Life & Death Timeline Chart

Eternity Rope: 1 dot = 1000 years / 1 fiber = your lifespan (2 Peter 3:8)

WE ____________________ CAN BE CONFIDENT!

You can be confident that…____________________ will be judged.

– “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…”           Hebrews 9:27 ESV

– Not everyone simply fast-tracks into heaven

– The Rich Man & Lazarus – Luke 16

You can be confident that… judgment will be made by a ____________________ Judge

– “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”    Psalms 89:14 ESV

– Justice & Righteousness

– Not “works” based, check and balance

You can be confident that… the judgement will determine ____________ who is saved and who is condemned.

– “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-12,15 NLT

– “All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.” Revelation 3:5 NLT

– Your name isn’t written, erased, written, and erased based on how well you performed or not

– It’s all about what you decide to do with Jesus!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE ________________ JESUS…

You can be confident that… you  _____________ be saved.

– You are caught red-handed, guilty as charged, & sentenced to death

– “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate* with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation** for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2 ESV (see also Romans 3:21-26, 8:31-29)

*paraklētos (par-ak’-lay-tos): an intercessor, advocate, comforter – summoned, called to one’s aid

1.  one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate – Christ pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins
2.  a helper, aid, assistant – The Holy Spirit lead disciples to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions.

**hilasmos (hil-as-mos’): atonement – propitiation.

A. the means of appeasing, a propitiation

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

You can be confident that… there will be everlasting ____________________ based on what you do with the life you’ve been given. –

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ESV

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE ____________________ JESUS…

You can be confident that… it is ____________________ going to go well for you for a really long time.

– “…The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’” Luke 16:22-24 ESV

– Fear tactic for control OR an honest warning out of love and concern???

You can be confident that… God would much ____________________ have you with Him forever & forgiven…but it’s totally up to ____________________. –

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV (see also John 3:16-19)

How then are we to ____________________? If you are a believer…

1.  Appreciative – not forgetting, expectant, or deserving
2.  Confident – hope in Jesus alone (no jumbo eraser)
3.  With Clarity – investing in things that matter forever, not just here and now
4.  On Mission >>> helping others know Jesus & grow in Jesus

What is my next step if I am not a believer?

1. Look to Jesus and ask Him for His help.

Questions to discuss in Life Group or with your family and friends:

Passages to consider: Hebrews 9:27, 28; Matthew 25: 14-30, 31-46; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Revelation 20:11-14

1.  What insights did you gain from the sermon? A)What questions do you have? Remember to email in questions.
2.  Read Hebrews 9:27-28. What do you see in these verses – about man, God and life/death,? (Think about who judges, who gets judged, on what basis, how often, etc.)
3.  As we think about what happens when you die, what questions does this passage answer? B)What questions might this passage raise?
4.  Considering this passage, what you choose to do with Jesus is critical to what happens when you die. There is a critical importance to wrestling with who Jesus is and what he has done, why he has done it and choosing a response to him. A) Where are you in the process of responding to Jesus? B) Who can you be part of helping to know about Jesus and respond to him? Be specific.
5.  Initial judgment after death is based on how someone responds to Jesus’ offer of payment for broken relationship with God. What do 2 Cor 5: 6-10, 1 Cor 3:10-14; and Matt 25:14-30 show about what else a follower of Jesus will experience? (For your discussion you might choose only 1 passage)
6.  How is this increased focus on eternity impacting how you live today? Share what God is showing you.