Participants: Donnie Shelton
Series Code: POF
Program Code: POF000028A
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00:24 And we welcome you once again to, Pillars of Our Faith;
00:29 a word for today in today's world. 00:33 We've been having a wonderful time as we've listened 00:36 to the messages by Pastor Donnie Shelton, 00:38 he of Touching Hearts Ministries. 00:41 He's been taking us through a sermonic Bible study of sorts. 00:45 We've looked at, Faith Equals Knowledge Times Light; 00:50 which I really like that title, that thought, that idea. 00:54 My Grace is Sufficient for Thee. 00:56 And today's message is entitled, The Gift of Eternal Life. 01:00 And that's what it's all about. 01:02 The gift of eternal life that God has for each one of us 01:05 if we follow Him, if we are faithful to Him, 01:09 as we are saved for eternity. 01:11 What a wonderful prospect to contemplate, 01:14 that there is an eternal gift for us. 01:17 And that eternal gift is indeed eternal life. 01:21 And so we're thankful that Donnie has gone into the Word. 01:24 And we know that God has a word for our souls today 01:27 as the man of God lifts up the name of Jesus 01:30 and he talks about the gift of eternal life. 01:33 The overall theme for these meetings has been 01:36 faith leading to a closer walk with God. 01:39 And certainly we each want, we each need and desire, 01:43 a closer walk with our Lord and Savior. 01:45 And so these messages have been designed 01:48 to increase faith, to spur on your walk with the Lord. 01:53 They've been practical, positive messages 01:55 preached with energy and with zeal, 01:57 and with an obvious love for the Lord. 01:59 And so we expect a fine message today 02:02 as God uses His servant to talk to us 02:05 and to talk to our souls. 02:06 I'm going to ask you now to join with me in a word of prayer. 02:09 And after we shall have prayed, the next voice that you'll hear 02:13 will be that of Pastor Donnie Shelton 02:14 of Touching Hearts Ministries. 02:16 Preaching on the subject, The Gift of Eternal Life. 02:20 Shall we pray. 02:22 Gracious Father, we do thank You and praise You, 02:24 for You are truly a wonderful God. 02:27 We thank You for Your Word, 02:28 we thank You for the power of that Word. 02:30 We thank Thee that through the foolishness of preaching 02:34 You have determined to save men and women. 02:38 So now speak to Your servant, 02:40 and then speak through Your servant. 02:42 Speak to us, give us open and receptive ears and hearts, 02:47 that we may do the will of Him who has called us from 02:50 darkness to light, from error to truth. 02:54 And we thank You, Father, for this day 02:56 and this message that is coming. 02:58 In Jesus name, amen and amen. 03:08 Thank you, Pastor Murray, so much. 03:09 It's always exciting for me to be able to preach 03:15 the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ. 03:19 Now my cousin Danny has a saying, and I love it. 03:22 Taking the truth to the world, the undiluted truth. 03:27 In other words, a truth that is not filled with error. 03:32 A truth that is one-hundred percent based upon the Bible 03:37 and what the Bible says. 03:40 The doctrines of the Bible, the prophecies, 03:42 and the golden nuggets of faith and power that 03:47 can be derived from studying God's Word. 03:51 So I'm excited today. 03:53 The message today, The Gift of Eternal Life. 03:58 I've come to find out through the study of the Word of God 04:01 that faith is a gift, grace is a gift, 04:06 and eternal life is a gift. 04:08 All that God asks you to do is fall on your knees before Him 04:11 and say, "Oh heavenly Father, 04:14 I have imperfections, I have faults. 04:17 I need Your help. I've sinned. 04:20 So Lord, please, in Your mercy and grace, 04:24 wash me clean with the blood of Christ. 04:27 Accept me." 04:28 And the Lord says, "Come unto Me all ye that labor, 04:32 all that have sinned, and come to Me. 04:35 Let me remold your life." 04:38 2 Corinthians 5:17, I use that scripture a lot, 04:41 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, 04:43 he's a brand new creature." 04:44 God is wanting to place His Holy Spirit into your life 04:49 to guide you and direct you into all truths. 04:53 3ABN ministries, their truths are based upon the Word of God. 05:02 Not philosophies, not based on science, 05:05 but based upon what the Word of God says. 05:09 So today, I want to encourage you that there is 05:14 a gift of eternal life. 05:17 And we're going to talk about that. 05:18 Let's go to the Scriptures now. 05:20 And I want you to get your Bibles out. 05:21 And as I always say, grab a pencil, a pad, 05:25 and write these scriptures down. 05:28 After the sermon, open the Bible and study these 05:31 scriptures for yourself. 05:33 Now, we're going to go to Matthew 25:34 first. 05:39 Matthew 25:34 05:41 And I want you to read this scripture together with me, 05:44 my brothers and sister. 05:45 Let's read. 05:46 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, 05:50 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 05:56 for you from the foundation of the world.'" 05:59 Now let's break this down. 06:00 When Jesus said, "Come, and inherit the kingdom 06:05 of heaven that was prepared for you," it was a kingdom 06:09 that was designed for the wants, and the dreams, 06:13 and the hopes, and the desires of His children. 06:17 Heaven, that New Jerusalem that we're going to talk about 06:22 very shortly, that city of God that we're going to live 06:26 and dwell in, was designed for us to enjoy 06:31 forever and ever and ever. 06:34 Now, from the moment that Jesus spoke this planet 06:38 into existence, His paramount desire 06:43 of My Creator was that everyone on this planet 06:49 would accept His invitation to spend eternity with Him. 06:54 But few, oh so few that accept this invitation. 07:00 And we're going to find out why today. 07:03 Again, if you want to be in the kingdom with Jesus, 07:06 here's what He asks you to do in 1 John 1:9. 