Sermon, Part Two: Love is Key to the Final Destination
John 15: 12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Think of someone in particular who needs love. Give all the love you can, and then try to give more. How do we get to the final destination? Love each other, help each other, accept Jesus, and repent.
God doesn’t make it hard or even complicated.
All you need is faith, trust and the willingness to believe. In John 14:6, Jesus saith to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Knowing Peter, Paul or Mary will not get you into heaven. Knowing, accepting Jesus, and repenting will get you into the Kingdom of God.
Well, you may say I have done good by my fellow man; I have put money in church; I have given to those in need. This is all good, but it will not give you the keys to eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
By uniting our lives with Jesus, we are unified with God, the Father. Some people may say that this way is too narrow. The way to God through Jesus is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept Jesus.
God loves us so much.
God loves us so much he sent his Only Begotten Son to give us salvation and deliverance from sin. Christ is the way, the truth and the life.
Do not be like the Pharisees who loved money. They took exception to Jesus’s teaching. Christ teaches that you cannot serve two masters: money and God. The love of anything that you place before God will only last a short time. People think that material things will give them praise, but it will not. They consider their wealth to be a sign of God’s approval. God detests selfish wealth because it causes us to abandon the true spiritual gifts that God has given to us.
Wealth won’t get you into heaven – Jesus is the only way.
Remember the rich man in Luke 16:19, who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury while at the gate laid a beggar named Lazarus. The beggar was covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. The dogs came and licked the poor man’s sores. Remember that he died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.
The rich man died and was sent to hell. We do not know the rich man’s name but the poor man’s name is Lazarus. The rich man begged for mercy, but got none. While he was living, he did not repent. Now, he is dead and he cannot undo what he did while he was alive. He had no faith in God.
What is faith?
Faith is total dependence on God and a willingness to do his will. Faith is not something we put on to show others.
In this parable in Luke Chapter 16, Jesus tells us how people ended up in different places. If your life’s map is taking you to hell and you know it, and if you are here and have heard, then you still have time to make a U-turn and start on the road to God’s Kingdom.
God gives you a choice.
He doesn’t force anything on you. He is a merciful God, full of love and forgiveness. And He gives us grace, mercy, clemency, and his protection freely.
Now you have heard about the road to God’s Kingdom. You have been given the directions: repentance, love, and forgiveness. Live a Christ-like life. That does not mean to live a perfect life because none of us can be perfect.
By studying the Word, we will walk better than we have been doing. With God’s help, we will learn how to be better and do better. Faith in God will direct you to be the person that God made you to be.
Return later this week for Part Three of the sermon, The Final Destination. In Part Three we will focus on the other destination.
Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced: