Everybody Dies.

Where Will You Spend Eternity?

Forever is a long time to be wrong.

Have you ever stopped to think about eternity?  Time does not exist in eternity.  There is no beginning or ending to eternity.  Eternity is endless.  Eternity is forever.  Culture teaches that eternity is no big deal and that nothing happens when you die. You simply fall asleep and everything just comes to an end after you breathe your last breath.

The Bible teaches otherwise. It says “God has set eternity in everyone’s heart.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  That means you are born knowing there is an eternal existence beyond your short life. You can feel it. You can sense that there must be something more to life. That’s because you are not a body that has a soul, you are a SOUL that has a body. A body that is dying and will soon enter the grave, and a soul that will continue it’s existence forever in eternity.

I ask you again… Where will you spend eternity? Where you get your deciding information will determine your answer. Will you listen to your culture or your Creator? Your eternal destiny is in the balance.

God is the creator of all things and all people, including you and me. He created us to know and love Him and to live under His wise and generous rule. As our creator, it only makes sense that we should know what God is like. Thankfully, God did not leave us in the dark, but has chosen to reveal Himself to us. He does this through a book known as the Bible. It is in the Bible we find that God is holy. To say that God is holy means that He is unique and set apart from all that He has made. God relates to us, but unlike us, He is morally pure. God is also perfectly just. He punishes the guilty and lets the innocent go free. In fact, God Himself is the standard for right and wrong. Additionally, God is described as being abundantly merciful and amazingly gracious. He blesses us and gives us good gifts, even though we don’t deserve them. But in order to fully grasp the magnitude of God’s abundant mercy and amazing grace, we must first realize just how desperately we need them, because the Bibles also says, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  (Romans 3:9-20) *See also: Revelation 4:11; Genesis 1:1-2:25; Exodus 34:6-7; Proverbs 17:15; Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 130: 1-4

The world is not as it should be. Greed, selfishness, lying, cheating, murder, hatred, lust, —the list goes on and on. And these are not just the problems of other people. You and I have also failed to respond rightly to God’s loving and just rule. God created us to know and love Him and to take care of the world that He made. But instead of submitting to God in obedience, the first two people He created, Adam and Eve, failed to trust God and rebelled against Him in disobedience. This is what the Bible calls sin. Sadly, we are just like Adam and Eve. We have all disobeyed God’s perfect and just commands. The Bible says: “ . . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . .” (Romans 3:23).   We fail to trust Him even though He is perfectly wise and good.  We even have the audacity to tell God “No” even though He rightfully has authority over us. Our sin separates us from God, and it results in death––eventual physical death and, ultimately, eternal death.  *See also: Ephesians 2:1-3; Psalm 51:3-6; Jeremiah 17:9-10

Our situation is indeed a matter of grave concern because God cannot tolerate sin. Think about it, how can a perfect and just God who is also a perfect and just judge, let guilty sinners like me and you off without the perfect and just punishment we deserve? You see the problem?  God MUST punish sin in order to be perfect and just. Thankfully, God provided a solution by sending us His Son, Jesus! Jesus was (and is) the fully divine Son of God. This same Jesus came to earth as a man. He was like us in every way, except that He never sinned. Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to God, the kind of life God requires of us. And even though He was innocent, Jesus endured the wrath of God and death on a cross  in order to take the punishment we deserve. Three days after He was buried, Jesus, the Son of God, showed His power over sin and death by rising from the grave. He opened the way for sinners to receive the forgiveness of sins and have eternal life. But we must respond to this good news. The Bible says: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) *See also: John 14:6; John 1:1-18; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6;
1 Timothy 2:5

Some people think that their response to Jesus can wait. They assume there will be a more convenient time to think about spiritual things. But we are not promised tomorrow. Everybody dies. Our need for God is urgent––eternally urgent. Those who reject God’s free offer of forgiveness will receive the punishment their sins deserve. This punishment, according to Jesus, happens in hell. Hell is described as being a place of eternal suffering and is referred to as a “lake of fire”. This is a sobering reality that highlights the seriousness of our sin against a perfect and holy God. Thankfully, God has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him forever. When we submit to Jesus as Lord and rely on Him to save us, God forgives us completely and adopts us into His family. Not even death will separate us from God. The Bible says: “Whoever believes in [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18) *See also: Romans 6:23; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 20:15

Many people assume that God will overlook their sin if they love their neighbors, give to the poor, or even attend a church. But sin is too powerful to be overcome through our own efforts. God’s salvation is a free gift to all who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. To repent means to have a change of mind about your sin and turn in a new direction, fleeing from sin and following God. That doesn’t mean you live a perfect life, but it does mean you no longer love and pursue sin. You gladly submit to Jesus as your Lord and King. To believe in Jesus means to place your faith, hope, and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone to reconcile the broken relationship you have created with God as a result of your sins against Him. We rely on the fact that His life of perfect obedience was pleasing to God. We rely on His death as a sufficient payment for our sin. We rely on His resurrection as evidence that He is the Son of God who has defeated sin and death on our behalf. This is what the Bible calls the good news of the gospel. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) *See also: Mark 1:14-15; Luke 9:23-26; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 5:24

It all comes down to this:

Every human being has sinned and thus created a conflict with God. You, me, your mother, the Apostle Paul, Mr. Rogers, even the sweet little old lady next door. Everyone.

You have only two choices in dealing with your sin:

1.) You can choose to accept God’s gracious offer of reconciliation. This is done by repenting of your sin and placing your faith in Jesus Christ’s sinless life and atoning death on your behalf. This is the only way that God’s justice can be satisfied for your sin.

Or…

2.) You can decide to pay the penalty for your sin yourself. This is done by ignoring or rejecting Gods offer of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. This will result in your being judged guilty by God and sentenced to hell for eternity.

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Will you respond to God’s call today and receive his loving, merciful, and gracious offer to save you?

This is the most important of all questions. A million years after you die, the answer to this question will still matter. Your response will determine where you spend forever. Keep in mind that you are sinful and stand condemned before a Holy and Just God who must judge you accordingly. Yet God loves you and has a tremendous desire to save you. This is done through His Son Jesus Christ, who is the only One who can resolve the conflict you have created with God.

I’m begging you to be reconciled to God today through the repenting of your sin and by placing your faith for salvation in Jesus Christ alone. When you do God will forgive your sin! He will also credit you with Christ’s righteousness and will indwell you with His Holy Spirit. Through this, He is able to give you eternal life in heaven! Is there anything that could be better and more important than that?!

Becoming a Christian will not make your life any easier. As a matter of fact, being misunderstood and persecuted will be common place. The Bible says you may even be killed.  The unbelieving world hated Jesus, you can count on the fact that they will hate His followers as well (John 15:18-25). But fulfilling the purpose for which you were created, which is to serve and glorify God, having your sins forgiven, being declared righteous, and inheriting eternal life in heaven far outweigh any earthly trouble.

If you’re new to the Bible, a great place to start is with the Gospel of John. By reading John you will learn about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, along with much about His ministry and miracles. It provides a solid foundation for knowing Jesus and growing closer to Him.