Our Destiny: The Eternal God Family

[Welch] That tied in well with the sermonette. Thy will be done.

Well, brethren, many people today have various beliefs regarding one's ultimate destiny. What happens after death? Some believe that they will go to heaven and they'll bask in the light of the beatific vision for all eternity. You've probably heard that term. I've heard it. I didn't really know exactly what it was.

So I googled it, of course. And it says the beatific vision refers to the ultimate state of happiness that believers will experience when they see God face to face in heaven. Some just seem to have the belief that they will simply float on the clouds in eternal bliss for all eternity. Some believe they will be continually reincarnated as various life forms throughout eternity. Some believe that there is no life after death at all. They think this is it, you know, the physical existence and then you die, and that's it.

And there are many other beliefs about man's destiny, no doubt. But what do you believe is your eternal destiny? Do you believe that you will live forever for eternity? Do you firmly believe that you will live forever? Now, Mr. Elliott asked a similar question during the Winter Family Weekend last Sabbath. We're going to take it in a little different direction today. What does the Bible have to say about your eternal destiny?

Well, the Bible reveals that mankind's ultimate purpose in life is to become a member of the God family for all eternity. The Bible reveals that mankind's destiny and purpose is to actually become spirit, to be changed to spirit, to be rid of this flesh and become spirit—not as the angels are spirit, but as God Himself is spirit—born into God's eternal spiritual family. This is our destiny.

Of course, God has eternally existed as a spirit being, and we are created beings with a finite beginning at our human birth. So we'll never be like God in that sense, of course. God is truly eternal in every sense of the word, and God shall always reign supreme.

Now, this sermon is entitled Our Destiny, the Eternal God Family, if you like titles. It is our destiny. It's my destiny, your destiny, our destiny. So it's obviously a very important topic. We're going to talk about the future. This topic strikes close to each and every one of us because it's all about our future, what we'll be doing for all eternity. So let's consult our instruction manual and begin in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

I believe that we all believe that, or we would not likely be here today. We didn't believe that God was involved and that the Bible was true. And God has created the heavens and the earth. Now dropping down to verse 21. Here it says:

"So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:21).

"And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day" (Genesis 1:22–23).

"Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so" (Genesis 1:24).

"And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:25).

Then God said:

"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" (Genesis 1:26).

Now this is different. Now He's saying we're going to do something completely different here, and we're going to make mankind in the image of God.

Let Us make man in Our image. Notice Us and Our is capitalized for good reason, because it's talking about actually two beings that were there, two God beings from the very beginning for all eternity.

"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle" (Genesis 1:26).

So man is completely different from the animals. We are not animals. We are human beings made in the very image of God. Verse 27:

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27).

So God did this, of course, so we could reproduce and have more human beings, more people in the family.

"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). And he gave them dominion over all He created.

So the Bible goes on in chapter 2 to talk about how God sanctified the Sabbath day and rested on it. The Scriptures reveal to us God's plan. The Scripture reveals to us God's will. Just as God had created the plants and the animals after their own kind, He created man after His kind, after God's kind. So that's unique in the way it's written in Genesis 1. He actually created us after the God kind.

So why is the phrase after its kind never applied to man, even though it is consistently applied to all other life forms? Well, the answer is fundamental. It's because the primary purpose of human life is not to physically reproduce after humankind. Now, we do reproduce after the humankind, right? Yes, we do. But the primary purpose, the ultimate purpose, is that we are to be spiritually reproduced after the God kind. So that is profound.

Not many people really understand that or believe that and comprehend what that means. And that's the very, very important truth that we all need to realize, to understand and accept, that we are destined to be a part of the God family. We are made in His image, made in the very likeness of God.

In the same manner that a newborn physical puppy, or a kitten, is designed to grow up and be like his physical family—like his mom and dad, like his parents, like his brothers and sisters—every human being was designed to eventually grow up and be like his spiritual family. Yes, he will be like his physical family as well. There will be characteristics of mom and dad that you can clearly see. Brothers and sisters have many of the same characteristics. But ultimately it's the spiritual family that God is most interested in.

