Are we mere pawns of geo-political forces? Or is there more to this world than meets the eye?
Today's question, "Why read the Old Testament" is often asked by church going people. It is often stated this way: ⁃ The Old Testament is so hard to understand. ⁃ I like the New Testament better than the Old. ⁃ God seems so angry and mean in the Old. ⁃ Hasn't the New Testament replaced the Old? ⁃ All those animal sacrifices are a huge turn off. Why read the Old Testament? Here are four main themes which Pastor will use to answer today's question: ⁃ Revelation ⁃ Foundation ⁃ Confirmation ⁃ Salvation Revelation: God reveals Himself, the past, the future, His plan, His character: ⁃ All Scripture is God-breathed. God breaths life. The Old Testament is God's Living word, it's Him speaking, His breath - a God-breathed book. ⁃ The Old Testament is for future generations - 1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come." The Old Testament is for all generations. It's not out of date and aids us in understanding the time in which we live. ⁃ The Old Testament is for our instruction. Not just the story of people from long ago, it is for our instruction. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." ⁃ The Old Testament is revealing God's character. It shows us what God is like. It's a record of thousands of years and we see His patience with a goal of bringing people back to Himself. Exodus 34:6-7 "And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." God's character is good. Foundation: ⁃ The Old Testament shows God is our Creator. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." ⁃ The Old Testament shows the Sin-Death connection. Death is not natural it is a result of rebellion against God. Genesis 2:16-17 - sin brings death. ⁃ The Old Testament shows the need for Sacrifice. Genesis 3:21. An innocent animal had to die to clothe Adam and Eve after they sinned. Salvation requires an innocent victim to die for sin. ⁃ The Old Testament shows Grace and Faith. What saves is God's grace and our response of faith. Genesis 15:6. Confirmation: The Old Testament confirms what we read in the New Testament. ⁃ The Old Testament points to Christ. It carries a unified theme that points us to the One that was promised, the One who would defeat the devil. John 5:39-40. Luke 24:27 "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself." ⁃ The Old Testament points to the Son of Man. Jesus' favorite term for Himself. Daniel 7:13-14. The Old Testament reveals Jesus. ⁃ The Old Testament points to the cross. 1 Peter 1:10-11 "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the suffering of the Messiah and the glories that would follow." ⁃ The Old Testament points to the resurrection of Jesus. Luke 24:46-47. Salvation: ⁃ The Old Testament makes us wise for salvation. 2 Timothy 3:15 "…from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." ⁃ The Old Testament makes the New Covenant clear. The definition for the word "testament" has changed over the last several hundred years. Testament originally meant "a covenant." Jeremiah 31:31 "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the People of Judah." ⁃ The Old Testament makes Messiah's death our's. Isaiah 53:4-5. ⁃ The Old Testament makes the world's future clear. Philippians 2:10-11 "…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Isiah 45:23 the Living God says, "By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked; before Me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear." Why should I read the Old Testament? Because God speaks in it! Let Him speak to you through ALL of His Word. Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.
Pastor exposes a current day lie, tracking the events causing the decline in understanding this truth: "Wise men and women still seek Jesus." Pastor shares evidence and proofs of this truth. This is a powerful message!
