LIFE AFTER LIFE 2
I welcome you back, friends. And we want to continue from where we stopped last time. We’re talking on – or speaking about Life After Life. That was the topic last week: Life After Life. And the text was taken from Saint Luke’s Gospel 16.
In the interest of those who were not here last week – who didn’t listen to the program last week – it’s Luke 16 from verse 19.
Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'”
PRAYER:
Father, we want to commit this time of our discussion into Your hands, trusting that Your Word will come alive through those who are listening…in Jesus’ Name. Amen!
Life After Life
Last time we observed that there are two forms of life: mechanical life and biological life. But of all forms of life, especially biological life, the human life is the most precious. And that preciousness of life is determined by the source.
And we saw from Genesis 1:26-27 that God made man in His image and in His likeness. And because man is from God the source of man’s life is from God. That’s what makes human life very precious.
And we also said that you can determine value not only by source or ownership but also by price paid. And we said that God has paid the most costly price for man’s life. Psalms 49:7, 1 Corinthians 7:23, 1 Peter 1:18 and 19 – these scriptures, the bible tells us about the price – the high price that God paid for the soul of man; because what happened was that the spiritual life which is the most important – most essential, most basic source of human life: the content of man is determined primarily by the spiritual aspect of man. That spiritual life in man was lost when Adam fell into sin.
And we said that the question that God asked Adam, “Adam where are you”, was not the question of location, but of allocation – allocation of relationship that God gave to Adam and the relationship He had with him which was lost. And because Adam lost that relationship with God Adam lost access to God. So there was no access. But to you to be reintegrated into a relationship with God, for you to have this Spiritual Life back, you must have access to God. And we said that that access is from Christ or through Christ.
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
That’s Romans 5:1-2
There are two categories of spiritual world, I want you to know, because there is the realm of God and the realm of Satan – and both of them are in the spiritual world or spiritual realm. People can gain access to either of them, but not both of them. And there are some who have gained access to the realm of Satan: those who belong to cults, those who belong to all these spiritual clubs that tap into some power that is not the power of God. They have access.
But the access that matters is the access into the Dominion or Domain of God. And that access into the domain of God is through regeneration otherwise known as being born again – actually being born from above – being born of God. That is what you need.
To gain access to the domain of Satan you don’t need any change of life. But to gain access into the domain of God you need to be born anew.
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3
John 3:3
3 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
– Cannot appreciate the Kingdom of God.
John 3:5, Jesus answered,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God:
Appreciate the kingdom – cannot have access or enter into it.
John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said unto you, ‘You must be born again.’
People gain access to God on the basis of the sacrifice that Jesus offered for the sins of the world. The wages of sin is death, which is separation from God, either in time or in eternity: which is worse. All sinners are separated from God now in time. But they will be separated from God eternally in hell if they do not receive the salvation that Jesus offers. And that is what we have just read in that Luke’s story which we’ll come to shortly.
Entrance into the Kingdom of God is not automatic. The condition for receiving the dividend of the sacrifice of Jesus is admission of guilt – that is, admission of your need of a Saviour and acceptance – an act of faith. This is based purely on what God has said. So you have to trust what God has said about His salvation, about His Son. Accepting or rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus determines where you will end up in eternity.
This brings me now to the story we read in Luke 16. And I want to quickly make the following observations, with the time we have left.
Observation:
- There is life after life. Luke 16:22-23 and verse 25. You can also check in your bible, Matthew 22:31 and 32. There is life after life. That’s why you have that title, Life After Life. Lazarus and the Rich Man were pretty much alive – they were conscious, they had emotions. Death is not extinction of life as some people want you to believe. But, it is a transition from one’s sphere to the other. Some is a promotion; for other it’s a demotion.
- There are two destinations and destinies after this life. We find that in verse 23. These are determined here and now. It will be too late later. No wonder this urgent admonition, in 2 Corinthians 6:2, where it says,
2 Corinthians 6:2
“In an acceptable [or favorable] time [the word time there is Kairos, in the Greek] I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
- There is a possibility of a reversal of roles favorable or unfavorable after this life. The beggar in time became the begged in eternity. The one who lived in opulence and luxury in time lives in pain and misery in eternity.
- Time presents flexible opportunities; but eternity is fixed and inflexible. Creatures of time cannot afford to lose time or opportunities (what we call Kairos moment) which they may not get again forever.
Final observation,
- No amount of prayer or mass, its intensity not withstanding, can change the condition that is fixed in eternity.
Friend, you need to make up your mind. If you do not believe what is being spoken to you now you will not even if somebody will rise from the dead.
PRAYER
Father, thank You again for Your Word; thank You for speaking to our hearts. I commit into Your hands all who have listened. And I say, Lord, let Your Spirit do His Work as the voice of a man ceases now…in Jesus Name. Amen!