And we have—God is our Father. That's the relationship that the Bible talks about. It is a family relationship. We have spiritual brothers and sisters. We are all spiritual brothers and sisters in this room today. And all of us are to become like God and like Jesus Christ. There is an awesome difference between the various animal kinds and mankind, and the big reason is that man's purpose is to become like God. We really are a lot different, aren't we? We're not animals. We're made in the very image and similitude of God Himself. We are to become like He is.

Brethren, we are now in the process of changing from physical beings to spirit beings. And that's an amazing truth that every day we should think about, because it will guide our steps. You will live differently if you can keep that uppermost in your mind, that you are in the process of being changed from this flesh that's growing older by the minute as we speak. We're getting older. We're moving toward death, actually, physically. But we're also moving toward being changed to spirit. And that should make a huge difference in how you live your lives. When we go around day to day, we have the capacity to worship God. You have the capacity to worship God. To seek God. We pray to God, as was mentioned in the sermonette.

Now, we don't really see animals praying, except I did have a neighbor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who insisted that she had seen our dog, our collie dog, praying on a number of occasions. Now, I think she was getting a bit senile. She insisted that our dog was praying, but I knew otherwise. We don't see animals praying. We don't see them fasting, do we? If you put some food in front of them or some water, they're going to eat it. They're going to drink it. They don't fast, intentionally, and certainly no form of worship in their fasting.

We don't see them reading the Bible. I have never seen my dog or cat pick up my Bible and start reading it. We don't see them developing a relationship with God. You know, it just doesn't happen. They're cute. They're cuddly. We love them, but they're just not. It's just not the same relationship. They're not developing a relationship with God. But you can, and you should be. A close relationship. We should be developing a very close, personal relationship with God and with Jesus Christ. Now is our time to do this right now.

You know, we have relative peace, don't we, here in the United States of America, here in Ohio. We have a lot of peace we have had for years now. Now is a good time for us to apply ourselves and to redeem the time. Time is going to get more difficult in the days ahead. How soon? We don't know. How soon will it get really bad? We don't know. We know before Christ returns there will be some hard times on the earth. So we should use our time wisely to prepare, to be ready.

It's already very difficult in many ways because we experience many different types of trials. I know quite a few of you have had some severe health trials. You have had family trials. You have had financial trials. You've had a number of trials. So I don't mean to make light of that. But it's going to get worse. Eventually it will get worse.

But it's encouraging to know that as we draw closer to the return of Christ, we are also going through a metamorphosis as God's people. Now, I have given sermons, and others have as well, about how we are in a sense—and take no offense—but we're kind of like an ugly pupa. You've seen these pupas are kind of ugly caterpillar-type critters. Well, we're kind of like that. This corruptible flesh is like an ugly pupa that's being changed into a beautiful butterfly. So the outcome is good in the end, but not so hot in the meantime.

Now, we need to have that vision in our minds and in our hearts each day, that we are in the process of being changed into a member of the God family in the fullest sense. In Leviticus 11—and you may remember that as one of the clean and unclean food chapters—here it says something that is profound in many, many ways, and it isn't primarily about food. Leviticus 11, verse 44, God says—and this is after He's given instructions on what we should eat and what we should not eat—He says:

“For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves” (Leviticus 11:44).

He's talking to the children of Israel, a chosen called out people. We too are a chosen called out people.

“Consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.” We should be holy because our Father is holy. “Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44–45).

So God wants us to become like Him, and He is holy. Now, some people think it doesn't matter at all what we eat, but if God says it matters, then it matters. And we're to learn a lesson more important than food. Every time we turn down something that's unclean, an unclean food, we don't eat it, we should think of this scripture. We should consider the spiritual implications of this scripture.

“For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves.” Sanctify yourselves. Set you apart. Be different. “And you shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).

