What Do I Believe About Eternity? Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• Today we will complete our WHAT DO I BELIEVE ABOUT series with the crown jewel of the series!

• If you will embrace the past nine beliefs of the Christian faith in your heart and mind, you will experience an enhanced quality of life like never before.

• I can attest to the truth of this through my own life. Having Jesus as my Lord and Savior has made my life fulfilling, purposeful, joyful, and I pray, a blessing to others.

• Over the past nine weeks we have examined issues concerning the existence of God, how to have a relationship with Him.

• We have examined what we believe concerning humanity, and how we ought to deal with humanity.

• WE talk a lot about how a relationship with Jesus can change your life, but today we are going to tackle the key question for today, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

• When this life is over, what happens next? Do we die, go into the ground and cease to exist, are in in some state of nothingness floating around haunting stuff in Tombstone?

• All of us are on a journey, all of us are walking on a path, Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 7:13-14

• SLIDE #2

• Matthew 7:13–14 (HCSB) — 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

• Jesus reminds us there are two possible paths to follow, one the wide path that will lead to destruction, and the narrow path that will lead to life.

• When Jesus speaks of these choices He is not merely speaking of the abundant life we can now enjoy in Christ, or the life of ruin we can experience outside of Christ, He is speaking of eternity and the possible outcomes we can choose.

• Our key thought for today is:

• I believe there is a heaven and a hell, and that Jesus will return to judge all people and to establish His Eternal Kingdom!

• The reason we can surmise that Jesus is speaking of something deeper than our physical existence is the fact that…

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. Physical death is not the end of your existence.

• When one considers what happens next, after we breath our last breathe, we need to understand that when we die physically, it is just our body that dies, our spirit is released from the body to go to its appointed place.

• Listen to what Jesus says in John 14:1-4

• SLIDE #4

• John 14:1–4 (HCSB) — 1 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.”

• Jesus speaks of leaving the disciples so that He could go prepare a place for them.

• If Jesus stayed dead, then He could not prepare anything for anyone!

• And notice Jesus speaks of His Father’s house. He does not speak of His Father’s tomb or mausoleum!

• The word translated HOUSE is the word denoting a dwelling place that serves as living quarters for one or more families.

• One does not live in a grave, you live in a house!

• Jesus showed us that death can be death can be defeated!

• SLIDE #5

• 1 Corinthians 15:20–22 (HCSB) — But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

• We will all die physically because of Adam, because Adam’s sin brought forth death, but in Christ, we will all be made alive again!

• In the Matthew 7:13-14 passage, Jesus offers both a warning, a warning to make sure we do not end up on the wide path to destruction and an encouragement to stay on the narrow path that leads to life both now and for eternity!

• So what happens next?

• When we die, when you are in Christ, your spirit goes to dwell with Him until the Second Coming, when Jesus returns and this time period of complete!