What assurance do we have today that we’ll be okay when we die?
I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Pastor Tom
October 18, 2009
Romans 5:1–11
Now say a financial advisor came to you and asked “what assurance do you have today that you’re family will be okay when you die?” I suspect the amount of importance you place on that question depends on your assessment of how close you are to death.
The closer we get statistically to death, the more weight you might place on this issue.
The same can be true spiritually. Imagine I’m your spiritual advisor coming to visit you this morning. I also have a question that is similar yet has one important difference. See if you can pick out the difference. “What assurance do you have today that you’ll be okay when you die?” Did you catch the difference? I’m not asking if you’re family will be okay. I’m asking if you’ll be okay.
The Good News this morning is God provides great assurances that true Christians will be okay when we die. But now I face the same dilemma any financial advisor faces in trying to get people to take this question seriously. The value you place on this assurance may directly depend on how close or far you believe you are from death. That value dictates whether or not you will listen over the next minutes.
Is Goodness Enough to Guarantee Heaven?
I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Pastor Tom
October 4, 2009
Romans 4:1–25
But how does God decide who gets into heaven and who doesn’t? Do the good works of people factor into His decision.
Today, we get to consider this by looking at one of the most famous characters in the Bible. He was both hero and forefather to the Jewish people. Eleven chapters of the Old Testament book Genesis detail his life and relationship with God. The Bible tells us he was justified – that means he had right standing with God. He would make it into heaven. But on what basis did God make that decision?
Who does God justify? To answer that question, we are first going to take a brief look at this person’s life. Then we’re going to look at what Paul the author of Romans says about this person’s life and justification. There we will find 2 very surprising answers to the question, who does God justify? Finally, we will think about