Sanctify yourselves. Set you apart. Be different. God wants us to become like Him, and it is our destiny to become like God. We are to become holy as God is holy. Now, that's a tall order, isn't it? Yes, it is, and we'll talk more about that as we go along. Now, in Matthew 5, verse 48, Jesus instructed:

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount talks about learning to love our enemies. He talks about praying for our enemies. He talks about becoming loving like God is loving. And of course, we know that God gave His only Son to die for the sins of all of mankind. Jesus says:

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

So perfect that He allowed His Son—He gave His Son—to die for each and every one of us, and His Son laid down His life for us. That is perfection, being willing to lay one's life down for another. Having that kind of love. We are to become like Him. Our goal is to be perfect. So obviously, we need to move in that direction. We need to change and overcome and grow in this life. While we're in the flesh, we need to make changes in our life. We do need to be overcomers. The Scripture is clear about that.

Many times the Bible, especially in the book of Revelation, says, “To he who overcomes will I grant to sit with me, to eat from the tree of life. I'll give you power over nations. Many, many promises for those who overcome.” Now, in Ephesians 4, Paul talks about our destiny. He talks about our calling. He talks about what God wants from each and every one of us, how we need to look at our lives, how we need to draw close together as God's people, and that we need to have a clear vision of what God is doing in our lives. So let's go over to Ephesians 4. And let's start reading in verse 11. Ephesians 4, verse 11. Paul says:

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).

And why?

“For the equipping of the saints” (Ephesians 4:12).

And the saints are those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them. So if you have God's Spirit dwelling in you, you are a saint. Whatever your name is. Saint Patsy. Saint whatever. Saint Ray. You are a saint, because that's the definition of the Bible—someone who has the Spirit of God dwelling in them.

“For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man” (Ephesians 4:13). Again, our goal is to become perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect. “To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 

Again, a tall order, but that is our calling. And we should be moving in that direction. In verse 15 it talks about speaking the truth in love, growing up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

“from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share” (Ephesians 4:16).

So we know that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to do our share, to pull together, to edify one another in love. That's what the Scriptures talk about. In Ephesians 5—and we're not going to read anything here—but it does talk about a Church that is to become without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. So we've got a ways to go, don't we? I don't think we're there yet. We're working in that direction. We want to be more like that. Certainly we fall short at this time, but again, that should be our goal—to become a Church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. That should be our vision. The Scripture talks about how we are to put off the old man and how we are to walk in newness of life, each and every one of us. So Paul is reflecting back on baptism. When we're drowned in a watery grave, we bury the old man and we come out resurrected, in a sense, walking in newness of life, learning to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. So that is our calling. That's a part of it. When we counsel someone for baptism, we talk about that. We're burying the old man and we're to walk in newness of life. Now, in Philippians 2, just over a few pages in your Bible, Philippians 2, verse 5.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation" (Philippians 2:5–7).

Now, we know that in the beginning there was God the Father and the one who became known as the Christ, the Word, the Logos, the spokesman. Very similar in being Spirit beings, right? But He made Himself of no reputation. It was according to the plan that was planned before the foundations of the world, that it would be handled this way. He made Himself of no reputation. In fact, He became a baby. A baby doesn't have much of a reputation, does it? It just came out of the womb. It doesn't have a lot of reputation.

"Taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself" (Philippians 2:7–8).

He became a man, but he started out as a little baby, and his mother took care of him. Mother Mary, Joseph, his father, they had to watch over him, take care of him, nurture him. But he grew to be a man, and he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Nevertheless, not my will, but Your will be done, because from a human standpoint, no one would look forward to being crucified. It was a gruesome death. But Jesus submitted Himself to His Father and died for us according to God's will and according really to Jesus' will as well. He wanted to die for us, and He gave up His life freely for us.

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth" (Philippians 2:9–10),

because those under the earth will be resurrected, they'll come out of their graves, and those who come to physical life will have to bow before Christ. They will bow before Him. All of us will bow before Christ, submitting to Christ in our lives,

"and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:11).

So we do accept Christ as our Savior. We do know and understand that He gave His life for us and that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son for us. And that's exciting to know that. And it says,

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).

