Back To The Basics Part 2
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Introduction:
Introduction:
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
Over the past couple of years we’ve been doing that through the NT book of Acts. A book written by a First Century disciple named Luke who wrote it for a couple of reasons:
First, to give us a history of how the church started, who was there, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, in a way, to give us a template on how to accomplish the mission that Jesus gave us to take the gospel to the entire world.
With that said, if you haven’t been with us I would encourage you to go online to http://www.mcf.life or to our Facebook page where you can watch previous messages leading up to today.
Today however we are finishing out Acts 24 as we rejoin the Apostle Paul on his journey towards Rome.
You may recall this journey started back in Ephesus as Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, began his journey towards the Roman capital. A journey that surprisingly has led Paul to a Roman jail cell in the city of Caesarea.
But as we learned last week, it will be through his imprisonment that Paul’s greatest opportunities to share the gospel will come. And not only that, but it will be through his imprisonment that Paul’s journey to Rome will come to fruition.
But until then, Paul will have other opportunities to share the gospel with powerful men, one of which we read about last week as Paul was brought before Felix the Roman governor. Luke stated it like this:
24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”
In this passage Luke tells us that Felix is curious about Paul’s faith in Jesus and wants to know more.
And as we learned last week, it is through this interaction that Paul proclaims what you might call the basics of the gospel to Felix.
And when I say basics, I’m talking about the ABC’s of what it means to put your faith in Jesus and follow Him. Which is something all of us need to understand if we not only want to follow Jesus, but also lead others to Him.
That being the case, last week we looked at 2 of the 3 Gospel basics that Paul shared with Felix.
The first one had to do with righteousness and our ability to be right with God.
And what we learned is not only are we not righteous, but we don’t have the ability to be righteous.
In other words, regardless of what we do or how good we think we are, we don’t have the ability to be good enough for God. Paul states it like this in Roman 3:
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
Paul says nobody is righteous before God.
Why aren’t we righteous? We’re not righteous because we’ve broken God’s law.
The good news though is, because God loves us, He sent somebody who was righteous to save us, and His name is Jesus. Jesus puts it like this:
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
In this passage Jesus identifies himself as the one who God has sent to solve our sin problem and make us righteous before God.
How did He do it? He did it by becoming the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Paul states it like this in 2 Corinthians 5:
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Paul says Jesus, who knew no sin, took on our sin, and in doing so gave us His righteousness. A righteousness that now comes through faith in Jesus. Paul puts it like this in
Ephesians 2:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
What that means then is, if we are willing to recognize we are sinners in need of saving, and we are willing to put our faith in what Jesus did for us, we can be saved. Paul states it like this in Romans 10:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
So, this is the first Gospel basic that Paul lays out to Felix.
The second had to do with what life after a decision to follow Jesus should look like. And as we learned it now involves a life of Spirit led self-control.
And when I say Spirit Led self-control, I’m talking about a life that represents a transformed heart. A life that represents and evidences the renewal of our mind and the transformational work of the Holy Spirit in our life. The Apostle John states it like this:
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
John says that if a person has put their faith in Jesus, then there should be evidence of that in their life. Evidence that is leading them away from a life of sinful living.
And as I said last week, this is where many “Christians” miss the mark on what it means to follow Jesus.
Because the fact is, the decision to follow Jesus isn’t a one time prayer, but a daily decision. A daily decision that leads to us becoming more and more like Jesus as the Holy Spirit transforms our thinking and our decisions, all of which leads to a different way of living. Because if that isn’t happening, then Houston we have a problem.
That being the case, if we want to truly determine if we are following Jesus or not, we have to be willing to ask ourselves some hard questions. One of those questions being, “Is my decision to follow Jesus evident in my life?” In other words, am I daily becoming more like Him, or am I becoming more like the world?
That being said, this now leads us to the final Gospel basic that Paul will share with Felix.
And so in order to set up this final Gospel basic, I want to begin by asking you a question. A question that I’m certain we all have considered, probably worried about, and most likely have questions about. And the quesiton goes like this:
Question - Have you ever considered the reality of death and what happens to a person when they die?
