Pastor Michael DePhillips
www.forministry.com/39355PHBC
“ THE MASTER COMES AND HE CALLETH FOR THEE “
JOHN 10:27-30
READ OPENING SCRIPTURE AND THEN OPEN IN PRAYER
1. PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN LIFE AFTER DEATH
A. EARLIEST MAN BURIED THEIR DEAD WITH WEAPONS AT HAND
B. INDIANS IN THE AMERICA’S BURIED THEIR WARRIORS ON THEIR FAVORITE HORSE AND WITH ALL THE ESSENTIALS FOR A JOURNEY
C. EGYPTIANS BURIED THEIR DEAD WITH TREASURE, FOOD AND EVEN SLAVES
HISTORY PROVES THAT PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS HOPED FOR AN AFTERLIFE, THAT THERE IS SOME PART OF US THAT CONTINUES TO LIVE ON SOMEPLACE ELSE. THAT THIS BODY OF FLESH CAN NOT CONTAIN ALL THAT WE ARE.
EARLY EXPLORERS TO THE NEW WORLD SEARCHED FOR THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH TO NO AVAIL IN THE HOPE THAT THEY WOULD DISCOVER THE WAY TO DEFEAT DEATH. WE ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN OUR ANCESTORS BECAUSE WE STILL SEARCH FOR THE SECRET OF LIFE SO THAT WE MAY EXTEND OUR EXISTENCE ON EARTH.
MEN AND WOMEN AND CHILDREN HAVE ALWAYS LONGED FOR AND HOPED FOR ETERNAL LIFE AND MOST WOULD GIVE ALL THAT THEY HAVE AND ALL THEY EVER HOPED TO HAVE FOR THE CHANCE AT ETERNAL LIFE. OUR SEARCH HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND THE WAY OF ALL FLESH IS TO SOMEDAY DIE.
1. ONLY ONE MAN IN HISTORY HAS EVER CLAIMED TO HAVE THE KEY TO ETERNAL LIFE AND HIS NAME IS JESUS. TRULY MAN YET TRULY GOD WITH US AND HE PROMISED TWO THINGS TO THOSE WHO WILL BELIEVE IN HIM…
A. HE PROMISED ETERNAL LIFE TO ALL THAT BELIEVE IN HIM
JOHN 3:16 “ FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.”
B. PROVED THAT HE IS CAPABLE OF GRANTING US VICTORY OVER DEATH BY BECAUSE HE HAS CONQUERED DEATH
REVELATION 1:17-18 “ AND WHEN I SAW HIM I FELL AT HIS FEET AS IF I WERE DEAD AND HE LAID HIS RIGHT HAND UPON ME AND SAID, FEAR NOT; I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST. I AM HE THAT LIVETH AND THEN WAS DEAD AND BEHOLD I AM ALIVE FOREVERMORE, AMEN AND HAVE THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH.”
HOW DOES SOMEONE COME TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?
1. NOT SIMPLY BY BELIEVING IN GOD JAMES 2:19 “ YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ONE GOD? YOU DO WELL TO BELIEVE THAT FOR EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE AND TREMBLE”
WE DON’T RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE BY SIMPLY BELIEVING THAT THERE IS A GOD ANY MORE THAN WE CAN RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE BY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP, GOOD WORKS OR EVEN BY OBSERVING SOME RELIGIOUS RITUAL OR TRADITION. JESUS SAID THAT HE WAS THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE AND HE POINTED TO HIMSELF IN HIS GOSPEL AS RECORDED BY JOHN THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER IN VERSE 25
“ JESUS SAID UNTO HER, I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME THOUGH HE WERE DEAD YET SHALL HE LIVE.”
MARTHA HAD JUST FINISHED BURYING HER BROTHER LAZARUS WHO HAD DIED OF AN UNKNOWN ILLNESS THAT CHRIST MIGHT HAVE CURED… YET FROM HER EXPERIENCE WE GET A GLIMPSE OF THE POWER OF OUR SAVIOR.
1. ETERNAL LIFE IS GIVEN TO US BY THE PERSON OF GOD’S ONLY SON JESUS AND OUR BELIEF IN HIS ABILITY TO REDEEM US BY HIS SACRIFICE ON CALVARY’S HILL NAILED TO A ROUGH HEWN CROSS TO BRIDGE THE DISTANCE THAT EXISTED BETWEEN SINFUL MAN AND A HOLY GOD
2. BELIEF IS NOT MERELY APPROVING OF THE PLAN OF SALVATION BUT INSTEAD IS TRUSTING IN CHRIST JESUS MORE THAN WE DO ANYTHING ELSE
3. JESUS WANTS TO BE LORD OF ALL OR NOT AT ALL
WE HAVE GATHERED HERE IN THIS LITTLE CHAPEL TODAY TO SAY GOODBYE TO A MAN THAT WE HAVE COME TO LOVE AND WHO HAS BEEN SET FREE FROM THIS EARTHLY EXISTENCE. EDWIN WAS IN MY PRAYERS EACH DAY FOR THE FINAL FEW WEEKS OF HIS LIFE AND AS A MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL I MADE MY WAY TO THE HOSPITAL TO SPEAK WITH HIM. I SPOKE WITH HIM OF THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS THE MOMENT AFTER OUR EYES CLOSE IN DEATH…
DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU WOULD GO TO HEAVEN IF YOU WERE TO DIE AT THIS MOMENT?