Now I find that my mind is not there yet. You know, I don't always think like I believe Christ thought. You know, Christ had better control of His thoughts than I do. I wrestle with my thoughts sometimes. I'm sure you wrestle with your thoughts at times. But the goal is to bring every thought into captivity unto the obedience of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

So we find in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, if we'll go there for a moment, we see this theme in the Bible that God is changing us to Spirit, that we have this corruptible flesh now, but we shall be changed into something incorruptible, the very Spirit of God, born into the family of God. So in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 2.

"You are our epistle written in our hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:2). This is Paul talking about the church at Corinth. "Known and read by all men. Clearly you are an epistle of Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:3).

So he's talking about the brethren. And in a sense, we are writing our own epistle here in Cincinnati. You know, as the congregation here. “You are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God. Not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” 

Now, you're here today because you want to be here. Your heart led you here. You want to be a part of God's family. You do want to live forever in God's family, a part of God's Kingdom.

"And we have such trust through Christ toward God" (2 Corinthians 3:4).

You know, we do believe in Christ. You know, we've given our entire lives over, in a sense. At least we're trying to do that. And we're dedicating every seventh of our life, the Sabbath, every one-seventh of our life in a special way. Not that we don't dedicate ourselves every single day to God, but a seventh of our life is a lot of time.

I think in the sermon I said I've lived, what, how many seven years of Sabbath? You know, seven whole years I've observed the Sabbath, you know, because I've been keeping it for that long. That's a long time. That is a commitment. And I'm sure, you know, God is pleased that we're willing to commit in the way that we do, that we give of ourselves to honor God, to honor Christ, to be here together as God's people. Verse 4:

"And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:4-5).

We know we owe everything to God. We know that. We understand that. We owe our very lives because God gave us life. He gave us that breath of life.

"Who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant" (2 Corinthians 3:6).

We're all ministers, in a sense, of the new covenant. You're under the new covenant. And God is writing His laws in your hearts and in your minds. So the law was written on stone back at Sinai, but God wants us to transfer that written law into our hearts. He wants us to continue to live by these commandments of God, but not just in the letter. He wants us to go beyond, as Christ clearly showed us, to live these laws in the Spirit.

Christ said if you harbor hatred or resentment toward someone, you murdered them in your heart. Now, that makes God's law more binding and more challenging, you might say, more powerful.

So “He's made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

Again, we're talking about our destiny and that we will actually be changed to Spirit.

"But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?" (2 Corinthians 3:7–8).

Okay, you know, we live in these fleshly houses, and in a sense, these physical houses are pretty awesome in that they get us wherever we go, don't they? And many of us for a lot of years. And we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and we are created in the image of God.

Now, God has given us this physical flesh, but also He has granted us His Spirit. And so, the flesh, in a sense, is glorious in a way. And again, it's the pinnacle of God's creation—human kind, mankind.

But how much more glorious Spirit that will live forever?

Verse 9, “for if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:9). So remember that. We're going to talk about righteousness some more.

The ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory, “for even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels” (2 Corinthians 3:10). “For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious” (2 Corinthians 3:11).

“Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away” (2 Corinthians 3:12–13).

“But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament” (2 Corinthians 3:14).

So, Satan has blinded the vast majority of people. They don't have this concept that we're talking about today of our eternal future. They don't understand the destiny to the degree and to the extent that we're talking about it today. Their minds were blinded, “because the veil is taken away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14).

When someone really accepts Christ, the true Christ, as their Savior, the veil is taken away. We can see clearly. God has opened our minds to His truth and His way of life.

“But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart” (2 Corinthians 3:15).

So some people just aren't going to get it. It's no fault of their own that they don't get it. They don't understand it. So we should respect all people and realize that, you know, if not for the grace of God, then we would be in the same boat. You know, we would be thinking the same thoughts, doing the same things, in likelihood, at least to some degree.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I believe this is the word metamorphosis or metamorphoo that is talking about being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. So it is a process, and we are being changed. We are being transformed, as I said, from an ugly pupa to a very beautiful spiritual butterfly that will live forever.

