Word for Word

Kingdom Life Byte # 12

Today I’d like to share about three spiritual certainties. The dictionary defines a certainty as, without a doubt, definitely, a firm, settled belief in the truth of something. The first certainty is “Life is short.” Psalm 39:4-6 “Lord, make me to know my end. And what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Surely every man walks about like a shadow.” And Psalm 90:10 and 12, “The days of our lives are 70 years, and if by reason of strength they are 80 years. So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Life is a gift from God. To never have existed would be to not have experienced life and to know and experience God. But for any of us who have a few years on us, especially like many who read The Standard’s Reflections page and knew some of these people, we know how quickly life goes by. And like the Bible says, we, like the grass and the flowers, are here today and gone tomorrow. The verse I just read above encourages us to greatly consider the shortness of our days on this earth, the measure of days that we each are given. Certainly in light of eternity, our few short years aren’t much in comparison.

The second certainty is that everyone will die and then face the judgment. Hebrews 9: 27 “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” For years this verse was on a painted sign on the Elon Store. Just as life is short and is a gift from God, so this life is a testing ground. Unless Jesus returns first, every single person born will eventually die. Contrary to many popular beliefs, a person will die once and then be judged. The Bible teaches nothing about reincarnating from one thing into another, or into different levels and states of existence.

It’s pretty simple and clear; you are given one chance at life. You die once and then are judged; there WILL BE an accountability for how you lived. How and what you do in this life does matter. John 1:3 says that “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Jesus created you, and when you die, it’s before Him you will stand. He has also been appointed by the Father to be the Judge of all things.

So, as soon as a person dies, he will stand ALONE before Jesus Christ and give an accounting of his life. At this point our opinions and excuses will not stand. There will be a couple of crucial issues at stake here. Remember, Jesus is the Son of God Who gave His life sacrificially for our sins on the cross. He alone is the Savior Who paid the ultimate price for our sins - with His own blood. Our sins separate us from a holy God and there’s only one remedy for this problem.

Each one will stand before Jesus and be judged as to whether there was an acceptance, or rejection, of Him and His Word. Jesus Himself will judge if there was a personal relationship with Him or not, for each of us must personally make a decision to receive Jesus and the forgiveness of sins He offers. To not make that critical decision is to reject Him. Bluntly, your decision will determine if you go to heaven or hell. To reject Jesus in this life is to reject Him for eternity.

We’ll also be judged for how we lived. Did we live for Jesus or did we live for ourselves? Good works cannot save us, but good works done in Christ’s Name will be rewarded. In fact, we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, our destiny. If we live unto ourselves, there will be no rewards. There will be people in heaven who have received Jesus, but there will be no rewards for them. The Bible also teaches that there will be degrees of torment in hell. Judgment day will be a very sober time, incredibly fearful for those who are not in Christ.

And the third certainty is that everyone lives forever - somewhere. John 5:29 “those who have received Christ and done good works to the resurrection of life, and those who’ve rejected Christ and not followed His Word, to the resurrection of condemnation.” When this life is done and passed, only what’s done for Christ will last. It’s your choice. I recommend you choose Life & The Author of Life while it’s still day.

Sharing New Life,
Steve Oden
Pastor
Waukon New Life
Christian Church