There is a saying that goes like this, “We are either going somewhere or we are going nowhere”.
It sounds good, but the truth is that we are all going somewhere.
“Life is a journey”, is a well-known saying, and no doubt, a very true one.
We are definitely ‘all’ going somewhere on or in this journey called ‘life’.
For the most part, we will end up being a product of the choices we have made, be it good, or bad.
However, the beautiful part of this journey is that we always get opportunities to momentarily stop for a season, to reflect and take stock of what and where we are.
This enables us to execute changes in our life in the hope of bringing in better results, if needed.
Of course, the most obvious reason ‘why’ we are able to do this is because we are still ‘alive’. We are not yet ‘dead’.
We will though, all, one day end up dead, be it ‘good life’ or ‘bad life’.
And once dead, we DON’T get ‘any more’ opportunities to ‘CHOOSE’. IT’S OVER.
Dealing With Death
Death is an uncomfortable word that creates a fear that is ‘above all fears’.
And this fear is absolutely real. We see it all around us. Nobody wants to die.
Nobody either likes to nor wants to even talk about death.
But it is a reality we all must face at some point in our lives, and there is no escaping it.
The wonderful Word of God in the Bible Scriptures encourages us to deal with this “enemy” called ‘death’, as soon as possible.
For that’s what it is. It’s our “enemy”.
And once dealt with, we “NEVER” have to deal with it again, for it will have taken away “ALL” fear.
We can then confidently go ahead and seek to fulfill all that God has for us in this life.
READ ON…
What Exactly Is Death?
“Death is a separation.”
In order to understand this, the Bible teaches us there are two births and two deaths.
The first birth is our natural birth, which takes place through our biological parents.
The second birth takes place the moment, the very instant, we believe and totally put our faith in the Gospel.
“Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried and rose again” [1 Corinthians 15:1-4].
YES “ALL our sins have been forgiven and our price fully paid for” by and through this death, burial and resurrection.
We are instantly saved and reconciled to God, by a sovereign act of the Holy Spirit of God.
This is a spiritual birth, and ‘the only one’ that matters, and is relevant for our eternal destination in Heaven.
The first death is the normal physical death that we all will die. The scriptural definition of this death is “the separation of our spirit from our body”.
Our human spirit is the real us, and which ‘never’ dies. So, our spirit will be alive, but our body will be dead.
The second death is “a separation of our spirit from the Spirit God”.
This is an irrevocable and everlasting separation, which is far beyond any human description.
The closest we can come, is that it will be ‘infinitely times’ more unbearable and painful, than a separation we have experienced in this life through the death of a loved one.
The Good News
However, the good news is that Jesus Christ, the “Only Qualified Saviour”, has experienced this second death for us, so that we don’t have to experience it.
“But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels”. This is talking about Jesus Christ, Who was,“crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death”.
Here is Heaven’s reason, “so that by the Grace of God He might taste death for everyone” [Hebrews 2:9]
Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, God today ‘triumphantly’ and ‘victoriously’ stares at death in its face on our behalf and tells it, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” [1 Corinthians 15:55]
And then we get to say, “thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Corinthians 15:57]
So, it will be well in order to say, that death in this life, which is the first death, is the ‘doorway’ to our eternal destination.
We are indeed going somewhere.
For there ‘is’ a life beyond death, which is more real, than the one we live in today. And that life is ‘eternal’.
The two places of eternal destination are ‘Heaven’, called “Eternal Life” and ‘Hell’, called “eternal death”. And hell will one day be cast into what the Bible calls, the lake of fire, referred to as the “second death”, after it has all been “said and done”.
“Then Death and Hades (another word for Hell) were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” [Revelation 20:14]
Death Is Appointed
It is written in the Bible that,“it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment:” [Hebrews 9:27]
Judgment, in any sphere of life, is a fearful word, and rightfully so.
This judgment, that the Bible refers to above, is what is called the, “The Great White Throne Judgment”.
All those who have willingly, by choice, rejected what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them on the Cross, will have to face this judgment.
Honestly, this is the one place none of should find ourselves in and we can decide that “RIGHT NOW”.
READ ON!
Good Works Do Not Work
Our good works “DO NOT” get us to Heaven, and ‘neither’ do “our sins” send us to hell.
It’s “ONLY” the ‘acceptance’ or the ‘rejection’ of what Christ Jesus has done for us on the Cross, which will determine that. Period.
It really does not get simpler than that. GOD has made it so easy for us.
Heaven and hell are real destinations, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, for the Bible speaks in great detail about them.
They are absolute facts and where we end up, will totally depend on the “one single choice” that we ‘all’ must make.
For our eternal destiny hinges on that one ‘choice’.
A well known Bible scholar and teacher put it so aptly this way, “Man, on account of sin, owes to God, what he cannot repay, and unless he repays it, he cannot be saved”.
Think about this for a moment. This is a “no way out” predicament that all of us find ourselves in. We are all bound for hell and on to the lake of fire as our eternal destination.
For we “all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” [Romans 3:23]
But the ‘Great News” of the Gospel of Grace, of Jesus Christ, has fixed that “for us”, and which immediately comes to our rescue.
“Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried and rose again” [1 Corinthians 15:1-4].
Please read Crumb – 0005 and 0006 to refresh your understanding of the Gospel.
And all we need to do is simply believe it with our heart. And nothing else!
SALVATION = FAITH + NOTHING ELSE
To Believe Or Not To Believe
SO, to believe or not to believe in the Gospel of Grace, of Christ Jesus is the question.
That is ‘the decision’ we all must make.
We have been created with the freedom and the ability to choose. GOD will ‘never’ infringe on that freedom.
HE will always seek, like a good Father, to counsel us with wisdom and understanding.
Through His Word, He give us direction, to make the right choices.
However, He leaves the choosing to us. We have to choose, whether we like it or not.
And this ‘decision’ or ‘choice’ must be made while there is still breath in us, while we are still alive, before we die. We will be unable to do that, once dead.
WE DON’T GET TO PRAY FOR THE DEAD, which is a futile ritual.
The Bible exhorts and pleads with us to make that decision “NOW”, TODAY, and choose to believe in the “Gospel of Grace”, the finished works of Christ Jesus.
For we do not know what tomorrow will bring.
So When Is The Best Time?
“Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain” , Scripture is making an appeal here.
For He says, “In a favourable time I listened to you, and the day of salvation I have helped you.” “Behold ‘now’ is the favourable time; behold, ‘now’ is the day of salvation.” [2 Corinthians 6:1-2]
‘Today’ could just be the best day of your life! And ‘now’ could just be the best moment of your life…
All one has to do is this: “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.
“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “EVERYONE who believes in Him will not be put to shame” [Romans 10:9-11].
Where Is The Best Place?
Exactly where you are right now! You DON’T need to walk down a Church aisle to the altar. The altar is exactly where you are right now.
There is no such thing as a ‘sinners prayer’. Just speak it out, believing in your heart, the way the Scripture above tells you to, in your own style and personality.
AND THAT’S IT! You are “irrevocably sealed” for Heaven.
A Word On Decisions
If we choose to truly believe in the Gospel, it is a conscious decision and If we choose to reject the Gospel, it is still a conscious decision. If we choose ‘not to choose at all’, that also is a conscious decision.
Something to think about!
Our sincere prayer is that you would choose Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, and that you would choose Him ‘NOW’.
A lovely message and a very important one, for it portrays a build-up or rather a bridge from Crumb 0009 to Crumb 0010. Praise Jesus !!
AMEN!