INTRODUCTION
Organ music background… Pall bearers bring out casket and position. Show their respects. Walk off platform. PAUSE. Dennis Enters!!!
1. Did you really think I was in this casket? I’ll often do some
things to make the point – nope, not this time! Even I have my limits…
2. Today, we begin our new teaching series – What’s Next?
• Over the next few weeks, we will be asking lots of questions and searching the Bible for the answers…
• Why would I go to the Bible for the answers about What’s Next? Because of last week’s Celebration – Jesus has Risen from the Dead.
• If Jesus has faced death, experienced death and conquered death – I want to hear what He has to say about it!
• Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at how the Bible answers questions like -- What is Heaven Like? What is Hell like? Who will be in Heaven and who will be in Hell? What will we do in Heaven? Will we ever get bored in Heaven? How do we get to Heaven?
• The question we’ll ask today to get us started, is this – What Happens When I Die?
3. What I so want to accomplish in the next weeks is this –
• I want you to know the Truth… about What’s Next. not what some think, not what a Television series thinks, not what some best selling fiction novel says, not what the movies portray
• I want this Study to -- intensify your Hope for Heaven and your Hatred of Hell.
• I want you to know the Rewards of Heaven and the Reality of Hell… To know the Comfort of Heaven and the Condemnation of Hell
• I want each of us to understand that Heaven is Awesome and Hell is Awful
• I want us to grasp that Heaven is far better and Hell is far worse than anything I could ever communicate and articulate…
4. (eg) Think with me about this question -- Where might we hear the most confusing and contradictory information about what happens when people die?
• Movie Theater? DVDs? Television? Death, the afterlife, ghosts, spiritual things are popular topics…
• Liberal Universities and Colleges – Secular and Religious?
• On Bookshelves, at the Bookstore? Again our culture is fascinated with the Beyond…
• Talk shows – Radio and Television? Internet? Music industry?
• All with an opinion about death and what happens when we die…
5. For me – where do people hear the most misleading and mistaken information about death? At funerals…
• Some of the worst Theology, False Teaching, the most Confusing and Contradicting things read, sung and spoken – happen at funerals…
• At some funerals – death is nothing like what the Bible says…
6. So what Happens When we Die? When we stop breathing, when our heart stops beating – what happens?
What Happens When I Die? At that very moment…
You Realize – You Really died!
1. We often think and we often believe and we often live with this notion -- it won’t happen to me. Death isn’t going to knock at my door. Too young! Too much to do!
• But the reality is – it WILL happen to me and it WILL happen to you.
2. The polls have been taken. The research completed. The data tabulated. The results are in – Statistically -- 1 out of every 1 person dies.
• The mortality rate of every person on this planet is 100%. 1 out of every 1 person will die.
• It’s gonna happen… Death will happen. Each one of us is terminal
• For many of us here, we understand that Jesus promised to come back and may come back while we are still living – but if not in our “lifetime”… we will die…
• We will ALL die at some point, at some time, at some place...
• Death is Certain! Inevitable. Inescapable. Absolute.
3. (eg) I’ve read that Worldwide – 3 people die every second. 180 people die every minute. 10,800 die every hour. 259,000 die every day. 1,814,400 every week.
• Each with a name. Each with a family. Each with a soul. Each with an Eternity.
4. And yet, of all the things we don’t want to discuss – it’s death.
• If we don’t talk about it then I don’t have to think about it. And if I don’t think about it then I don’t have to deal with it…
• But there’s always that nagging and gnawing question – What’s Next? It’s always there…
5. It all started back in the Garden of Eden… By God’s original design and His original desire – we were never supposed to die… Never…
• Genesis 2:15-17 – 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
• Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent’s lies. They ate from the tree…
• And everything changed. Sin changed everything! Disobedience changed everything! Their Choice changed everything…
• And now everything is dying and everything dies…
• All the pain, all the suffering, all the death – came from sin… Their sin and our sin.
6. And because of this sin -- Death is a separation… We often talk about Death in several ways…
• Physically – when we die physically, it means our bodies die and our spirit is separated from this body. This body is a part of who we are – but WHO we are is not this body… WHO we are exists beyond this body. Our spirit lives on… Our spirit is eternal.
• Spiritually – when we die spiritually, it means our bodies may be alive, but because of our sin, we are spiritually separated from God. Separated from His Closeness; His Presence; His Nearness; from His Promise. We are spiritually dead.
• Adam and Eve were banished from God’s presence in the Garden of Eden… no longer to enjoy the closeness, the relationship with God. Sin separates.
• Eternally – we die eternally when – If we have not accepted Christ in this life -- we are completely, finally absolutely and eternally separated from God…
What Happens When I Die? At that very moment…
You Realize – This Life is Short!
1. When you die -- You’ve just entered Eternity – this life is just a moment, blink, a moment…
2. With a clear perspective on Eternity and life -- James 4:13-15 – 13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that."
• (eg) Use an aerosol can -- You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes…
3. (eg) For several months, I have been living with the question – What’s Next? I have come across so much information and so many resources…
4. www.deathclock.com – here’s the description --- “Welcome to the Death Clock(TM), the Internet’s friendly reminder that life is slipping away... second by second. Like the hourglass of the Net, the Death Clock will remind you just how short life is.”