07:09 Listen, "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just 07:18 to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 07:21 from all unrighteousness. 07:23 And I say this probably in pretty well all of my sermons. 07:26 I like to include this: 07:27 That Jesus Christ goes out into the world 07:32 and He finds you, He found me. 07:35 He picks us up out of the muck and the mire, 07:39 and the sin of this world, and He washes us clean 07:43 with His own blood. 07:45 And then He takes His robe, Jesus takes His robe 07:50 of righteousness and wraps it around us. 07:53 And then He fills us with the power of the Holy Spirit. 07:56 And then He says, "Go to the Word and study 07:59 to find yourself proved. 08:01 And if you remain persistent and consistent in your walk, 08:07 and you remain faithful, you will have eternal life." 08:12 And I praise God for that. 08:13 You know, when I first went into the ministry 08:17 oh 14 or 15 years ago, my cousin Danny said, 08:21 "What I want you to do, don't try to be anyone else. 08:26 You just be yourself." 08:27 Now I don't have eloquent speech. 08:30 Sometimes my words get a little twisted. 08:32 Sometimes at our church if I'm speaking, someone will say, 08:35 "Now what did he say?" 08:36 But I can tell you this. 08:38 I love preaching the gospel of Christ. 08:41 I love opening the eyes of folks out there, that God 08:45 and His Son Jesus are intensely in love with you. 08:50 And they want to share eternal life with you. 08:53 Let's go a bit further here. 08:55 Now, there's a movement out there. 08:58 That's why I love 3ABN. 09:00 Their facts and their truths are based upon the Bible. 09:05 There is a movement out there. 09:07 And this movement began over a hundred years ago. 09:10 And here's what they teach. 09:12 That everyone that has ever been born, 09:15 whether they're righteous or ungodly or saved or unsaved, 09:19 however you want to put it, that every one that's 09:22 ever been born will be in heaven. 09:25 Let's go on. 09:27 That salvation is given to every man regardless 09:32 of their lifestyle or their character. 09:35 They teach that God is a God of love. 09:37 Now He is the God of love. 09:39 John says, "God is love." 09:41 They teach that God is a God of love 09:43 and would never create anyone that He would send to hell. 09:49 Now you're going to find out today what hell is. 09:52 Hell is referred to as the grave. 09:55 Hell is referred to as forever and ever separation from God. 10:01 Hell is not a place... 10:04 Let me say this again. This is a Bible truth. 10:07 It is not a place where the unrighteous burn 10:10 forever and ever and ever. 10:13 And we're going to talk about that in just a few moments. 10:15 I can tell you this. 10:17 Being separated from God in eternal death, 10:20 that's bad enough. 10:21 But let's go a bit further here. 10:22 Now a book called, Early Writings, one of my favorite 10:26 writers, Ellen G. White, chapter 52, here's what it says. 10:31 "It is a marvel to me," she said, "that Satan 10:36 could succeed so well in making men believe 10:40 that the words of God, 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' 10:48 means that the soul will live forever." 10:51 She said, "I don't understand that. 10:53 How did the devil do that?" 10:54 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die," 10:57 that it really means that the soul that sinneth 11:00 shall not die. 11:01 She says those that are unrighteous, that were 11:05 unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, 11:08 that they have lived an ungodly life, 11:10 and that they have lived for the world, 11:12 they will not be in the kingdom. 11:15 They will suffer what we call, eternal death. 11:19 They will not receive eternal life. 11:22 They made the decision, "I am not going to serve God. 11:26 I'm going to serve my wants and my needs." 11:29 Let's go a bit further here. 11:31 And Ellen G. White went on to say this, 11:33 "Satan has led men to adopt..." 11:39 "It was a marvel to me that Satan could succeed so well 11:44 in making men believe that the words of God that say, 11:47 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' 11:50 mean that the soul that sinneth, it shall not die..." 11:55 Can you imagine, she said, they want men to believe 11:59 that God says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die," 12:03 means this, that the soul that sinneth shall not die. 12:07 She went on to say, this group of men are teaching 12:13 that we need to overlook our sin, our unrighteousness, 12:18 and look at the justice of God and the 12:20 threatenings of His Word. 12:22 They say that God is all mercy, and that no one will perish. 12:27 Yet listen carefully what the Bible says, 12:31 not what men think, how they feel, emotions. 12:35 But what does the Bible say? 12:37 Yet the Bible explicitly and clearly teaches 12:42 in many different parables, examples, and clearly defined 12:47 statements that not all will be in the kingdom. 12:51 Our loving God gave every one of us a choice, 12:57 to make our own decision whether we want to 13:00 remain a goat or sheep. 13:03 Let's study what I just said. 13:05 Matthew the 25th chapter. 13:07 Let's get those Bibles out. 13:08 Matthew the 25th chapter. 13:10 Let's read together verses 32, 33, and 34. 13:16 Listen very carefully again what the Bible says. 13:20 "And before him shall be gathered all nations: 13:24 and he shall separate them one from another, 13:28 as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. 13:32 And he shall set his sheep on his right hand..." 13:36 The sheep are referring to the righteous. 13:40 But the goats, the ones that have sinned, 13:44 that have not asked for forgiveness, 13:46 the goats He puts on the left. 13:48 "Then shall say the King," listen, "to them on his 13:52 right hand," this is what God and Jesus says, 13:55 "Come, ye blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom 14:01 prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 14:05 Praise God. 14:06 Ah verse 41. 