THE REWARD OF SALVATION

INTRODUCTION

D.L. Moody tells of the time he heard the British evangelist Dr. Harry Morehouse speaking. For 6 nights he preached on John 3:16. The 7^th night came, and all eyes were upon Dr. Morehouse... “Beloved friends, I have been hunting all day for a new text, but I cannot find anything as good as the old one, so we will go back to John 3:16.”

So, let’s turn again to John 3:16. QUOTE. This is final in our series of 5 messages on this great verse.

For the past 4 Sundays we have seen: that salvation begins with a loving God and for the purpose of bringing us to God; accomplished through the life and death and resurrection of God’s only Son Jesus; all we have to do to receive God’s gift is to simply believe or commit ourselves to Jesus Christ. Then last week, we got a horrible glimpse of the alternative to salvation - perishing in hell. Now finally, this week, we shall see the Reward of Salvation which is “everlasting life/eternal life.”

To describe “everlasting life” is as impossible as describing “perishing.” The horror of “perishing” is far below our human understanding, and in direct proportion, the grandeur of “everlasting life” is far above our greatest dreams and comprehension of a life of paradise. God gave us a glimpse of hell in the Bible, and graciously God has also given us a glimpse of heaven. Today we will see how beautiful the Bible describes the believer’s “everlasting life.”

1. Everlasting Life is a Benefit of Believing

• Many decisions in life involve benefits: Marriage - companionship; building or remodeling house - nicer; kids - tax deduction


• But the most important decision in life gives the greatest benefit.


• This benefit is not a wishful thinking, but a real life of eternal existence.


• QUOTE: Augustine: “join thyself to the eternal God, and thou shall be eternal.”


• John 17:3 It is knowing Christ. Everlasting life begins with our new birth. It gives us fellowship with God now, victory over trials and temptations now, give us Holy Spirit now, helps us pray and read God’s word now, frees us from the destination of perishing, then takes us to heaven - a forever state of conscious living in immersurable peace & joy.


• D.L. Moody’s most famous quote: “someday you will read that D.L. Moody is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that’s all - out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal; a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned like unto His glorious body…I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Sprirt in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”


• Eternal Life is the greatest benefit of salvation in Jesus. You really can’t live without it. We live in a world all about death, Gospel is all about life!


• “death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.” A. Sachs. (Rick Warren Toolbox May 9, 2007)


• Everyone who has eternal life - lives, really lives, now and forever.

2. Everlasting Life is Breathtaking Beauty

1. 2 Corinthians 5:1 “we have building from God…eternal in heavens.”
• Heaven is not made of hands, but by God. We will transcend material to spiritual, from natural to supernatural, from earth to glory.
• A home that cannot be ravaged by fire, tornados, hurricanes, decay. No need to remodel, perfect in first place and gets better. Forever.
• We are just pilgrims passing through earth, real home is in heaven. Forever is un-measurable. It is beyond our 3 dimensional world: in and out, up and down, back and forth plus time.
• PBS TV special on String Theory a few years ago, the unified theory of everything. Scientists say there can be up to 10 dimensions. We can experience them all in heaven. Some scientists believe that strings are vibrating loops that passes through protons, neutrons and electrons of atoms. They are the most basic elements. Thus mathematically, they believe parallel universes exist beside ours we are like a slice of bread with another universe right next to us. That makes sense to me, for the next universes are heaven and hell co existing with our three dimensional universe.
• We will experience God’s full creation, beyond imagination now.
• Forever “eternal” No end, always being, no rush, no calendars or schedules, freedom from time, no waiting, no busy signals, no being on hold, no talking to a computer, waiting for traffic lights.


