Heaven (Part 1) - Introduction, You Are Going to Die

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Heaven (Part 1) I. You are going to die. 1. Before we talk about heaven and the afterlife, let's come to grips with the fact that we are all going to die. A. Die v. - 1. a. intr. To lose life, cease to live, suffer death; to expire. B. Death n. - 1. The act or fact of dying; the end of life; the final cessation of the vital functions of an animal or plant. 2. We will all die if Christ doesn't return first. A. There will be some saints that will be alive at the second coming of Christ (1Th 4:15). B. The rest of us will go the way of all the earth (Jos 23:14; 1Ki 2:1-2). C. There is a time to die (Ecc 3:2). D. No man can avoid it no matter how hard he tries (Psa 89:48; Ecc 8:8). 3. It is appointed unto us to die (Heb 9:27). A. Appointed ppl. - 1. Fixed by agreement; settled beforehand. 2. Fixed by authority; ordained. i. We have an appointed time on this earth (Job 7:1). ii. We will most certainly keep that appointment. B. The number of our days are determined and God has appointed bounds that we cannot pass (Job 14:5). i. Determined ppl. - 1. Terminated, ended. (last usage in 1581) 2. Limited, restricted: a. as to extent; b. as to freedom of action or choice; conditioned. 3. Decided, settled, fixed; decided or resolved upon. 4. Appointed, ordained; fixed beforehand. ii. Bound n. - 1. A landmark indicating the limit of an estate or territory. Obs. (last usage in 1300) 2. a. The boundary line of a territory or estate; gen. a limit or boundary, that to which anything extends in space. iii. God has set an outer bound on the length of our lives which cannot be extended (Ecc 8:8). iv. We may end our lives early through suicide or foolish living, but we will never extend it beyond our determined time. C. Death (the grave) is the house appointed for all living (Job 30:23). D. No man knows the time of his death (Ecc 9:12). E. We should therefore live each day as if it might be our last. 4. On average, men live to be 70-80 years old (Psa 90:10). A. We should all number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Psa 90:12 c/w Eph 5:16). B. If you are in your 60s or above, you better be preparing yourself for death. i. You better be making provision for your loved ones you will leave behind (1Ti 5:8). a. Men, do not leave your wives destitute after your death. b. It is selfish and irresponsible to not leave your wife with enough money to take care of her after your death. c. She may outlive you by years or even decades, so you better make sure to leave her with as much money as possible to provide for her needs. ii. Make arrangements for your funeral now. iii. Make sure that you have either paid for your funeral ahead of time or that you at least have money set aside for it. iv. You should set your house in order so that it will be as easy as possible on your loved ones after you're gone. a. Get a will made. b. Get rid of excess things you don't need. c. See sermons on Facing Death: https://pastorwagner.com/death 5. Life is short (Job 14:1; Psa 89:47). A. The end of your life will be here before you know it. B. Our life on this earth is so short it is called a vapour (Jam 4:14). C. Vapour - 1. Without article: Matter in the form of a steamy or imperceptible exhalation; esp. the form into which liquids are naturally converted by the action of a sufficient degree of heat. D. It's wind (Psa 78:39). E. All flesh soon withers like the grass and fades like the flower (Isa 40:6-8). F. It's soon cut off, and we fly away (Psa 90:10).