EDWIN WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK TO ME BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS OF EARTHLY PHYSICIANS TO SAVE HIS LIFE IN THE BODY THAT WAS SHUTTING DOWN. I COME HERE TO TELL YOU THAT EDWIN KNEW THE GREAT PHYSICIAN AND HOLDING HIS HAND IN MINE HE WAS ABLE TO CONVEY TO ME IN PRAYER BY SQUEEZING MY HAND THAT HE WAS READY TO MEET HIS RISEN SAVIOR. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT WHERE TWO OR MORE ARE GATHERED IN JESUS NAME THAT CHRIST SAID THERE I AM IN THE MIDST OF THEM? THE HOLY PRESENCE OF CHRIST FILLED THAT HOSPITAL ROOM AS TWO MEN AGREED ON THE NEED OF FORGIVENESS AND AS THE TEARS FELL THERE WAS A PEACE THAT FILLED MY HEART AND HIS. I SHARE WITH YOU TODAY THAT EDWIN IS NOW IN THAT GREAT PLACE WE ALL LONG FOR, IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST FOREVERMORE.
SOME OF YOU ARE GRIEVING AT THE LOSS YOU HAVE SUFFERED JUST AS THE SISTER OF MARTHA WAS AND YOU NEED TO HEAR THE SAME WORDS THAT SHE DID AT THE LOSS OF HER LOVED ONE…
“ THE MASTER COMES AND HE CALLETH FOR THEE “
AND I KNOW IN MY HEART THAT EDWIN WOULD WANT ME TO SHARE WITH YOU THE NEED YOU HAVE FOR A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST. BECAUSE OF HIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL SAVIOR AND ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST JESUS ARE WE ABLE TO HAVE EVERY HOPE THAT OUR DEPARTED LOVED ONE IS NOW IN HEAVEN.
A. NOT BECAUSE OF SOME EXTERNAL THING THAT HE HAS DONE
1. THAT HE WAS A MEMBER OF MAUREPAS BAPTIST CHURCH
2. THAT HE WAS ORDAINED TO THE DEACON MINISTRY MANY YEARS AGO
3. AND NOT BECAUSE HE OBSERVED SOME RELIGIOUS RITUAL OR TRADITION
BUT INSTEAD WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE HOPE THAT EDWIN IS NOW EMBRACED IN THE NAIL PIERCED HANDS OF HIS SAVIOR BECAUSE AT THE MOMENT IN HIS LIFE WHEN THE MASTER CAME AND CALLED FOR HIM….
HE HAD PUT HIS TRUST IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST TO WASH HIS SINS AWAY AND WE KNOW THAT GOD IS FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN WE ARE NOT. BECAUSE OF THAT MOMENT IN TIME WHEN HE TRUSTED CHRIST AS HIS PERSONAL SAVIOR THE ONE WHOSE NAME IS ABOVE EVERY NAME WROTE THE NAME OF EDWIN SANCHEZ IN THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE…
THE MASTER COMES AND HE CALLETH FOR THEE, AND YOU TOO MUST MAKE THE SAME DECISION FOR CHRIST…
IN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST JESUS AS RECORDED BY JOHN THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER IT SAYS
“ LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED: YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME. IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS, IF IT WERE NOT TRUE I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU, I GOD TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. AND IF I GO THERE AND PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU, I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF THAT WHERE I AM, YOU MAY BE ALSO… PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU, MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU: NOT AS THE WORLD GIVES, GIVE I UNTO YOU. LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, NEITHER LET IT BE AFRAID.”
IN CLOSING LET ME SHARE WITH YOU A FAVORITE HYMN WRITTEN BY FANNY J. CROSBY WHO WAS BLIND YET I BELIEVE SHE SAW MORE CLEARLY THAN US INTO THE REALM OF HEAVEN…
“ SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS “
SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS, SAFE ON HIS GENTLE BREAST
THERE BY HIS LOVE OVERSHADOWED, SWEETLY MY SOUL SHALL REST.
LISTEN TIS THE VOICE OF ANGELS, BORNE IN A SONG TO ME
OVER THE FIELDS OF GLORY, DOWN BY THE JASPER SEA.
SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS, SAFE FROM CORRODING CARE
SAFE FROM THE WORLD’S TEMPTATIONS, SIN CAN NO LONGER HARM ME THERE.
FREE FROM THIS WORLD OF SORROW, FREE FROM ALL DOUBT AND FEARS.
ONLY A FEW MORE TRIALS, AND ONLY A FEW MORE TEARS.
JESUS MY HEART’S DEAR REFUGE, FOR HE HAS DIED FOR ME
FIRM ON THE ROCK OF AGES, EVER MY TRUST SHALL BE.
HERE LET ME WAIT WITH PATIENCE, WAIT TILL THE NIGHT IS OER
WAIT TILL I CAN SEE MORNING, BREAK ON THAT GOLDEN SHORE.
SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS, SAFE ON HIS GENTLE BREAST
THERE BY HIS LOVE OVERSHADOWED, SWEETLY MY SOUL SHALL REST.
( CLOSING PRAYER )
