Considerations

• The world beyond, the world unseen, the world in which we enter after death is a world that is not revealed in human philosophy and human reason.
• There have never been any human philosophers that have been able to pull back the veil that lies between life and death.
• There is no amount of knowledge from science, math, or otherwise that can help us understand what happens after death.
• That is why so many highly educated men view immortality as a myth.
• Isn’t it amazing that the Bible spends an enormous amount of time in this very subject of what happens after this life.
• The prophets saw it for 1500 years before the birth of Jesus.
• 4000 years ago, Job spoke in detail about it (Job 14:14; 19:25-26).
• The apostles revealed it in great detail, and the revelation unveils a glorious life that is yet to come almost 2000 years ago (I Thessalonains 4:13-17; I Corinthians 15:50-58).
• So not by human or philosophy, only by revelation from God, we have an enormous body of information on the matter.
• Believe it or not!

The first five minutes of eternity

• Without exception, entrance into the next life is absolute and immediate.
• Soul sleeping, purgatory, limbo, and period of probation are all of human creation because there is no mention of any of this in revelation from God.
• With absolutely no exception, we are ushered into the next life immediately, and we will spend eternity there.
• This was even true with Enoch and Elijah (Genesis 5:22; Hebrews 11:5; II Kings 2:11, 17).

Life in two parts: this life and the next life

• There is a blessedness in life and a cursedness in damnation, and the two are always presented in detail in the Bible.
• There are no gray areas with God, only black and white.
• We are either saved in Christ, our sins forgiven in Jesus, and we are forever in the presence of God, or we are shut out and eternally separated from God (Luke 13:22-30).
• In Luke 16, the angels come to get the soul of Lazarus and carry him to Abraham’s bosom immediately after his death (Luke 16:22).
• Luke 23:43 – “Today you shall be with me in paradise.”
• II Corinthians 5:8 – “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
  • II Corinthians 5:1-8
• Hebrews 2:15 – The fear of death causes us to be held in slavery.

First five minutes

• I Thessalonians 4:13-17 – There is one great redemptive triumph in the final judgment of the body from the dead.
• II Corinthians 5:1-8 – Immediately upon death, a child of God enters into that eternal life with God.
• The same thing occurs in the other world.
• Luke 16:22-23 – The rich man died, and in Hades he lifted up his eyes being in torment, and saw Abraham and Lazarus (immediately).
• In my first five minutes in eternity, I am in, and will life for eternity in heaven or hell.

The two states

• Given this is the way God reveals the matter, what do you think preachers ought to do about presenting this material?
• Should we discuss issues of the day? Political climate?
• These kinds of events have changed a thousand times since mankind came to this earth, and might change a thousand times more if the Lord does not return.
• What does it mean to be lost?
  • To die without the atoning blood of Jesus covering our sins
  • No man can see God without it
  • To experience complete separation from God for all eternity
  • Separation – sheep from goats – Matthew 24:31-46
  • Wheat from the chaff – Luke 3:17
  • Fish caught in a net – good kept, bad thrown away – Matthew 13:47-50
  • Wise and foolish virgins – Matthew 25:1-13
  • Luke 17:34-36 – Separation
  • Luke 16:26 – A great gulf fixed – no one can cross forever
• Greater suffering than any human ever experienced for eternity
  • Luke 16:23-24 – Agony, torment, flame
  • Weeping and wailing, gnashing of teeth – Matthew 13:42, 50; 24:51; 25:30
  • The worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched – Mark 9:44
  • Always a sense that damnation and hell and separation is a place of suffering that humans have never seen on earth for eternity.
• The meaning of being lost is death
  • The second death – Revelation 20:11-15
    • A second death means to die forever in torment.
    • It was this that caused Jesus to die on the cross for the future sins of every human – Hebrews 10:4-18; I Timothy 1:15
  • Have you ever seen a devout Christian die? Heard them discuss death?
  • There is no fear in their hearts of breathing their last breath.
  • They had been preparing for this trip for a long time.

Final thoughts

• Eternity is a place – John 14 – “I go to prepare a place…”
• We will have bodies in that place – Luke 24:36-40; I Corinthians 15
• A bodily resurrection – I Corinthians 15 – Beautiful description of the resurrection of the body
• Someday God will raise up a resurrected body and a redeemed soul to live in a place called heaven – Revelation 21:1-3; II Corinthians 3:18

Consider

• The greater your expectations of heaven, the better your life on earth will be (moral compass, priorities, value system).
• Why? Because expectations affect behavior.
• Philippians 3:3-11
• If you want to live a life on earth the way it ought to be lived, you must live with eternity in mind.
• If my view of this life is big, and my view of eternal life is much smaller, it will absolutely be reflected in my priorities.

II Peter 3:1-4

• II Peter 3:1-2 – Learn to live in the light of God’s word.
• Their expectation of their future was based on data in their mind – “For ever since our fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
• Based on my past, I determine probability for the future.
• They did not really know about the past. (Time lapse)
• If I can get God and eternal judgment out of my mind, then I can live any way I want to live. It frees me up – no worries.
• Make this life so important I can’t see eternity.

II Peter 3:5-6

• By this analysis, things have always been just like they are now.
• Imagine how Noah was mocked.
  • He was building a boat on dry land for 120 years.
  • People had possibly never seen rain (Genesis 2:5-6; 7:11).
  • Noah preached for 120 years that people had to get on his boat or die.
  • Noah’s short sermon – it’s gonna rain a lot!
• What made Noah act this way? (Genesis 6:8-9; I Peter 3:18-22)
  • Matthew 24:36-42

II Peter 3:7-9

• II Peter 3:7 – Do you believe the world will someday be completely destroyed by fire (if you live that long)?
• How much do you believe it?
• II Peter 3:8 – Humans live a linear life – God does not.
• We live in yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
• We cannot measure God’s thoughts and actions by our watch or calendar.
• God wants us to learn to see time and events as he sees them.