2. John 14:1-3 “many mansions/dwelling places”
• make our earthly mansions like poverty row, I have been a few.
• The Jewish idea really a compound, with family rooms around a courtyard (Ray Vander lan, That the World My Know Videos).
• Heard once, the New Jerusalem was so big, that everyone would have 1 acre of land. I was discouraged, lived in a parsonage in MN with 2 and half acres, had to down size in heaven, plus I didn’t want to live alone - I want family around and my faith family around.
• In heaven too, we will live in perfect community, and get along - that is a most amazing thing - us all getting along for eternity.


3. Revelation 21:18-21; 22:1,2
• These are descriptions of the New Jerusalem yet in future. It will be a seamless transition from paradise to the New Jerusalem. Beautiful.
• Everlasting life is breathtaking beauty. We can imagine now, and eventually experience in its fullness.

3. Everlasting Life is Bountiful Blessings

• Every good that we could wish for and more, we will have in abundance.
• Utopia - for God “is the rewarder of those who seek Him” Heb. 11: 6
• What abundant blessings heaven will offer freely:

1. Revelation 21:27 We will be pure.
• no evil, no fear of doing wrong, no guilt, no fear of punishment, no temptation, no victims.
• Clear conscience, and we won’t want anything else. It is possible to enjoy life and not sin. A life of purity that we have never had.


2. Revelation 21:4 We will be happy
• free from sadness and sorry, no crying, no pain, no death. Just bliss.


3. Matthew 8:11 We will have fellowship
• Somehow we will know each other, plus the saints of the ages. We will want to know everyone. Remember names. No “good byes.”
• Luther, the night before his death, sat talking to his friends about if we will know each other in heaven. Luther insisted that we will, using the example of Adam and Eve in the garden, Adam saw Eve and knew who she was - not by discourse but by divine revelation.


4. 1 Corinthians 13:12 We will have greater knowledge
• We will know everything we can know. Maybe answer those great questions: Did Adam have a navel? Where is Noah's Ark? How many angels can sit on the head of pin? Hard parts of Bible? What was Jesus’ childhood like? Is there life in other planets? Why did I pastor FBC Colfax?
• Then again maybe we will find that is unimportant and other beauty will take our focus such as...


5. John 14:3; 1 John 3;2; Revelation 22:3-5 We will be with Jesus.
• We will see our Savior. The veil will be removed, mystery revealed. Forever in His presence, enjoying His company, marveling at His majesty, the wonder of our salvation.
• Greatest privilege of all, see the One who made us and saved us. Mystery of the trinity will be resolved. We will see Jesus and worship Him in new ways, share with Him face to face.
• Michael Faraday, English scientist of the early 1800’s who first worked on electricity was a believer. When asked what his job in heaven will be, he said: “i shall be with Christ, and that is enough.”
• Fanny Crosby wrote many hymns, 16 in our hymnal. She was blind and often wrote in her hymns about being with Jesus and finally seeing. The chorus but not verses is in our hymnal of “saved by Grace” “someday the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing; But oh, the joy when I awake within the palace of the King! And I shall see Him face to face and tell the story, saved by grace...”
• So the greatest gift of everlasting life is seeing and being with Jesus.

CONCLUSION

Isn’t believing worth while? Look at what awaits us!

It begins at the moment of our salvation, the moment you invite Jesus into your life. Many saints have preceded us and they can tell the story of saved by grace. Someday we will arrive in heaven, with our eyes we will see glorious things beyond our current imagination. With our ears we will hear angel voices, the voice of Jesus, the voices of the saints, praises to God. With our hands we will reach out and touch our Savior and all others. We will never leave. Heaven is home.

A songwriter put a poets words to music: “but just think of stepping on shore and finding it heaven. Of touching a hand and finding it God’s. Of breathing new air and finding it celestial. Of waking up in glory and finding it home.” Through Jesus all it can be ours. It is yours?

If you need Christ, from your heart pray the sinners prayer:

“Dear God: I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and rose again from the dead. Right now, I invite Jesus Christ to come into my life as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiveness and eternal life. Guide me to live a holy life. In Jesus Name. AMEN”