One of the topics that I have run across a number of times lately is the question of what happens after death. At my age, parents of my friends are increasingly ill, injured, or passed. It makes the topic of one’s own death harder and harder to ignore and the contemplation of what is next more and more relevant or so it seems.
One recent sermon covered judgement and the difference between being judged to receive punishment for sin and being judged for reward for following the Lordship of Jesus. Naturally death proceeds either judgement, and which is your judgement is your own choice. God wants to reward us for service but has to punish us if we have not chosen to be cleansed by the blood of Christ.
Another sermon was about the 12 foundations of and 12 gates to heaven. Twelve is a big number with the tribes of Israel and the Apostles of Christ. My notes do not do the topic justice, but it is clear that eternity in heaven has been the plan since before God created Adam. And that no matter how good or fair any person thinks it should be, there is only one away to get there.
Big D is going on a mission trip this week and made shirts to earn money to get to go. They are headed to a Spanish speaking country and she came up with a logo that ties in with the third sermon in the series. She uses the words “Jesus says Vamos” on the shirt in a mixture of English and Spanish. Once I saw the shirt I realized if it were only in Spanish is would read “Jesus dice Vamos”. Only because my name is Dice do I know this. Next year I think we will use both.
The great concept here is that it is Jesus personally who calls each of us to Him, each us us to Heaven, and each of us to live with God eternally. Heaven is blessed, cleansed, and life while outside is an outcome of loving falsehood. We can pass along the call, the Holy Spirit can reinforce the call, but the call is from Christ Himself, and He is the pearly gate. So come.
The last sermon of the unrelated series for this month covers the purpose of our need to abide under the Lordship of Christ, to persevere, to expect trials, to chose joy. Christ calls us to heaven, but He also calls us to a stronger and deeper faith, to affliction that produces glory, to have a thicker skin, and a softer heart. All of our life after accepting Christ we are given trials to accomplish one purpose, to make us mature and complete Christians. We are not called to be perfect, but to reveal the perfection that is Jesus.
We as Christian are to understand that to die is gain and to live is gain. The differences are separated by death, but our deaths are what we prepare our souls for and we should serve those around us while alive to make our death not a worldly tragedy for them wiht out us. So we do need to contemplate our death, but not for ourselves. So be mature and prepare for death and pray that you live to serve as long as possible.