II Peter 3:10-13

• II Peter 3:10 – The uncreation.
• II Peter 3:11-12 – Does this fact affect how you live? See this life?

Conclusion

• II Peter 3:14 – “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation;”
• Philippians 3:12-21

Introduction

• Luke 10:17-20
• Revelation 3:5

The book of life

• Mentioned 6 times in the New Testament.
• Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8
• Mentioned 5 times in the Old Testament.

Matthew 10:34-36

• Jesus was in the people separating business.
• The sword indicated war or conflict.
• Luke 12:51-53
• Jesus separated people physically during the ministry on earth, and He will ultimately separate people eternally.

Matthew 25:31-46

• The final throne scene.
• Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people (Matthew 25:34).
• Hell is a prepared place for an unprepared people (Matthew 25:41).
• The final separation accomplished by Jesus (Matthew 25:46).

Luke 13:22-30

• Strive to enter the narrow door – indicates multiple paths/separation.
• Door closes eventually – final separation.
• Proximity does not equal intimacy! (Luke 13:26)

Luke 16:19-31

• Lazarus had memory after death.
• Torment begins immediately after death.

Revelation 19l 6:9-11

• The final battle of good and evil on earth.

Revelation 20:11-15

• The final throne scene.
• The book of life – dead were judged.

Revelation 21:1-8; 22:1-5

• The beauty and splendor of heaven

Consider

• In order to visibly see yourself saved, you must be able to visibly see yourself as eternally lost!!!
• There are no:
  • Weekend passes
  • No visits to see if I like it
  • No exit signs
  • No ability to change anything

My motivation

• To be eternally removed from all evil.
• To see/meet the great men and women of the Bible.
• To again see the godliest people that ever walked this earth.
• To meet the Lord and to spend eternity with Him (I John 3:2-3; I Thessalonians 4:17).

Most important question

• Matthew 7:21-23
• Revelation 3:5 – “Will erase his name from the book of life.”
• Is my name written in the book?
• Can you picture yourself listening for your name?

The parable analyzed

• Distribution of talents to the servants (Matthew 25:14-15)
• A talent was about 6000 denarii.
• A denarii was a day’s wage.
• Two doubled their talents and one hid his.
• The two that doubled their talents were happy to see the master.
• The one who hid his talent began making excuses immediately.
• The Lord’s response – “wicked and lazy” (Luke 16:19-31)
• Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26

Godly one talent Christians

Andrew – Peter’s brother

• John 1:29-42
• John 1:41-42 – Andrew brings his brother to Jesus.
• Andrew is mentioned 14 times. Peter is mentioned 176 times.
• John 6:5-9 – Andrew brought the boy with the lunch to Jesus.
• Matthew 19:13; Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15 – The apostles rebuked people for bringing children to Jesus.
• John 12:20-22 – Philip seeks advice from Andrew.
• Peter had constant issues with Gentiles, so he probably was not the logical person for Philip to ask.
• Andrew and Philip brought these people to Jesus.
• He brought his brother, the young boy, and the Greeks.
• That was Andrew’s talent, and he used it well.

More stories – Dorcas

• Acts 9:36-43
• The widows used one of their talents to persuade Peter when he got to Dorcas’ house (Acts 9:41 – the widows were listed separately from the saints).

More stories – Lydia

• Acts 16:11-15 – Lydia was at a prayer service on the Sabbath.
• She heard the gospel and responded.
• She helped to convert her entire household.
• She urged Paul, and prevailed upon him to stay with her family for some time.

The parable applied

• Main points – we must find and use all that we have.
• If we do not, we:
  • Lose that ability in this life
  • And are judged for it in the next life
• Diligence is rewarded, neglect is punished!
• Is it possible that you once had a God given talent that you never used, and God took it away?

Introduction

• Malachi 4:4-5

Luke 3 – John’s message

• Luke 3:1-15 – 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (14-37 AD)
• Luke 3:2-3 – John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4).
• John was about to disrupt the Jewish culture in Judea like had never been seen in centuries.
• It is a tremendous mistake to tell people you won’t have to do much to become a Christian.
• You will have to change everything about how you think and see the world around you (continuous).
• How much of my time/talent/money do I give to God?
• Rather, how much of God’s stuff should I keep?

You must disrupt your comfort zone

Following Jesus will totally disrupt your view of personal accountability.

• These people were clearly and powerfully told that their old Jewish life was of little value in their new walk with Jesus (like many good people today).
• Luke 18:9-14 – The Pharisees and tax collector.
• The gospel will completely blow up your view of a “good person.”
• I Peter 4:12-19 – Judgment will begin with us.
• Ezekiel 18:4, 30-32 – I am the way I am because of how I was raised. “I will judge each man according to his works.”
• It doesn’t matter who your parents were.
• It doesn’t matter how you were mistreated or wronged in your life.
• Stop blaming your current mistakes on past events.

Righteousness works from the inside out, not outside in.

• Following Jesus cannot be just a religious ritual, or an old habit. You cannot defeat the devil with that alone (Luke 18:14).

Stop thinking that going to church occasionally will get you to heaven. That is outward, not inward.

• Galatians 2:20; 5:24 – Conversion to Christ is called being crucified.
• II Corinthians 4:16-5:24 – “The love of Christ controls us.”
• Romans 7:9-8:18 – Only following Jesus Christ can disrupt my life in a way that has value to Jesus Christ.
• Romans 8:31-39 – The end.