14:08 Listen very carefully now. 14:09 "Then he shall say also unto them on his left, 14:12 'Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, 14:18 prepared for the devil and his angels.'" 14:21 You say, "Donnie, He said everlasting fire." 14:25 Everlasting means, in its effect it's everlasting. 14:30 And we're going to talk about that in just a few moments here. 14:32 So, we see those men and women that will inherit the kingdom. 14:40 And those who will not inherit eternal life; because why? 14:45 Of their unbelief. 14:46 They chose to die. 14:49 Let's go a bit further here. 14:51 Here's what it says in Malachi 4:1. 14:53 Now you talk about the everlasting fire, 14:55 it's everlasting in its effect. 14:58 Here's what Malachi 4:1 says. 15:01 Read this with me now. 15:02 "For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; 15:09 and all the proud, yes, and all that do wickedly, 15:14 shall be stubble. 15:16 And the day that cometh shall burn them up..." 15:20 Let me say it again. 15:22 "...they shall be burned up, saith the LORD of hosts, 15:27 that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." 15:31 They are burned up forever. 15:35 The unrighteous, the Bible says, shall be no more. 15:41 Hell to them is eternal death. 15:45 They will not be in a fire burning forever and ever. 15:48 Malachi says they shall be burned up. 15:50 They are gone forever and ever and ever. 15:55 Again, let's read 2 Peter 3:10. 15:59 Give you time to get your Bibles. 16:01 Let's read this together. 16:02 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; 16:08 in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, 16:12 and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat. 16:17 The earth," listen, "the earth also and the works 16:21 that are in shall be burned up." 16:25 They shall never more be. 16:27 They are gone forever and ever and ever. 16:31 So, we find then that everlasting fire means 16:35 all those that have rejected Christ's invitation 16:41 and have decided to live an ungodly life shall... 16:45 Their reward. Let's say it together. 16:49 Their reward shall be everlasting death. 16:54 And the earth and the ungodly shall be consumed 16:58 when God comes. 17:00 Everything in the earth and around the earth 17:03 shall be burned up. 17:05 And that includes the unrighteous. 17:08 Those that decided to serve the world and themselves 17:12 and rejected God. 17:14 God will never ever force anyone to serve Him. 17:20 When we come to God, it has to be with humbleness 17:25 and sorrowfulness, and want to repent 17:29 and change our lives. 17:30 Not to live for the world, but to live for God. 17:34 So, now I hope we've cleared that up. 17:36 Let's go a bit further here. 17:38 Let's listen to Revelation 22:11-13. 17:44 "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: 17:49 and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: 17:53 and he that is righteous..." 17:54 Oh folks, talking to us now. 17:57 When we accept Christ, let's walk the journey 18:02 of this life in faith and in confidence in God 18:08 and live for God. 18:09 Testify of God, praise God. 18:12 All of these different avenues will encourage your faith, 18:16 and renew your faith, and solidify your faith. 18:20 "...let him be righteous still: 18:23 and he that is holy, let him be holy still." 18:27 That's what the Bible says. 18:29 Verse 12. Now listen carefully now. 18:31 "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, 18:38 to give," now listen to this, "to give every man 18:43 according to his work shall be." 18:48 The righteous will inherit eternal life. 18:52 The unrighteous will inherit eternal death. 19:02 "Blessed are they," the Bible says... 19:04 I love it. 19:06 "Blessed are they," the Bible says, 19:07 "that do, that keep His commandments; 19:10 that they may have the right to the tree of life 19:15 and may enter in through the gates of the city." 19:18 "Donnie, are you saying, and are you still saying, 19:22 that the ten commandment law is still in effect?" 19:24 Oh yes. 19:26 We've already studied that the finger of God 19:29 etched the ten commandment law into those stones. 19:32 And no one has the right to change what God has etched 19:36 into that stone. 19:38 They are still in effect. 19:39 We said in a couple of sermons ago that the only thing 19:43 that I came up with that was nailed, and what the Bible says, 19:49 that was nailed to the cross was the sacrificial system. 19:55 We don't need to sacrifice animals anymore. 19:58 Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. 20:00 He's been sacrificed. 20:01 But the ten commandment law, it's alive, it's real. 20:05 And God says right here in verse 12, 20:08 those that keep His commandments... 20:10 The commandment to love? Yes. 20:12 But also those ten commandments. 20:14 Those are the righteous, those are the just. 20:17 Those are the ones that will be in the kingdom. 20:21 So, let's break these scriptures down together. 20:25 We find here that on that great day of judgment, 20:29 at the appearing of God, and His Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20:35 and all the angels of heaven, that there will be a 20:40 separation take place. 20:43 The goats, the unrighteous, on His left, 20:46 the righteous, washed in the blood of Christ, 20:49 wrapped in His righteousness, the sheep, will be on His right. 20:54 The unjust, the ungodly, the unrighteous, the goats, 21:00 will remain on the left. 21:02 There will be no second chances when God comes. 21:07 Today is the day of salvation. 21:10 Today. 21:12 It's not like, "When He comes, I tell you what, 21:14 when God comes, then I'll ask Him for forgiveness." 21:16 Today is the day of salvation. 21:18 There will be no second chances, there will be no reprieves. 21:22 The Book of Life was sealed when Jesus left the Sanctuary. 21:27 If your name is found written in the Book of Life, 21:30 you will be in the kingdom. 