Yeah, I think we’ve all thought about that, right? Probably more than we’d like to. In fact, maybe you’re like Sigmund as he discusses the reality of death with Bob. Check this out:
Video - What About Bob
I know what some of you are probably thinking. You’re thinking, “Wow Pastor Brad. Way to encourage us this morning by bringing up the most depressing topic you can.”
Listen, the last thing I want to do today is discourage you. But the fact is, death is a part of life and something we all need to be aware of and prepared for.
Which is exactly why Paul brings up this topic with Felix as he shares the basics of the Gospel with him. Because like it or not, death and life after death are very much a part of the gospel message. We see this in verse 25 as Luke writes:
“And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment...” Acts 24:25a ESV
Luke says as Paul’s shares the basics of the gospel, he starts with righteousness, how to be right with God. He then moves to self-control, what life as a Christian should look like, and then he ends with “coming judgement”, which represents death and life after death.
That being the case, as we approach our passage today, I want to begin by setting the stage for what we are about to discuss.
Because the truth is, when it comes to the subject of death and life after death, it’s a broad subject matter that could take us in a lot of different directions. And just so just to be clear up front, I’m not going to have time to explore and answer all of the questions we might have about this subject matter today. So, if I don’t answer your question today, feel free to email.
However, to help us keep it simple and on track, I’m going to focus on three questions today that I find people tend to ask when it comes to death, the after life, and judgment.
Question #1 - Is there a heaven and hell?
Question #2 - What are heaven and hell like?
Question #3 - Where will I go when I die?
And so to get us started, I want to begin by defining this word “judgment” that Paul uses. Because when we talk about judgment, we often tend to think of it in a negative sense.
And so if we are going to understand what Paul is referring to when he says “coming judgment”, then need to understand what this phrase is actually referring to.
The word translated “judgment” comes from the Greek word “krima”, and it literally means a “decision” or “verdict”.
And in this context, it’s a decision or verdict that’s meant to determine the innocence or guilt of a person, along with the appropriate action based on the decision or verdict.
That being the case, the idea of judgment here could either be positive or negative depending on the outcome of the accusation or charges.
For example, if innocent, a judgment that leads to an acquittal would be a positive judgement and not a negative, right?
Or, if you went on Judge Judy, and she ruled in your favor, that would be a positive as well, correct?
All that to say, when Paul talks about the “coming Judgment”, we shouldn’t automatically assume it’s a negative judgment, because as we’re going to learn this morning, for some it will actually be a positive judgment.
So, to help us get to the positive and negative of “God’s Judgment”, let’s start with the first quesiton. The quesiton being, “Does life after death consist of a heaven or hell?”
And the answer to that question is simply, “Yes”.
Now, you might ask, “Pastor, what are you basing that on?”
As a Christian, I’m basing it on what the Bible teaches in both the OT and NT concerning heaven and hell, and their existence.
So, what does the Bible teach about the existence of heaven and hell?
Well, to get us started, we’re going to begin with the OT and then move into the NT, because as we’re going to see, the Bible in both the OT and NT consistently supports the idea of these two places.
So, as we begin with the OT, the first thing we need to understand is that OT saints had a slightly different view of the after life then Christians do today.
The difference being that OT saints lived in what you might call pre0Jesus times while we live in post-Jesus times.
In other words, OT saints lived with the promise of a coming redeemer, while you and I live with the promise fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
As a result, their view on life after death was based on the hope of God sending a promised redeemer for sin. A redeemer you and I know as Jesus.
As a result, the OT believer didn’t believe when a person died that they automatically went to be with God. Why not? Because in Genesis 3 sin had separated man from God. So, instead of going to be with God, they went to one of two places.
The first place was called “paradise” or “Abraham’s bosom” and the second was called “hades” or “Gehinnom”.
So, let’s start with the place known as “paradise” or “Abraham’s bosom”.
For the OT saint, this was the place we would think of as heaven, although it wasn’t heaven.
But it was place of rest reserved for the righteous dead. And when I say righteous dead, I’m talking about OT saints or individuals who had put their hope faith in the God of creation and the Bible. The God that OT believers referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And we actually see this place referenced by Jesus in Luke 23 as he hangs on the cross as one of the men crucified next to Jesus makes a request of Jesus. Here’s how Luke describes it:
42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Notice the word Paradise here, as upon death his death, this man asks Jesus to take him to His kingdom, to which Jesus responds, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
The question then is, “If Jesus is the Son of God, and He has no sin in Him, and sin is what separates a person fro God, then why is Jesus going to paradise? Why not pass go, collect $200 and go straight to heaven?”
