Death Is Inevitable

Excerpts from Pathway to Victory Radio Broadcast

June 2022

Pastor Robert Jeffress

Death is inevitable and irreversible.  But we do not have to fear death.

God’s word provides guidance for living our lives.  It makes sense, then, that we would also seek to listen and hear His guidance on death.

GOD’S GUIDANCE ON DEATH:

1/ Death is not a remote possibility – It is an inevitability.  This is a truth no one can ignore.  We also know that we cannot enter Heaven through any other means than by faith in Jesus Christ and living our life trusting Him—and Him alone—for our salvation (John 14:6).

2/ Invest your time, talents, and dollars in God’s Kingdom.  Choose to live the way God meant for everyone to live—by bringing hope and peace to others through the message of the gospel.

3/ Act quickly – Time is valuable and decisions need to be made.  Hebrews 3:17 has warnings to Christians about sin and Hebrews 3:7 tells us to act quickly in turning sin around.  So begin doing God’s work today to avoid regrets later about sin and slowness to repent. Then follow through with a change of heart that says “I need to do this today.”

4/ The preparations we make in this life follow us into eternity.  Start focusing on the eternal and move away from the temporal.  Prepare yourself for eternity by doing God’s work.  Plant seeds.  Water seeds planted by others.  Walk with people who have questions and help them understand what to do.  Learn how to present God’s truth in a way that engages rather than ways that can tend to offend.  Your life and how you live it will give glory to God while demonstrating to others that the knowledge of God’s truth is the answer to living well now and with eternity in mind.

GOD’S GUIDANCE ON LIFE—PREPARE!

1/ He gives us work to do in this life.  Our work involves moving people away from the culture (which is full of evil) and into God’s loving arms.

2/ Our main work is to do God’s work – Matthew 28:16-20 talks about going out and making disciples out of the nations (people).  This is a reference to sharing your faith with others so that they can live the life the Bible tells us to live.   God’s command to make disciples is called “The Great Commission.”

3/ The natural result of our relationship with God is wanting to do God’s work.  As Christians we know that God saved us through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  In 1 Corinthians 6:20 we find that the end result of His death is that we were all bought with a price.  When we consider the eternal inheritance waiting for us in Heaven, we share our faith so that others will share in that inheritance too.

4/ What we do with “The Great Commission” will affect the size of our inheritance.  Our goal should be to reach as many people as possible because God doesn’t want to lose anyone.  If we plant the seeds of God’s truth everywhere and/or water the seeds planted by others, we can increase the numbers of people who can rest assured in their salvation.  God rewards us for our obedience.  And every time we share God’s truth, it loosens Satan’s grip on the world bit by bit.  Think of it this way:  we were bought with a price, so we look at what Jesus did for us as an obligation to share our faith.

5/ Our work should begin today.  This holds a sense of urgency, because we do not know when our own lives will end.  We must begin today because it will be too late when we die.

WE CAN ALL BE AT PEACE WITH THE INEVITABILITY OF DEATH:

It can produce fear to think about death and dying.  That is because many people have no idea what is waiting for them on the other side.  Many believe they don’t have the information they need to make choices.  The Bible tells us what we need to know about death and what we need to be doing.

In the end, we all want to be okay.  We all want to stand before God and Jesus when we die and hear the words “well done my good and faithful servant.”  (Matthew 25:23)

IF YOU ARE NOT YET A CHRISTIAN:

Some people are hesitant to believe in things unseen.  Jesus asks us to trust in Him and to be holy in our behavior.  Don’t worry about not being forgiven of anything you have done.  Just ask God (from your heart) to forgive you and He will have mercy on you.  Isaiah 1:18 tells us that sin can be forgiven.  Romans 10:13 says “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ”

IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN:

Some people wander from the faith.  What doesn’t matter is your first response to God—what really matters is your FINAL response.  It’s never too late to turn around and come back.  Don’t let any sin paralyze you.  God is loving and forgiving of sin.  Trust in His mercy.

JESUS WANTS TO SPEND ETERNITY WITH YOU IN HEAVEN:

You must be a follower of Jesus to go to Heaven (John 14:6).  Jesus was the Messiah and is the Savior of the world.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be secure in knowing that your faith and trust in Him will ensure you spend eternity in Heaven when you die?   Follow God’s guidance and be obedient to His word.  He loves you and does not want to lose you to self-righteousness or Satan’s temptations.  He knows what is in your heart.  His word is the ultimate authority in this world and in your life.  Believe it and trust in it. 

In his book “Invincible”, Dr. Robert Jeffress helps us identify and defeat the mountains that threaten to keep us from experiencing a blessed life.  Offering biblical insight and practical tools, Dr. Jeffress shows us how we are invincible with God and how putting our faith in God’s power can enable us to move the mountains in our lives. For more information, visit ptv.org.