest we are so narrow with our mercy , our gra , our expressions of grace is so limited , but there 's a wideness in God 's mercy and faber says it 's got the wideness of the sea , there 's a kindness in his justice , which is more than liberty , David knew all about that when he was given the option , he said oh I 'd rather fall into the hands of God than into the hands of men , I 'd rather that God dealt with me than that my fellow man dealt with me , because with him there 's mercy , with him there 's grace , with him there is , there is long suffering and there 's compa compassion and there 's love , and faber goes on with the love of God is broader than the measure of man 's mind and the heart of the eternal is most wonderfully kind , now that 's all very well for the song writer to say that in a hymn and it sounds nice and it 's , it sounds good but is there a scriptural authority for this , is it really true , or is it just a nice song that we sing with , it does us good because we feel it 's a nice , there nice thoughts , well , surely we have it in the passage we 've been reading that there is there is a mercy with God , there is a kindness with God in ver in verse thirty of that chapter behold some who are last will be first and some who are first will be last it 's quite clear that some will be saved that we did not expect to be saved , and you can find example after example of this , it was a tremendous surprise to the onlookers when a very sinful woman annoyed to the feed of Jesus , it was a tremendous surprise to the Pharisee who rejected God , although he was such a good man , to find that the , er sorry to be rejected by God although he was a good honest upright man , and to find that the sinner was accepted by God , it was a tremendous surprise to the people when Zacchaeus who named you to be a sinner , an open twist there an evil man was saved by the Lord Jesus , you could save salvation has come to this house , it was a tremendous surprise when the law breaker who was dying on the cross beside the law Jesus was saved and went to be with him , with the Lord in paradise , it was a tremendous surprise to the disciples when Jesus preached the gospel and revealed himself to a gentile woman , who was an adulterer seven times over but he did and she was saved , it was a tremendous surprise to Ananias when the Lord revealed himself to on the road to Damascus and saved him , but he did , it was a tremendous surprise to the Apostle Paul that the Lord had saved him at all , he never got over it , he called himself the chief of sinners , but God 's grace , God 's mercy had been revealed to him , you and I when we get to heaven are in for a few surprises , the grace , the mercy of God is far broader and wider than our imagination , we 'll meet a lot of folk there that we did n't expect to see that leads me to a fourth proposition , not only will some be saved that we did not expect to be saved , but it 's clear that others will not be saved who expected to be saved there 's a passage in Luke thirteen , verses twenty five , let me read them again one the head of the house gets up and shuts the door you begin to stand outside and knock on the door saying Lord open up to us and then he will answer and say to you I do not know where you 're from , then you 'll begin to say we ate and drank in your presence , you taught in our streets , we know you Lord , we rubbed shoulders with you , we went to church , we experience those things , we knew the answers to the re to the questions but he will say I tell you I did not know where you are from , depart from me all you evil doers those words make it quite clear , here , there 's words of Jesus , there 's references to those who profess , to know the Lord Jesus Christ , but who do not in fact know him at all , they know bits and pieces about him , they 've seen him , you know it 's in its immediate context , they had seen him in the street , they had heard his teaching , there maybe those who had been fed by the , by the miraculous er multiplying of the loafs and the fishes , they had seen the miracle , some of them may have been healed by Jesus , they knew lots about him but they did not know him and he says I do not know you how many folk there are like this , they expect to be saved , perhaps because they go to church , perhaps because they 've got Christian parents , perhaps because they read their bible , perhaps because occasionally when they 're in trouble they prayer , they 've been confirmed , they 've been baptized , that , that they 're good , they 're honest , they 're not rogues , they would n't do a , a , a bad turn to somebody , not deliberately , they 're nice people but they , they do n't know the truth of what it says in God 's word , they do n't know the truth of Romans three and verse twenty because by the works of the Lord no flesh will be justified in his sight for through the law comes the knowledge of sin , does n't come the forgiveness of it , they do n't know the truth of Ephesians chapter two verses eight and nine for by grace you 've been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it 's the gift of God , not as a result of works that no one should boast , for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them , they do n't know the truth of er , er of Titus , chapter three and , and verse five where , where the apostle Paul says there , he saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness , but according to his mercy , how tragic it is to expect to be saved , to think you 're going to heaven and in the end to find that you 're not saved and Jesus says they 'll be many like that in that day . On that final day there will be many like that , little earlier on in the book of Titus in the first chapter Paul says in verse sixteen they profess to no God , but by their deed they deny him and all of this leads natural to the final fifth proposition not only does the bible teach that all may be saved , not only does it teach that however that not all will be saved , not only is it true and clear that some will be saved and we do not , do not , do not expect to be saved , not only is it quite clear that others will not be saved , who we expected to be saved , but finally it is quite clear that no one will be saved except by God 's way , and God 's way of salvation is very simply by repentance and faced .