Jesus didn’t shy away from talking about death and what would come afterward for each of us. In fact, as Louie Giglio will show us, perhaps the most recognizable verse in all of Scripture paints a clear picture for us of the reality of eternity. 

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 

Humanity has a problem. We are caught in an inescapable predicament. We are the creation of a Holy God, whose very nature is perfection and righteousness, and yet look around. Do you see a world that could possibly live up to that standard? Could you? 

Of course not. Even the most self-assured among us wouldn’t claim the title of perfect. See the predicament? If we can’t possibly live a life that meets the standard of perfection, then what do we do? How can we possibly escape the conflict our imperfection thrusts us into with God?

This is the Gospel in summation. 

We, like a person, unconsciously laid upon the tracks of an oncoming train, are in desperate need of assistance. Sin has led us to a state of spiritual death, and yet, look back at that verse from the Gospel of John. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 

When we could do nothing for ourselves, when we were dead in our sins, Jesus stepped in. Through His crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection, Jesus purchased for us eternal life. While there was nothing we could do for ourselves, Jesus did everything for us. This is the gift on the table today: new, everlasting life, given to all who believe and put their trust in Jesus.

This is where our track has to begin, with the Good News and with Jesus.

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 2 Corinthians 5:6-9

Here’s something you may or may not have thought about. You have a soul, an essence, that is separate from your body. If you’ve ever been around someone at the moment of their death, it’s strangely obvious how vacant their physical body suddenly appears. This is why The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians that our soul while here on Earth is away from the Lord, but that there will be a day when we are away from the body and at home with the Lord. 

What an amazing comfort this is for the believer. In an instant, you will be present with the Lord. This is what happens to you who believe in Jesus when you die. Why? Because when you put your faith in Jesus you already received and began living with eternal life, and that life cannot be bound by your physical body. 

Now, you may be asking, what happens to my body?

Turn to 1 Corinthians 15,

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

1 Thessalonians 4,

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

And Philippians 3,

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians 3:20-21.

All three of these writings from the Apostle Paul paint this picture for us: in the end, at the call of God, we who are already spiritually with God will be reunited with our bodies, which will be raised and transformed. God, who spoke the Universe into existence, will, in His miraculous power, recreate your body into a glorious one. 

Take heart, Christian. Your God has made a way for you to be with Him forever. 

How is it possible that the storyline with the biggest implications, the one with eternal ramifications, is not the single greatest storyline being discussed on Earth today? How have we not plastered it on every newspaper, on every website, and on every social media platform? 

Humanity has a 100% mortality rate, and without a savior, we are thundering towards an eternity separated from God. How is it possible so many are living day to day completely unprepared?

“While I lived, I provided for everything but death; now I must die, and am unprepared to die.” -Caesar Borgia

1. Your eternal state is decided long before you take your last breath. 
   1. Remember John 3:18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. At this very moment, your eternal state is clear, whether you believe in Jesus or not. Praise be to God that if you haven’t placed your faith in Him, and you are reading this, you still have time to turn your eyes upon Him and make that choice.
2. God doesn’t send people to Hell. He sent his Son to Earth to save us from Hell. 
   1. Hell isn’t a place that was prepared for us. It was created for the Devil and his angels.
   2. Our sin, our separation from God, is the condemnation we stand underneath, and yet the good, compassionate God has sent us a Savior and a message, “believe.” This is amazing, Grace. Recall the story from our first day together, of the man lying unconscious on the tracks of an oncoming train. In that story, just like in ours, a man jumped in and saved us. In our case, Jesus Christ put himself between you and the condemnation that was thundering toward you. This is the divine interception. He takes all of it, all of the condemnation and the wrath, and gives you life. 

In ancient Athens, the Bema was a wall or platform built so that men could stand atop it and pass judgment within courts of law. This is where Pilate would have sat as he heard the crowd cry out for Jesus to be crucified, and it’s the kind of seat that the Apostle Paul was calling to mind as he referenced God’s Holy Judgement seat in his letter to the Romans. In actuality, for everyone who lives and dies, there is an appointed time when we will stand before the judgment seat of God. 

“All roads lead to the judgment seat of Christ.” -Keith Green

But what happens at this judgment? If we learned last week that our eternal state is decided before we die, then what are we doing facing a heavenly appraisal of our motives and deeds? 

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

The Judgement seat in Heaven is a great testing, a great revealing of the motives by which we acted while on Earth. Notice that this passage doesn’t mention a punishment, but instead this testing is one which simply burns away the things that were done for any other reason other than in response to and worship of Almighty God. Everything you ever did for selfish gain will be gone. Every choice you made to try and satisfy an impure heart will be gone. Only the things you did in reverence and response to God will remain. Imagine that.