So God's plan is revealed to those who have their minds opened to truth and understanding. Your destiny is revealed in the pages of the Bible, but unless God opens your mind to it, you won't see it. It will remain hidden. It will be the mystery of the ages. So now let's go to Philippians chapter 3, where we're going to talk about being citizens of the Kingdom of God, or that our citizenship is in heaven. Even today, our citizenship should be in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God, you might say. Philippians chapter 3, verse 20.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior” (Philippians 3:20). He is talking to God's people, the brethren. “We also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform.” That word again. “Transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue” (Philippians 3:21).

That word again, transform our lowly body—this physical flesh—that it may be conformed to His glorious body. So we are to become like Christ. We will be glorified at Christ's return. Those who are alive will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. We shall be changed to Spirit. Those who have died in Christ will actually rise first. They will be changed to Spirit, to that glorious body that Jesus Christ has now as He sits at the right hand of the Father.

Now Paul says that he has not already attained or am already perfected. “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected” (Philippians 3:12). That's what Paul says. He knows that he's not yet perfect.

In fact, it was Paul who said, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). This physical body, this wretched body, this body of death. “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25).

So it is through our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we shall be saved. It is a free gift. It is a gift of grace, of graciousness that God gives us because, frankly, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and that is what we all deserve.

So we're not earning our salvation. We can't possibly earn our salvation because we've all lost it already. We've all sinned, and we've fallen short, and the wages of sin is death.

“But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

So we are clearly saved by grace, and we should be forever grateful that we have a Savior. We have the Messiah who died for us, the Christ, the Anointed One. So Paul is saying that we will be shed of this flesh, this lowly body, and we will be conformed to His—Christ's—glorious body, literally born into the family of God, born of the Spirit, at Christ's return.

So that is the vision that we need to have each and every day of our lives and never lose sight of it, and never get too discouraged or too depressed that we don't remember these things. Because it will help us come out of depression. It will help us come out of discouragement if we can just dwell on these things, if we can learn to bring those thoughts into captivity and fill our minds with that which is lovely, that's good, that has virtue.

Philippians 4:8, “Think on these things.” That's what God wants us to do. Fill our minds with those things. So, we know that God is in charge. We know that God knows what's happening down here on the earth. We know He's on His throne. We know that Christ is the head of the Church. And anyone who has the Spirit of God is a part of God's Church. No matter what organization they may be a part of, God is the judge. Christ is the judge. He knows His own. They have the Spirit of God dwelling in them. So, we need to treat one another with respect. No matter who the person is, whether a part of the Church of God now or not, God may be calling them next week or the week after or a month from now or a year from now. We just don't know. And even if He isn't, the example that we set for them is important. And they may remember us.

So, God is not a respecter of persons, nor should we be. God loves all people. We need to be sure that we love all people. So, our citizenship is in heaven, and we need to look beyond the fleshly and beyond this earthly to the spiritual.

In Revelation 2:7, it speaks of how we are to be overcomers in this life. You know, Revelation says a lot about overcoming, doesn't it? Well, I mentioned that, I think, already. With God's help, we will be overcomers. But, you know, overcoming is primarily staying faithful. That's really what it gets down to.

Those who stay faithful, they're the overcomers. They've overcome Satan. They've overcome this world. They've overcome every obstacle because they're faithful. They want to be in God's Kingdom. They desire to be in God's Kingdom. They have pure hearts, or at least good hearts. Maybe not as pure as they need to be, not as pure as they will be. But God does look on the heart, and He wants to see people who really want to be in His Kingdom, and who really want to obey and follow Him, and spread that love everywhere.

That's what God wants. He wants an eternal family of people who are love. God is love, and that's what we need to learn to be also.

So, overcoming is important. But again, much of overcoming is just being faithful and staying with it.

It reminds me of Winston Churchill and the attitude that he had. He was going to persevere no matter what. He said, we'll fight these Nazis on the shore. We'll fight them out in the water. We'll fight them anywhere they are in our homes. We'll fight them in other countries and other lands, wherever we need to go. We'll never, never, never give up.