Jesus goes to paradise for two reasons:
First, he’s going to paradise to declare his victory over death. Paul states it like this in 1 Corinthians 15:
Second, Jesus goes to paradise to lead the OT saints out of paradise and into God’s presence, thus ending their separation from God.
This is what Paul is referring to in Ephesians 4 where he writes:
8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
In this passage Paul says upon his death Jesus descended into the lower regions, which is paradise, or Abraham’s bosom, and then ascended on high, which means he came up out of paradise.
When did He come out? He came out on the third day, on Easter Sunday morning, and then eventually He ascended to full glory as He took His place on the throne next to God.
But not only that, Paul says when He rose from the dead, He led the host of captives with Him.
Who are the captives? They are the righteous dead who up until this point had been separated from God. And now, because of Jesus’s victory over death and the grave, the separation has ended.
And we actually see physical proof of this in Matthew’s Gospel, because Matthew says when Jesus rose from the dead, he wasn’t the only one that rose that day. We see this in Matthew 27 where he writes:
52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
Matthew says following the resurrection of Jesus, that some of the saints who had previously died rose that day as well.
And while Matthew doesn’t give us a lot of explanation to this, many scholars believe this was meant to serve as further evidence to us and the people of that day, that Jesus was who He said He was. That He is in face the resurrection and the life.
All that to say, prior to Jesus, when people who put their faith in the God of creation and of the Bible died, they went to a place called paradise where they awaited the promised redeemer to come and set them free so that they could go to heaven, where God is.
Everybody with me so far?
This now leads us to a the second place the OT and NT refer to. A place not for the righteous dead, but for the wicked dead.
In other words, for people who hadn’t put their faith in the God of creation and of the Bible. And this place had several names, but typically in the OT and NT it’s referred to as Hades or as Gehinnom.
The term Gehinnom comes out of the OT and is used to reference a valley next to the city of Jersualem called the Valley of Hinnom or Valley of Slaughter. And it was called that because it was in this valley that some of the wicked kings of Judah slaughtered their children to the Canaanite god Molech. We see a reference to this in 2 Kings 23:
10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.
And as a result, this valley became a cursed place that symbolically represented “hell” or the place the wicked went after death.
Jesus actually references this place in Matthew 23 as he warns the religious leaders that their wicked behavior is leading them to “hell”. He puts it like this:
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
The word hell is translated from the Greek word “Gehenna”, which is a Hebrew reference to the Valley of Hinnon in the OT.
So, anytime you see the word “hell” used in the gospels, it’s referring to that valley, which symbolizes the dwelling of the wicked dead.
The second term we see used for this place is “hades”, which literally means “The realm of the dead”, and we see Jesus use this term in a story he tells of a man who died and went to hades. We read about it in Luke 16:
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
In this story Jesus tells of two men who died, one who went to Abraham’s bosom, which is paradise, and the second to a placed called Hades, where Jesus says he was in torment. What kind of torment? Jesus tells us:
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
Jesus says the man in hades is in great anguish from the heat of the flame he is in and desperately wants relief. So he cries out to Abraham for help. But Abraham is unable to help him. We see this in verse 25:
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
Abraham basically says, “You are there for a reason and there’s nothing I can do to help you because there is fixed separation between the righteous and the unrighteous.”
And so in a nutshell, that’s the pre-Jesus view of the after life, and it consists of two different places, one for the righteous and one for the wicked.
Which now leads us to the Post-Jesus view, our view, and it’s very similar. The only difference is that now when a believer dies, they don’t go to paradise, instead they go to what we call heaven.
So, where is that place at?
In the Gospels Jesus refers to it as the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven, and Paul writes about it in 1 Corinthians 6. Here’s what he says about it.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
In this passage Paul makes reference to the Kingdom of God, which is a reference to the dwelling place of God.
And what he tells us is that it’s a where the unrighteous will not dwell. Which means, it’s a place where God is not.
