Luke 13:23-30 23 Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, 24 "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' 26 then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' 27 But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' 28 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, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."
In a village in South Africa a young couple and new born baby are walking across a bridge noon day. The day is young and there is not a care in the world, just a young couple taking a vacation in South Africa. Suddenly the bridge lets loose and the couple and baby take a 50 foot plunge to there demise in a fast flowing deep river. Not far from the disaster waiting to happen is a tribe of 80 local residents. They patiently watch the nightmare unfold before their eyes. The people in the crowd have the means to help but for some reason no one seems to help. After the disaster people are asked why they did not help. Some answers were, "I did not want to get wet", " I haven't swam for years", I just go my perm done" and the excuses went on and on.
Wow what kind of people are these people? Well this is the mainstream church today generally speaking. We have been given a lot of responsibility as Christians. We have the remedy for a lost world. Jesus spoke more about Hell then He did about Heaven. I know we say, "Yes we know that" But do we really understand how real our salvation is? I think not!! We live day to day and barely crack our Bibles open. We can find time for everything else but not for God. How is your TV time versus your Bible study time square up to one another. Has the TV become an idol in your life? How many people can hold their hand over a flame for more than 15 seconds? If you can that might be good practice for where you will end up if you do not take heed to the reality of the Bible.
Wow everything the Bible has proclaimed has come to pass and their are things still to come. GOD is flawless in His prophecies and not one has fell to the ground. What is funny is that people die everyday and all people know one day it will come to pass but we do not spend time looking at things from an eternal perspective. Why is this? I think the reality is we say we believe but do not spend enough time with controversial issues that will make an impact for eternity. Death has a rate of 1 to 1. Has anyone escaped the clutches of Death? Only 3 people I know. Enoch, Elijah, and our Precious Lord Jesus the Christ. Death no longer has its sting. We embrace death as the believer and do not fear condemnation.
Corinthians 15:51-57
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1-9
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Take time to analyze where your affections are set. How is your relationship with Christ? Do you have any sin the you place above the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Don't end up like the rich man in this parable:
Luke 16:19-31 19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' 27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30 "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
In a village in South Africa a young couple and new born baby are walking across a bridge noon day. The day is young and there is not a care in the world, just a young couple taking a vacation in South Africa. Suddenly the bridge lets loose and the couple and baby take a 50 foot plunge to there demise in a fast flowing deep river. Not far from the disaster waiting to happen is a tribe of 80 local residents. They patiently watch the nightmare unfold before their eyes. The people in the crowd have the means to help but for some reason no one seems to help. After the disaster people are asked why they did not help. Some answers were, "I did not want to get wet", " I haven't swam for years", I just go my perm done" and the excuses went on and on.
Wow what kind of people are these people? Well this is the mainstream church today generally speaking. We have been given a lot of responsibility as Christians. We have the remedy for a lost world. Jesus spoke more about Hell then He did about Heaven. I know we say, "Yes we know that" But do we really understand how real our salvation is? I think not!! We live day to day and barely crack our Bibles open. We can find time for everything else but not for God. How is your TV time versus your Bible study time square up to one another. Has the TV become an idol in your life? How many people can hold their hand over a flame for more than 15 seconds? If you can that might be good practice for where you will end up if you do not take heed to the reality of the Bible.
Wow everything the Bible has proclaimed has come to pass and their are things still to come. GOD is flawless in His prophecies and not one has fell to the ground. What is funny is that people die everyday and all people know one day it will come to pass but we do not spend time looking at things from an eternal perspective. Why is this? I think the reality is we say we believe but do not spend enough time with controversial issues that will make an impact for eternity. Death has a rate of 1 to 1. Has anyone escaped the clutches of Death? Only 3 people I know. Enoch, Elijah, and our Precious Lord Jesus the Christ. Death no longer has its sting. We embrace death as the believer and do not fear condemnation.
Corinthians 15:51-57
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1-9
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Take time to analyze where your affections are set. How is your relationship with Christ? Do you have any sin the you place above the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Don't end up like the rich man in this parable:
Luke 16:19-31 19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' 27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30 "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
