Jump Start # 2529

Matthew 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I was reading an old book the other day. It was published in 1840 and my copy was a first edition, 1840. It is about an early New England preacher, Elias Smith. It’s his story written in his own words. He begins with, “How strange is Life! When a man considers his own existence; that he now is, that once he was not; that his existence shall not finally cease, but continue in a world without end.” He was speaking about eternity.

There are Biblical concepts that are hard to understand and harder still to explain. Someone asked me last week to explain the trinity. I tried. I used the illustration of three fingers and one hand. I talked about a pretzel has three circles yet it is made of one long strand of dough. Comparing God to a pretzel didn’t set well with me, but it’s hard to explain that One Father, One Spirit and One Son do not make three Gods, but one.

Eternity is another Biblical concept that is hard to explain. I’ve seen people draw a long line on a chalk board and then place one dot on that line. That dot is the history of mankind. We see that, but we don’t get it. We don’t get it because everything we know ends. Every movie, even the Jaws series, comes to an end. Every book, even God’s book, has a last page. There is a beginning and there is an end, to everything, even our lives here. A baby is born, That baby grows up. In time, that person dies. Death comes. Our lives here end. Everything that we know, ends. Stores close. Icons die. Heroes die. Someday, Jump Starts will end. Everything here ends. We may not like it, but we know that’s the way it is. But, in eternity, things do not end. They never end.

Our verse today shows us a few truths that we must remember:

First, everyone lives on past death. The righteous and the unrighteous. Far too many are accepting the idea of annihilation of the wicked, the idea that only the righteous live on after death. Everyone else just dies and they stay that way. The subject of Hell is rarely preached these days. No one wants to hear it. In the religious community, preachers shockingly admit to not mentioning the word Hell in their sermons. Some proudly state that they haven’t touched the subject of Hell in decades. Congregations would be horrified to hear lessons on Hell.

Our verse today links eternal punishment and eternal life together in the same sentence. If there is one, then there is the other. If one is missing, then both are missing. If there is a Heaven, then there is a Hell. No Hell, then no Heaven. Too many want a Heaven, but they don’t want a Hell. They want Hell to just disappear. It’s not going anywhere. Believe it or, want it or not, there is a punishment beyond death.

Second, the eternal abodes are described as punishment and life. It’s not a playground for the wicked. It’s punishment. It’s forever without God. Life brings the idea of joy, happiness, fellowship, acceptance. Life with God. Life free from disease, death and destruction. Life. Goodness. Hope. Future. Those are good words. Those are wonderful concepts.

Third, these realms of punishment and life, Hell and Heaven, run eternally. They do not end. They never end. There is nothing beyond them. They won’t be outdated. They won’t grow old. They won’t wear out. Even the best times here, have to end. I have been in worship services that were so edifying, rich and wonderful that I didn’t want them to ever end. They did. I’ve had times with my family that we so good and wonderful. But sooner or later, one starts yawning, then another and it’s time to end and get some sleep. But this wonderful, wonderful life that God is offering will not end. It will never end. It is eternal.

People ask, won’t we get tired of singing in Heaven? Won’t I get bored with doing the same things over and over? You are looking at that with earthly eyes. You are looking at things from our perspective. We don’t understand forever. We don’t know “eternal.” The answer is always “No.” No, you won’t get tired. No, you won’t get bored. No, you won’t wish for anything else. Trust God. Believe God. It will be wonderful.

Fourth, our passage is taken from the judgment scene of helping others out. Jesus claimed to be hungry, thirsty, naked and in prison. The faithful of God stepped up. They were there. They got food. They gave water. They clothed. They visited. They made a difference. The unrighteous didn’t do any of those things. They could have given food, but they didn’t. They could have brought water, but they didn’t. No clothes. No visits. From that, the punishment and life were given out eternally. There was no test to see what one knew. There was no memorizing the books of the Bible in order. There was no finding Jerusalem on a map. It was based upon what was done. Our faith is only good if it leads us to doing the right things. To believe but not do anything is wrong. Hearts were opened. Good was done. People were helped. Heaven noticed. Faith led these people to be compassionate and caring like the Lord. Faith changed the circumstances. And, that was what determined the eternal destiny of the people.

Finally, we will spend more time on the other side of life than we will on this side of life. Even if a person lives to be 100, which is rare, that’s nothing to forever on the other side. Even ole’ Methuselah, who was nearly 1,000 years old, is nothing compared to the eternal. Since we will spend longer on the other side than this side, it seems we ought to put more focus on the eternal than the temporary. We ought to give more thought to the spiritual than to the physical. We need to focus upon the other side more than this side.