So, based on that, here’s what we need to understand. That when we talk about heaven, we aren’t so much talking about a place as we are the presence of God.
In other words, to be in heaven doesn’t necessarily mean to be in a certain place, as much as it means to be in God’s presence. Because wherever that place is, that place is heaven. Which is why Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 5:
8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
In this passage Paul says for the Christian, to be out of the body, to be dead, is to be home with the Lord.
The implication being that when a Christian dies they are automatically ushered into the presence of God, which is heaven. What will that be like? We’ll get to that in minute.
Because now the question is, “If that’s where people who put their faith in Jesus go, where do people who don’t put their faith in Jesus go?”
According to Jesus, they go where the unrighteous have always gone. They go to hades, where that rich man was and still is. Where judgment awaits. A judgment that takes place at the end of time. We read about it in Revelation 20:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 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.
In this passage the Apostle John describes what the final judgment will look like, a judgment that the Bible refers too as the “Great White Throne Judgment”.
And according to John, it’s a judgement where the wicked dead, those who are in hades, those who didn’t put their hope in the God of creation and the Bible, will be brought before God and judged for their wickedness. A judgment that will result in a final destination and punishment called the lake of fire.
I can tell you right now, you don’t want to be at that judgment.
All that to say, post-Jesus, for those who put their faith in Jesus and live their life for Him, when they die they will automatically be in the presence of the Lord, the place we call heaven.
But for those who didn’t put their hope in the God of the Bible and faith in Jesus, they will initially go to hades where they will await their final judgment at the Great White Throne.
So, in a nutshell, that’s the evidence that the Bible gives for heaven and hell and who each is designated for.
Which now brings us to our second question:
Question #2 - What will heaven and hell be like?
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this quesiton, and I don’t think we need to because the Bible is pretty clear on this.
So, let’s start first with what hell will be like. And contrary to popular opinion, it will not be a place where parties are taking place. In fact, it will be quite the opposite , and I were to sum up what hell would be like in one phrase, I’d state it like this:
What is Hell? Hell is a place where God’s presence is not present.
In other words:
Hell is a place where there is no light, only darkness. Why? Because God is light.
Hell is a place where there is no hope, only hopelessness. Why? Because God is a God of hope.
Hell is a place where there is no love, only hate. Why? Because God is a God of love.
Hell is a place where there is no peace, only turmoil. Why? Because God is a God of peace.
Hell is a place where there is no joy, only . Why? Because God is a God of joy.
Hell is the place where God’s presence is not. A place where God will choose to not dwell. A place where He will assign those who have rejected Him to dwell in. Because after all, for their entire life that’s what they wanted. They wanted life without God. They didn’t want to live by His law, morals, or standards.
And so God is going to give them what they asked for. Life without Him.
And as a result, the Bible says there will only be two emotions exhibited in hell. In referencing hell Jesus states it like this:
28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
Jesus says hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. So, what does that mean?
It means in the absence of God, it will be the greatest sorrow ever known as individuals spend eternity coming to terms eternity without God’s presence. And as a result, they will weep.
For some though, it will be the opposite. It will be the gnashing or grinding of teeth, which is an emotion of anger. Why anger? Because believe it or not, even in hell there will be those who continue to defy God. Who continue to shake their fist at Him. Who continue to hate Him.
So, no, it’s not a place where parties will be taking place. It is a place where the absence of God leads to the greatest misery a person has ever experienced and will experience for all eternity.
Now at this point someone might say, “Wow pastor, how could God do that to somebody. I mean isn’t God supposed to be a God of love? How could a God of love somebody to hell for all eternity?”
Great question, and while I don’t have all the answers, here are a couple of thoughts for you to consider:
Thought #1 - God doesn’t send people to hell, they choose it.
You might say, “Pastor, why in the world would anybody choose that?”
They choose it by refusing to see God as God and give Him the glory that is due Him. They choose it by refusing to live by His righteous decrees. They choose it by trying to be their own gods.
It’s exactly what Paul is talking about in Romans 1:
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
And so in a real sense, a person who chooses to reject God in this life is choosing to live outside of His presence in the next life.
Thought #2 - God is a God of love, but He’s also a God of righteousness and justice.
To be honest, this is one of the attributes of God we don’t like to talk about, but one we need to be aware of.