And that's a human spirit that Winston Churchill exemplified. You know, London was being bombed to smithereens, and the people would come out every day and kick the rubble around, and they'd come back and bomb it again, kick the rubble around, and they persevered. They went on. That's being steadfast. That's hanging in there.

With God's Spirit, we have so much more power and strength on our side. So we should believe that we will be in God's Kingdom. If we place our faith in our Savior, in the Messiah, there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to raise our hand and say, yes, I believe I will.

Just as Paul was able to. Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). He says, laid up for me. And he believed that. And we should believe that. We should know that because we have a great Savior. We may not be so great, but we have a great Savior, and He's big enough to save all of us. In Revelation 21, it does talk about overcoming.

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son” (Revelation 21:7).

He who overcomes shall inherit all things. It's talking about, again, overcoming human nature, overcoming sin, overcoming Satan, overcoming the self. But most importantly, it's talking about never giving up and always staying faithful and repenting of sin, and admitting when you sinned and hanging in there. Because God really does have our backs.

God, it says God desires that we be in His Kingdom. He's not willing that any should perish.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

It is His good pleasure to give us His Kingdom.

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

We should claim those promises and know that God wants to give us the Kingdom and will give us His Kingdom. Now, we know that God owns everything, and we will inherit all things, it says, as we become a part of His family.

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son” (Revelation 21:7).

That's a family relationship. Sounds a lot like a family relationship to me. A God-family relationship. So God will become, in the fullest sense, our Father for all eternity, our great Father. We will be His sons, His daughters spiritually. On the other hand, it says that there will be some who will be cast into the lake of fire. Some will taste of the second death if they are not repentant.

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8).

He's talking about people who practice these things and want to be that way. You know, they really, in their twisted minds, they want to be that way. They don't really want to change or they would change. They would humble themselves before God and yield before God and God would work with them and change them because they have a Savior too, just as much as you and I do.

So hopefully there won't be many that will take that direction or take that course, but hopefully very few. Again, God is not willing that any should perish, but God doesn't force people. We're free moral agents. God's very good at allowing us to live our lives. He's not a micromanager. He's not a control freak. Now, in the book of Job, Job asked the interesting question,

“If a man dies, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).

Remember that? We read that oftentimes at funerals. Job, the patriarch Job:

“If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes” (Job 14:14).

He had a certain understanding of being changed, of being resurrected from physical to spirit.

“All the days of my hard service I will wait till my change comes.” 

He expected a change from physical to spirit. He expected to be resurrected at the return of the Messiah. You know, it doesn't say a lot about what he understood or believed, but he must have had some concept of this. I'm in Job chapter 14 now.

“You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands” (Job 14:15). “For now You number my steps,” God knows everything there is to know about you. “But do not watch over my sin. My transgression is sealed up in a bag.” Again, God doesn't make us do anything. We are free moral agents. My transgression is sealed up in a bag. My sins are forgiven. That's what Job believed. “And You cover my iniquity” (Job 14:16–17).

So, Job believed in grace. Job believed that he had a Messiah. Job wasn't perfect, but he was the most righteous man alive at the time. That's why he's talked about in the Bible in the first place, because, you know, Satan comes around and God says, look at My servant Job. And he was the most righteous man there was on earth, but he wasn't perfect. He knew he was a sinner, and he knew that he could be forgiven his sins, and that his destiny would be to be changed to spirit. In Psalm 17, verse 15, again, we're in the Old Testament, but King David has something to say about his destiny.

"As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness" (Psalm 17:15).

He knew he was going to awake in God's likeness, and that he would be righteous because he wasn't yet righteous, not fully righteous. I mean, he was a sinner. He was not perfect by any means.

But he says, I will see Your face. He knew that when he was resurrected, he would see God's face who is righteous. And he would also be righteous, because he would be now spirit, born into the God family.

It's not David talking about a resurrection to physical life. He will awake in righteousness because no longer will he be subject to sin.

He was a sinner. He repented of his sins. He was cleansed. He looked forward to the resurrection when he would awake in righteousness.

Again, Paul said, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8). We're not going to sin after we're changed to spirit. We shall be righteous. I'm looking forward to that time.