Eternal…forever…never ending.

We need to think about that. Sooner or later, we’ll be there.

Roger

Jump Start # 2282

Matthew 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Heaven and hell—real topics and real places in our Lord’s teachings. Many want to move past these. They want all Heaven and no hell. However, the Lord linked the two together in the same sentence. They are both eternal. If there is no hell, then there is no Heaven. If there is a Heaven, then there is a hell. A person can’t have one without the other, even though he may want it that way.

 

Sunday, I was preaching on “How far is it to Heaven?” The writers of the N.T. didn’t see Heaven as a distant planet that we would travel to some day way out in the future. Heaven was part of their everyday dialogue and Heaven was something that directed their daily choices. They were to seek the things above and set their minds on things above. They wanted to be in Heaven. Heaven was real. Heaven was practical. Heaven was near to them.

 

I ended that lesson with a contrast. Many had never thought of it that way before. And, this is what I want to share with you today.

 

First, for many people, this world is as close to Heaven as they will ever get. In other words, this life is as good as things will ever be for them. Sprinkled around us are righteous people who are lights into the world. We see people who are walking by faith and shaping their lives after Jesus. Prayers are offered daily. God’s word is read and followed. That word is preached, loved and listened to. We see goodness and those who have the heart of a servant. That number is few compared to the others, but they are there. They are the bright spots in a dark world. But for those who have no desire to follow Christ, this is as good as it gets. The future isn’t bright. There isn’t hope on the horizon. Things are not going to turn around, not as long as they have closed their hearts to Jesus. What little goodness they see, is all they will get. Things are only going to get worse, much worse.

 

Second, for the righteous, this world is as much hell as we will ever see. This is as bad as things will get. There is hope and there is a brighter future. There is a promise to be with the Lord. There is an eternal home which is separated from all the wrong that we witness these days. So, this is as bad as it will get. There is bad news, crime, death, prejudice, hatred and sin running wild every day. The nightly news is mostly bad news. We hear things that we shouldn’t. God’s holy name is blasphemed. God’s word is mocked. More don’t care than do care. But, this is as bad as it will get for the people of God. We still can assemble with righteous people, praise God’s name and dive deeply into His word. We can raise our families to honor God and to be a people whose eyes are set on a heavenly home.

 

This is helpful for us. As tough as things are, this is as bad as it gets. Trouble, pain and suffering won’t follow us into Heaven. All the problems that plague us here will stay on this side of life. This heavenly hope creates within us a dissatisfaction with this world. We sing the song, “This world is not my home,” and, thankfully, it’s not. Peter told his readers that they were strangers and aliens here. We do not fit in here. We do things differently where we are from. We are marching to Zion.

 

So, as bad as things may be, for the righteous, there is an ending point in sight. Years ago I got on a roller coaster at a theme park. I like the old fashioned, wooden, rough and tumble type of roller coaster. This was one of those smooth, sleek, turn you upside down, and travels as fast as a bullet type. As soon as I was strapped in, it dawned on me, what a mistake this was going to be. Oh, I survived, but my heart was in my throat, my eyes popped out, and I felt like screaming like a little girl the whole time. The thought running through my mind was, “Hang on, this will be over in just a little bit.” And, it was. I got off wobbly, not sure up from down, but within seconds all was fine. And, I believe that’s the way we look at cancer, long term illness, hardships, and trouble from the standpoint of the righteous. Your heart may be in your throat. You may feel like screaming. You hold on so tight that your knuckles turn white. You close your eyes a few times. You get scared. But in your mind you realize that this will all be over in a little while. This ride will end. It will get better, because of the hope that we have in Christ.

 

Now, understand, Heaven will be so much better that what is portrayed here on earth. And, Hell will be much worse than what we see here on earth. But for some, this is as good as it gets. And, that is a sad picture. But for those walking close to the Lord, this is as bad as it gets. It’s only going to get better for us.

 

Heaven and hell—images of it right here and right now. Sure gives us much to think about doesn’t it?

 

Roger

 

Jump Start # 2158

Matthew 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Our verse today shows the eternal outcome and where the journey ends. The cemetery isn’t it. Eternal life or eternal punishment is it. Now, from this passage, a few thoughts.

First, Heaven and Hell are linked together. Everyone wants Heaven and no one wants to talk about Hell. The word “Hell” has disappeared from the modern pulpit. Preachers today don’t mention it and you know the expression, “out of sight and out of mind.” We need to put it back into people’s minds. Theological pied pipers, like N.T. Wright, spreads the poison of annihilation and denies in the eternal existence of Hell. Jesus believed in Hell. He connected Heaven and Hell together in the same sentence. If there is an eternal Heaven, then there will be an eternal Hell. No Hell, no Heaven.

