Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When you get to the end of this life, what can you count on?
Some folks hang their hat on oblivion – I suppose counting on what it was like before you were born. That was peaceful wasn’t it? (Best as I can remember.) John Lennon wrote a song about it, “Imagine,” as in – “Imagine there’s no heaven, it’s easy if you try, nothing to live or die for, no hell below us, above us only sky.”
Wow, what a hope-filled song, eh? Now I see why the world loves to sing that song when a loved-one dies – not! And listen, John Lennon’s scenario is the BEST one they can come up with apart from God. And here’s the bottom line to that thinking: Life is completely meaningless. You live for this life and then you die. Adolph Hitler lives for this life, and then he dies. No harm, no foul. No reward. No punishment. Everyone just dies and goes into oblivion. Do whatever you please. Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful recipe for world peace? It hasn’t worked so well, and the reason is because people are sinners, and left to their own devices they will sin more and not less. Some will sin A LOT more, like Hitler and Stalin, while they are living only “for today.” Can you imagine?
On the other hand there is a truth authored deep in the human soul which cannot be disconnected no matter how hard we try. That truth is life is eternal. We can try to ignore it, take intoxicants, or write and sing poetic song lyrics, but it isn’t going away. 2,000 years ago a man named Jesus walked across the human stage. He called Himself the ‘Son of God.’ He called Himself, ‘The Savior of the world.’ He said He had power over death and dying.
Had Jesus only said those things I may have remained a skeptic right along with John Lennon. But He proved them by first dying on the cross, and then being raised from the dead. It is historical truth which can only be denied by looking the other way. I was one of those who used to look the other way, but then I turned to carefully examine the facts. Here’s what I now know: When I am at the foot of Jesus confessing He is Lord, John Lennon will be there, and so will Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin. Justice will be served, and Hitler and his ilk will receive all the punishment their crimes deserve. “Nothing to live or die for?” Truth doesn’t allow for that kind of imagining…
- Pastor Bill
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