From The Grave To Glory Series

"WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED, BUT WHOEVER DOES NOT BELIEVE STANDS CONDEMNED ALREADY...."

UNLESS THE UNSAVED CHANGE THEIR LIVES AND TURN TO GOD THEY ARE DOOMED -- THEY WILL ONE DAY COME UNDER GOD’S WRATH....

THEIR FUTURE IS DARK...

LISTEN TO HOW THE APOSTLE JOHN DESCRIBES THE VISION GOD GAVE HIM REGARDING THE SOON COMING JUDGEMENT OF GOD AGAINST THOSE NOT "IN CHRIST."

REVELATION 5:15-17

REVELATION 20:11-15

THE LOST ARE DESCRIBED AS DEAD; DECEIVED, DEPRAVED AND DOOMED... NOT A VERY PRETTY OR COMFORTING PICTURE. AND ACCORDING TO VERSE 3 OF EPHESIANS; "ALL OF US ALSO LIVED AMONG THE DEAD AT ONE TIME..." THAT TERRIFYING BEFORE SNAPSHOT WAS AT ONE TIME A SNAPSHOT OF US...

AT ONE TIME WE TOO WALKED AMONG THE LIVING DEAD....

NOW LET’S LOOK AT:

B. THE AFTER PICTURE ALIVE IN CHRIST

ALL OF US HAVE SEEN SOME PRETTY DRASTIC BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTO’S, LIKE THE BEFORE AFTER PHOTO’S ON THE NEWS THIS WEEK OF THE LADY WHO HAD A 91 POUND CYST REMOVED FROM HER ABDOMEN... A BIG IMMEDIATE CHANGE....

BUT AS DRASTIC AND AMAZING AS SOME OF THOSE PICTURES ARE -- THEY DO NOT EVEN BEGIN COMPARE TO THE CHANGE BETWEEN THE SNAPSHOT’S OF MEN & WOMEN TAKEN BEFORE WHEN THEY WERE DEAD IN SIN -- DEAD IN SIN -- AND AFTER WHEN THEY ARE ALIVE IN CHRIST...

ONLY ONE THING COULD BRING SUCH A CHANGE....

THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND

WE WERE ALREADY PRONOUNCED SPIRITUALLY DEAD; TO BURIED FOR ALL ETERNITY IN OUR SINS BUT, WE SPRUNG BACK TO LIFE...

JUST LIKE THE ELDERLY WOMAN I HEARD ABOUT ON THE NEWS THIS WEEK... SHE LIVED IN FRANKFORT KENTUCKY. AND DURING THE PAST COLD SPELL UP THERE SHE WAS FOUND AT HER HOME AND IT APPEARED THAT SHE HAD DIED FROM HYPOTHERMIA....

SHE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD BY A DOCTOR AND TAKEN TO THE MORGUE... SHORTLY AFTER HER ARRIVAL A POLICEMAN NOTICED A QUIVERING IN ONE OF HER EYES BUT THE MORGUE ATTENDANT SAID THAT SOMETIMES DEAD BODIES DO THINGS LIKE THAT...

BUT SHORTLY AFTER THAT HAZEL BEGAN TO MOVE EVEN MORE -- AND IT SOON BECAME APPARENT TO ALL THAT SHE WAS NOT DEAD -- THOUGH HER DEATH WAS PRONOUNCED BY A DOCTOR AND SHE WAS IN A PLACE FOR THE DEAD -- HAZEAL WAS ALIVE...

THINGS HAD LOOKED PRETTY HOPELESS SHE WAS IN A MORGUE AND IT LOOKED LIKE THE BALL GAME WAS OVER BUT SHE SPRUNG BACK TO LIFE...

IN LIKE MANNER, THINGS LOOKED PRETTY HOPELESS IN OUR BEFORE PICTURE (DEAD, DECEIVED, DEPRAVED AND DOOMED) .... BUT GOD IN AN INSTANT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST CHANGED ALL OF THAT...INSTEAD OF BEING IN A GRAVEYARD WE HAVE BEEN RAISED UP WITH CHRIST AND ARE SEATED WITH HIM IN THE HEAVENLIES...

LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT LEAD TO SUCH AN ASTOUNDING AFTER PICTURE...

EPHESIANS 2:4-10

WHILE SIN WORKS AGAINST US -- GOD WORK’S FOR AND IN US:

THE REASON THE AFTER PICTURE LOOKS SO GOOD IS BECAUSE:

1. HE LOVES US (VS 4)

PAUL WRITES RIGHT AFTER TALKING ABOUT THE DOOM THE LOST (SOMETHING WE ALL AT ONE TIME FACED) WRITES; "BUT BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US..." BY NATURE, "GOD IS LOVE" LET’S READ 3 GREAT PASSAGES ABOUT GOD’S LOVE....

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...." JOHN 3:16