What will be left of your life? Will you have built up, upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, works made of quality metals or of wood, hay, and straw? This judgment seat should change everything for us, for our eternal rewards are impacted by our lifetime decisions. Yes, if you have put your faith in Jesus, you will still stand before the judgment seat. But thank God you will be covered in the atoning blood of Christ. 

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

This change changes everything. Because Jesus died for us, we can die to ourselves and live with a reconciled and renewed purpose to be ambassadors of reconciliation everywhere we go and to everyone we meet. We are on a mission from Heaven long before we arrive there so that when we stand before that judgment seat, what we have built will last and not burn away. 

“The purpose of the judgment is not where we spend eternity, but how.” – Dr. Charles Stanley

Knowing our future is to stand before God, our goal in life should be nothing other than to please God. Is that your goal today? Is that the scale by which you weigh every decision and action?

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8

Scripture tells us that if you have placed your hope in Jesus, you will stand before him and give an account at the end of your life. Maybe you read that statement with an excited expectation, or maybe you feel anxious under the weight of what it is you will have to say. 

The Lord is a righteous judge. He is not corrupted by culture or swayed by experience. He is perfect. Think of what that means for you. The weight of that revelation is not just a reminder of who He is but what is in store for us. 

The scripture we read together is not about punishment for sins but recompense, a reward for godliness, born out of grace. Maybe you read that and find that motive to be selfish. Why should my godliness be rewarded? What does that mean for my motive?

Stick with us here; there is good news around the corner.

Everything we are, everything we have, and everything we will be is because of the grace of God. All that we are is not a result of our natural abilities or talents but rather good gifts given by a perfect Father.

In Colossians 1:17, Paul unveils an incredible mystery, writing: To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Walking in the spirit means we will do the things of the spirit (See Galatians 5), living our lives aimed toward giving God the glory he deserves. His gifts, His glory. 

John paints a picture in Revelation 4 of this Heavenly reward system. 

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

     and by your will they were created

     and have their being.”

Revelation 4:9-11

Because God is a good God, he longs to reward us for how we have lived for him on earth. But we are not to take our rewards and file them away to a holy trophy room. They are not a keepsake for a life well lived for the kingdom. We will cast them at his feet.

He gives us our gifts.

We give him glory.

He crowns our head.

We cast them at his feet.

If you are in Christ, when you stand before his throne, what do you want to offer? 

Acts of kindness? Obligation? Insincerity? 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 

1 Corinthians 9:24-24

The invitation for us today is to lace up our shoes and run our race well. Not for a fading medal, but an eternal reward. Run to when for the biggest crown you can get so that you can lay the biggest worship at the feet of the savior of the world.

Either Jesus is coming, or death is coming. That’s a heavy statement, but it’s the reality of each of our lives. We put off thinking about it and distract ourselves from it, but look at what James the brother of Jesus, has to say about the brevity of life: 

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

James 4:14

Our lifespan is like a mist that appears for a moment and fades the next. 

Our days may come to seventy years,

    or eighty, if our strength endures;

yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,

    for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

If only we knew the power of your anger!

    Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.

Teach us to number our days,

    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:10-12

Teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. What happens when we die should impact what happens while we live. 

Show me, Lord, my life’s end

    and the number of my days;

    let me know how fleeting my life is.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;

    the span of my years is as nothing before you.

Everyone is but a breath,

    even those who seem secure.

Psalm 39:4-5

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
James 4:13-17

Life is short, but eternity is long; what we do with our lives, with our dash, with our mist echoes in eternity. Our actions do not earn our place in Heaven; only the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus can do that, but our actions do impact what our future in Heaven is like. 

Your circumstances here on Earth don’t determine your standing in Heaven; what does is how you leverage those circumstances for God’s name and renown. So here is the question you should be asking yourself…

What are you doing with your dash?

Louie mentioned it, but every illustration we try to put around eternal matters eventually falls short. Even so, his story of the party and the gift can be such an apt metaphor if we’re paying attention.

If you don’t plan well enough, you end up bringing something less than what you meant to.

It’s not that different from cramming for an exam or giving less effort than you want to be known for at work. Said another way, failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

Now, it’s important that you know that we aren’t talking about your salvation. There’s no effort you could make to earn your eternal place with God. Recall what Paul wrote about Salvation in Ephesians:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10

What we are talking about today is simple. What story will you have in Heaven? What will you be able to say that you did with the gift that Jesus gave His life to purchase for you? What will you have done with your time? Will you have wasted the moments that He bled for, or will you have leveraged each and every second to bring Him Glory?

“Use the dash today for what will change forever. Life is short. Eternity is long.”