LEARNING DAILY

1 Corinthians 5:1, 6-7, For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (6-7) So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Pastor Jonathon Moore, Lead Pastor at NorthRock Church, stated, “What you believe about eternity will determine how you live today.” Consider what Pastor Ed Newton has been talking about for several weeks – the freedom Believers have in Christ – and you will see some interesting similarities about the purpose of walking the narrow way with the Lord Jesus. “Our goal in the body (the earthly tent above) is to please God” (JM). “What you believe about eternity will determine how you live today. The non-believer is going to continue to live a self-centered life, following their own desires, with no regard for the future” (Audrey’s notes). The Believer will walk with Jesus, following the direction of the Holy Spirit on the narrow way into His kingdom.

Pastor Moore said there are three things that happen when a person dies. One, “Our physical body will die – no one gets out of here alive, unless the rapture takes place. Two “Our soul will separate from our physical body.” To save space I will give Scripture verses for you to find and read. Read 2 Corinthians 5:8; Matthew 10:28; John 11:25-26; Luke 23:43. Three, “We will all face judgement.”  There are two judgments. The Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) is about rewards for Believers for what they have done to honor and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. The second judgment is spoken of in Revelation 20:11-12, The Great White Throne Judgment. This is for unbelievers and is based on whether one’s name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I know you know this – you can settle this now by accepting Jesus Christ as your savior and then walking with Him as your Lord.

Pastor discussed three thoughts about hell as well. First, “Hell is a real place.” The devil would like you to believe there is no such place or it is a place for really bad people. Even Believers need to understand there is a hell (Audrey’s notes). Jesus called hell “outer darkness.” He said, “this is where the worm never dies, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth” (JM). Jesus does not want anyone to go there!

Pastor’s second thought was, “Hell exists for God to righteously punish Satan. “Satan is the embodiment of evil; he is behind everything evil – all sin, lies, abuse, wickedness, theft, deception, fear, etc.” (Audrey’s notes). “To sin is to miss the mark or doing that which is contrary to the will of God. There are consequences for sin [even with forgiveness]” (JM).

Third, “Hell exists for God to righteously punish sin. Jesus came to save us [all who say yes to the salvation He offers].” “You must have a surrendered heart, until you surrender, you have a sinful heart. It does not matter how good of a person you are. Good people do not go to heaven; saved people do!” (JM). Read Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-12. “God is not only just but showed His love by sending His Son to take our place on a cross. He wants each Believer to live an abundant life on earth now and spend eternity with Him. The Biblical hope is living that abundant life, waiting for the day we go to heaven.” (JM).

I’m ready!