Centennial Park Baptist Church – Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 – 10:30 a.m.

 

LIFE’S MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION

 

I           What is the greatest question you have ever been asked?

 

            WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU DIE?

 

            What answers have been given?

 

·        Absolute PESSIMISM

 

·        Strange, BIZARRE ideas

 

·        REINCARNATION

 

Only true, definitive, absolute answers come from the pages of GOD’S WORD

 

John 5: 28-29

            28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good {deeds} to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil {deeds} to a resurrection of judgment.

 

·        Every single person will be RESURRECTED

 

·        Every single one of us will live HEREAFTER

 

REINCARNATION? NO!

 

Hebrews 9: 27 - 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this  

                {comes} judgment,

 

ANNIHILATION? NO!

 

II          What is hell like?

 

            Luke 16: 19-26

                        19 ¶ "Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the {crumbs} which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' 25 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and {that} none may cross over from there to us.'

 

Hell is a place of…….

 

            SEPARATION - vs. 26

 

            SUFFERING - vs. 23-24

 

            CONTINUATION, not ANNIHILATION

 

III        What is Heaven like?

 

            John 14: 1-3

                        1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, {there} you may be also.

 

            PREPARED place

 

            PERSONAL place

 

            PRIVILEGED place

 

 Luke 6: 23

            23 "Be glad in that day and leap {for joy,} for behold, your reward is

       great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

 

PERFECT place

 

John 17: 24

24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

 

PARADISE

 

Luke 23: 43

            43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in

                 Paradise."

 

IV        What choice do we have?

 

You have no choice about living hereafter.  But you do have a choice about what kind of hereafter it will be.

 

            UNCHANGEABLE- will we have eternal life? YES!

 

            CHOICE - where will our eternal life be?

 

V         What option does Jesus provide?

 

John 4: 6 - 6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

 

Acts 4:12 - 12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

 

a.       COME - Matthew 11: 28-30

b.      COMMITT - II Corinthians 6:2

c.       CONSTRUCT - Matthew 7: 24-27

 

Every day as we go along, we are building a life.  We are either building it on Christ and His teachings, or we are building it apart from Christ and His teachings.  The life built without Christ, however well built, will end in collapse.  The life built upon Christ may be called upon to endure many storms, but it will stand.