THE FUNERAL, THEN WHAT?

Where you are on the day you are buried is extremely, eternally vital! The only part of your funeral that you determine is your destination. One moment after death, your soul goes to one of two places to spend all eternity. You are responsible for that choice!

Since everyone is under the sentence of death, all we have to do to go to hell is “nothing!” All will die. All have a choice. There is a demonic adversary who will try to get you to put off making a commitment to the Lord Jesus. Who will you believe? Time is God’s gift to you to get ready for eternity. It is only when a person gets right with God that he is really ready to enjoy all this life can bring. It is your choice!

Where Will You Spend Eternity?

The answer depends on which kingdom you are in when you die. At birth, we entered into the Kingdom ruled by Satan, the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Jesus told the Pharisees, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (John 8:44).

Jesus rules the Kingdom of God. Those in His kingdom have eternal life and peace with God. Jesus told us how to enter His Kingdom in John 3:3, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

WHAT DOES “BORN AGAIN” MEAN?

God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26). He was told, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

When Adam disobeyed God and ate of the tree, he did die, but it was not a physical death. He died spiritually. His nature was contaminated. Now, instead of running to God, he ran from God. Every person now is born with the sinful nature of Adam. Romans 5:12 says, “...By one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

WE SIN BECAUSE OF OUR NATURE

God’s picture of every person who is not born again is given in Romans 3:10–11, “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. ... there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Our greatest need is to know God, His Word, and His will for our lives, but we have no ability to do so. Scripture tells us why, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). A person MUST be BORN AGAIN if he is to avoid hell and gain heaven and eternal life!
 

THE PENALTY FOR SIN IS HELL!

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.” This death is described in Revelation 20:15, “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Man has tried all he knows to bridge the gap between himself and God, but he cannot pay the penalty of his sin against his Holy God! That void and emptiness in your life is God’s call to you to receive Him as your Lord and Savior!

GOD’S BRIDGE IS THE CROSS

Since the penalty of our sin is death, we need someone to die in our place as our substitute! This is what Jesus did, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

JESUS PAID OUR SIN DEBT

Isaiah 53:6 tells us what happened to Jesus on the cross, “The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (God placed our sin on Jesus!)

SALVATION IS RECEIVING JESUS

Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). Being “born again” is the same as receiving Jesus as Savior and receiving the gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23 describes the gift, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.”

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

John 1:12 tells us what happens when we open the door to Jesus, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

HOW CAN I RECEIVE JESUS AS SAVIOR?

Ask Him! “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

WHEN SHOULD I GET SAVED?

Right Now! “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Why is today the day of salvation?

1. You do not know you have another day to live.
2. You do not know when Jesus will come back.
3. You do not know that you will have another opportunity to be saved! Salvation is a gift from God, but a gift that is not received does you no good. Nor will that gift be offered forever!

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) If you call on the Lord Jesus, He has promised to save you!

“WHATEVER PREVENTS YOU FROM RECEIVING JESUS AS LORD IS THE PRICE YOU SALE HEAVEN FOR HELL!”

HOW CAN I BE BORN AGAIN NOW?

Jesus said a person must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God, and since being born again is receiving the gift of eternal life, it must be asked for. Remember John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

You can receive eternal life by praying, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and the penalty of sin is death. I believe you died on the cross for my sins. I now invite You to come into my life. I will trust you as my Lord and Savior.”

If you prayed that prayer and have been born again, we would love to hear from you.  Please Email us at immanuelchurch@bellsouth.net or give us a phone call at (606) 573-6839.

Or leave us a message on our Guest Book Forum.

 

 

HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN LIVE?

Jesus had the Holy Spirit and The Word of God as His resources to live as He did. We have both also. Romans 8:9 says, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” We must begin the day with reading God’s Word and submitting to the Holy Spirit.

Two things are required in the cylinder of a car to bring an explosion and the resulting power: the first is the spark and the second is the fuel. The spark of God’s Holy Spirit is always present with us, but we need to fill our hearts with the fuel of God’s word if there is to be power in prayer and the strength to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. The reading of Scripture and daily meditating on it brings faith, power, and the desire to pray.

It is true that “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Before you begin reading, say this prayer, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of they law” (Psalm 119:18). Read the Word systematically and read it every day. The Bible is Christ in Print.

WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I SIN?

1 John 1:9 explains, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Keep short accounts with God.  Confess and forsake all sin as quickly as possible!  KEEP SHORT ACCOUNTS WITH THE LORD!
HOW CAN I GET RID OF BAD HABITS?

Scripture tells us how to get rid of bad habits and wrong thinking. “Ye shall know the truth and the Truth shall make you free” (John 8:32)

Many Lost Think They Are Saved!

There are many people who think they have been born again, but are deceived. These people will stand before the Lord at the last judgment and tell the Lord about the good things they have done, but will hear, “...I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). These people failed to obey 2 Peter 1:10 which commands us to “give diligence to make your calling and election sure!”

How can we make sure we are saved? It is by knowing the birthmarks of a believer given in the Scripture. One is given in 1 John 2:3, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” Those who think they are saved, but are not learning and obeying God’s commands are fooling themselves.

We are told, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16:22). This means that a person who does not love the Lord will be accursed, or sent to hell, at His coming. Do you love the Lord? Many would say they do but do not know the meaning of love. Love is described in John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.”

Those who love God prove that they have been born again. They are the ones who are learning and obeying His Word! James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

HOW WELL DOES GOD KNOW ME?

God not only sees our acts and writes them down in a Book of Remembrance, (Malachi 3:16), but He knows what we think! “Jesus knew their thoughts.” (Matthew 12:25).

God does not need an investigation committee to find out who we are or what we have done. Achan hid a wedge of gold, some silver, and a garment under the floor of his tent, but God pointed him out to Joshua. 

Jonah stowed away on a boat, thinking he could get away from the presence of the Lord, but when Jonah got on that ship, God got on it with Him. Elijah tried to run from God and hide, but God was always by his side.

When David had Uriah killed and took Bathsheba for his wife, God saw every move he made and then sent His prophet Nathan to tell him, “Thou art the man!”

God knows the number of hairs on our head. Psalm 139:16 says Gods “eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” GOD KNOWS US VERY WELL! He should! He is our CREATOR!

God is your creator and will either be your judge or your Savior.  THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT.  YOU DECIDE.

GOD’S PLAN FOR PROSPERITY

Money nor material things have never made a person happy nor can they. The more a person has, the more he wants. Instead of money and things filling a vacuum, they create one. If they do satisfy one want, they create two more. Jesus gave us in Matthew 6:33 the formula for having the best life possible on this earth and how to get our needs met, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Most people seek things first, but neglect the source of those things. Things are material and cannot satisfy our spiritual needs such as love, joy, and peace. “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith” (Proverbs 15:16).

WHERE ARE YOUR TREASURES?

All believe we should invest our money for future use. All God gives us in this life is invested in something. For many, their family ends up spending it. For some, it is lost due to bad investments or someone stealing it. Our Lord has given the best investment plan in Matthew 6:19-20, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” We can’t take it with us, but we can send it on ahead! When we invest resources in eternal things, we are making deposits in Heaven’s bank.