We are all most aware of the Earthquake in San Francisco on Oct. 17th 1989 at 7:04 our time. A million or so people were in front of their TV sets waiting to see the beginning of game 3 of the series. All at once everything began to move, the picture went out, then came back on with Al Michals and his colleagues in a very tense condition.
In the hours that followed we were fed information of what had happened. There had been an earthquake in the area with its epa-center near Santa Cruz. The San Fran./Oakland Bay toll bridge had a section of the upper deck fall onto the lower deck, causing it to break, but not fall away completely. The San Mateo toll Bridge was closed due to cracks.
The Nimitz Freeway, Hwy. 880, had the upper section collapse on the lower section on a mile long stretch. Fire raged out of control in the Marina District, with a broken gas line feeding the fire.
The quake registered 7.0 on the Riechter Scale. To those there it seemed like the end of the world. For
some, it was. All the destruction, all the hurt, all the pain, all the suffering, all the deaths, all the scarred memories, all the people without homes. All this took just 15 seconds. 15 seconds.
But from the ashes, from the destruction, from the ruin came report after report of miracles. Who can
forget Buck Helm. Buck Helm was trapped for 4 days under the rubble of the Nimitz Freeway. All were
thought to be dead. But Buck didn't die.
Most of the damage happened in an area built on the rubble of the 1906 quake. Those buildings built on bedrock had little, if any damage.
The estimate that several thousand people are without homes. But folks, I said all that so that I might
say this;
John 14:1-6 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. (5) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? (6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is saying;
I. YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
That is the only requirement for going to that indestructable house. That house built just for you, that is going to last an eternity. It is built on THE ROCK, and house built on The Rock, will last forever.
Houses built on sand cannot with stand the storms of life, but houses built on the Rock will last.
If you are here today and you are not born again, not saved, set back and listen to what is going to happen to the Christians. Those who profess Jesus as Savior, They are sealed, protected. Salvation is not something you fall in and out of.
II. SALVATION IS FOREVER
Eph. 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Rom. 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Scripture tells us that no one can snatch us out of the hands of our Father. No one can separate us from
God's love, because we are sealed until the Day of Redemption. Regardless of whether we die before that day or not.
III. DEATH IS BUT A DOOR
A. Not All Have Died
Gen. 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
2 Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven.
And not all will die before that day. Some Christians will be alive when Christ returns--But until that Day every one of our;
B. Days Are Numbered
Job 7:1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an
hireling?
Job 14:5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
Heb. 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
For the Christian, his works will be judged, but his name will be found in the Lamb's Book of Life. Many
who will say "Lord, Lord", do not know Him and are not in the Book, but for those who are;
C. Something Better Is Coming
Rom. 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us.
With all the suffering that has been done in San. Fran. and Oakland, and all the suffering in your life and my life and the lives of everyone else, none of these are worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us. We know how bad the suffering is, think of how great the glory will be.
But some will be alive when Jesus comes.
IV. THE RAPTURE [The Day of Redemption]
A. The dead in Christ will rise first.
1. Bodies will be reassembled
Ezek. 37:12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
We know from Scripture that we are all of dust of the earth and that we will return to it - If we are in that condition when Jesus comes, our bodies will be reassembled.
But for those alive,
2. Those Christians that are alive will be taken up.
1 Thess. 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by
the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
ILLUSTRATION
I used to visit a little old English lady well into her eighth decade who used to preach to me each time
I call on her. She had been through a lot, was well-versed in the adversities of life, knew her Bible well, and had outlived the doctor who described her physical situation as terminal many years before. Her confidence in the Lord and his gracious mercies was most contagious.
I remember distinctly a discussion we had one time about death. Mrs. Blackburn was not approaching the enevitable like most people would. Although she was not afraid of death, she chose rather to concentrate on the Scriptural promises in regard to Jesus' return to earth.
She exclaimed to me in her Lancashire accent, "I'm not looking for the undertaker, I'm looking for the
Uppertaker!" All Christians should live with the same anticipation of the second coming of Christ, for
that ever readiness can trransform the everyday mundame into the expectant rejoicing fo those who look forward to his return. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus"
We hear the words, but do we believe and understand them. If we do not, it may be because we have
forgotten the power of the One doing it.
C. He Has The Power To Do all Things, even raise the dead
Luke 7:11-15 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. (12) Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold,
there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. (13) And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. (14) And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. (15) And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
John 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
John 11:43-44 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. (44) And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
He who spoke the universe into existance, has the power to do all that He promises. He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, raised the dead and yet some wonder if He can really do all that He says He will do. What do you think.
Then, when all have been raised, we will be glorified, and will be like Him.
Phil. 3:20-21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (21) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
V. GLORIFIED
1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Rom. 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom. 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
When we are Raptured, Redeemed, when Jesus returns for us--our earthly bodies, dead and alive, will go to be with the Lord--When the dead in Christ are raised, they will be reunited with their spirit & soul, which has been with the Lord since death.
I Cor. 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
And when they are reunited, God will Glorify them, and make our bodies, just like Jesus' body, perfect.
We will live in that Glorified state forever,
VI. WITH CHRIST, because we are,
A. Children of God
Rom. 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (26) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
B. Joint Heirs
1 Cor. 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
C. Will Judge The World
1 Cor. 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by
you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Well, there you are. That is where you are heading. That is your reward, to be with God forever and enjoy His presence in the Kingdom.
ILLUSTRATION
When I think of the kingdom I think of a story about a little boy who took the train from London to Edinburgh to visit relatives. He was seated in the front of the train with his parents but did not want to take the trip at all. As the train pulled out of the London station, he escaped his parents' watch and ran toward the back of the train in an assertion of his will.
Yet even though he was bent on going in another direction, he was on a train for Scotland. All the running in the world would not stop him from getting there. The kingdom is something like that. We can
fight it. Perhaps we can even delay it. But its coming is inevitable. Why? Because it is the work of God.
It is God's plan for you.
ILUSTRATION
The black van careens around the corner on two wheels, seemingly suspended endlessly in midair. Inside B.A. jerks on the steering wheel and the vehicle lurches onto all four wheels. "Face: and Murdock sit back and relax as "The A-Team" streaks away from the bad guys once again. In the co-pilot's seat, Hannibal reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulls out a cigar, leans comfortably against the door of the van and with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, say, "I love it when a plan comes together!"
I look forward to the day when God's plan comes together. It is such a beautiful plan, and it is just for us Christians.
Now, those of you who do not know the Lord, if you are not going to heaven, where will you go. I think
you already know the answer. But why would you want to. The fact is, nobody wants to go to hell. Nobody. Not even the devil, but he is! I know, I've read the Book, I know the last chapter.
All you have to do to go to hell is NOTHING. That's it. You do not have to do anything to go there. But, as John 3:3 says, if you want to go to heaven and see the Kingdom, You must be BORN AGAIN. You
must recieve Christ as Savior. We want you with us in heaven. Your friends want you there, your husband wants you there, your wife wants you there, your children want you there. Why not take that step this morning and be BORN AGAIN.
