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Everyone Lives forever.
Talking to Marcus- Guy at work, Liver problems talking Friday, died Saturday night. Death is real. But what happens when we die? READMark 12:18-27.
There is a resurrection?
18 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
The Sadducees were different than the Pharisees in that they didn’t believe that oral law was as powerful as written law
Pharisees had these huge oral laws that wove these stories of angelic hierarchies and stories such as this about the resurrection. They still didn’t believe in the resurrection tho-
Its disputable if they believed more than the books of Moses, but chances are they did.
These dudes didn’t even read the OT
Psalm 71:20 You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
Hosea 13:14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.
Eternal life is REAL
Resurrection is a promise of the OT and the NT- Jesus was very clear that resurrection was and IS a promise of Scripture! Those who are believers and followers of YHWH are promised that we will rise again and live FOREVER.
25 For when they rise from the dead, (Jesus said WHEN- everyone is going to RISE)
Acts 24:15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
John 5: 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE RESURRECTED.
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 5:24-25 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
Romans 6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
1 Corinthians 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
So what does it mean to you?
Do you reflect and put hope in the resurrection? Does it motivate you and inspire you to live?
One of the biggest problems of people today is that they forget where they are GOING.
On flight to Hawaii. People are just RUDE. Demanding. Mean. To the staff. I’m like HAWAII
People live so much for Jesus in this life that they forget the FUTURE life in CHRIST
YES- Jesus saves you. The way he fixes your family, finances and health is through ridding the sin from your life! THEN you can experience his best on this side of heaven. But that aint it!
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
If you’re only believing on this side of heaven you’re missing out of the biggest part of Jesus
There are saints that died that have been living in Heaven for over 2000 years. Just kicking it
You’re going to live for probably no more than about 90 years, then ETERNITY. That’s a LONG TIME
You’re in a long line? Reflect on where you’re going and what you’re going to do there
We’re going to be like angels in heaven!
What is heaven like? All things are new! Rev 21:2, No tears or pain Rev 21:4, perfect peace Isaiah 65:25, Houses and Vineyards, Isaiah 65:21, Growing gardens! Isaiah 35:1
You will have a physical body in Heaven. There will be a new earth. There is real estate
John 14:2-3 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And 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.
This should encourage you! As a kid- not able to sleep the night before going to Disneyland
Why do you want to go to heaven?
Now in this story- the Saducees are trying to put Jesus in a corner again. Trying to trap him in words of himself trying to trip him up
Now we’ll get to the means to the approach in a few minutes, but lets rest on the actual question here- These guys are repeating which was a common stumper question used during the time. But it’s a pretty good question tho. What is the answer?
V25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Now that’s a pretty big deal for many people. Mormons believe in a ‘heavenly family’ but according to this- that’s not possible.
Jesus makes it clear- People wil not be married to each other in heaven. It doesn’t make sense. Married, widowed, remarried. Who you gonna be married to?
People say- “but am I going to see my spouse, kids, grandma, etc etc in heaven?”
Marriage will exist in heaven. We are all the bride of Christ and we will all be married to God
Marriage fulfills a need of loneliness and procreation. You wont be lonely in heaven.
I am 100% sure I don’t want to go to Hell. Weeping and gnashing of teeth doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. Neither does doing laps in a lake of fire. No thanks. Nooo.
But why do you want to go to heaven? Is it just to be with your family members for eternity?
Yes- there’s a certain comfort of knowing that your loved ones are IN heaven- but only wanting to go there to be with them is idolatry and a misassigned love relationship that has been elevated above God.
Heaven isn’t even about you. Its about God. It’s the culmination and fulfillment of HIS plan to be eternally worshipped and praised. You benefit from it, but the ultimate point of it is for GOD
Our greatest love should always be for God ‘
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
That isn’t an encouragement- that’s a requirement
Luke 14:26“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
I love my spouse. We have a deep loving relationship- but we have talked about this a bunch- I love Jesus even more.
I hope we get to hang out when we get to heaven- but I hope shes not living for me when we get to heaven. I don’t know how she could handle me for eternity. I’m sure its an encouragement to her that she’ll eventually be freed from taking care of me.
What does it mean to you?
First- You must fall in love with Jesus I know I keep going on this over and over, but I promise you, do this- and all the other details of your life fall into place
I’m telling you- I know many people who claim to be Christ followers that are just blessings followers- as soon as their aint no blessings, they aint no where to be found.