The Gospel of John Week 20 Scripture: John 14:31 - 16:3. Our study of the evening of Jesus' Passover meal with His disciples continues. In our opening verse of John 14:31 we read, "Come, let us go." Pastor shares an ancient Christian tradition that states Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room in a location in the southwestern corner of the city of Jerusalem on the Western Hill. Using tradition, archeological discoveries, writings from Jewish historian Josephus, and some holy speculation, Pastor puts together an amazing picture of Jesus and His disciples walk to the Garden: ⁃ It was an evening walk. ⁃ To get there they would have moved through the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives where the Garden of Gethsemane was located. ⁃ On the way they would have passed the Temple ⁃ According to Josephus the Temple was 150 feet tall and on the face of the temple was a massive golden grapevine with clusters of grapes made out of solid gold. The clusters stood about 6 feet high. ⁃ What is known from rabbinical writings is that during the great feasts, (like this one at Passover) massive torches were placed in the courts of the temple. There were 4 of them and they stood 75 feet high with multiple containers of oil for each. ⁃ They provided a tremendous amount of light in the temple and could have been seen throughout the city. So as we read, "Come, let us go," we move to the first words of chapter 15, "I am the true vine." ⁃ And Jesus and His disciples are actually seeing the massive golden grapevine on the face of the temple as they walk. These are absolutely startling and dramatic words. ⁃ These words would have been more significant to them then than they are to us today. What Jesus' disciples would have thought of was that the people of Israel are compared to a grapevine in the Hebrew Scriptures and they would have thought of Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard. (Isaiah 5) an analogy of what God intended the nation of Israel to be. And now Jesus is saying He is the vine. Jesus is saying He is everything that God intends for His people to be. With this analogy Jesus is saying that He is the One who gives life to the people of God. It is only by being connected to Jesus that we have life and forgiveness and hope because He is the Messiah. Unless we receive Him as such, judgement will come. As Pastor takes us through verses 1-2 of chapter 15, he shares what he personally believes and that is that the translators have possibly not translated accurately. He goes on to share that the Greek word translated in English to "cuts off" has two meanings and the correct meaning may not have been used here, that the meaning "to raise to life up" (the second meaning)should have been used. Pastor brings in the actual care of grapevines by a good gardener and that non-producing vines are lifted up off the ground by the gardener so they can receive more light and are not cut off. Pastor makes a solid argument that the text is better translated as: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He lifts up every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." This is all happening just hours before He will be arrested and He is making sure His disciples understand these truths. He goes on with more truths of praying in His name, loving one another and He repeats Himself. Why? Because not only did they need it repeated, but we need to hear these truths over and again. Jesus wants to make sure and re-share these fundamental truths to anchor His disciples and us in the good times and in the difficult times. Jesus goes on with more truths: ⁃ As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. ⁃ Remain in My love. ⁃ Keep His commandments (not to earn His love, but because we have His love) ⁃ He calls His disciples His friends ⁃ He tells them whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you. ⁃ He tells them the world will hate them as it hates Him ⁃ He talks of persecution, but that there will also be those who will listen. So He encourages them to speak His words and tell others. We will have difficulties in this world be we know He is with us, and He loves us! ⁃ He shares that the Holy Spirit is coming. The Advocate. The Comforter, The Consoler. And that they will need the Holy Spirit. Then Pastor shares the story of Jacob DeShazer. It's a powerful testimony of how God changes our hearts with His Word and uses our changed hearts to impact others. Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01 ⁃ The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. ⁃ The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible. Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most "Gentile/Greek" of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before. Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!
Feel all done in? God isn't finished with you. At the end of your rope? He's on the other end, lifting you up!
Forbearance is defined as restraint and patient endurance in the face of provocation. Got Forbearance?
We all face giants in our lives, but where does the confidence come from for us to do so?
Today we will be taking a look at 25 chapters that are both exciting and complex. The 25 chapters: 1 Kings 15 - 22 2 Kings 1 - 11 2 Chronicles 17 - 22 A period of approximately 33 years. As our study begins we see Ahab (874-853 BC) - is the ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Jehoshaphat (870-848 BC) - is ruler of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. There's good news and bad news from this period of 33 years… There was an alliance made between Israel and Judah. Bad news: 2 Chronicles 18:1 tells us, "Now Jehoshaphat (Judah) had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab (Israel) by marriage." As we dig into this we see Ahab (Israel's worst King) was married to Jezebel, they had a daughter named Athaliah. We also see that Jehoshaphat had a son named Jehoram. Athaliah and Jehoram marry. This is the alliance between Israel and Judah, but the marriage brought great tragedy. Ahab invites Jehoshaphat to Samaria in Israel. Ahab tells him he wants land back that had taken from him and he wants Jehoshaphat to help him fight to get it back. Ahab has 400 false prophets that say he should attack Judah because he will be victorious. Jehoshaphat listens but requests a 2nd opinion. That 2nd opinion comes from a prophecy of Micaiah son of Imlah a prophet of the Living God. Micaiah tells them, "I saw all Israel was scattered on the hillside because the shepherd was gone." And what happens is that he is thrown in jail. Judah and Israel go to battle and attack Remoth Gilead and the bettle ends in great defeat for Israel and Judah. King Ahab is killed and one of his sons takes over his throne. About 5 years later we read in 2 Chronicles 21:1 that Jehoshaphat dies and his son Jehoram succeeds him as king of Judah. Additionally, in 2 Chronicles 21:4-5 we see Jehoram puts all his brothers to death in order to protect his throne. And now we see Elijah stepping in with a letter to King Jehoram. 