21:33 You will receive eternal life. 21:35 Praise the Lord. 21:37 And I went on to say this. 21:38 I wanted to write this down because I didn't want to forget. 21:40 If your name was not found in the Book of Life 21:43 when the book was sealed, then it will never be written there. 21:47 Once God comes, your name cannot be 21:49 written into that book. 21:51 Only the righteous that serve God with faith and works 21:57 will be in the Book of Life; so that when Jesus Christ comes, 22:02 their names are written there. 22:03 They will inherit eternal life, through the promises of God. 22:08 Praise the Lord. 22:09 Now, that being said, not all will be in the kingdom. 22:15 Emotions... 22:17 Now I want you to get this. Listen carefully. 22:19 Emotions, traditions, theories, and philosophies, 22:24 self-proclaimed ideals will not change the justice 22:29 of the holy God. 22:31 The Bible says, let the righteous, those that have 22:36 accepted Jesus' invitation, rejoice that they have remained 22:42 faithful unto the end. 22:45 If we remain faithful to the end, our names are sealed 22:49 in the Book of Life. 22:51 Praise the Lord. 22:52 "Now, Donnie, you're talking about giving 22:55 yourself to Jesus Christ. 22:57 What does all that mean? 22:58 You say, fall before Him in a humble, and meek, 23:01 and sorrowful attitude. 23:02 What are you trying to say?" 23:03 Well let's break that down. 23:05 We're going to break it down with scriptures, 23:08 the truth from the Bible. 23:10 Now, number one I put here, this is a tough one: 23:15 deny self. 23:17 Matthew 10:32 23:21 Here's what the Bible says. 23:23 "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, 23:29 him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven." 23:33 We need to praise God. 23:35 We need to testify. 23:36 We need to preach. 23:38 We need to teach. 23:39 But most of all, we need to live the life of Jesus Christ. 23:43 Ask Christ to come into your heart, mind, and soul 23:47 that you might be transformed into His character. 23:50 Now, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, 23:55 him will I also deny before my Father in heaven." 23:59 If you deny Christ, your name cannot be written 24:02 in the Book of Life. 24:04 What does confess mean? 24:06 Confess means to, "Confess in Me." 24:09 Because of our oneness with Christ, 24:12 it is when we abide in Him, listen, when we abide in Him 24:20 He abides in us, that our confession of faith in Him 24:24 will bear much fruit. 24:27 Once Christ comes into your life, there will be changes 24:32 in your life. 24:33 Where you go, what you say, what you do, even how you feel, 24:41 how you react to different situations, will all change 24:46 when Jesus Christ comes into your life. 24:49 The old things, that old carnal nature, starts to die 24:52 and the new spiritual nature, through the power 24:56 of the Holy Spirit, you become transformed. 24:59 Oh praise God. 25:00 Let's go on here now. 25:02 Let's go back to what the Bibles says. 25:04 Matthew 16:24-27 25:08 There are so many Bible truths. 25:11 If we'll spend time in His Word we'll discover these truths. 25:15 "Well how do I do that?" 25:16 You need to ask the Holy Spirit every time you sit down 25:19 and you open this Book, say, "Oh Holy Spirit, 25:22 would you guide me and direct me, and help me to interpret 25:25 these scriptures?" 25:27 Now, let's go a little bit further here now. 25:30 "For what does it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world 25:37 and lose his soul? 25:39 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" 25:42 Now, when Jesus comes back, if your name is not written 25:47 in the Book of Life, no matter how powerful 25:51 you were known as on this earth or how much money you had, 25:55 you can't buy your way into heaven. 25:57 Eternal life is a gift. 26:00 Praise God. 26:02 It's a gift. 26:03 We're unworthy, we all fall short. 26:05 But because of God's amazing grace, 26:10 His unmerited favor, we will receive heaven. 26:13 And He promises that. 26:14 And I believe in the promises of God. 26:17 Let's go a little bit further here. 26:18 Deny himself means, to submit yourself to God. 26:23 Deny yourself means, to submit your will to God. 26:28 And henceforth, to live for Christ rather than self. 26:34 You've got to let self go. 26:36 All those self wants and desires; self, self, self. 26:39 That, "all about me," complex that most of us possess. 26:42 I've been guilty myself. 26:43 We've got to let that go. 26:44 Now, Jesus said, "Take up the cross." 26:48 "What does that mean, Donnie, take up the cross?" 26:51 That is, to assume the responsibilities 26:56 that accompany discipleship. 26:59 Once you accept Christ... 27:02 Say you find out about Jesus Christ and you're in a church 27:05 and you're sitting on the pew, you hear this message, 27:08 "Come unto Me if you labor. 27:11 Come unto Me if you want to give your life to Me, 27:13 and let Me change your life." 27:15 What that means is, once you accept Jesus Christ 27:18 as your personal Savior, there is no stopping point. 27:21 Once you accept Christ, you need to stand up off that pew 27:25 and say, "Oh God, now what would You have me do? 27:28 I know I've got some responsibilities. 27:30 What would You have me do?" 27:32 And God will give you, He'll give you a ministry. 27:36 We've talked about it before. 27:37 It might be a prayer ministry, it might be a phone ministry, 27:40 you might be one that will go visit folks 27:42 in nursing homes and hospitals. 27:44 God's got a plan for everybody. 27:45 Let's go a bit further here. 27:47 Now, to save one's life means, to seek first the things 27:54 of this present life. 27:56 If we want to continue just to save our lives, 27:59 we need to lose our lives; give our lives to Christ. 28:02 Devote our lives to speaking truth 28:05 through what the Bible says, and then living the truth. 28:09 Let's go a bit further. 28:10 Take for instance, let me give you a perfect example here, 28:14 that once you accept Christ, get up off that pew 28:16 and get to work for Jesus Christ. 