Driven By Eternity ----- P.A.S.S Away
Sunday Sermon / September 9th 2007
Intro: Heaven! Can you even imagine how awesome Heaven is? Have you ever tried to? In so doing we will find great joy and encouragement in this temporal life.
I want you to join me over the next four weeks for a very special series of messages about the Eternity. The Bible has much to say about the subject, yet few people really know what they believe about it.
According to a Barna Research poll:
81% believe in an afterlife of some sort.
76% believe that Heaven exists
71% believe in a Hell.
24% admit they have “no idea” what will happen after they die.
But I will tell you, I am 100% sure there is real Heaven and real Hell; because the Bible is 100% sure there is a literal Heaven and a literal Hell.
Have you ever heard someone say, “So and So Passed away?”
It’s a ‘gentler’ way of saying someone died. This is actually a Biblical way of thinking. We will all die and “pass away.” Our physical bodies will all die, but our spirits that will continue to exist for eternity.
Are you ready to Pass Away?
Text: Philippians 1:21,23 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain…My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
Paul actually says he wants to die. Can you image? He isn’t depressed, he isn’t sick; he simple knows that when he passes on he will immediately be with Jesus in Heaven forever!
He says there are two things that make him stay, fruitful ministry and helping those he loves love Jesus
I have to tell you, I feel exactly the same. I’m not depressed or discouraged, but I am ready to be in heaven. There are only two reasons to stay here in this world: Ministry and loved ones. That’s it!
We’re going to use the letters in PASS to explain how to have joy in “Passing away”
I. Prepare for Eternity
What would you think about a person who goes to the airport, with no luggage, no plans, they have no idea were they’re going and they only have enough money to by a one way ticket at random, they get on the plane and hope for the best? I would call that foolish.
Yet this is exactly what many do everyday. 250,000 people die everyday. Most die without making any plans, they don’t know for sure where they’re going…they are just hoping for the best.
Someone will say, “It’s impossible to know what happens after you die.”
a. You can know what lays ahead
i. I’m not talking about speculating or hoping or assuming God will work it out.
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"—10these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”
What is the primary way the Spirit of God communicates with us? The Bible of course!
Without the Bible you can have no idea what eternity is like.
ii. Biblical reliability – unique from all other books or revelations.
iii. You should NOT trust your eternity to any other information!!!
God says he has revealed heaven to us through His Spirit.
That means that God has explained to us what heaven is like. Not exhaustively, but accurately.
b. Find out the facts
i. No shortage of people clamoring about the after life. But, how reliable are their testimonies?
ii. You need to qualify your sources.
iii. Satan is a deceiver. He is the father of lies.
John 8:44 “Jesus said of the devil, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
iv. Revelation 13 tells us that the Devil works to spread lies about God, Heaven and God’s people.
Those lies include:
• There is nothing after you die,
• You’ll get another chance (reincarnation),
• Don’t worry you’re a good person; you’ll make it to heaven.
v. Look at his approach with Eve in the Garden of Eden: First doubt. Second, denial.
vi. “Will you die; you shall not die”
Answer these questions: Have you done your homework? Are your beliefs about eternity Biblical?
II. Anticipate Heaven
You can and should look forward with great expectation to Heaven!!!
Colossians 3:1 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
a. Tragically, however, most people do not find their joy in Christ and Heaven.
b. In fact, many people find no joy at all when they think about Heaven.
The concept that many people (even Christians) have of Heaven is vague, uninspiring and unbiblical. They are influence by Hollywood, unreliable sources or just plain ignorance.
• We’ll all turn into fat little babies with wings.
• You’re issued a choir gown and harp
• Loss of personal identities, memories and thoughts.
• A never-ending worship service
• Too much for us to imagine, so why try?
In “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Mark Twain portrays a similar view of Heaven. The Christian spinster Miss Watson takes a dim view of Huck’s fun-loving spirit. According to Huck, “She went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn’t think much of it…I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would do there, and she said, not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I want him and me to be together.”
a. Look forward with Joy
Hebrews 11:16 tells us how those looking to heaven are “longing for a better country”
b. We’ll receive a New Home
Several writers of Scripture where given visions into Heaven, their descriptions include:
i. Gardens, Rivers and Trees.
ii. The Nations exist in peace.
iii. We will have Custom mansions
iv. We will spend time with God, people we love, and many new friends.
v. We will travel and explore and enjoy Eternal Life to the fullest!
vi. There will even be animals!
c. We’ll have New bodies
i. Never get sick, injured or tired.
ii. Never feel depressed, stressed or discouraged.
iii. No more suffering of any kind
iv. No more death or decay!
We have reduced Heaven to a place that older people want to go to as a preferable option to a nursing home. Surely it’s better than Hell. So, if we must die, we choose heaven.
Few people seem excited about it. If we only anticipated heaven a little more, studied a little more about it, we’d realize it going to be so exciting and compelling that even the youngest and healthiest of us should daydream about it.