If you don’t love the presence of God- you aint going to like heaven. Heaven is all about the prescence of God
We will be like Adam in the garden- we will be walking with God. He must be FIRST in your life
Second you must fall in love with his word.
God’s word is above all else. If you don’t love his word you don’t love God because Jesus is the word and the word is God. Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
This is why the WORD is prominent in our church. I love the other stuff- but the word is paramount. You only know about JC from the Bible, You cant have Jesus and not have the BIBLE
Privately, publicly, daily, you must feast on this word! Know it, love it, learn it. Learn to love it
It holds the truth of the world! THIS should direct you. Not a blog, not a friend, not a study, not a article. NOTHING. Its going to be in HEAVEN because Jesus is there and HE is the WORD
Its painful. If you don’t love the things of God now, you’re not preparing for heaven
THirdly- You Must fall in love with Worship
If you don’t love worship- you aint going to like heaven. Heaven is filled with worship. All day long
Rev 5:11-14 Its one big worship service. And if you don’t like worship. You aint going to be able to stand with your hands in your pockets.
When I worship- I raise my hands- I try to focus on God- To just worship HIM
Fourth- You must fall in love with God’s People
If you don’t love God’s people- you aint going to like heaven
John 13:34-35 READ
Romans 12:10 READ
Most people are surprised to realize that most of the scriptures of the NT are about Christians loving EACH OTHER not about loving people outside the church.
We don’t show the world we love God by loving the unlovable. We show them by loving each other!
Ask yourself- why do I want to Go to heaven? What is my desire? Will I enjoy the presence of God?
Its heart check time- why do I want to go to heaven? Escaping hell isn’t enough
Havent you ever spent time with someone who clearly didn’t want to spend time with you
Do you even bible bro?
Read v 24-27 24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?
Here was of the biggest problems of the Sadducees, they didn’t know what the Scriptures actually said. They were going off the oral tradition of the Pharisees, not sticking to the word of God.
Jesus even goes so far as to quote scripture to them to make his point-
26 But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? (Exodus 3)
These dudes had bad theology because they didn’t read the scriptures.
Jesus evades their question because it was a question aimed at messing him up.
The main point was they didn’t know the scriptures.
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Even those two scriptures would have kept those guys nose in the scriptures!
Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
What does it mean to you?
KNOW YOUR WORD. Man, if you know the word of God, you will never be led astray. Whenever you hear something that someone says about God,
This is why I use tons of scripture in my message- I want you to know the word, not ME
If you listen to preachers that don’t use a lot of scripture, be concerned.
Pray- and you must be saved- You aint saved- the Bible wont make sense
Make sure you find it two or three places- don’t build around one verse
Matthew 18:16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ (that’s in there three times)
Keep it in context- Don’t forget to read the verses and chapters before and after
Read 5 to 10 commentaries and see if people smarter than you agree
Force yourself to agree with the word of God to honor God. Its not a feeling- it’s a fact
Listen to good bible Preaching. Christian, John, FVC, Cary Gordon, Ong,
But SUBMIT to the word. You must CONFORM to it.
You will never be led astray by false doctrines if you are a Bible reader
Here’s some of the greatest heresies destroying the church today
Overuse of prosperity and blessings. God will BLESS you but that’s not the point
Exaggerated view of grace- Yes you’re under grace but that doesn’t mean you never have to deal with the sin in your life
Antinomianism- anything goes- you can do whatever you want bc not under law
Deification of man- A gospel that starts with Man and not with God-
Challenging the Authority of God’s word- “did God really say”
Rejecting Hell- People don’t want to talk about it or admit that Jesus talked about it
Universal reconciliation- that Everyone is going to heaven regardless of Status
Hard Doctrines of the Bible
Life is hard. A hard life is part of being a Christian. Being Christian doesn’t keep you from harm mt 5:11
You are not that important. Jesus didn’t die for you, he died because of you. YOUR SIN not your VALUE. He was being obedient to God when he went to the cross. It wasn’t love it was obedience! Phil 2:3
You are Not in control– God is sovereign. You can’t pray your way out of everything col 1:17
You will Die. Despite your best efforts, you are still going to cross over to everlasting life ecc 12:7
Its not about you. The whole point of this life is to lose yourself, not find yourself. Luke 14:33
You promote God through your suffering. You show the world who you believe in when you suffer
Not Everyone Goes to Heaven-. Only people who have Jesus are going to heaven 1 pet 4:8
God doesn’t approve of everything you do. There is such a thing as sin. God doesn’t like it
How you live now affects how you live in Heaven. There are rewards in heaven for this life Mt 6:1