Are You Ready

Are You Ready to Die? by Steve Keeler

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:9

"But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is

written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we also believe,

therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised

the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will

present us with you. For all things are for your sakes,

so that the grace which is spreading to more and more

people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the

glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but

though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is

being renewed day by day. For momentary, light

affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory

far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the

things which are seen, but at the things which are not

seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but

the things which are not seen are eternal."

Someone asked if I would give a message about the

end times to which I said sure I will. But as I was

thinking about the end times, I realized that some of us

here will face our end time before the rest of us and

that's what I want to talk about today.

I want you to consider this question very, very

seriously, are you ready to for your end times?

I going to talk with you today about the Savior, about

Jesus being our only means for the forgiveness of your

sins and entrance into God's glorious presence.

The choice I going to talk about will be the most

important decision you will ever make. This afternoon

I'd like to spend these few moments talking to you

about eternity and your end times.

Only Jesus can make you truly ready to die. I pray that

today you are indeed ready for your end time. First,

you need to recognized that you are a sinner, and that

Jesus had to die to pay the penalty for your sins.

Jesus, not only died on the cross of Calvary, but rose

from the dead.

When you make Jesus your Lord and Savior it changes

you, you love to be in His presence and you will yearn

to spend eternity there.

It is true that our earthly pains make us want to let go

of this life, and cause us to anxiously seek what's next.

We don't simply want to escape the suffering of this

life, it's more than that, we long to be with our Savior

forever. That's why Christ followers can face death

without fear because Jesus took that fear away.

In the Book of Hebrews 2:14-15 we read, "Therefore,

since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself

likewise also partook of the same, that through death

He might render powerless him who had the power of

death, that is, the devil, and might free those who

through fear of death were subject to slavery all their

lives."

Let me explain something, when you have that love

relationship with Jesus you yearn for heaven and an

eternity of no more sorrow and no more pain.

Paul felt the same way, after he came to faith in Jesus.

Listen to Philippians 1:21-24 "For to me, to live is Christ

and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this

will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which

to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions,

having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that

is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is

more necessary for your sake."

I can't know your hearts, my friends, but you know, and

God knows. As we come face to face with the reality of

our end time today, is there fear in your heart, or faith.

Do you dread death and try to avoid even thinking

about it, or do you see death as an escape from this

life and a moment from the presence of God forever?

The difference is what you do with the death of Jesus

Christ, who died so your sins might be forgiven, and so

you might enter into eternal life.

I want to make a important truth very clear: being

religious is not the same as being a Christian. Let me

say that again, being religious is not the same as being

a Christian.

There may be those here today who are trying to

suppress the fear of death with the consolation that

they are good people, religious, or churchy.

I can tell you, right now, absolutely that religion will

never save you, only a personal relationship with Jesus

Christ, by maintained in faith can truly save.

I am simply telling you what Jesus Himself said, as it