Are You Ready to Meet Christ?

INTRODUCTION

We just completed our study on the 5 solas of the Protestant Reformation

And in our study of each sola, we heard the process of our salvation

We heard that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone

So the question that comes out of those statements is “Are you ready to meet Christ?”

All of us need to be ready

If you are truly saved, you’re ready

And to be truly saved is to come to God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone

If you didn’t come that way, Scripture says you’re not saved, you’re not one of God’s children

So if you’re here this morning and you’re not saved, you’re most definitely not ready

But you need to understand there is something that God has prepared waiting for you

And you will experience it immediately upon your death

What is waiting for you?

It’s one of the two: heaven or hell

Those are the only two places mentioned in the Bible for people at death

You go immediately to one of those two places

For those going to heaven, this is a place that Jesus has prepared for you

When Jesus announced to His disciples that He was soon leaving, they were very saddened over it

And that is saying it mildly

They were “troubled” (tarasso, pres.pass.imp.), “disturbed” or “stirred up”

The ideas is they were “stricken with grief” (MCEDONTW)

They were “unsettled” by what He said

This was “severe mental or spiritual agitation” (MacArthur)

Lenski said...

The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel 5. The Comforting Explanation of Jesus’ Departure, 14:1–11

The last verse of this chapter shows that the entire chapter was spoken while Jesus and the eleven reclined at table in the upper room. The connection is direct. Jesus spoke of leaving the disciples (13:33)

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 36: John (Second Edition) The Departure and Return of Jesus (14:1–3)

The “turmoil” in which the disciples could be ensnared (μὴ ταρασσέσθω) is of the kind Jesus endured as he approached the grave of Lazarus (11:33), as he faced the cross (12:27), and as he contemplated the betrayal of Judas (13:21, see Comment on these sayings). The distress in view is bound up with their loss (through death) of Jesus.

So Jesus says to them in the present tense “Stop being troubled!”

Listen to John 14:1–3, “1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

This is the comfort He gave to His disciples

He said He was leaving and going back to the Father and they were heartbroken

But the comfort He gives is greater than the loss they were feeling

What He said to them He also says to us

As a follower of Jesus...

I. You Will See Him

At death

2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

Not only will you see Him when you die, but you will also see Him...

At judgment

There are three passages that I want to look at that indicate this

The first is in...

Luke 16:19-31.

This passage gives us the reality of hell

It also reveals the conscious state and reveals those who are in hell have a body fit for hell; it is not consumed in the fiery torment

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

We will say more about this later...

The second passage is...

Revelation 20:11–15, “11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Those who are in this passage are those who had died

They are “from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds”

He mentions their deeds again in verse 13, “they were judged, everyone of them according to their deeds”

The third passage is...

2 Corinthians 5:10, “10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Notice this passage is much different than the others because it pictures judgment in a different place but it’s not a judgment for sin. It’s a judgment for works as a follower of Christ

1 Corinthians 3 speaks of our motives that will be judged

Those that are built on “gold, silver, precious stones” or “wood, hay, straw” (v.12)

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:13–15, “13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

Some will survive the test of fire but others won’t

2 John speaks of receiving or losing rewards

These are also based on our works as believers

2 John 8, “Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.”

So you will see Him at death, at judgment or...

At the rapture

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, “13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

So you will see Him

That’s a fact

But when you see Him, what will He be to you?

II. Judge or Savior?

He is Judge to the Unsaved

But at Jesus’ first coming, He didn’t come to judge

Even though God gave all judgment to Him

John 5:22, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,”

That means He has the authority to judge

John 5:27, “and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

But according to John 3:17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Jesus said it again in John 12:47, “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

So at His first coming, He came as Savior not Judge

But at His second coming, He’s coming back not as Savior but as Judge

Acts 17:30–31, “30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.””

Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10, “7...when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.”

So to unbelievers He is Judge but to those who are saved...

He is Savior to the Saved

2 Thessalonians 1:10, says while He will dealing out retribution on the unsaved, He will “be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed...”

Revelation 7:9–12, “9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.””

There is something you need to come to grips with and it’s this...

