R1685 One Life

How do we know that we have life after death? That's just one of the questions answered today on this edition of The Encouraging Word. Yes, this is The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton.

Today his message, One Life, answers that question about life after death and so much more as we move to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 together. While we do so, know that we'd love to get connected with you on our website, www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org.

Right now one of the first things you'll see is this powerful resource about loneliness, how to be alone but not lonely. Again, see the details on our website right now at www.tewonline.org. But first, let's head to 1 Corinthians 15 as we open the Word of God together, God's Encouraging Word, with Dr. Don Wilton. I want you to open your Bibles.

We're going to be in a number of passages today and I want to share something very exciting with you for the next few moments. Let's start in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. It's a beautiful passage of Scripture and there is so much in this passage but I want to just read to you a few verses just to set the tone today, to set the scene for all of us as we gather together and worship the Lord as believers are all across the world today. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 20. Listen to what the Bible says, but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For as by a man came death, so also by a man has come resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each to his own order, Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every power, every rule, every authority. I want to speak to you today on an amazing subject.

It's a, it's complex. This is a complex subject but I'm going to speak to you about one life today. Essentially this is one choice, one Savior, one life. How did Jesus carry us to life? Well he came to this earth.

It's the first thing he did. He died upon a cross. By the power of God he rose from the grave. He conquered sin, death and the grave.

He gained the victory over it. Then he ascended, he went back into heaven and he promised us that he's going to come back and receive us to himself. So that where he is, there we will be also. So the question is this, how do we know that we have life? So how do we know that we have life? I'm going to take you for a very quick journey. You ready for this?

This and you can mark this down. First of all turn to Matthew chapter 17. So I'm going to do the same thing because I want to actually read, I want the Bible to tell you this. Matthew chapter 17. First, the first way that you and I know that we will have life is because the configuration of Jesus demonstrated it. So in Matthew chapter 17 and I'll read perhaps just the first three verses. Alright, first three verses of Matthew 17. This is about Jesus but he had some people with him and by the way he had some people who joined him. Excuse me, the people who joined him in my book were stone graveyard dead people. By the way, the people who joined Jesus, okay, had been dead a long time. Watch this, after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother and led them up a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the Sun and his clothes became white as light and behold there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with them.

You can read the rest of this account for yourself. How do we know that we will have this? Jesus was on this earth ministering amongst us and Jesus went up onto the high mountain and he was changed into his afterlife appearance. That's the word, transfiguration. He was changed before them. He was changed into his resurrected, his after-death body and his whole purpose was to demonstrate to us the truth of our being alive after death and blow me down. Here comes Moses and Elijah and by the way, by name and excuse me for a minute, talking.

There's not a single person who's ever died that is dead. The transfiguration demonstrates it and when you begin to see, this is Jesus folks, let's go to Luke chapter 16, you ready? Go all the way across to Luke chapter 16.

This is powerful stuff. Luke chapter 16, the story illustrates it. Let me read you a few verses. I'm just going to pick up Luke chapter 16 and I'm going to pick up at verse 19. May I just say this to you, this is Jesus talking, this is not Billy Graham saying this, it's not Don Wilton, it's not the chairman of Deacons, this is not your church, this is not a Democrat or Republican, this is Jesus. One choice, one Savior, one life. Jesus said there was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen who feasted sumptuously every day and at his gate was laid a poor man by the name of Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with that which fell from the rich man's table.

Moreover the dogs came by and licked his sores. Now listen to this, the poor man died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's side, Abraham's bosom. This is Jesus speaking to a Jewish audience. They believed in the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. There was no doubt in the Jewish audience that no matter where Abraham was, that's where God was. The rich man also died and he was buried. The picture here is one man when he died went up, the other man when he died went down and in hell, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes. Everybody touch your eyes.

This is not a figure of speech. One would think that after someone died that they could no longer see, not according to Jesus and he saw Abraham, excuse me, Abraham, he saw Abraham in heaven on the other side. Why did he have to lift up his eyes?

Because he went down. He didn't look out, he looked up. By the way, where is heaven? Heaven is up.

