I am going to preach on the future next Sunday. I thought about this as I was writing about what I am going to do. Think about it with me. If in the future I am going to speak about the future, has the future arrived? When I get to the sermon on Sunday the subject matter will still be in the future, but I will still be talking about it at that moment. Talking about what is yet to happen some time in the future is kind of a double whammy. So let me ask a question will the future ever get here?
The future is in many ways very predictable. Some things are very easy to see that they are going to happen. Next Sunday will be here, unless the Lord returns, or a bus runs over me, or the world is destroyed by an asteroid. And, I guess we could make up a thousand more reasons why I will not see next Sunday, but, it is likely I wll be in the pulpit at Piney Grove next Sunday talking about what will happen in the future. So you see as easy as it is to see that some things are likely to happen, there are always other possibilities.
Think for a moment about your future. Old age is coming. End of life on this earth is a reality we all must face. That is easy to see, but a little painful. It is the future. Death is a reality. Seeing beyond death is where it starts to get really foggy. Is there something beyond death? Yes, I am sure of it. It is easy for me to see from my journey I have been on for some years how that God has made a way for us to spend eternity with Him. And note, I mean with Him. We tend to call the place where God is heaven. But the use of the term heaven is hard to predict. The Bible says plainly.
2 Corinthians 5:7-8 (NASB)
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
The place is not near as important as who we will be with forever. The Bible speaks of a place we call heaven. The Bible also has passages about a New Heaven and an New Earth. Much of this is apocalyptic in its design and presentation. It is difficult to know exactly where we will be geographically in the future. But i am sure I will be in the presence of God in the future.
I have based my future on the passages found in the Bible. The book of all books. The way of life I have now and plan for the future is based on what the Bible says. I am afraid that some base thier future on what they think the Bible says instead of reading it to know for sure. I am painfully aware that some reject the teaching of the Scripture and think they have a better plan. Mistakes can and are made by people. Can you afford to make a mistake about the future?
John 3:3 (NASB)
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Do you know what this means? Have you experianced this? The future is based on this for all of us. Today the present time is the time to be sure that you have called on Jesus to forgive you and make you a child of God. The future is coming. Who have you chosen to spend it with?
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