• I started filling out the survey -- I plugged in my birth date. I’m a male. My Mode select was optimistic. Calculated my BMI – Body Mass Index based on my height and weight, selected – non-smoker and then clicked the button – “Check Your Death Clock” and waited…
• A few moments later the screen pops up with the calculation of – My Personal Day of Death – April 19th, 2048 and there was another number counting down – seconds to live == 1 billion, 230 million, 983 thousand and 111 seconds counting down…
• So I thought I would change the survey – what if I lost some weight… oh good – My Body Mass Index number went down so I inserted the new number and clicked – Check Your Death Clock… My Personal Day of Death – April 18th, 2049 – I gained a year, another 30 million seconds…
• Great – lose the weight… But something happened and I lost the data I had just entered. I went back and put in the original data so I could confirm the information for you – clicked “Check Your Death Clock”… Gave me a new date -- Now My New Personal Day of Death was Friday, March 26th, 2032… somehow in 2 minutes – I lost about 17 years of my life…
• I quickly hit Control ALT delete – shut down my computer, bought a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and went home, laid on the sofa to watch TV…
• Oh yeah -- On the “My Personal Day of Death” screen it did have a button to CLIK called Delay Your Date of Death… I clicked it and it went to a new website called – “The Health Clock – Life is good, why not extend it?”
5. (eg) In the spirit of thinking about What’s Next? I have an APP on my phone called LifeCalc --- I answered more questions and it calculated the length of my life –
• On the screen it says – You still have… (Read time…)
• It’s there counting down the seconds of my life…
• Good reminder – as it counts down the minutes of my life – it’s a reminder to make every minute count.
6. Denial and Donuts won’t change the fact – we’re all gonna die someday… There may be some things may change when we die – but nothing changes that we will die…
• Death – we realize no matter how long one lives – it’s never long enough… 9 months, 9 years or 90 years – life is short…
• Psalm 90:12 – Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
What Happens When I die? At that very moment…
You Realize – there is more!
1. This life is not all there is – there is more… When you die, instantly – you will know it - like you’ve never known it before - there is more… this life is not all there is…
• Death is Final but there’s more! Eternity is Real…
• When you die -- There is no longer any guessing… no longer any “I hope so” or “I think so…”
• When you die – you realize – there’s more! There is more… it may not be the more many are wishing for…
2. Luke 16… (turn in your Bibles) we’re going to come back to this Scripture several times through our study to look at from different angles… Today, look at to understand – there’s more after this life. There is more – after we die… Jesus tells this story…
3. Luke 16:19-31 – 19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
• This teaching isn’t just about having money or not having money in this life – we learn money isn’t everything for this life or what’s next…
22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.
• To the place where Abraham was… Sometimes we call it -- Paradise… it’s called Heaven
The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, *
• Do you have a footnote? footnote – Hades… this translation, like others including the King Kames Version, create some confusion – we’ll discuss the difference between Hades and Hell in coming weeks
where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ’Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 "But Abraham replied, ’Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 "He answered, ’Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 "Abraham replied, ’They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 "’No, father Abraham,’ he said, ’but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 "He said to him, ’If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’"
There is more… it may not be the more many are wishing for…
What Happens When I Die? At that very moment…
You Realize – Your Eternity has already been Decided
1. There are only 2 Eternal and Ultimate Destinations…
• There is no – “one place fits all”
• There are only 2 options. 2 Destinies. 2 Eternities.
• Those 2 Eternal Destinations are Decided before you die…
2. Be sure to understand this – Heaven is not the Default Destination.
• Heaven is not where everyone goes – just because… No one goes to Heaven automatically.
• Hell is the only alternative to Heaven… Heave is Awesome – Hell is Awful
3. What’s Next is determined by What’s Now! Now - You choose. You make the choice.
• And that choice all has to do with Jesus!
4. John 3:16-19 – 16 "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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
5. Listen to the sobering words of Jesus when He describes the magnitude of this decision… Everyone is not going to Heaven! Jesus makes it clear – MOST people are NOT going to Heaven…
• Matthew 7:13-14 – 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
• Read it again…
6. Hebrews 9:27-28 -- And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment; 28 so also Christ died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him. NLT
7. We dare not “wait and see” when it comes to What’s Next after we die…
• We shouldn’t cross our fingers and hope our names are written in the Book of Life…
8. There is no second chance. No do-over…
• Once you die – all your decisions have been made. All Destinies have been Determined.
• This life is not a practice test… this is for real. We only get one shot…
9. The life to come is determined by the life you live – right here and right now!
• The Decision God makes then – is determined by the Decision you make now, in this life…
• The Choice is yours and the choice is made here…
10. ?????Do you remember what we read last week? Jesus has Risen from the Dead! John believed it! John had seen Jesus… Listen to what he writes…
• John 20:30-31 -- 30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
• 1 John 5:13 -- I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
CONCLUSION –
1. What happens when we die? Everyone will believe, “Jesus is Lord!”
2. Live for Jesus now and you will live with Jesus then…
• Live for Jesus in this Life and you will Live with Jesus in the Next
3. Decision is yours! The Choice is Yours! What you decide now is making the Decision then.
• What you decide in this life determines your Eternity.
• Your choice can change everything! Everything about this life. Everything about what’s Next!
• But when you die – all decisions have been made…