How do we know that? Because when Jesus rose from the dead and then he appeared for over 40 days and then he went to the Mount of Olives and he went up into heaven and the people, the disciples that were there, they looked up and they were struggling, just like you and me, so just to make sure they didn't think they had seen incorrectly, God sent an angel who came and said, why are you looking up? The same Jesus that went up is going to come back down and this incredible story here illustrates the fact that not one person who's ever died and Jesus incorporated both those who die in Christ and those who die having said no to Jesus. Jesus wanted us to know that. Now let's go to John chapter 11, all right? Go back, go to John chapter 11, turn in your Bibles to John chapter 11 verse 38. How do we know that we will have life after death? Again, powerful questions and even more powerful answers from God's encouraging Word. You're listening to the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher. Don't go away, he'll be back to complete today's message on one life in just a moment, but he wants me to remind you we're here for you. We'd love to talk with you, pray with you, and connect you with resources that will help you grow in your faith.

You can do that a couple of ways. Either call us right now at 866-899-WORD. That number is available 24 hours a day. As a matter of fact, 866-899-9673. Or meet us on our website www.tewonline.org.

It's the place you'll find great resources like this. Have you ever felt lonely, isolated or abandoned? No one escapes the feelings of loneliness caused by separation, grief, loss or isolation. It can strike anyone, but God has placed within each of us a basic need for relationship with him. This month, with your gift to the encouraging Word, you will receive Dr. Don Wilton's powerful message, Fear Not, along with the bonus book, Loneliness.

How to be alone but not lonely. These powerful resources will help you overcome your loneliness and find comfort, security and companionship in God. That's just one of many great resources on our website www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Turning your Bibles to John chapter 11 verse 38. How do we know that we will have life after death? Because the miracle amazes it. So in chapter 11 of John's Gospel, we've got the story of who? Lazarus of Bethany. So the Bible says in verse 1, now certain man was ill. Lazarus of Bethany in the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment. So now let's go to verse 38.

Let me show you what happened here. Because this man was so ill and the two sisters who loved him very much and they asked Jesus please hurry and come because they believed in Jesus and in his healing power but Lazarus died. He was dead.

I've been there. I've been actually into his tomb, the actual one. There's the town of Bethany, the village and this is where Lazarus died.

He was dead. Alright, let's pick up John chapter 11 verse 38. Then Jesus deeply moved again came to the tomb. It was a cave and a stone lay against it and Jesus said take away that stone. Martha the sister of the dead man said to him Lord by this time there will be an odor because he's been dead for four days already. I've often wondered why did Jesus leave him dead for four days? I think to prove a point and not only that but to the Jewish audience because the Jewish people back in their day believe that there was a life-giving spirit that was still present up to the third day of death. So Jesus said well I'll just take him to the fourth day.

I'll even address the most skeptic of skeptics about life after death and in verse 40 Jesus said did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said father I thank you, you always hear me and we find this amazing thing. Jesus looks into the cave and he stands in the cave and he says Lazarus. Now remember this man's been dead for how long? Four days. Lazarus by name come forth and blow me down here he comes.

I wouldn't have been there I would have run a mile. You know we have we have this human body so these things are not easy to understand and you may struggle to understand these things but that's the beauty about knowing Jesus because when you give your heart to Jesus the Spirit of God takes hold of you and he guides you into all truth. You'll start to understand the most difficult things sometimes and then there's a fourth point if the transfiguration demonstrates it and the story illustrates it and the miracle of the raising of Lazarus back to life amazes it.

It's an amazing story. Well the resurrection of the Lord Jesus authorized it. So you can go let's go back to Luke okay. Go back to Luke the last chapter verse 24. Luke chapter 24 and here's Jesus and Jesus has been raised from the dead and he appears on what is called the road to Emmaus. This is just the road leading up to Jerusalem.

It's an amazing place to be. I remember us with the encouraging word doing a video television series there some years ago and and I still have that like out of body feeling standing there on the road to Emmaus talking about Jesus appearing after he died. He came back to life and he appears to the disciples in person. He was authorizing everything he said about life after death.

Chapter 24 let me read a few verses go to verse 45. Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures and he said thus it is written that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning in Jerusalem and besides that you are now witnesses to this. So my friends every dead person according to Jesus did a number of things.

I've got a list I mean it's this long but can I just point out a few things to you. Every dead person did a number of things. Every dead person Jesus talks about walked they walked so you can get down tap your legs.

You're gonna have legs after you die. Every person talked. I'm going to ask just hit your vocal cords. Every dead person talked they spoke led by Jesus. When Jesus came out of the tomb he talked. Everywhere he went he spoke. He had a tongue a voice. Every person reasoned. There was thinking involved cognitive ability, brain, your head, your brain, your ability to think after you die. Have you ever heard someone say well at least he's at peace now.

