September 2005
 Our
lives pass in a moment compared to the
time we will spend in eternity. It is
a vapor that appears for a little time
and then vanishes away. 1
I pray the Lord will remind you how brief
your time on earth is. Your days are numbered,
and your life is fleeing away. 2
And just as it is destined that each person
dies only once; after that, comes judgment.
3
The Fear of Death
The fear of death is
common and one of the reasons Jesus came
to die. Because God's people are human
beings, made of flesh and blood, Jesus
also became flesh and blood by being born
in human form. For only as a human being
could He die, and only by dying could
He break the power of the Devil, who had
the power of death. Only in this way could
He deliver those who have lived all their
lives a slave to the fear of death. 4
I can remember as a boy
thinking how short life would be. I was
tormented by the thought of dying. I recall
my sadness for a friend of the family
with cancer having so little time left
to live. It didn't seem fair that life
had to be so short for him. I wondered
how much time I had left?
The thought of dying
gripped my heart, but for some reason,
I felt my parents would live forever.
Maybe it was their faith in Christ that
caused me to not fear their death. They
have now passed to be with Jesus. While
alive, they were fine examples of those
who were delivered from the fear of death.
They died with dignity, knowing that there
was a better life ahead. For our present
troubles are relatively small and won't
last, yet they can produce for us an immeasurably
great glory that will last forever! 5
Comforting Words
It is comforting to know
that I will spend eternity with my parents.
I hope to see my children and their mother
in heaven as well as my siblings, their
families, my friends and all the saints.
As the old hymn goes, "When we all
get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing
that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll
sing and shout the victory."
For we know that when
this earthly tent we live in is taken
down [when we die and leave these bodies],
we will have a home in heaven, an eternal
body made for us by God himself and not
by human hands. We are confident, that
as long as we live in these bodies we
are not at home with the Lord. That is
why we live by believing, and not by seeing.
We are fully confident, and we would rather
be away from these bodies, for then we
would be at home with the Lord. 6
As Christians, our aim
is to please God always, whether we are
here in this body or away from this body.
For we must stand before Christ to be
judged. We will each receive what we deserve
for the good or evil we have done while
in our bodies. 7
The Judgment of Sin
God is a God of love
and of judgment. The judgment mentioned
above is of the believers at the Bema
(judgment) seat of Christ. 8
Our works as a Christian will be judged
whether good or bad. Every man shall receive
His own reward according to his own labor.
9 Later, Jesus will
execute judgment upon the unbelievers
at the Great White Throne. 10
When speaking of both these judgments,
Jesus says to not be surprised. The time
is coming when all the dead in their graves
will hear the voice of God's Son, and
they will rise again. Those who have done
good will rise to eternal life, and those
who have continued in evil will rise to
judgment. 11 The
unbeliever is judged dead in their sin,
having rejected Christ and His resurrection
life.
The good news is that
Jesus assures us that those who believe
in Him, have eternal life. They will never
be condemned for their sins, but they
have already passed from death into life.
12 His message says
you must be born of the Spirit of life
by believing He took your judgment for
sin upon Himself. That He is the sacrifice
for the sins of all the world. 13
If you confess you are a sinner in need
of a Savior, He is faithful to have already
forgiven your sin at the cross and to
have cleansed you from all unrighteousness
2000 years ago. 14
And if you believe in your heart that
God raised Jesus from the dead, you will
be saved and made right with God. 15
How does this happen?
The Holy Spirit regenerates your heart
miraculously, giving the life of Christ
in the place of your own spiritual death.
Since Christ lives within you, even though
your body will die because of sin, your
spirit is alive because you have been
made right with God. The Spirit of God,
who raised Jesus from the dead, lives
in you. And just as He raised Christ from
the dead, He will give life to your mortal
body by this same Spirit living within
you. 16
The Mystery of Christ
This message was kept
secret for centuries and generations past,
but now it has been revealed to his own
holy people. For it has pleased God to
tell His people that the riches and glory
of Christ are for all who believe. For
this is the secret: Christ lives in you,
and this is your assurance that you will
share in His glory. 17
The Apostle Paul said
everywhere we go, we should tell everyone
about Christ. We warn them and teach them
with all the wisdom God has given us,
for we want to present them to God, perfect
in their relationship to Christ. I work
very hard at this, as I depend on Christ's
mighty power that works within me. 18
Christ desires to live
His life through you. We can do nothing
without His power flowing forth from within
us. His divine power gives us everything
we need for living a godly life. He has
called us to receive His glory and goodness.
And by the same mighty power, He has given
us all of His rich and wonderful promises.
He has promised that you will escape the
decadence around you and that you will
share in His divine nature. 19
My Dear Friend
My heart goes out to
those of you who don't share in God's
divine nature through believing in Christ.
There is no other sacrifice that will
please God. It is impossible to please
God without faith in Christ. Anyone who
wants to come to God must believe that
there is a God and that He rewards those
who sincerely seek Him. 20
Those who doubt Him have nothing to look
forward to but the terrible expectation
of God's judgment.
God shows his anger from
heaven against all sinful, wicked people
who push the truth away from themselves.
21 You may say,
"I'm not sinful and wicked!"
But God says that all have sinned and
come short of His glory. 22
In the same breath, He says the wages
of sin is death, but my free gift is eternal
life through Christ Jesus My Son. 23
Don't you realize how
kind, tolerant and patient God is with
you? Don't you care? Can you see how kind
He has been in giving you time to turn
from your sin? 24
I pray this will be the time that you
in faith receive Christ into your heart.
The day will surely come when God, Jesus
Christ, will judge everyone. This is my
message. 25
A Prayer for you ...
Father, I thank You for Jesus, Who died
on the cross for the forgiveness of my
sins and for providing me Your Son's righteousness
and resurrected life. I now confess Jesus
as Lord and accept by faith Your free
gift of Salvation. Through Your Holy Spirit,
I pray You teach me how much You love
me and about the power of Your resurrection.
I want to grow in Your grace and in this
new life You have given me. Thank You
for Your loving kindness. Amen!
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