28:18 Listen, take for instance the young man... 28:21 And let's read this together. 28:22 You'll find that in Matthew 19:16, 17, 20-22. 28:29 Read these words with me, would you please. 28:32 "And, behold, one man came to him and said, 28:35 'Good Master, what good thing shall I do, 28:40 that I may inherit eternal life?' 28:45 And Jesus said unto him, 'Why do you call me good? 28:48 There is none good but God. 28:51 But if thou wilt enter into life...'" 28:53 What did He say? 28:55 "...keep the commandments." 28:56 Here's what the young man said. 28:59 "'All these things have I kept from my youth. 29:03 What do I lack?' 29:05 Jesus said, 'If you want to be perfect, go and sell 29:10 all that you have, give to the poor; 29:13 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.'" 29:15 And then He went on to say, "Come and follow me." 29:20 "But when the young man heard that saying, 29:23 he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." 29:29 The fact of the matter, his interest was in worldly things, 29:33 and in wealthy, and in power. 29:35 When God asks you to give those up, 29:38 what did I say a while ago? 29:39 This young man with all these riches and wealth, 29:42 he could not buy his way into heaven. 29:44 You can't work your way into heaven. 29:46 You can't work your way to receive eternal life. 29:49 Remember what I said a while ago. 29:51 Eternal life is a gift. 29:53 We can't work our way in, buy our way in. 29:56 We have to follow Jesus, live for Him, and in Him, 30:01 and through Him. 30:03 Now I put this little note here at the bottom of the page. 30:07 Jesus knew full well that the young man was rich. 30:12 He knew he had great possessions. 30:14 But the young man loved the temporal life here 30:19 more than he desired eternal life. 30:24 How about you? 30:26 Let's go a little bit further again. 30:27 And again, the Bible makes it clear that sin 30:30 leads to eternal death. 30:32 Sin does not lead, if you continue in sin, 30:37 does not lead to eternal life. 30:39 But I've got some good news for you today. 30:42 Let's read Romans 6:23 together. 30:45 Romans 6:23 30:47 "For the wages of sin is death..." 30:52 Wow, if it ended there, I'm in trouble. 30:55 But here's what it says. 30:56 "...but the gift of God is eternal life 31:02 through Jesus Christ..." 31:04 The wages of sin is certain eternal death. 31:08 But once we confess our sins, God said, 31:11 "The gift of God is eternal life..." 31:13 Through who? Jesus Christ. 31:15 That's a promise. 31:17 I believe in the promises of God. 31:18 Here's what Acts 4:12 says. 31:20 "Neither is there salvation in any other." 31:27 Remember what we said in a couple of sermons ago? 31:31 I am not saved by keeping the ten commandment law. 31:35 But because I love Jesus, because I'm following Jesus, 31:40 I want to keep the ten commandment law. 31:45 I'm saved through Jesus. 31:48 And this puts the desire in me to please my Lord 31:52 and keep those ten commandments. 31:53 Listen, "Neither is there salvation in any other: 31:57 for there is none other name," the Bible says, 32:01 "under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." 32:06 It is through Jesus Christ. 32:09 Here's what 1 John 2:1-2 says. 32:14 Turn in your Bibles. Give you just a second here. 32:16 1 John 2:1-2 32:19 Here's what the Bible says. Listen carefully. 32:22 "My little children, these things write I unto you, 32:26 that ye sin not. 32:28 And if any man sin..." 32:30 Praise God. Let me throw that in there. 32:32 "...we have an Advocate with the Father." 32:35 And who is that Advocate? Who's my Lawyer? 32:38 Who's the High Priest? Who's the Sacrifice? 32:40 "...we have an Advocate with the Father; 32:43 Jesus Christ the righteous." 32:48 If the righteous scarcely make it, the Bible says, 32:51 where are the ungodly going to be? 32:55 Eternal death. 32:57 Only through the grace of God, through Jesus Christ 33:02 His Son, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. 33:07 Being washed in the blood will I be in the kingdom. 33:11 And only through the name of Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb. 33:17 Now, Christ is the propitiation for our sins. 33:21 And not ours only, but also for the sins of the world. 33:27 For the remission of sin, the Bible says... 33:30 Love to go back to that Bible. 33:33 Listen, for the remission of sins, blood must be shed. 33:39 And the blood to be shed to cleanse all men 33:43 from all sin is the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. 33:49 It's all through Jesus. 33:51 Not just for cleansing of our sins, but for the whole world. 33:56 Jesus died for the whole world. 34:00 He is no respecter of persons. 34:02 Jesus Christ, let me put it this way, 34:05 when He looks down on this world, He sees babies. 34:11 He sees His children. 34:14 He sees that through Him they can be His brothers and sisters. 34:19 We find that through Jesus, He is our Best Friend, 34:24 He is our Creator, He is our Savior, 34:28 He is our Redeemer. 34:29 And it goes on and on and on. 34:32 Everything is done through Jesus Christ. 34:35 Eternal life... I thought this was interesting. 34:39 Eternal life is a gift, but so few accept and want the gift. 34:48 So few. So few. 34:50 But here's what the Bibles says on that matter, by the way. 34:53 Matthew 7:13 34:55 I always love to go back to what the Bible says. 34:58 Listen carefully. 34:59 "Enter in ye at the strait gate: 35:03 for wide is the gate and broad is the way 35:08 that leadeth to destruction, 35:11 and many there be which go in after it." 35:16 Jesus says, "Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction." 35:21 Why does it need to be broad? 35:23 There's a lot of people on that road to destruction. 35:26 It's broad. 35:28 "Because strait," Jesus said, "is the gate 35:32 and narrow is the way which leadeth unto eternal life: 35:36 and few there be that find it." 35:42 Isn't that amazing? 