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| 154 people remembered, Sunday June 19, 2016-Star Tribune |
When I was young between the 1st and 2nd grade, a guest pastor (missionary I think) got up one Sunday and did something amazing. He didn't hold up the Bible he held up the news paper and said something like "did you hear about what happened this week? People all over our city are dead and it's a devastating tragedy for these loved ones, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, moms and dads, husbands, wives. Friends all of these people, no matter of their religious beliefs or background will go before the God who gave them life and the books will be opened ..." He went on to name people who passed, like from the paper this passed Sunday, Cody Brown age 26 of Rosemount, Cornelius D. Bridges Jr. age 11, Howard, age 50... "I want you to think about all your hopes and dreams and in this short time we have, think about the short time we all have."
Everyone Will Die
A popular verse read at funerals is Ecclesiastes 12:7: "For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.", now what the heck does that mean? Well let's go back to Genesis 1-2, the creation of the heavens, earth and everything in it. We learn that God made all living creatures from the earth. Does science support that notion? Yes, the chemical compounds of our bodies are found in the earth, with nothing else - except our consciousness, our soul - who were are, our spirit. This is given by God and Genesis 2:7 we learn God breathed life into the nostrils of man and he became a living person. How many times did you in your own effort breath yesterday? Who created that air you breathed and your bodies ability to turn that into praise, worship and thanksgiving - or for some of you anger, frustration and despair?
Religion Can't Save
I mentioned in my opening that all people, no matter of their religious beliefs or background will go before the God who gave them life and the books will be opened, another popular verse read at funerals is Revelation 21:4, it says He (God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. You might be thinking, "Nuff said, count me in - thanks!" but wait before you can receive that promise you need to understand the contexts, open your Bible and place the marker on this verse, Revelation 20:11-13, A great while throne and the one (God) sitting on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. We know the vastness of the universe, yet nowhere can you go from the presence of God. Verse 12-13 continues; "I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave[b] gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds." According to John's Revelation, this includes everyone. Jesus, also said that everyone will be judged (Matthew 25:31-46).
Death is the result of Sin
Again Genesis 3 gives the account of the fall of mankind into sin and the consequence being pain, suffering and death.
- Sin is knowing the right thing to do but failing to do it (James 4:17; 1 John 5:17)
- All of us are guilty of sin (1 John 1:8-10; Romans 3:23)
- Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4)
- Sin attempts to gratify the self at the expense of others (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
- Sin captures people to their core (Genesis 4:7 James 1:15; Matthew 5:28)
- Sin makes people unrighteous (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Hebrews 10:26; 1 John 3:6-10)
- Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23)
Jesus Saves Believers from God's Judgement
John 3:16-17 says, "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."
John 3:18-21 Continues “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."
- Jesus came to seek and save the Lost (Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10; John 3:17; 1 Timothy 1:15)
- He would leave the 99 to save the 1 (Luke 15:4-7, 32)
- Jesus saves sinners, having paid for our sins on the cross (Romans 5:6), once for all (1 Peter 3:18;Hebrews 9:14,28-29)
- He is resurrected and alive in heaven, sending his Holy Spirit to accomplish God's will in the world (Romans 5:2; 2 Corinthians 13:4; Ephesians 3:12; Colossians 1:22)
What's the point: Our lives will end, culminating in judgement before God
- Revelation 20: 14-15 says "Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire."
- Jesus said about this end, "And they (unrighteous) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life" Matthew 25:46
Listen to the Gospel from Jesus own words in John 14-17:26, thinks about your hopes and dreams and remember you may not be alive tomorrow. What will judgement be like before God's throne for you? It's worth taking time to explore that questions and answer it.
Scriptures from:
http://www.openbible.info/topics/death
http://www.openbible.info/topics/sin
http://biblehub.com/luke/19-10.htm
http://biblehub.com/1_peter/3-18.htm