weekly sermon3-14-10 Use Your Life Line
I want to talk this week about where we will spend our eternity. We wander through this life in the direction that we hope is fitting for God. During our time here, on earth, we are born, receive an education, grow to adult age, get a job and live out our lives how we think they are to be, hopefully according to the word of God.
One thing that most of us think very little about is what will happen to us after we pass from this life on to the afterlife. I understand that some, or maybe most, of us have accepted Jesus as our saviour, and we are aware of where we will spend our eternity, but after that we do not give much thought to what the after life will be like.
I wanted to address this message to those of us who are not sure where we will spend our eternity. I wanted to spend a few minutes discussing the two different paths that one will take after they pass from this life. I am sure that most of us know there will be two different directions we will go at the end of this life. After we pass from this life we will stand before God and be judged for our sins. God will then look in the book of life to determine if our names have been written there. If our name is in the book of life, we will inherit the kingdom of God. If our name is not in the book of life we will spend an eternity in the lake of fire.
I fully understand that many folks do not think about what will happen to them after they pass from this life, for several reasons. Some folks are too busy trying to live this life to be worried about what will happen to them after this one. Some folks do not believe there even is an afterlife. Finally, some folks do not believe in Heaven or Hell. This is where this message comes into play.
There are exactly two paths that we will take once we go to our final resting place, Heaven and Hell. First I want us to discuss the one path and then we will discuss the other. The first path we will be discussing is Heaven.
What do we really know about Heaven? The word Heaven appears in the Bible exactly 583 times, not including the many references to the place called Heaven. Let us start from the very beginning. Genesis 1:6-8, "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. (7)And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so. (8)And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." 2 Chronicles 6:33, "Then hear thou from the heavens, [even] from thy dwelling place....", calls Heaven the dwelling place of God. This next passage shows us that we are to be homesick for Heaven. Psalms 73:25, "Whom have I in heaven [but thee]? and [there is] none upon earth [that] I desire beside thee." This next passage show us where we are to place our treasures, this does not mean money or gold or even worldly possessions, but our spiritual treasures. Matthew 6:20-21, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." This next passage shows us a brief look at what we will see after death. Acts 7:55, "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,". This last passage about Heaven will show us something very important. It will shows us that Heaven was cleansed of all evil. Revelations 12:7-9, "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, (8)And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9)And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Now let us find out what we can about Hell. The first passage will tell us exactly where Hell is located. Psalms 63:9, "But those [that] seek my soul, to destroy [it], shall go into the lower parts of the earth." Here it states that Hell is located within the lower parts of the earth. This next passage will tell us just exactly how many people can fit into hell. Isaiah 5:14, "Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it." It tells us here that Hell has no limit. The more that choose to take the path to Hell, the more Hell will expand to accommodate the amount required. Matthew 7:13, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:". This verse shows us that the path leading to Hell is a very large one and easy to find and that many will choose this path because it is such an easy path. This next verse tells us something that is very important to us. 2Thessalonians 1:9, "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;". This verse tells us that the ones choosing to take the path to Hell will be separated from the presence of God and His glory. Revelations 19:20, "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." This passage gives us a brief description of what Hell will be like. It shows us here that Hell is a place that is a lake of fire burning with brimstone. One last description of Hell before we proceed. Matthew 13:42, "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Hell does not sound like a place that any of us want to spend our eternity, in a lake of fire, in total darkness, where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Lastly I want us to really understand how we will know which path we have taken upon this earth, after we have passed to the next life. Revelations 20:11-15, "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12)And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13)And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14)And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15)And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
Now that we know what Heaven is like and what Hell is like, let us make a decision. What path would you like to take when you leave this world and make your final resting place? Would you choose Heaven or Hell? If you have decided to choose the path that leads to spending your eternity with a loving God, then you will have to make sure your name is written in the book of life. How is it that we make sure our name is written in the book of life? There are two different passages of scripture that can be used, both in Romans, to show us how to get our names written into this wonderful book that will join us with our great Saviour when we pass from this life on to our next life. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 10:9-10, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10)For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
As we can see from the above mentioned passages of scripture, there is only one way to get our names written into the book of life, that would be through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We must confess Jesus Christ as Lord over our lives, believe that God has raised Him from the dead, even though the wages of sin is death, we shall have eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. Your heart has to believe in righteousness and your mouth has to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in order to receive salvation, or have your name put into the book of life.
If you have never allowed your heart to believe or made this type of confession with your mouth but would like your name written in the book of life, then all you have to do is say a simple prayer with me.
Say this simple prayer with me, Dear Lord, I want you to be the Lord over my life, forgive me of my sins, and give me the gift of everlasting life. Amen.
If you have said this simple prayer, then we believe that you have received salvation. We would love to rejoice with you, so please drop us a note, in our link, to let us know and confess Jesus before man, so that we may send you a few things that we hope will help you in your new Christian walk.
With Love in Christ,
Pastor Stone
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