35:45 We have the privilege and the honor of accepting 35:51 the free gift of eternal life, and we refuse it. 35:56 And yet we will fight and scratch to stay alive 36:02 in the temporal life. 36:04 Doesn't make sense, does it? 36:07 Listen. Go back to the Bible. 36:09 Just go back to the Bible with me here. 36:11 John 3:16. Now listen carefully. 36:13 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son," 36:20 Jesus, "that whosoever," I love this promise, 36:25 "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 36:29 but have everlasting life." 36:32 Why do we choose the temporary life when we could choose 36:37 eternal life through Jesus Christ? 36:40 Not by our merits, again. 36:42 It's by the grace of God, through the power and the 36:46 forgiving spirit of Jesus, that we will be in the kingdom. 36:51 Now verse 17 says... 36:53 Listen very carefully. 36:55 Without Jesus we are condemned. Why? 37:00 Because of unbelief. 37:02 Unbelief. 37:04 Unbelief in what? 37:05 In the Son of God. 37:08 We are condemned to eternal death 37:12 because we love the world more than we love the Light. 37:16 Who is the Light? Jesus. 37:19 We love the worldly things and the things that are in it, 37:24 and this temporal life, and we throw away eternal life. 37:29 Eternal life and eternal bliss, and joy and happiness. 37:33 We throw all that away. 37:36 The only reason that God has tarried... 37:40 "What are you talking about, Donnie?" 37:42 Well turn to 2 Peter 3:9 with me, please. 37:45 2 Peter 3:9 37:48 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promises..." 37:53 They will happen. 37:55 "...as some men count slackness; but God is long-suffering, 38:01 not willing that any should perish, but that all 38:06 should come to repentance." 38:09 Why does He want everybody to come to repentance? 38:12 Because He loves you. 38:14 He loves you in your shortcomings, in your faults. 38:18 He loves you anyway. 38:19 He even loves you in your sin. 38:21 He doesn't condone sin, but He loves you. 38:24 Let's go a little bit further here. 38:25 The only reason that God has tarried 38:28 in His triumphant return... 38:30 Isn't God wonderful? 38:32 Isn't God lovely? 38:35 The only reason that God has tarried in His triumphant return 38:38 is that He is giving men every opportunity to accept Him. 38:46 Our God truly loves each one of us. 38:51 But God, on the other hand, is a God of justice, 38:55 and I love it, a God of truth. 38:59 On judgment day there will be those who will receive 39:04 the reward of eternal life and those that will receive 39:08 the reward of eternal death. 39:12 Not writhing in a place called hell forever and ever and ever. 39:18 But they will be forever, ever, never ever, 39:22 in the presence of God. 39:23 They will be dead forever and ever and ever. 39:26 So we call that eternal death. 39:29 I don't want you to think today that someone that's passed on 39:32 is writhing in agony. 39:34 They are in the grave waiting for that judgment day. 39:37 And maybe we'll get to that here in just a few minutes as well. 39:40 Now, Ezekiel 34:16. 39:43 Here's what the Bible says. 39:45 "I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that 39:50 which was driven away, and bind up that which was broken, 39:54 and strengthen that which was sick: 39:57 but I will destroy the fat and the strong; 40:00 and I will feed them with judgment." 40:03 Fatness in this scripture is symbolic of people 40:06 living in prosperity. 40:08 And prosperity many times often leads to forgetfulness of God. 40:15 Forgetting Him, throwing Him aside. 40:18 They're thinking, "Why do we need God? 40:19 I have all that I need here." 40:22 The unfaithful shepherds have waxed cold and fat 40:27 by robbing the flock. 40:29 Someday they will have to face judgment. 40:34 Now, I've got a few questions for you here. 40:38 If all would be saved, like the movement we talked about 40:42 earlier in our sermon, if all will be saved, 40:45 then there are some questions that need to be answered. 40:48 Why, if everyone's going to be saved and in the kingdom 40:52 regardless of whether they're righteous or unrighteous, 40:54 why do I need God's grace, His unmerited favor? 40:57 Why do I need God's mercy? 41:00 Why would any sacrifice have to die, my Savior Jesus? 41:07 Sorry. 41:08 Why would He have to die if everyone is going to 41:13 be in the kingdom anyway? 41:14 You know, sometimes I almost lose it 41:17 when I'm preaching the gospel. 41:19 I just want to break down and cry sometimes. 41:21 And every now and then I'll say I'm sorry or apologize. 41:24 Well Mollie Steenson, Pastor Hal's wife, told me, 41:26 "Don't you ever apologize for having feelings 41:31 for Jesus Christ." 41:32 So I'm not going to apologize. 41:33 I said, "I'm sorry," but I take that back. 41:35 It's okay to love Jesus. 41:38 It's okay to be excited about Jesus. 41:42 It's okay to show our feelings and our emotions 41:46 on how we feel and love Jesus Christ. 41:50 It's okay. 41:52 If I can get excited about a major league baseball team 41:55 winning the world series, I can get excited 41:58 when Jesus said, "Donnie, if you will remain faithful, 42:00 you have eternal life," I can get excited and I can say amen. 42:03 Praise the Lord. 42:05 Let's go on from there. 42:07 1 Peter 4:17-18 42:11 Now listen what the Bible says. 42:13 "For the time is come that judgment must begin 42:17 at the house of God. 42:19 And if it begins with us first, what shall the end be 42:23 of them that obey not the gospel of God? 42:26 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, 42:30 where shall the ungodly and the sinner be?" 42:33 They will be dead forever and ever and ever. 42:37 I hope we've made that point perfectly clear today. 42:39 Revelation 22:11-12 42:42 Listen to what the Bible says. 42:44 When Christ comes, and God, when He comes 42:48 the second coming, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: 42:54 he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: 42:57 he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: 43:01 and he that is holy," who is wrapped in the righteous 43:05 robes of Christ, "let him be holy still." 