The Reality of Eternal Life, Part 9
![Beliefs of the Biblical Christian, Part 9
Pt. 34, The Biblical Story
“The Reality of Eternal Life”
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© May 17, 2015
www.pastorkennedy.com
Our world is full of rules and regulations – which we call “doing right” or “doing wrong”. Whether we are living life, driving on the highway, or playing a league game, all reasonable expectations, directives and rules have the potential of reward or penalty, if we obey or disobey their requirements. Some of our actions may bring great blessing. Some of our actions cause serious outcomes, or critical damage to others or to the integrity of an individual, a company, a nation, or the world.
Consider these current event examples:
• The 32-year-old Amtrak Engineer Brandon Bostian, was at the train’s controls in Philadelphia, when at least 8 were killed and over 200 injured – when it derailed traveling in excess of 100 miles an hour around a curve – twice the speed limit.
o Was the train pressed to speed because they were so behind in the schedule?
o Was the engineer distracted because of a phone call or text message?
o Had a projectile broken through the windshield just before the crash which caused the engineer’s disorientation and confusion?
• ISIS
• “Deflategate”: Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, and winner of last year’s football Super bowl, was suspended four games and his team fined $1 Million dollars – the largest in league history, and they lost the first-round choice next year and the fourth-round choice in 2017, because of Tom’s suspected knowledge of tampering with the official pressure of the football. This would have potentially given him an advantage in throwing the ball. He looks like a movie star, is married to a supermodel, and has won four Super bowls, but this suspected tampering has caused the National Football League to fine him so “heavily” because of, in the NFL Commissioner’s words, “the critical importance of protecting the integrity of the game.”
How do we regard those who cause chaos, death, or break the rules in our world?
We justify rules and regulations in order that life can be experienced on as level a playing field as possible.
Speed limits and driving norms keep the roads as safe as can be expected…if individuals obey the laws.
We have considered the necessity for human beings to establish rules and regulations…“the critical importance of protecting [our] integrity.”
What About God’s Integrity?
How should God deal with a sinful human race?
• Does God have rules that are of critical importance in order to protect His integrity?
• How severe should be the consequences if we break His rules?
Today we are reviewing the fourteenth point of our Doctrinal Statement:
14. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. Revelation 20:11-15; 1 Corinthians 15:42-58; John 5:24-29
• The Saved: To the Resurrection of Life
• The Lost: To the Resurrection of Damnation
What does it mean to “Be Saved”?
1. Forgiveness of sins – before God (Psalm 32:1-2; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 9:22; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; Col. 1:13-14).
2. Redemption, and Reconciliation with God (Matt. 1:21; Rom. 3:22-26; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 5:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:18-21).
3. Escape from God’s Wrath (1 Thess. 5:9; John 3:36; Rom. 1:18-20; 2:5; 5:6-11).
4. Becoming a Child of God and experiencing Eternal Life with Him in His Eternal Kingdom (John 3:3-8; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Rom. 8:17; Col. 1:4-5; 2 Tim. 4:7-8)
There are many verses in the Bible having to do with “Being Saved”, the following are just a few samplings:
John 3:17
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 10:9
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Acts 2:21
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Acts 4:12
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 16:30–31
30 Then he (the Jailer) brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Romans 5:9
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
God’s desire is that everyone find repentance and be saved (1 Tim. 2:3-4), and He has provided a way of salvation through Christ’s Sacrifice, but He also knows the human heart and who, by faith, will receive His Salvation. God has appointed a time of Judgment for all mankind.
…It is appointed for man to die once,
and after that comes judgment...
Hebrews 9:27
John 5:24–29
24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.