2 Chronicles 21:12-13 we see Elijah tell Jehoram that he has not followed the way of his father and grandfather in following God and instead follows the worship and practices of idolatry of the Northern Kingdom. Jehoram has turned away from the God of David. Vs 13-14 he holds Jehoram accountable for killing his brothers, and tells him that he will become sick and die of disease. This is a warning to the way Jehoram is headed and it's God's call to stop and to come back to Him. But Jehoram continues to do what he had always done. So he dies and his son, Ahaziah, becomes King of Judah. Reminder: Athaliah is King Ahab and Jezebel's daughter. Ahab and his wife led Israel away from God. Their daughter Athaliah is married to Jehoram (King of Judah) and when Jehoram dies their son Ahaziah becomes King of Judah. The spiritual pollution of Israel has not only come down to Judah, it has taken the throne. The line of Ahab is on the throne in both Israel and in Judah. In Israel Ahaziah's uncle, Joram, is King. There is a second Battle of Remoth Gilead at this time. Ahaziah (King of Judah) and his uncle Joram (King of Israel) decide to do the battle again, expecting to win this time. Joram, King of Israel is severely injured in the battle, Ahaziah, King of Judah, goes to check on his uncle. 2 Kings 9:1-3 Elisha has a man go to Remoth Gilead and anoint Jehu as King over Israel. The result is found in 2 Kings 9:22-23, Jehu confronts the Joram King of Israel and Ahaziah King of Judah at the bedside of Joram, Ahaziah's uncle, where he and Ahaziah are talking. Jehu says there can be no peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of Ahaziah;s mother Jezabel abounds. Joram flees and Jehu pulls out his bow and arrow and hits Joram in the back killing him. Jehu then chases Ahaziah wounding him. Ahaziah dies, too, and now both the King of Israel and the King of Judah are dead. I Kings 11:1 tells us that when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah saw he son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of Judah. She desired to eliminate the whole line of David through which the Messiah was to come. 2 Kings 11:2 but the Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. And as a result a godly king will ultimately come to the throne against the desire of Ahaziah. Join us next week as our story continues! Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.
Is listening to God easy, or difficult? What are the sacrifices and benefits of doing what He says? This message includes personal testimony of both the costs and blessings of listening to God's voice.
When enemies and dangers assail us, where do we find the valor to defeat them? Ask Gideon.
Pastor opens by sharing that he is convinced the New Testament is genuine and true. Having read the Bible over 90 times in the last 15 years and having read original sources and the writings of scholars over the centuries, he is convinced the New Testament is trustworthy. To answer today's question, Pastor takes us on a journey through other common questions regarding the New Testament: ⁃ Who wrote the New Testament and when? This is a controversial subject. Modern skepticism says it has late dating and anonymous authorship. But this view ignores the latest scholarship which shows in recent research that the New Testament books have early dating before 70A.D. and that it was written by eyewitness authors who knew Jesus and were willing to risk their lives to proclaim Jesus and His resurrection. ⁃ How do I know it wasn't tampered with? There is manuscript evidence with over 5,800 Greek manuscripts showing the accuracy of the transcripts plus there are over 20,000 Latin, Coptic, Syriac and other translations that are also accurate when compared to each other. The variants are textual having only minor variation in spelling and word order but all with no doctrinal deviations. ⁃ Is there any evidence supporting its claims? Non-Christian sources like references to persons in Acts and the local cultural peculiarities show that the Book of Acts matches up with what is said in the non-christian writings and sources from that time. Acts jives with what is written in the other non-christian sources. Archaeological discovers support the truth of the New Testament and Acts in particular. Excavations match the details found in Acts with some amazing artifacts showing that what we find buried in the ground bears new testimony to the very things we read in Acts. Pastor shares many of the recent artifacts and discoveries. What we see is that the New Testament is not just made up but the words of eyewitness who were there and saw what took place. ⁃ Isn't it just pious "feel good" religious fiction? Truthfully, the New Testament is not a "feel good" book. The New Testament is and has been culturally and morally unpopular - it says things people do not want to hear., things that make them uncomfortable. At the heart of the New Testament is a scandal - a crucified Messiah, humiliated before the eyes of all. Why write such a not "feel good" story…. Plus the New Testament calls people to radical discipleship with self denial as a lifestyle. It calls people to have love for their enemies. It is not feel good religious fiction - it is a powerful testimony to the very plan and character of God and the actions of God in history. ⁃ Is it too old to be relevant for modern times? In answer Pastor shares a personal story exemplifying the relevancy of the New Testament's effect on his life and he shares how the New Testament continues to impact his life and the lives of others because it is relevant for all. Pastor shares that there is nothing more important than surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ. Just because the New Testament is old doesn't mean it doesn't speak to our day. It is still valuable and essential. Old things are not worthless. Pastor continues with a challenge to read the New Testament and to see for ourselves, because to ignore the New Testament is to make the most serious mistake we can make. He passionately encourages us to read the New Testament allowing God to speak into our hearts and to mold and shape our lives, destinies, families, communities and the culture. Pastor closes with: ⁃ What do you think are the consequences of ignoring reading the New Testament if it is true? ⁃ Will you act on what you sense the Holy Spirit is telling you? Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.