43:08 And God went on to say, listen, "I come quickly." 43:12 "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, 43:16 to give every man according as his work shall be." 43:20 Now, on the positive side. 43:24 There's a lot of positive things when Jesus Christ comes. 43:27 But there's more. 43:29 And I want to talk about that just for a little bit. 43:31 I call this title, The First Million Years. 43:36 Here's what it says in Revelation 21:1-2. 43:40 Read these scriptures with me, please, brothers and sisters. 43:43 Listen, "And I saw..." Now this is John talking. 43:48 "I saw a new heaven, I saw a new earth. 43:52 For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; 43:57 and there was no more sea." 43:58 And oh listen to this verse. 44:02 Oh I love this one. 44:04 "And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, 44:11 coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride 44:15 adorned for her husband." 44:18 Jesus is looking forward to this day. 44:22 As a groom does for the day that he gets married 44:25 and he can look down the aisle and he sees his beautiful wife 44:28 coming down the aisle dressed in white and purity. 44:32 That is the greatest day of his life. 44:36 Jesus is saying, "I'm looking so forward to this event. 44:42 I'm going to compare it with a marriage." 44:46 The church, Jesus said, those that are born again, 44:50 washed in the blood, wrapped in His righteousness, 44:54 filled with the Holy Spirit, the church is His bride. 44:57 And Jesus is looking forward to that day. 45:02 Praise God. 45:03 Praise the Lord. 45:05 Through the eyes of John... I put a little not here. 45:07 Through the eyes of John on the island of Patmos, 45:10 we are enabled to see that New Jerusalem, 45:14 that holy city of God. 45:17 The city, I threw this in, that houses the worship center 45:23 of the universe is coming down out of heaven 45:27 and seating itself on the new earth. 45:30 What a scene that John beheld! 45:35 What a sight that must have been. 45:38 The New Jerusalem was created to last for an eternity. 45:44 It's beauty is beyond description. 45:48 1 Corinthians 2:9 45:50 Read that with me. Here's what the Bible says. 45:52 "For as it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard, 45:58 neither have entered into the heart of man,'" 46:01 the most awesome, the most beautiful things, 46:05 "that God hath prepared for them that love him." 46:09 That believe in Him, that trust in Him, 46:14 that have placed their faith in Him. 46:17 And that's why we need to study the Scriptures. 46:21 What John saw there, it encourages me, 46:24 it solidifies my faith. 46:26 I believe in the promises of God. 46:29 I love reading scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 2:9. 46:33 Now, John recorded to the best that a human could comprehend, 46:39 by observing the arrival of God's city, the description, 46:43 the magnificence, the utter awe of that city. 46:48 Now as I've traveled across America, done a lot of 46:51 flying at night, I flew over some beautiful cities. 46:55 And they're all lit up at night as you fly over them, 46:58 and they look beautiful. 46:59 But the city of God, the New Jerusalem, doesn't need any 47:04 type of electrical lights. 47:07 God and His Son and the Holy Spirit light up all of heaven 47:13 with their purity and their holiness. 47:16 We don't need a sun up there either. 47:18 We have light. We have Jesus Christ. 47:21 2 Peter 3:10 and 13 says, oh, "But the day of the Lord 47:26 will come as a thief in the night..." 47:28 Now listen. 47:29 "...in the which the heavens shall pass away with a 47:31 great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; 47:34 the earth also and the works that are in shall be burned up." 47:39 "Nevertheless," he said, "we," God's people, 47:44 "in accordance to his promises, we look for new heavens 47:50 and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 47:54 Put a little another note here. 47:56 The new earth, God creating, God cleansing this earth 48:00 from all the scars of sin. 48:04 Burning up all unrighteousness, and all sin, and all blasphemy. 48:08 And, praise God, burning up Satan as well. 48:12 He will be gone forever and ever and ever. 48:16 Praise the Lord. 48:18 Our brother in Christ, John, what sight. 48:24 He saw the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven 48:27 and finding its resting place on the new earth. 48:31 We're going to call it holy ground. 48:33 There's no unrighteousness then. 48:35 The beginning of a world without end was taking place 48:40 right before the eyes of John. 48:44 It was the beginning of eternity. 48:48 Time without end, without interruption, had arrived. 48:53 And it's going to arrive. 48:55 Because God said so. 48:57 Because God's promises are true. 48:59 Eternal life is just a breath away. 49:03 Eternal life is just a heartbeat away. 49:09 We don't know how much time we have left here. 49:11 But if I should pass on today or tonight, 49:16 if I should pass on, I have confidence in God that 49:21 when He comes, as He promised in 1 Thessalonians the 4th chapter, 49:26 that when He comes, if Donnie Shelton is in the grave, 49:30 God promises He will raise me up out of that grave 49:34 and that I will spend eternity with Him. 49:39 Praise God. 49:41 Listen, it says here that there will be no more sea. 49:44 Now on this present earth the sea divides us here. 49:48 We have different countries. 49:49 We have friends, and brothers and sisters, 49:51 in other countries, and the sea divides us. 49:54 But the Bible says there's no sea there. 49:57 There's no division. 49:58 Everyone is in total harmony and unity there. 50:02 We will all be together. Praise God. 50:06 The new world, let's say it again, 50:08 will be bathed in the light from heaven. 50:12 The years will move on, one year after another. 50:17 First, a million years. 