Jesus Know Him and Live (Part 3)

In the last several years there has been a rash of books written by people who supposedly died and came back again and when they died this a common theme between all of them that they all saw lights, some of them said that they saw somebody who is reputedly to be Jesus. But then when you listen to what they say this supposedly Jesus said to them, is contrary to everything that he did and said and taught throughout his earthly life. Hundreds of eyewitnesses I've heard him say teach and do things that runs contrary to what these folks who supposedly have died and come back to tell us. For example, Jesus said I am the only way to heaven.

No one can come to the father but by me. But some of them say that this person that they saw they think is Jesus said to them, no, no, no, no, that's not really important that all the ways lead to me sounds like Satan to me that you but this, to say nothing about this incredible number of so-called channels that are spreading all over the television screens are and they supposedly can contact the Danton and when this channel is contacted their always tell the loved ones here on earth. They are in a wonderful place everyone of them. They're all in the great place in every case for the uninformed and the unsuspecting. This might be comforting and from the human point of view I understand it, I really do from the human point of view, but when it comes to life after death when it comes to the other side of the curtain over eternity when it comes to what happens after we die. You have to decide who you gonna believe. I gonna believe the creator of the universe, the one who placed all of the galaxies in their orbits. The one who died for you the one who redeemed your soul and rose again from the dead after three days not three minute, or someone who's trying to make a few bucks selling a book or getting their 15 minutes of fame you have to make that decision.

Who you gonna believe Jesus was there before the creation of the earth. And Jesus pulls the curtain to let us know what happens after we die.

He shows us exactly what takes place immediately as soon as we close our eyes, and death. Luke chapter 16. Here Jesus tells us about two people to real people. They both have died. They did not both go to the same place they went to two different places. One went to a place of agony and torment the other went to a place of unspeakable joy, but that's not all. Jesus is telling us that after death is impossible to switch places after death is impossible to grow from one destination to the other after death. It is too late and therefore the time to decide where you gonna spend your eternity is now the time you decide what you going to be 100 years from now is today the time to plan your eternal future is now, and that is why the Scripture is very urgent and pleading with people today. Today if you hear his voice hard and not your heart because there's such a thing as this too late. Why because once we cross over the other side exit don't take my word for it listen to what Jesus said and he tells us about these two real people want to live for self and the other one did not want to live for self. He cared for no one else but himself. He please no one else but self he served his own desires and his whims. He was filled with his own opinions. He refused to hear the truth.

He thought that he could save himself, and he ended up spending eternity in hell. The other one named Lazarus a common name at the time in Israel. Lazarus dies. But during his life he put his faith in God. He placed his whole trust in God. He fixed his hope on God. He's shot to please God. And when he died. The Bible said the angels carried him down the Old Testament jumped on the stand before the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ before he defeated death and the grave. The Old Testament taught that everyone who dies go to two different places to regions of the same place. The Bible calls that Hades I will explain that to the minute, those who were believers, Old Testament believers, the Jewish believers.

They went to what the Jews would called the bosom of Abraham.

Some of the modern translation took that word bosom out, but that's really a literal translation they went to the bosom of Abraham.

Why Abraham because Abraham is the father of faith. He is the father of everyone in the Old Testament who taught their faith in God are saved by faith, not by law. As a matter of fact. Abraham lived 400 years before the law was given and so he believed God by faith and therefore everyone who trusted God my faith ended up in this place called the bosom of Abraham or paradise. And that is why Jesus said Abraham Saul my day and rejoiced on the got Matador to kill him is used 30 years old tell me that Greg Abraham Sawyer died 2000 years earlier and rejoice. They did not know that this Messiah is the one who created the world that this Messiah is the one through whom the world was created that he was there before Abraham.

So those who put their faith in God.

How did they do this they look forward to the coming of the Messiah 2000 years before Christ.

Abraham believed that God is sending his son Jesus the Messiah and everyone from Abraham's time on among God's people who believe that the ended up in the place called Paradise or the bosom of Abraham, the Jews and the others who refused to believe by faith. The ended up in that dark place but there's something very important here. I don't want to to miss. Please don't miss don't miss it because some people when they read this passage. They think that the reason this rich man ended up in hell because he was rich, that is not the emphasis of the text here the emphasis that Jesus was placing it on the fact that the man lived for self. That's the difference. The Bible never condemns wealth. The Bible condemns the wrong use of wealth. Abraham, for example, was probably the richest man at the time on the earth, but he did not worship his money, he lived by faith he put their hope in Yahweh pin you that yet was going to send this on the Messiah and he I hope on that and that is why in the Old Testament paradise is described as I said is the bosom of Abraham because Abraham is the man who believed God before the law of Moses came every time I think about this. I think of the sweet lady who was dying and going to heaven because she loved Jesus all her life because she trusted him with as her Savior because she served them all her life that she couldn't wait to get to heaven. And so the pastor comes in and visits her one day as you sit there and pastor I can't wait.

I'm gonna die, but immediately I'm going to be in the bosom of Moses while the pastor you know wanted to correct her and they want to be gentle about it and he said I said them dear.

It is not the bosom of Moses the bosom of Abraham. She said pastor at my age doesn't matter whose bosom it is. I'm sure some of you are asking, what is this Hades that the Bible talks about Hades is a place where people went to prior to the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that is why the apostle Peter in his epistle tells us that when Jesus died on the cross and then he was better than the two. He really went to Hades. And there he declared his Lordship over the dad and he took those believers were waiting for him straight into heaven with him. But Hades according to the Old Testament is divided into two regions.

There is a gap between them. There is a chasm between them. One called as I said the bosom of Abraham, the other one is a place of torment and suffering.

Please don't miss what I'm going to type.

Don't miss this. Don't miss this. Your eternity could be hanging on it. Both men were conscious after death. Both men, the believer and the nonbelievers. They both were conscious.

They both had memories of the earthly life. They both were able to speak one was experiencing great joy and the other one was experiencing torment verse 24 of Luke 16 the nonbeliever said to Abraham from the other side of the chasm. Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus.

Lazarus, the one that you ignored them all your life, the one you had no time for the one you despised, then lived for self's having dip his finger in water to cool my tongue because I am in agony in this fire beloved. The Bible teaches that after death, the believer is going to receive a glorified body first Corinthians 1554 that we will be closed by resurrected bodies.

The book of Revelation where John was given the privilege to go into the very portals of heaven he saw real people, real people and resurrected glorified body. The bottom line that Jesus wants everyone of us to know is telling us about these two people. The reason is telling us about Ms. he wants us to know that there are only two places no third and that those two places stand in contrast of one another. These two places are opposites of each other and the question is everyone must be asked where will I spend eternity. Don't ever rest until you answer the question.

The question is where will I spend my forever where I'll be hundred years from now which of the two places am I going to go to where am I going to end up when I close my eyes, and death. Now you don't have to be vague about it. You don't have to be uncertain about it.

You can be absolutely sure now because you have God's word on earth.

If you're not sure, today you can be. Where will you spend eternity. The place of unending condemnation, or the place of joy unspeakable. Listen, I have dedicated my life to tell people the truth about Jesus, not about a denomination but about Jesus, for no one can take you to heaven except Jesus is the only one who can take you to heaven.

None. No one and nothing can take you to heaven except Jesus. No amount of good work will ever get you there. No amount of wishful thinking will get you there. No amount of religious activities will get you there. No amount of goodwill will get you there.

Only Jesus the Christ who can take you from one side of attorney to Nam inviting you to come to him and be rescued come to him and be saved come to him and be assured overturn the life in heaven with him.

That is the very core of the Christian faith, would you respond will you respond. The other alternative spending eternity forever and regret and self beating like this man. He did not want to place his faith in God alone, and therefore, he was not only mentally, emotionally and physically in agony. He was worried sick about his family that he left behind from your that was even more painful than what he was experiencing.

He was in agony over what happens to his beloved family that he left behind. Obviously his family were as godless as he wants and so in the midst of his pain.

He comes to the realization I don't want to come here. I don't want them to experience warm experiencing after a few seconds, and help he wanted someone to tell his family.

The truth, by contrast, when the believer dies he goes immediately to the presence of Jesus. The place what is no pain, no suffering, no regret, no torment, no condemnation hunger are no teachers, only rejoicing and praising and worshiping and adorning the son of God who made it possible for them to be there in heaven.

Why because, beloved, listen to me.

Please listen to me there is no waiting place. There is no place where you can change destination after you die.

There is no soul sleep then is not purgatory that is in the Scripture.

There is no second chance and that is why the Bible urges everyone who have never committed the life to Jesus Christ never received the gift of salvation and eternal life, now what you can say Michael how do you know that how do you know that such checking out and checking in immediately. No change of destination. I'll tell you exactly how I know from what God said, not what I think what God said Jesus hanging on the cross and the medallion next to him repents of his sins and Jesus said today going to be with me in paradise. Immediately when you close your eyes and death are going to be with me. Not only that, the book of acts tells us hundreds of people watching. As Stephen one of the deacons of the first church was being stoned to death.

And all these people watching as he began to dive from the stoning and he looks up to heaven and he says I've seen Jesus standing to receive me.

But not only that.

Philippians 123 tells us that to depart this life is a presence with Christ.

