Saturday, September 12, 2015

Start Time: 7:00 AM

End Time: 8:03AM

Title: Are You Ready For Eternity?

Scriptures: Matthew 4:4; John 4:23-24; Matthew 7:21-23

God’s Message/Promise/Commands:

Imagine a long long, never ending rope.  The first 5inches of the rope is dark red then the rest is colored white.  And imagine this rope as your life.  The 5 inches Red rope represents our lives here on earth and the rest of the white rope which is never ending is our lives in eternity. 

Many times we are so busy trying to make things good and preparing for our future on earth like for our retirement or when we reach a certain age that we forget that it's just still within the first 5 inches of our lives.  We still have eternity but we only get ready and prepare for the life we have on earth.

Our lives on earth is a training ground for what is to come - our life with the Lord.  And we ought to prepare ourselves for what is to come (the life in eternity) and focus on that more instead of what little life we have left here on earth.

So let us evaluate our lives and ask ourselves if we are ready for eternity?  What do we need to at least consider and prepare for here on earth for our lives with the Lord in eternity?

Here are 3 things that I believe we need to practice on earth as it will be sure to be our nature in our lives with God in eternity.

1) Feed our spirit

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” Matthew 4:4

Have we taught ourselves to feed our spirit with God's words?  Remember, only our spirit goes to eternity, our bodies will remain on earth.  And if our spirit lives to eternity have we prepared it to live in every word of God which is what gives life to our spirit? 

Have we trained ourselves to be consistent eating God's words daily? 

There will be no lechon, bbq, pasta, pizza, steak, or any other meat we eat for our physical bodies in eternity but one thing is sure, God's words will remain forever and it will be our main source of food when we move on to our lives with Him in eternity.

So are you ready?  Has your spirit been trained to get nutrition from God's words?  Evaluate yourselves today and see if you're ready for eternity?

2) Develop an attitude of praise and worship and thanksgiving

It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” - John 4:23-24

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” - NIV John 4:23-24

God is a Spirit and He seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.  This is what the Father wants and have we develop this attitude in our lives?

When John wrote revelation and he wrote his vision of heaven, he saw people praising and worshipping God...so one thing is true, when we get there or when we enter the promise land, an attitude of praise and worship is another vital attitude we must have because this is what the Father seeks.

So are we able to practice praise, worship and thanksgiving here on earth?  Even at difficult times?  I read an article and the writer said, praise is not the inevitable byproduct that comes when everything is going right in our lives; it is the driving force.

Praise will get our focus where it needs to be—on God. If we start praising God in the middle of our problems, our problems will shrink so much that we’ll hardly remember to bring them to God! We’ll be so busy praising Him and thanking Him for His blessings that our problems will be an afterthought.

So evaluate yourself again, are you able to praise God, worship and thank Him at all times here on earth because for sure, we will need this attitude when we live our lives with Him in eternity

3) Build your relationship with Jesus

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

This is really something that we have to focus on.  The most crucial training we will have on earth.  Building our relationship with Jesus!  Remember, our lives in eternity will be spent with the Lord and if we are not able to build that relationship here on earth, the Lord might not recognize us when we enter the promise land and will tell say that He doesn't know us.

If we take care of our relationship with people on earth because we know it is important, how much more should we take care of our relationship with God? 

In truth, the only relationship we all should be taking care of is our relationship with God.  I'm not saying that we isolate ourselves and not care with other people...but even if you have everyone as your enemy, and only have God as your friend, You are still the majority!  Remember Elijah?  He was an enemy of Jezebel, when Jezebel went after him, he had to run to the caves, yet everything he needs were provided.  He was taken care of the Lord.  So if we value the relationship we have with the people or friends we have on earth, we must all the more value the relationship we have with the Lord.  Because we will be spending our lives with Him in eternity.

So evaluate ourselves today, are our spirit ready when we get there?  Already trained to feed from God's words?  Are our attitude right, trained to praise, worship and thank God at all times no matter what circumstances we are in?  Are our relationship with God solid that when we get there, God will say, Welcome Khristy, tell me more about Your life on earth.  I want to hear about your experience again.  Or will He say, "I'm sorry, I do not know you."