What does that mean? Every dead person according to Jesus was identified and names are used. The same name that they had when they were on this earth. Is Jesus trying to make a mockery of us? I believe because of this my name is going to be Don in heaven and why do I believe that?

Because I want to be cute? No because Elijah was Elijah. Moses was Moses. Abraham was Moses. You don't think Jesus could have changed to some kind of better more angelic name or something? Why would Jesus do this? Does Jesus play games with people?

Is God a joker? And every person related, related. There was a relationship. Now you got to insert into this this word perfect. Perfect because Bible says we're going to be made perfect. There's no more suffering, no more pain. How do you describe perfect?

I don't know. How do you describe perfect? How can we possibly describe perfect?

We see through a glass dimly but then face to face. So God gives every person one choice. That's what this card is all about. One choice. I want you to make sure that you know Jesus today. Give your life to Christ and if you're present in one of our packed out worship services today, check that off there. Say today I'm putting my faith in Jesus. Give your life to Christ.

You talk to him, Lord Jesus I know that you're real and you're alive. It doesn't have to be a perfect prayer. Nowhere in the Bible does it say pray the perfect prayer.

We always add these extra things don't we? Like you got to this and say that and do this and you got to stand right and dress right and do right and honor. We do these things just because we love Jesus but Jesus didn't attach all of the things that we have grown so good at doing. Just give your heart to Jesus.

You tell him, let it come from your heart. One Savior because of Jesus. You know him. Would you commit to sharing your faith with just one person? Tell someone. Ask someone would you like to give your heart to Jesus. One life. See this life I don't wait for when I die to receive the life of Christ. I have that life now.

Do you know him? Do you need a church home? Do you need a place where you can come, you can be part of? Your life will change today my friend.

You'll be a different person inside out. You'll have new meaning, new life, new purpose because you made one choice about one Savior concerning one life. Lord Jesus as we go into a time of invitation, albeit a brief time, there are people everywhere making decisions for Christ today.

There are people determining it's time for them to become engaged in the church. There are people today who have said you know what I need this every week. I need every week to be listening, to reading the Word of God, to be part of praise and worship like this.

I need it every week. I need more of you Lord and today I make that decision. And Lord Jesus I'm praying in Jesus name for people today, precious people. And I pray this prayer in the name of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen. Were you praying along with the pastor moments ago giving your life to Jesus? Or perhaps today you've been listening all along and you realize it's time to come back to Christ.

You know Jesus is your Savior but he is not your Lord because you're not focusing on making him your Lord, surrendering to him. We have wonderful resources that will help you grow in your faith on our website www.tewonline.org. But if you just gave your life to Christ or rededicated your life, Dr. Wilton has free resources he wants you to have right away if you'll call us at 866-899-WORD that's 866-899-9673 or if you'd rather email Dr. Wilton and tell about your decision he would love to hear from you.

Don, just don at www.tewonline.org. He would love to pray for you and again make sure he'll make sure we get these resources to you if you call 866-899-9673 or email don at www.tewonline.org. And before we get away closing thoughts from Dr. Wilton. Now just before we go the Lord has put in my heart today to pray for you. You know that's something that I can do that we can do for one another but I just want you to know that prayer is so critical. You know that the Lord Jesus not only hears our prayer but he answers our prayer too. I'd like to pray for you today.

You love the Lord I know but there are things going on in your life aren't there? Let's talk to the Lord Jesus. Heavenly Father right now I want to present to you my friend who is searching, looking, longing, needing, crying out to you. I just pray Lord Jesus even through the lens of this camera that by your spirit you would touch this person's heart. Answer that prayer right now fulfill that need.

Come down in the power of your spirit and manifest yourself. I'm praying this in the strong name of Jesus. We believe in prayer. You are the Christ the Son of the Living God. God hear my prayer for my friends in Jesus name. Amen. Amen and as the pastor was praying I know he wants me to remind you we're here to pray with you personally at 866-899-WORD that's 866-899-9673 or online at www.tewonline.org. You've heard about the resources available and as you invest in those resources or some of you who've just become encouragers giving to the ministry every single month you're helping us share the love of Christ and every day people's lives are being changed discover more on our website www.tewonline.org