Second Corinthians 58 tells us absence from the party is present with the Lord in heaven and Jesus tells us that this self-centered man this matter try to save himself was able to talk and he called out to Abraham on the other side of the divide. He was able to feel this done, as it were on fire and he was able to hear Abraham speak back to him.

And Jesus is saying to you and to me and to everyone who would listen, Jesus is saying this every one of us will live forever. Every person who's alive today will live forever.

The believers will experience joy while the nonbelievers will experience sorrow that believers will experience rest while the nonbeliever will be experiencing ongoing pain and suffering that believers will experience fellowship while the nonbelievers will be in a place of utter loneliness that believers will experience deeper love but that unbelievers will be experiencing deeper hate that believers would be experiencing comfort while the others will be experiencing agony that believers would be experiencing glory while the nonbelievers will be experiencing shame that believers will be experiencing honor while the nonbelievers will be experiencing guilt but just in case someone here hasn't got it yet little reported to you, which summarize the entire Bible is what Jesus is saying. I left the glories of heaven current Taurus so that I might take to heaven with me. Everyone who put their faith in me lay down my glorified body and current Taurus so that I might give everyone who put their trust in me will receive me as Savior and Lord glorified body.

I am God of very God, but become man so that I give all my children divine nature, imperfect and sinless, but came to take your sin and your punishment over my body.

My sinless and holy body.

I paid it all. I pray that all all you need to do is to come and receive with your company into the will you come to him today, but there's something else here that is very important.

I don't want you to miss it.

This man who lived for self.

He had no time for God. No time for others only for self when he ended up in hell, never one time would you hear him say that's not fair. Why is this happening to me now know he becomes so self-aware.

On the other side of eternity that he knew you.

He received his just and fair judgment. Can you that he received the consequences of rejecting God's hand of salvation, he never blamed God never blamed others. Not one time did you find it there, but he becomes worried sick over his family. So what does this man do. He pleads with Abraham. He pleads with him.

He said if Lazarus would rise from the dead, and preach the truth to my family they repent. No believe will not come to this place. Please please my friend, don't miss Abraham's answer. He said even if someone rise from the dead will not believe what is remember that when you say Moses and the prophet is what he say is that if they not going to believe the Bible if they're not going to believe God's word even if Lazarus rises from the dead.

Then I gonna believe if people don't believe the resurrected Jesus. If people refuse to put their faith in the resurrected Jesus people ignore the invitation of the resurrected Jesus them. I get mesmerized by miracles and supernatural, but they will not repent. What about you what about you, are you ready to believe the words of the resurrected Jesus's.

Are you ready to accept his invitation.

Are you ready to come to him and say of come to the end of myself. I cannot save myself.

I come to you seeking your forgiveness. Listen to what Jesus said when somebody does that. Somebody says that the promise of Jesus will never reject you never, never, never, never reject you.

In fact, he said those of the father's given me. I lose none you're in the grasp of his hand. From that moment on, my friend. There is going to be a time there is such a time as too late now. It is not too late. But then it will. Abraham said this deeper divide between us.

There is a chasm between us. We said we can go to you and you can count on us is a huge chasm.

There is no turning back now. There's no crossing over when it's over. And that is why the time is now the opportunities today. Don't put it off every time I think of the words of Abraham, but the chasm and how nobody can cross. Once we close our eyes and often think of a story of a German friend of mine told me years ago and said the that in the black farce of Germany. There is a place called Hells Valley at its narrowest is basically to Craig's and there about 9 m old 30 feet apart. In fact, between those two crags is a deep, deep valley at the narrowest part of that gorge is cold deep deep because through the years when the hunters would go after a deer and the deer comes to the age of that crack and water to escape the hunter. The deer would go with all energy that the deer could muster and tried to jump to the other side to the other crack and not the desperation, the deer trotter attempts to jump across the chasm, but of course the deer could never jump 30 feet and into body dashed into the deep ravine. I can help think of that story every time I read the words of Abraham, but he's what you need to know about the close of the miss Ron going to tell you every one of us. Yours truly, everyone of us born with a deep chasm between us in heaven being religious, bridge the chasm being nice cannot bridge that chasm being politically correct cannot bridge that chasm doing some good things cannot bridge that chasm. Only Jesus can carry you across the deep divide in his stretching his loving arms to everyone today saying comfortably. I love you, I died for you when you hold his hand. The Lord forgive me you died for me. Forgive my sins, I accept your invitation. Save me Lord and he will do exactly that because he promised father. We are so privileged, so honored to be able to come to you to pray for those who need salvation give it to them in abundance, because that's a promise for those who needs restoration restore them for those father need to be challenged afresh about the reality of hell challenges that we would love people enough to tell them the truth. Thank you for hearing. Thank you for answering our prayers because we pray for in Jesus name. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael.

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