Judgment of the Peoples of the Nations
Matthew 25:31–46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
The Saved: To the Resurrection of Life
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right,
• ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
• Take your inheritance,
• The kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
Qualities of the Righteous
o 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, [Compassionate]
• hungry: 1 to hunger, be hungry. 1a to suffer want. 1b to be needy. 2 metaph. to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire.1
• gave me something: 1 to give. 2 to give something to someone. 2a of one’s own accord to give one something, to his advantage. 2a1 to bestow a gift. 2b to grant, give to one asking, let have. 2c to supply, furnish, necessary things. 2d to give over, deliver. 2d1 to reach out, extend, present. 1
o I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
[Thoughtful and Understanding]
• thirsty: 1 to suffer thirst, suffer from thirst. 1a figuratively, those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened. 1
• something to drink: 1 to give to drink, to furnish drink. 2 to water, irrigate (plants, fields etc.). 3 metaph. to imbue, saturate one’s mind. 1
o I was a stranger and you invited me in,
[Considerate and Hospitable]
• stranger: 1 a foreigner, a stranger. 1a alien (from a person or a thing). 1b without the knowledge of, without a share in. 1c new, unheard of. 1
• invited me in: 1 to gather together, to gather. 1a to draw together, collect. 1a1 of fishes. 1a2 of a net in which they are caught. 2 to bring together, assemble, collect. 2a to join together, join in one (those previously separated). 1
o 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,
[Observant and Perceptive]
• needed clothes: 1 properly. 1a unclad, without clothing, the naked body. 1b ill clad. 1c clad in undergarments only (the outer garments or cloak being laid aside). 1d of the soul, whose garment is the body, stripped of the body, without a body. 2 metaph. 2a naked, i.e. open, lay bare. 2b only, mere, bare, i.e. mere grain not the plant itself. 1
• you clothed me: 1 to throw around, to put around. 1b of garments, to clothe one. 1b1 to put a thing on one. 1b2 to clothe one with a thing. 1c to put on or clothe one’s self. 1
o I was sick and you looked after me,
[Caring]
• sick: 1 to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless. 2 to be weak in means, needy, poor. 3 to be feeble, sick. 1
• looked after: 1 to look upon or after, to inspect, examine with the eyes. 1a in order to see how he is, i.e. to visit, go to see one. 1a1 the poor and afflicted, the sick. 1b to look upon in order to help or to benefit. 1b1 to look after, have care for, provide for: of God. 1c to look (about) for, look out (one to choose, employ, etc.). 1
o I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
[Takes Initiative to go out of one’s way to help those in need]
• in prison: 1c of the place where captives are kept, a prison. 1
came to visit: 1a2 to appear, make one’s appearance.1
1All Greek word definitions are from Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Job’s God-honoring Life
Look at the qualities that Job evidenced in his life…a life that was exemplary before God:
Job 31:13–32
13 “If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants
when they had a grievance against me,
14 what will I do when God confronts me?
What will I answer when called to account?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless—
18 but from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my birth I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a garment,
20 and his heart did not bless me
for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,
and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.
24 “If I have put my trust in gold
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
the fortune my hands had gained,
26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune
or gloated over the trouble that came to him—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against his life— ….
The record of Job’s life (from one of the first known Biblical books), as a man who was honorable to God, reveals the consistency of the attributes of God fearing persons throughout the history of mankind.
David’s Account of the Godly
Observe what David believed to be qualities that were exemplary before God:
Psalm 15
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
2 He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.
What are God’s Qualities?
Psalm 86:15
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
What Reflects the Character of God?
As Children of God, we should reflect the Character of God in how we treat each other and the way we love each other.
Psalm 112:4
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Judgment of the Peoples of the Nations, cont.
Matthew 25:41–46
The Lost: To the Resurrection of Damnation
41 “Then he will say to those on his left,
• ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
• into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Character Traits of the Damned
o 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, [Stingy/with little Compassion]
o I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, [Thoughtless]
o 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, [Inhospitable/Inconsiderate]
o I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, [Selfish]
o I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ [Would not go out of his or her way]
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
The Carnal Evidence of Our Selfish Nature
Romans 1:29–32
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Those who live for themselves and for the “fruit” of their own glory in this world, reflect the carnality of their own selfishness…even when they do “good deeds”.
Salvation is not obtained through our Goodness, or “Looking Good”
• The Scripture is crystal clear regarding how sinful mankind is given “Salvation” as a free gift.
• Our Salvation and Eternal Life is not based on how kind we are or how many good deeds we do.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Titus 3:4–7
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
• Our works, or our great attitude will not bring a sinful person into a Holy God’s Presence for Eternity.
• Salvation is only through the Redemption of the Shed Blood of Jesus Christ.
• The Qualities of our life are evidences of an internal transformation by the Power of the Holy Spirit, making us Justified before God. This transformation enables us to live a Life Pleasing to God, evidencing true and Godly traits honorable before God and our fellow man.
• The carnal person desperately wants to “look good” before everyone else, but their goal for the benefit of the pride of his or her own self-image and success.
• The qualities pleasing to God in the life of the believer in Christ are genuine, with or without the admiration of those who are looking at us, and are revealed, and are rewarded as “good fruit” evidencing our relationship with God.
This brings us to our final passage today regarding Eternity and the necessity of our names being recorded in the Book of Life – by Grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9)…The Book of Life:
The Names in the Book of Life
Revelation 20:11–15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Conclusion
• Does God have rules that are of critical importance in order to protect His integrity?
• How severe should be the consequences if we break His rules?
• Has God provided a way whereby lost and condemned mankind can be “Saved”?
• How will our Redemption from Sin and Salvation be Judged before God?
Romans 5:9
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
How “Real” is the Reality of Eternal Life?
14. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. Revelation 20:11-15; 1 Corinthians 15:42-58; John 5:24-29
What will happen at the Judgment of the Peoples of the Nations?
• Will the actions of our life be judged?
• As Children of God, we should reflect the Character of God in how we treat each other and the way we love each other.
• Can We Ever “Be Saved” because of our “Good Attitude” or “Good Works”?
• What are qualities of life God honors?
• Who are the ones who have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life?
John 20:31
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
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.
…It is appointed for man to die once,
and after that comes judgment...
Hebrews 9:27](Pt._34,_Beliefs_of_the_Biblical_Christian,_Part_9_%28Eternal_Life%29_files/shapeimage_1.png)
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