 

Second, our verse speaks of going away to punishment and eternal life. It’s not here. It’s not a better earth or a worse earth. It’s going somewhere else. In John 14 Jesus promised to prepare a place for His disciples. He was leaving to do that. He added, “Where I am, there you may be.”

 

Third, eternal punishment and eternal life are based upon our choices, not God’s. God has not determined that you will be in one or the other and no matter what you do, it’s set. That’s not the case. Our verse today follows a section of taking care of others. Some were naked, hungry, thirsty, sick and in prison. Some took care of those and others did not. That was the basis of this judgment. What are you doing with the Gospel message? How are you using your opportunities?

 

Fourth, the nature of this life and this punishment is eternal. It’s not for a short while and then there is a reprieve or a reevaluation of the situation. The door swings one way. This is forever. Forever never ends.

 

Fifth, for the righteous who follow Christ, this life is the worst that they will ever experience. This is as bad as it gets. But even with the pain, the discouragement, the disappointments and the heartache, it’s bearable. We have Christ. We have His word. We have His family to help us. There is prayer. There is hope. There are promises. There is the understanding that whatever bothers us now, will one day end. Our problems do not go into eternity. There won’t be cancer in Heaven. There won’t be sadness, sorrow, or pain in Heaven. This is as bad as it gets. That is comforting to know. We can handle this. It won’t be long, and all of this will be over. Unlike the eternal Hell, God is with us here.

 

Sixth, for the unrighteous, this is as good as it will ever be. Life here is the only “Heaven” that they will ever experience. And, it’s not like the eternal Heaven. There is sorrow here. There is pain here. There is stress, disappointments, heartache, temptation and troubles here. For the wicked, this is it. This is as good as it will ever be for them. What’s ahead, is horrifically worse. It’s a terror they have never understood. It’s eternal. It’s without hope. It’s without God. It’s without comfort. It’s without something to look forward to. The picture of Hell is extreme. It ought to scare us. It ought to make us turn to Christ. It doesn’t have to be, but it will be for those who have turned their backs on Christ. Hell was initially made for Satan. Man wasn’t supposed to go there. But he will and it will not be nice.

 

And, all of this makes us wonder. We see so many rushing through life, worried, without purpose, without aim, and to think, this is as good as it will ever be for most of them. And, it’s not very good, at that. Blind to what is around the curve. Clueless to what really matters in life. Caught up in the trivial things of vanity and materialism, they have filled their hearts and their days with matters that really do not matter. No time for Christ. No desire to be with Christ. No wanting to sit and talk about the eternal, this is as good as it will ever be for them.

 

And to think, if so many feel that their lives are miserable now, what’s coming will be so much worse. It’s not the cars, the cash, the accomplishments, the labels, the who you know, but what you have done with Jesus. That’s what matters. Have you allowed Jesus to dwell in your heart? Have you allowed the Lord to change you, mold you and shape you into a godly, righteous person?

 

Years ago, there was a beer commercial on TV. Two guys sitting in the hot sun in a boat fishing. One says, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” And, with what we have said today, without Christ, it probably doesn’t get any better than that. But for the child of God, there is so much more still to come. The best hasn’t even started yet. There is something to live for. There is a reason to get up and get after the spiritual side of things today. God’s promised something good, really good. This life isn’t it.

 

Satan tries to get us to take our eyes off of Heaven. He wants us to see all the pretty things we are missing around us. He’ll entice you with forbidden fruit that is a delight to the eyes. Lust, greed, materialism, vain success, power, position, popularity, prominence, and money, are all dangled before our eyes. This is “Heaven” to a lost world. How could anyone turn their backs on this, the world believes. This is where it’s at, never seeing that so much of this is corrupt, empty, bought by selling out our souls, worthless in eternity and destined to be burned up with the rest of the world at the Lord’s coming.

 

The best now, really isn’t so good. There are moments. They are some nice things, but Satan always has a way of ruining things. This isn’t Heaven. It never will be. There is pain. There is sorrow. There is disappointment. People ruin good things. Satan ruins everything he touches.

 

It can get much worse and it will for those who don’t want Christ in their lives. But, there is something so much better for the righteous. Out of here and into the home of God. Away from all the things that are wrong. Away from those who do not care. Away from Satan. With God forever.

The best is truly yet to come!

 

Roger