50:20 And then that million years leads to another million years, 50:24 and then another million years, to a world without end. 50:30 In this life, it's temporary. 50:32 Things begin and end. 50:34 But praise God, the New Jerusalem in heaven 50:37 will be here forever and ever and ever and ever. 50:41 You know, the Adventist Bible Commentary... 50:44 If you don't have one, you need to get some commentary, 50:47 the Adventist Commentary, Bible and books. 50:50 They state that this earth is the place of preparation 50:55 for heaven. 50:56 The time here is the Christian's winter. 51:00 And the chilly winds of affliction blow upon us. 51:03 But in the near future when Christ comes, 51:09 sorrows and sighings will be forever ended. 51:13 Aren't you looking forward to that time? 51:16 Here's what it says in Revelation 21:3-5. 51:20 Read it with me. 51:22 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 51:27 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 51:31 and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, 51:37 and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 51:42 And God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes; 51:46 and there shall be no more death,'" praise God, 51:50 "no sorrow, no crying, neither shall there be any more pain: 51:56 for the former things are passed away." 51:59 How long? Forever and ever and ever. 52:04 No more death, no more pain, no more crying, no more sorrow. 52:10 We will live in eternal bliss with God, and His Son, 52:15 and the Holy Spirit, and the angels 52:18 forever and ever and ever. 52:22 "I will make things new." 52:24 No more death, no more sickness, 52:30 no more hospitals, no more nursing homes, 52:35 no more cancer clinics, don't need any more doctors, 52:39 no more wheelchairs, no crying. 52:43 These bodies that we will inherit in eternal life, 52:47 they are designed by our Creator, and they will never 52:52 ever age, or change, or weaken, or become ill. 52:58 They will never experience any kind of mental, 53:02 or emotional, or physical pain. 53:06 Listen, for God Himself shall be in our presence. 53:10 And that evil one, man's worst enemy, 53:14 is gone forever and ever and ever. 53:18 Praise the Lord. Let's go on here. 53:20 Christ has promised us eternal life. 53:23 He has promised us to live in eternity; 53:28 a time without end. 53:31 Listen to this. 53:33 A permanent life without interruption. 53:36 No death, just eternal bliss in heaven. 53:42 All will be healthy, all will be happy. 53:47 I try to put it in a way that I can understand it. 53:51 If I enter heaven, we'll say, in a 25 year old body, 53:56 a perfect 25 year old body, perfect, designed by God 54:03 to last forever and ever and ever and ever, 54:05 if I enter heaven with this 25 year old body, 54:10 one-hundred million years after I've been in heaven 54:15 it will still be a 25 year old body, 54:18 perfect and without blemish. 54:20 Praise the Lord. 54:22 Perfectly healthy. 54:23 It will never change forever and ever and ever. 54:28 All things in this life are temporary 54:32 and are for a short time. 54:35 Eternity, let's say it again, it is without interruption. 54:40 No timeouts. 54:42 No stopping. 54:46 Praise the Lord. 54:47 Eternity is mentioned in the Bible. 54:50 And here's what it says about eternity in Isaiah 57:15. 54:55 "For thus saith the high and lofty One," 54:58 God we're talking about, 55:01 "the one that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, 55:06 He says, 'I dwell with thee on high in the holy place, 55:11 inhabit eternity, and I will dwell with you 55:14 forever and ever.'" 55:16 This lofty One is quoted as being the eternal One. 55:20 We're talking about God. 55:22 The high and holy place signifies the highest 55:26 place in heaven. 55:29 God dwells there, and we will dwell with Him 55:33 in perfect harmony and health forever and ever and ever. 55:38 Praise God. 55:39 Now, a comforting thought here, that one so great as the 55:47 high and lofty One, God, that He actually 55:50 cares about me. 55:53 He cares about you. 55:56 And He desires that you live with Him forever and ever. 56:02 By faith. 56:04 Pillars of Faith. 56:06 By faith. 56:09 Again, I love 3ABN's message. 56:13 Taking the truth, undiluted; not with the errors of man 56:18 and their thoughts, and philosophies, and science. 56:21 But 3ABN is based upon what the Word of God says. 56:28 So I'm going to say again, they have been grace given, 56:32 they are faith driven. 56:36 They are driven by faith to preach 56:39 the unsearchable truths of God. 56:41 Today we are talking about a promise. 56:44 We are talking about a truth. 56:46 We are talking about eternal life today. 56:51 Jeremiah 31:3, a scripture that I quote 56:54 in many, many, many of my sermons. 56:57 Jesus, and God, and the Holy Spirit are saying here 57:01 in Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved you, I will love you, 57:08 throughout eternity with an everlasting love." 57:14 Folks, we're all sinners. 57:18 But God says in His Word that if we bow down before Him 57:24 and confess Him before men, and then live for Him, 57:31 and trust and rely on Him, and place our faith in Him, 57:38 He promises that a day will come, no matter how sinful 57:43 we were in the past, it's what we do with our life 57:47 after we accept Christ. 57:49 I always put it this way: 57:51 You can't unscramble eggs. 57:53 You can't unscramble the past. 57:55 But today is the day of salvation. 57:59 God is asking and pleading with you today, 58:02 "Come unto Me, I want to save you. 58:07 I want to have a relationship with you. 58:10 I want to give you eternal life, that you and I can spend 58:15 eternity with each other walking hand in hand 58:19 up and down the golden streets of the New Jerusalem." 58:23 Remember again, folks, 58:24 you don't have to earn eternal life. 58:27 It's a gift. You can't buy it. 58:29 It's a gift from the heavenly Father, 58:33 again, who is intensely in love with you. |
Revised 2017-05-08