The Apostle Paul wrote his Letter to the Philippians while he was in prison, awaiting trial and possible execution, weighed down with concerns for his fellow believers,. Yet the letter is filled with joy and exhortations to rejoice (16 times in four chapters). How could he rejoice in those circumstances? The answer lies in this truth: True joy is found in Christ! Paul points us to Jesus Christ 75 times in this short letter, urging us to "Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, 'Rejoice!'" (Philippians 4:4). In desperate times, difficult situations, and even the darkest periods of our lives, joy can be found when we hold our eyes on Jesus Christ!
The Gospel of John Week 19 Scripture: John 14:6 - 31. As we continue with more of the evening of Jesus' last day with His disciples, we see Him sharing important teachings with them. ⁃ that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life ⁃ that He is the only way to the Father ⁃ the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate ⁃ that He's going way for a wile but will come back ⁃ that they are not to be troubled ⁃ that they are not to be afraid ⁃ that He is sharing all of this so that when it happens they will believe. In John 14:26 Jesus tells them, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." Pastor shares that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an "it." The Holy Spirit is a living being - not a force - and that the Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of believers. Jesus then tells them, in verse 27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Pastor shares a personal testimony about the Holy Spirit teaching him the meaning of, "Do not be afraid." Do not be afraid, means don't even imagine the things that cause you fear! The One saying this is the One who loved us enough to die for us, He's the One who endured hell on the cross for our sins and He's the One saying, "don't sweat this!" Can you imagine how much that meant to the disciples that night, but also in the days, months and years afterwards as they came to understand Jesus was risen, ascended, coming back and had given them a mission to carry out. Jesus is still telling us these same words today, we do not have to live in fear - we are to walk in His peace. In verses 30 - 31 Jesus says, "I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me." The prince of the world is the devil, but Jesus is telling them that the devil has no hold over Him! Soon they will see Jesus arrested, beaten, crucified and put in a grave. They will be devastated, but Jesus is telling them in advance that HE is in control - not the devil - Jesus says the enemy has NO hold on Him. He tells them He only does what the Father tells Him (and so He will go to the cross) and Jesus tells them, "My peace I give you, fear not!" for the devil has NO control over me! 1 Corinthians 2:8 says, "None of the rulers of this age understood it (God's wisdom/God's plan for salvation), for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Even when it looks like the devil has won - God triumphs! God flips what looks like disaster and turn it into salvation! Today the battle goes on, BUT THE WAR IS WON!!! Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01 ⁃ The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. ⁃ The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible. Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most "Gentile/Greek" of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before. Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!
The battle of Jericho, the battles waged by Jesus, and our own daily battles are surprisingly (or, perhaps unsurprisingly?) all interconnected.
Fear paralyzes us, both throughout history and still today. The good news is, however, that God's perfect love casts out all fear!
Too often we seek a "God" who is recast in our own image; one who is comfortable with who we are and with whatever we want to do. We look for a little "sprinkling of religion" to season our everyday lives, but God wants us to turn to Him alone and receive real life, both now and forever.
