A couple of weeks ago, I made some comments about people going to see mediums and psychics about what happens after death. And that’s really stuck in my head. So I thought I’d bring it up again and kind of think it through.
I’ve read that the subject of What happens after we die, is something that all of us wonder about, but many people absolutely obsess over. There are all kinds of reasons why we begin thinking about it, maybe someone we care about has passed, or someone famous, or we or someone close to us has a medical crisis of some kind. Or, often, it comes about through depression, or substance abuse, and we start to have thoughts of suicide.
I know that right now, even as I speak, dozens of people, right here in Buckie and surrounding villages, are struggling with serious thoughts of taking their own life and wondering what happens then. Man, that’s hard.
First, that’s going to get worse until the end of March. All the darkness and rain we have makes our depression worse. It’s one of the hazards of living this far north. I know that’s not much help, but force yourself to get out of the house on sunny days. Take a walk, go shopping, do something, anything. If yo u can afford it, buy a daylight lamp, or get a full spectrum light bulb of one of your lamps and sit under it to do your reading or watch your television. You can’t see it, but I have one right here beside me in the office. I really believe in them.
But I digress. I was saying that for a whole bunch of reasons, from time to time, and sometimes seriously so, we wonder, what’s going to happen when we die. What about our nan or pap? What about our little son or daughter or neighbor who passed unexpectedly? Is that it? Is there no more?
We are often told by people of influence that the answer is yes. When we die, that’s it, we’re done. It’s all over. But that just doesn’t seem true, does it? First its against everything we want to be true. We want to be able to see our loved ones again. We want to think that a person who has suffered with cancer has a chance at an afterlife of peace and pain free joy. We don’t want to think that one day, we’ll just cease to exist.
And we can’t bear the thought of Hell, either. Even the possibility of that horror, will keep us awake, and fill us with fear and dread.
We want life after death, but we only want what we want it to be. And we know, that Churches and Preachers talk about hell as a real place, so we look around for other answers. More pleasant ones, like the answers provided by psychics and mediums, where all our loved ones are ethereal, and happy and watching us and wanting our happiness.
I don’t want to sound harsh, but you are just going to throw good money away by going to psychic shows, or a private consultation, or buying their books. Its not real answers their giving. There is never anything solid to hang on to.
I would encourage you to read what the New Testament writers have to say on the subject. Books like the 4 Gospels, the book of Acts, 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians have loads to say on the matter.
Mat_19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
Mar_10:30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
Joh_3:15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Joh_3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Joh_6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
1Th 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
1Th 4:15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
1Th 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
These are just a very few of the parts of the New Testament that talk about eternal life. It’s the whole teaching of Christianity. The idea that Humans were made to live forever. We messed things up through sin. We know we’ve sinned. I don’t need to prove that to anyone. And the consequences of sin are very great. But God loved us so much, that He became a man, and died to pay the penalty of our guilty verdict. But death couldn’t hold him, after all, he created life. And because of his death and resurrection, if we will come to him, repent and receive him, our eternal life is guaranteed.
Yes, there is life after death. Yes, heaven and hell are both real. We can choose today, right now, where we will spend eternity. We can end the worry, the stress, the fear.
I want to do something. Someone listening, wants to receive that assurance right now. I can feel it. I’m going to say a prayer and I want you to pray it with me.
God, I’m scared. I don’t even know if I know how to pray. But I want to stop fearing the grave. All these verses in the Bible say, you want to give me eternal life, and I want it. God, I’m sorry for all the sin that surrounds my life and I don’t want to live that way any more. I want you to drive. I give you the keys to my life , my heart, and my future. I have so much to learn. I don’t even know where to begin other than here. God I give up. I give in. Give me the eternal life you promised and the new beginning I keep hearing about. Thank you for Jesus. Amen.
If you prayed that. Please tell me about it right away. Write to me NOW. I’ll give you the next steps. If you’d rather talk to a different pastor, I get it. But go to your pastor right away. We are dying to help you.
For the rest of you, I challenge you to read the New Testament, and to take its message seriously.
I think next week, we’ll talk about who Jesus is and why he’s important. And why you can trust the Bible. That’s a tall order, but we’re going to tackle it.
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