There Is A Call And You Have Heard It

Sermon: There is a Call For You!

Jesus Christ our All In ALL

A bank in Binghamton, New York sent a floral arrangement to a business that had recently moved into a new building. There was a mix up at the florist, and the card sent with the arrangement read, “With our deepest sympathy.” The florist apologized, but became even more embarrassed when he learned that the floral arrangement sent to a funeral home read, “Congratulations on your new location.”

For many of us, who are Christian anyway, we look forward to heaven, we look forward to our new location.

Ask any little boy or girl who has lost a mom or a dad in death and they will tell you that their mom or dad is waiting for them in heaven.

Ask any elderly gentleman or lady who has lost their lifetime spouse and they will say they cant wait to be reunited in heaven.

Heaven holds for us all the things earth does not. It holds a chance, it holds a possiblility that maybe this life is not all there is.

Thank goodness that this(pointing to grave) is not all there is. Thank goodness we can go on and we are not limited to this life or in the case of Brians dad, not this death.

We have been given a shot at that heavenly eternal life by means of Christ Jesus. He has made it possible for us to receive the heavenly gift.

Now its all good and well to say that heaven is ours if we are little boys and girls. I mean haven’t we been taught from the time we could reason our way out a hiding that if you are good you go to heaven and if you are naughty you go to hell.

But what does that do for us right now God? What does that do for us while we are down here slogging away at trying to be good, doing our utmost to figure out a good way to live lif and it seems sometimes that all we get is the bum deal.

Whether you are Christian or not, you have to admit that for a bunch of people who are loved by God as much as he loves us, we do sometimes come off second best.

Oh we can walk around and whine about how difficult life is, we can walk around complaining and speaking more depression and woe is me into your life, or we can stand up and start living our lives like we are going to heaven.

If you are invited out to a very larny place or dinner. Black tie is required. During the day and while you are getting ready for to go, you get ready to go don’t you. You purchase new clothing, you prepare things, you get dressed in your best, and you live life like you are going somewhere special.

Well if we are going to heaven, start living your life like you are going somewhere special.

Lets be honest here.

We have already come along way in Christ. Turn to your neighbour, pat them on the back and say “You have come along way in Christ.”

I mean lets look at where we would be without the belief of Jesus. We would be sinners without any possibility of bettering ourselves. Improving who we are...

But we had to do die to that old life. We died and repented from the old way of life.

And then through the resuurection of Jesus, we were able to be resuurected or born again to a new way. A new set of ways of doing things.

So we have died, we have risen.

And thats where many of us stay. We are Christian. We believe in Jesus Christ and we have become better people. Well let me tell you, if thats all there was, I would be climbing off the Christian bus right now. Thank you God that repentance is an on going journey. Thank you Lord I am working every day at things to improve, be better, try harder and conquer more.

But there is more. You see if we are truly modelling our lives after Christ, then yes we died with him, yes we rose with him, But according to Eph 2:6, we have also ascended with him to heaven.

So we don’t have to wait for the walker to need oil, the walking stick to go for a service or the ventilator to pack up for us to meet our God. Because of what Christ has done by takng us with him when he acended, we can start right now with a relationship with God, that is so direct, so personal that the conversation Brian had with God can be yours.

We need to start living a life not like we have so much to do still before we can have a relationship with God, but we need to start living a life knowing that we are already there.