In todays reading Jesus tells three stories that give us a clearer picture of the Kingdom of Heaven; The Story of the Lost Sheep, The Story of the Lost Coin, and The Story of the Lost Son sometimes better known as The Prodigal Son. He tells these stories in response to the complaining that was coming from the Pharisees and the teachers of the religious law.... Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! Luke 15:1-3 In each story, Jesus describes something precious that is lost, and the action the owner of that thing takes to find it. These things are all examples of how the Father feels about all of us. God does not consider some people more valuable than others as the Pharisees did. The Pharisees had dismissed the people of ill repute. The Lord values each and every soul. I often tell people If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have come and died just for you. Next Jesus goes on to tell the account of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Many people think this is simply a parable, but biblical scholars feel that because a proper name is used (Lazarus), it is a true story. They point to this story as the proof for a literal Hell. Jesus is not using this place of torment as an example as He used the sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son. He is letting us know that this is a real place. The account of Lazarus and the Rich Man answers many of our questions about Hell. Hell is mentioned in the Bible over 50 times. Too often in todays world the subject of Hell is avoided, even in churches. People would like to believe that when they die, thats the end of living, but the truth is, death isnt so much the end of living as it is a gateway to the next life. Hell is described as a place of eternal torment. Jesus describes it as a place of outer darkness, where there is gnashing of teeth. In his book One Heart Beat Away, Mark Cahill interviews many people that have had near death experiences. You might be saying, yea, yea, weve all heard about those, white light, tunnel, etc... There was even a major film dealing with that very topic this past year Heaven is Real. The thing that makes Mark Cahills book different is that he interviewed people who had near death experiences that did not visit Heaven, but instead, visited Hell. Here are some excerpts from the book: A respiratory nurse who works in an emergency room told me about a patient who had gone code-red--he flat lined. They applied the paddles and revived him. She said that he started screaming and shouting the heat, the heat! Then his heart stopped again. They brought him back a second time. He shouted, The flames, the flames!. Four times the man flat-lined and was brought back, each time shouting about the heat or the flames. After the last time, he died and they couldnt bring him back. She said all the doctors and nurses just stood there for a few minutes and stared at the body. They all knew that man went to hell. He was screaming it to them before he even got out of here. Dr. Maurice Rawlings, a cardiologist, has witnessed numerous patients during and after their near-death experiences and reported his findings in Beyond Deaths Door. After interviewing 300 patients immediately after resuscitation, Dr. Rawlings says that nearly half of them reported seeing a lake of fire, devil-like figures, and other sights reflecting the reality of hell. There is a life after death, Rawlings said, and if I dont know where Im going, its not safe to die. He also discovered that when patients who had described their experiences in hell vividly were asked about those experiences a few days later, they couldnt recall them. This may explain why many researchers find only good cases. He also believes that some people change their story because theyre embarrassed to admit where theyve been, even to their families, while those who had heavenly visions remember and report the details. One story tells of a man who died in an automobile accident. The EMT workers who arrived at the scene found it strange that there was a strong scent of sulfer and burning at the moment of the mans death. They testified that there was nothing in the area of the accident that had burnt or was burning at the time. Another testimony is from a man, who while dying, started screaming no, no, I dont want to go with you and then started talking about flames and burning. The next problem people have with Hell is theyll say A loving God would not send people to Hell. The truth is, God is not sending anyone to Hell. People send themselves there. Lets look at the reason for this by examining The Roman Road to Salvation..... ROMANS ROAD TO SALVATION: 1. Everyone needs salvation because we have all sinned. “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” ... For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:10-12, and 23 2. The price (or consequence) of sin is death. *Notice the verse doesnt say, the price for sin is saying lots of prayers, or doing many good deeds. The price for sin is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 3. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the price for our death. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 4. We receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved ... For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-10, and 13 5. Salvation through Jesus Christ brings us into a relationship of peace with God. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 Responding to Romans Road If you believe Romans Road leads to the path of truth, you can respond by receiving Gods free gift of salvation today. Heres how to take a personal journey down Romans Road: 1. Admit you are a sinner. 2. Understand that as a sinner, you deserve death. 3. Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from sin and death. 4. Repent by turning from your old life of sin to a new life in Christ. 5. Receive, through faith in Jesus Christ, His free gift of salvation. youtube/watch?v=_yIKZnHnHNM
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 03:13:37 +0000
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