III. Secure your Eternity
We live in a culture were it’s unspeakable NOT to warn the consumer that the Coffee in the cup “May” be Hot and that if improperly handled it “May” cause burns. But in this same culture it’s unspeakable to TO warn people that they “WILL” die and go to Hell if they don’t reconcile with God.
a. If you don’t know Him you MUST worry about your eternity
However!
b. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, YOU NEVER HAVE TO WORRY AGAIN!!!
1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”
c. Our security in Jesus.
In polls taken, many people think they will go to heaven because they are “good people”
They think they have done more good than harm and so, God will weigh their deeds.
Chuck Misler writes: “Many have redefined “grace” to mean to say that God is so eager to save people from Hell that he will change His nature and universal principles for their own individual benefits.”
They only way to heaven plainly declared in the Bible:
John 14:6 “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
In her book, “It’s Not in the Book!” Ruthanna Metzgar writes,
As a professional singer, it was not unusual to be asked to sing for a wedding, but it was a bit unusual to sing for the wedding of a millionaire. I knew the wedding would be picture-perfect and was pleased to be able to participate, but when the invitation to the reception arrived I knew it would be something exceptional.
The reception was held on the top two floors of Seattle’s Columbia Tower, the Northwest’s tallest skyscraper, and it was even more wonderful than I imagined. There were waiters wearing snappy black tuxedos who offered luscious hor d’oeuvres and exotic beverages for the most discriminating tastes. The atmosphere was one of grace and sophistication.
After about an hour of merriment the bride and groom approached a beautiful glass and brass staircase that led to the top floor. A satin ribbon, which was draped across the bottom of the stairs, was cut and the announcement made that the wedding feast was about to begin. The bride and groom ascended the stairs and the guests followed. What a lavish event of which to be a part.
A gentleman with a lovely bound book greeted us as we reached the top of the stairs. "May I have your name please?" "I am Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband, Roy Metzgar," I replied. The gentleman searched the Ms. "I’m not finding it. Would you spell it please?" I spelled it slowly and clearly. After searching throughout the book the gentleman looked up and said, "I’m sorry, but your name is not here. Without your name in this book you cannot attend this banquet." "Oh, there must be some mistake," I replied. "I am the singer. I sang for this wedding!" The gentleman calmly answered, "It doesn’t matter who you are or what you did, without your name in the book you cannot attend this banquet." As I looked around the room I thought briefly of running to the groom and trying to plead my case, but with a hundred guests on the stairs behind us and every place at the tables assigned according to the thoughtful choices of the bride and groom, I stood silent.
The gentleman with the book motioned to a waiter and said, "Show these people to the service elevator please." We followed the waiter past beautifully decorated tables laden with shrimp, whole smoked salmon, even gracefully carved ice sculptures. And adjacent to the banquet area was an orchestra, its members all dressed in dazzling white tuxedos, preparing to fill the room with glorious music.
We were led to the service elevator, stepped in, and the waiter himself pushed "G" for garage. My husband, thoughtfully, did not say a word, nor did I. As Roy drove out of the Columbia Tower garage, we both remained silent. After driving several miles in silence, Roy reached over and gently put his hand on my arm. "Sweetheart, what happened?"
And then I remembered: "When the invitation arrived for the reception I was very busy and I never bothered to return the RSVP. Besides, I was the singer, surely I could go to the reception without returning the RSVP!"
As we drove on I began to weep. I was not weeping because I had just missed the most lavish banquet of my life, but I was weeping because suddenly I knew what it will be like someday for people as they stand before the entrance of heaven: People who were too busy to respond to Christ’s invitation to His heavenly banquet. People who assumed that the good things they had done, even perfect church attendance or singing in the choir, would be enough to gain entry to heaven. People who will look for their name in the BookÉin the Lamb’s Book of Life and not find it there. People who did not have time to respond to Christ’s gracious invitation to have their sins forgiven and accept Him into their hearts.
And then I wept again because I was so grateful that I had, many years earlier, received Christ as my personal Savior and can be confident that my name is written in the most important book of all: The Lamb’s Book of Life. Is Yours?
IV. Set aside the temporal
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
a. This world is fleeing away / this life is but a vapor.
i. And yet the Bible teaches us that the decisions made in this brief life set the course for our eternal life with God or eternal separation from God in Hell.
ii. If you are unconvinced, you owe it to yourself to become convinced on this issue.
iii. Ignoring it and hiding from it will not make it go away.
I’ll tell you another Tucker story. Tucker thinks that if he isn’t looking at you he doesn’t have to acknowledge your instructions. He can be looking straight at me and I tell him, “Tucker, go lay down.” He will literally turn his head. When he turns his head, somehow he feels less responsible for the command. Turning you head from God will not make you less responsible. You must face this issue.
b. When you realize that God just simply wants you with him for eternity how could anyone turn away and accept His instructions.
i. How can this life compare to Eternity?
Conclusion: This is not trivial!!! None of us knows the day or hour we will die, so we must be ready now.
Are you ready?