You know, it's the flesh that weighs me down now. It's the carnal mind. It's what Paul talked about. You know, the things that I don't want to do, I find myself doing, and the things I should do, I don't do. And, you know, that does weigh us down. But we are made in the likeness and the similitude of God. And our future is to be like God, to become holy even as He is holy.

Okay, let's go to 2 Peter. 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 4. Well, we're breaking into a long sentence by Peter. So let's go back to verse 2.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2–3),

“by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

Now that's profound. We shall be partakers of the divine nature.

“Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5–7).

“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).

He says in verse 10:

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10).

“For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).

So whether we call it the Kingdom of God, the hope of glory, being changed to spirit, it's all the same destiny. We shall be born into the family of God, into the Kingdom of God. We shall live forever and rule and reign with Christ here on the earth for a thousand years prior to the new heavens and the new earth, which we don't really understand what that's going to be like, but we know it's going to be good. It's going to be very good.

We see through a glass darkly, but we have a wonderful future ahead of us. God wants to give us His Kingdom. As you see, I'm skipping through a few pages of notes here. I've got, uh, there are many other verses that we could talk about. It's a big topic, but let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. This is the resurrection, the resurrection chapter, so we should certainly go there. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Verse 49. 

You know, I believe that the reason Paul understood this is he had a teacher. Jesus Christ taught him. Now, we don't hear, we don't understand fully what that was about, but he had some concentrated time with Jesus Christ. Paul did. So there are things that we read in Paul's writings that we don't read anywhere else. And I think it's because Christ was his teacher in a way that others were not taught. But thankfully, we have these words preserved for us. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 49. Well, it talks about Christ being the second Adam here, the second man, the Lord from heaven. 

“And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:49).

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50).

Flesh and blood—it's not going into the Kingdom of God, not in the fullest sense. Now, there will be some flesh and blood during the millennium, but it's talking about the fullness of the Kingdom. Flesh and blood will not live forever. A thousand years, that's not forever.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51),

“in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53).

We shall become immortal beings.

“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54).

“‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

There is no victory, not in the grave, not in death.

“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56).

Yes, the law is still in effect.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Therefore, my beloved brethren, this is the conclusion of it all:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Always knowing that your labor is not in vain. You coming here today is not in vain. You're here to worship God. You came here, you gave up some of your time, all of your 24 hours in a sense, not doing your own thing, not doing your own pleasure, not watching football games, but yielding to God and worshiping Him and showing honor and respect to Him.

So your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Driving an hour to get here—that was not in vain. That's an important part of it. If you chose to live an hour away, then you get to drive an hour to be here. There are many other scriptures that could be given. I will mention Malachi 3, verse 17, where it says:

“They shall be Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:17).

God wants you as His own. “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts. “On the day that I make them My jewels.” God considers you a jewel. You are precious in His sight. You're a very precious jewel in God's sight.

"'On the day that I make them my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him, his own son whom he loves. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him"  (Malachi 3:18).

You know, Matthew 25 talks about serving. “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). And He says,

“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

Come and enter in, because you have shown that you have a heart to follow, to obey, to serve God, to be in His Kingdom. That's what God's looking for.

We just need to stay faithful. And we have a great Savior. And God is there for us, and He will see us in His Kingdom. So, brethren, there are many, many ideas regarding life after death, many ideas about man's destiny and man's future. But what is the truth? We've spoken the truth today from God's Word. This is the truth. God's Word is true.

And today we've gone through many scriptures that reveal that God is offering to us eternal life as a member of His family, a member of the God family. So all the trials, all the struggles that you go through are worth what God has in store for you. The great gift that He's going to give you, the gift of eternal life.

So, yes, we have to continue to fight the good fight. We've been called. We've been chosen because we responded to the call. So God chose us, gave us His Spirit. Now we must remain faithful. Called, chosen, and faithful. God wants us in His family for all eternity. And it is by God's graciousness, by His grace, that we are in the process of being saved right now.

So let's go about doing our Father's business, knowing that we may be part of His spiritual family for all eternity, part of His family, living forever. It doesn't get any better than that.