Today we continue our study of Elijah's ministry. Elijah's Ministry ⁃ Prediction and Provision - no rain or dew ⁃ Contest at Mount Carmel the time of drought ends in a contest ⁃ Encounter at Mount Horeb ⁃ Word at Naboth's Vineyard ⁃ Elijah taken to heaven We pick up the story from last week, at the contest at Mount Carmel where we learn that Jezebel has promised to kill Elijah. After the threat, Elijah, fearful for his life, travels forty days to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai). Pastor shares several possibilities for the location of this mount leaning towards today's Jabal al Maqla. Elijah makes it to Mt. Horeb and he is discouraged and fearful and exhausted and we read of his depression in 1 Kings 19:9-10. He ends this verse saying, "I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." God's response is, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord for the Lord is about to pass by." Divine Encounter ⁃ Wind comes - but the Lord was not in the wind ⁃ Earthquake comes - but the Lord was not in the earthquake ⁃ Fire comes - but the Lord was not in the fire ⁃ Gentle whisper comes - the Lord speaks of Elijah's assignment. Elijah thinks of himself as a failure and wants to give up, but God tells him He has more for him to do, that he is not to give up. Mission: Anointing ⁃ Elijah is told to anoint Hazael as king over Aram ⁃ He is told to anoint Jehu over Israel ⁃ He is told to anoint Elisha as his successor Then God assures Elijah that he is not alone and tells him that there are 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed down to Baal. Elijah obeys God's commands and leaves Mt. Horeb and he comes to Elisha working in the field and Elijah anoints him. Elijah now has a partner for the rest of his ministry time on earth. This may have been as long as 10 years together. God gives Elijah a word of judgement to give to King Ahab. Ahab's response was to tear his clothes, put on sackcloth and fast. And because Ahab humbled himself in repentance, God withheld the judgement saying, "I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son" God relents, because He is gracious and He desires all people come to Him. God responds when we repent. At the end of Elijah's ministry Elijah is one of two people mentioned in the Bible who were taken alive to heaven. We read in 2 Kings 2:11-12 "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, 'My father, My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!' And Elisha saw Elijah no more." Elijah's Legacy ⁃ Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) ⁃ Gabriel and Zechariah (Luke 1:17) ⁃ Elijah who was to come (Matthew 11;13-14) ⁃ Transfiguration of Jess (Matthew 17:2-3) ⁃ Prayer life of Elijah (James 5:17-18) A big takeaway from Elijah's story is that we are to follow God no matter what comes our way, no matter what may be happening in our lives or in the world around us because God is faithful and He knows how to defend and take care His own. Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.
The word "holiness" should not intimidate us. Through His Holy Spirit, God works changes in each of us to bring a new life in Christ: a life of both holiness and wholeness.
God's promise to deliver us is both in the future, and in the present time. What deliverance do you need today?
"If someone dies, will they live again?" Three Basic Views 1. Oblivion - there's nothing more after this life. But Near Death Experiences (NDE's) are challenging this view. 2. Reincarnation - a view held mainly in the eastern world. 3. Afterlife - there is something beyond the grave, that our lives do not end when our bodies die. This is also at the heart of the biblical message. Will All People Die? The answer is "No!" The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 that there will be one generation that does not, the one alive when Jesus returns. The Bible teaches a resurrection. What happens when I die? A personal look using the Bible's Testimony: 1. Life - God is the author of life. Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 3:11 2. Death - is a reality because of sin. Genesis 3:19, Romans 5:12 3. Paradise - with Christ when we die. Luke 23:43, Philippians 1:23. But this is not our destiny. 4. Raised - The dead will be raised. Our destiny and future is to be bodily raised with new bodies that are glorified. 1 Corinthians 15:22, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 5. Judgement - For unbelievers it is a time of judgement, for believers their sins were judged at the Christ so that we do not need to suffer the punishment for our sins. For believers the judgement is a time of reward. 2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrew 9:27 A believer's life is to be lived as a thank you note to God. 6. Forever - believers will live forever in a new heaven and a new earth in new bodies with no pain, death or suffering. 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:4. Our destiny is to live forever! That is why it is so important that we receive what God offers us: salvation, life, forgiveness, and assurance through faith in Jesus who died for us, rose from the grave and will return at the end of time. For believers, death is not to be feared with dread, it is instead an assurance that there is more and that the best is yet to come. John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I'm the resurrection and the life. The one who believe in me will live, even through they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'" Do you believe what Jesus said to Martha? Will you respond to the gift God desires to bring to everyone, life forever with Him? He desires all to be saved through knowledge in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. Sin - all have sinned and need a Savior and need to repent 2. Sorrow - realize we have sinned against a holy God, our Creator, and desire to repent. God is good and gracious and desires all repent and admit we are sinners responding with sorrow and trusting our Savior 3. Savior - the only One who can deliver us from death and the grave and a horrible future. He is the only who can give meaning to life today and meaning forever. We have a future beyond the grave. What happens when I die? Jesus' response to that question is, "I am the resurrection and the life, do you believe this?" Follow up questions to consider: ⁃ How would you answer the question; "What happens when I die?" ⁃ Do you believe the Bible's testimony about life beyond the grave? Why or why not ⁃ Are you trusting the Lord Jesus for your eternal destiny? Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.