III. Heaven and Hell Are Real

Most believe in heaven while many reject hell

But both are real places

One is called Paradise

This is the place where God dwells

In Deuteronomy 26:15 it is called His “holy habitation”

The word “heaven” is used some 551 times in the Bible

This is the place from which Jesus will come according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

It’s also called “the third heaven”

The first heaven is the sky

The second heaven is where the planets and stars are

The third heaven is what Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 12:4 as “Paradise”

When Jesus was crucified, there were two other men crucified with him, one on each side of Him with Him being in the middle

One of the thieves came to “fear God”

He also came to believe Jesus was more than a mere man but was the King

He said to Him in Luke 23:42, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!””

Jesus answered in verse 43, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.””

What is “Paradise”? Heaven

He knew he was guilty of his crime and was suffering justly for it

But he also knew that Jesus was innocent not deserving of any punishment

Knowing that he was about to die and stand before God, he said to Jesus, “remember me when you come in Your kingdom

The other thief didn’t believe any of this

Luke said of him in Luke 23:39 that he was “hurling abuse” at Jesus just like the unbelieving leaders and crowd

He was also questioning if Jesus was the Messiah and if He was to save Himself and them

When he died he went to hell for his unbelief

Now understand this: Just because you “say” you believe doesn’t make you a believer

You may believe the right things about Him and still be lost destined for hell

The apostle John stated in John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.””

The issue is obedience to Jesus

Paul when Jesus comes the second time, He will be “revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to thoese who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess.1:7-9).

Two real places...

One is heaven or paradise...

The Other is Called Hell

No one wants to talk about hell but we need to because everyone needs to be warned about this horrible place

This is the bad news of the gospel

It’s doom and gloom

And people think if they don’t talk about it, it’s not real and it won’t happen to them

But the Bible teaches there is a place called hell in which the wicked or unbelieving will be punished forever

Listen to a few verses that talk about this

Psalm 9:17 says, “The wicked shall be turned into hell.”

Luke 16:23 says, “In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments.”

Matthew 5:22 says, “Shall be in danger of hell-fire.”

Matthew 5:29-30 says, “Thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Matthew 10:28 says, “Both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 18:19 says, “Cast into hell-fire.”

Matthew 23:33 says, “How can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

Mark 9:43 uses the phrase “To go into hell.”

2 Peter 2:4 uses the phrase “Cast them down to hell.”

This is an actual place

It is a place of “torment”

It is a place of “fire”

It is a place of consciousness - It says the unbeliever “lifted up his eyes being in torment”

It is a place where you will have a “body and soul”

It is a place of “damnation”

Scripture also calls it “everlasting burning” (Isa.33:14), “no rest” (Rev.14:11), “no light” (Ps.49:19), “outer darkness” (Mat.8:12), “divine wrath” (Rev.14:10), constant “thirst” (Lk.16:24), a place of memory and remorse (Lk.16:19-31), a place of “no deliverance” (Ps.7:2) and a place where unbelievers will be forever (Isa.33:14)

Charles Spurgeon said...

"On every chain in hell, there is written 'forever.' In the fires, there blaze out the words, 'forever.' Up above their heads, they read 'forever.' Their eyes are galled, and their hearts are pained with the thought that it is 'forever.' (Ibid., Vol.1, p.314).

Jesus said to those on the wide road that leads to destruction

These are those who believed they were saved

But Jesus said otherwise

Matthew 7:21–23, “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

So let me ask...

IV. Which are you?

Ready or Not?

You’re either one or the other

If you have believed and confessed Christ you’re ready

If you have turned from your self and sin, you’re ready

In the words of Luke 9:23–24, “23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

To Those Who Are Not Ready

They will be in utter shock because many thought they were saved when they were not

John MacArthur said...

“Ninety percent of Americans believe in God; 85 percent say they believe in Jesus. Certainly, these people all think they’re headed for heaven. I’m quite sure that hell is populated mostly with people who are shocked to find themselves there.”

Jesus said in Matthew 7:22–23, “22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

CONCLUSION

That is the horrible reality waiting for you who are not ready

You can change that this morning by calling on Jesus to save you

Confess what the Bible says about Jesus

He is Lord

He is Savior

He is Redeemer

Believe what He has done for you

Died for your sins

Resurrected for your justification

Repent of your sinful condition

Paul said of the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10, “9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

Jesus said in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

Flee the wrath that is coming

Come to Jesus right now

Fall on your face before Him confessing Him as Lord

Call on Him to save you now

Let’s pray