Last night Sharon and I were watching a Dallas Mavericks game and a commercial caught my attention. It was a Rocket Mortgage commercial with comedian Tracy Morgan and tough guy actor Dave Bautista.
A family—dad, mom, and two daughters—is looking for a house. The husband says, “I’m pretty sure we can afford this house.” Morgan then goes on to tell them why being “pretty sure” is not enough.
“I’m pretty sure these (mushrooms) aren’t poisonous,” says Morgan. One second later, the dad, who had evidently eaten one of the mushrooms, falls unconscious to the ground.
Morgan and the family are in a plane. The family members are about to sky dive. Morgan says, “I’m pretty sure these are parachutes.” Dad jumps out with what appears to be a small knapsack on his back. At that point one of the daughters opens her pack and pulls out something, saying, “Mine has a sandwich.” Morgan says, “That’s mine.” Meanwhile, dad is plummeting toward the ground with no parachute.
Next the family is in the wilderness about 20 yards from a bear. Morgan says, “I’m pretty sure you do NOT run.” At that point Morgan takes off running, leaving the family as lunch for the bear.
The scene shifts to a movie theater letting out. Morgan and the family are walking a few yards behind this huge guy. Morgan says to the dad, “I’m pretty sure you can take Bautista down.” Bautista turns and says, “You’re on.” The scene shifts to an underground fight club. The dad is just about to get knocked out by Bautista when his wife holds up her cell phone on which she is live streaming the fight, and she says, “I’m pretty sure this is trending.”
Next Tracy Morgan is in a fully protective beekeeper suit on a ladder. He is in front of a huge hornet hive hanging from a tree. Dad is standing directly under the hive and the family is behind Morgan. “I’m pretty sure these hornets are not the murdering type,” Morgan says. Then he takes a tool and knocks the huge hive off the tree. The hive lands square on the dad’s head and he is screaming as the scene fades.
“I’m pretty sure we can make it,” says Morgan, driving a car with the family on board. The drawbridge over a river is going up and is nearly at a 45-degree angle and the road is separated by 20 feet or more. The family is screaming as the car appears headed to smash into the other side of the ascending bridge.
After all this the wife says, “Let’s go with certain,” as she clicks on the Rocket Mortgage app on her cell phone. “Good choice,” says Morgan.
You can see the whole commercial here.
The very best illustration of “pretty sure” not being good enough would be one’s eternal destiny.
Many pastors and theologians teach that if you follow Christ faithfully, you can be pretty sure that you will make it to heaven when you die.
You can’t be sure, because you cannot know if your works are faithful enough right now and even if they are, you cannot be sure that you will continue to remain faithful in the future.
But the Lord Jesus taught certainty. He taught that you can and should be sure, not pretty sure, that you have everlasting life, and you will never be eternally condemned (John 3:16; 4:10-26; 5:24; 6:35; 11:25-27). He taught that works salvation does not work (John 4:10ff; 5:39-40; 6:28-29).
What could be more important than being sure that you will spend eternity with the Lord in the kingdom as opposed to being sent to the lake of fire forever? Nothing.
Expect persecution, however, if you proclaim that being pretty sure is not good enough. People will say that you believe in cheap grace and easy believism. They might call you a false teacher and accuse you of teaching a false gospel.
I agree with Tracy Morgan. Being pretty sure is not good enough. When we believe in Jesus for the everlasting life that He promises to the believer, then, like Martha, we can affirm that we are sure of our eternal destiny (John 11:27). You don’t want to go the grave wondering where you will spend eternity. And the good news is that you do not have to wonder. You can and should be sure.