Because the fact is, God is a God of love. So loving that He’s made the most extreme sacrifice in order to save us from our sin. Which is what makes John 3:16 so amazing as Jesus describes the love of God.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus says God so loved the world, that He gave his Son as a sacrifice for you and I.
I want you to think about that for a second. God loves you so much, and wants to save you from your sin so much, that He gave His Son to die for you.
Let me ask you something, “How many of you would literally sacrifice your son or daughter for somebodies sin, so that they could be free of it.”
For example, how many of you would have sacrificed your son or daughter for a serial killer like Ted Bundy or mass murderer like Hitler? O really anybody that has committed a heinous crime.
The truth is, you wouldn’t. But guess what, God did. That’s how much He loves us. Because as we learned last week, we are all sinners and nobody is good, not one of us.
So, there’s no question He’s a God of love. Because despite our sin-fullness, God sent His Son to die for us.
But, He’s also a God of righteousness and justice. The Psalmist puts it like this:
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
I want you to really think about this for a second, because this passage reveals the fallacy of the “How could a God of love send somebody to hell” statement.
Because the Psalmist says the foundation of who God is and His throne isn’t love, it’s righteousness and justice. And it’s from his righteousness and justice that his love and faithfulness go out.
Which means, yes God is love, but the basis for His love is Righteousness and justice.
Which means His love and faithfulness is distributed to those who seek and desire His standards of justice and righteousness.
But for those who do not seek those standards, for those who are bent on wickedness, God justly exercises judgment.
Think of it like this: Let’s say a man brutally kills another man. He’s then arrested, tried, and found guilty. As a result, the judge, whose a good judge, sentences the convicted killer to life in prison without the possibility of parol.
Let me ask you something, “How could a good judge do that? How could he sentence a man to live in a 6x8 cell for the rest of his natural born life with no hope of being released? What kind of judge is this?”
He’s a righteous and just judge. And he does it because this murderer broke the law. He does it because it’s the right thing to do. And the truth is, none of us have a problem with that, do we? Because after all, he brutally killed a man.
But for some reason we have a problem with God sentencing guilty people when they had every opportunity to avoid the punishment. We’re like, “How could God send somebody to hell? How could God do that?”
He does it because He’s a just God. And there’s nothing unjust about God punishing people who have broken His law.
Everybody with me?
All that to say, hell isn’t a party. It’s the lack of God’s presence. A place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Which leads us to what heaven will be like.
Because while hell will lack God’s presence, if I were to describe heaven in one phrase, I’d put it like this:
What is Heaven Like:
So, what will that be like? John tells us in Revelation 21. He writes:
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Notice what John says. He says heaven will be the dwelling place of God with man. And in that place will be everything that God is to the maximum amount.
A place where there will be no more tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain. It will be a place of unending joy, peace, love, and happiness.
Sounds pretty good, right?!
But not only that, John says in Revelation 22:
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
John says in God’s presence there is no darkness, only light. And it’s not even a natural light. It’s a supernatural light. Because God is the light, and it’s a light we will dwell and reign in forever.
So, I don’t know about you, that’s where I want to end up. Which lead us to our final question:
Question #3 - Where will I go when I die?
Quite frankly, that will be up to you. And it will determined by how you respond to God and His righteous requirements.
In other words, it’s determined first and foremost by whether you’re willing to recognize God as God, and to give Him the glory that is due Him.
Secondly, it will be based on your recognization that you are a sinner in need of saving.
In other words, your willingness to admit you’re not a good person and that you’ve offended a holy God.
Finally, it will be solidified by what you do with Jesus. On whether you put your hope and faith in the sacrifice that He made for your sins.
And it will be that decision that will determine where you go when you die. Because when you die, you’re either going to be judged as righteous or unrighteous.
Righteous if you put your faith in Jesus and lived your life for Him.
Unrighteous if you rejected God, rejected His law, and rejected His son. Jesus puts it like this:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Jesus says at the end of time, those who choose to put their faith in Him will go into eternal life, and those who choose not to put their faith in him will go into eternal fire.
So, where will you go when you die? I don’t know, you tell me. Where are you at with Jesus? Because that’s the determining factor.
Let’s Pray
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.