How Will It End?
Have you ever watched a movie and thought it was good except for the end?
Ever read fairy tale books? How do they always end? “Happily Ever After”
If your life was a movie or a book how would it end?
You’d want it to end happy right?
Today we are going to talk about how to guarantee a happy ending to your life story
Is “Happily Ever After” Possible?
Theres a concept in the Bible that is talked about in both OT and NT that guarantees a happy ending-HEAVEN
Heaven-Place for Gods people to live happily ever after.
Not everyone will go to Heaven. Some will not live happily ever after
Revelation 21:3,4
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
There are only 2 possible endings for anybodys life story-Happily Ever After or Not.
God has a promise and a guarantee of how you can have a happy ending.
If you know God by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you will go to Heaven.
Ecclesiastics 3:11(CEV)
11 God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future.
11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (NLT)
God has implanted a desire for Heaven in each human being. A desire for a better life, a better tomorrow, and a better future. Some people are unable to understand and recognize where these feelings come from.
Too many people try to fulfill this desire by looking in the wrong place and at the wrong things.
Ecclesiasties 3:12
12 So I concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they can.
This does not mean that we make ourselves happy with things of the world instead of the things of God
Mark 10:17-23
MK 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" MK 10:18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’MK 10:20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."MK 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." MK 10:22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.MK 10:23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
Look at people in Hollywood(Success, Fame, Fortune, yet great Misery, addiction, divorce after divorce). The rich man in these verses probably had all great things as well.
In order to guarantee a happy ending there are 3 things you must do.
1 Solve The Right Problem
Lifes Problems(Marriage, Job, Addiction, Family)
Important problems to fix and solve but not the right problems.
4 things that cause most problems in the world
sorrow, sickness, suffering, and death.
All these thing entered the world by the sin of Adam and Eve.
These things are all absent from Heaven because sin and sinners are absent from Heaven.
All 4 things are symptoms. The cause of these symptoms is sin.
If you can remove the cause you wont have any symptoms. Even death!
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 8:24
24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."
Either you believe Jesus is who he said he was or you don’t. No sermon or book or movie will change your mind unless your heart and your soul listen to what it hears. Your heart and soul have to overcome your intellect and your ego.
ILLUS-Accepting Jesus/Birthday Gift
Jesus died for our sins so we wouldn’t have to die in our sins.
Now we have identified what the right problem is-SIN. How do we fix the sin problem?
Some people try to fix it the wrong way. The wrong way
not by works
not by baptism
not by reading the Bible
not by going to church
not by big money donations
not by meaningless, insincere prayers.
In math you solve a problem by finding the correct answer. How do we solve and fix the sin problem?
2 Know Jesus
Heaven is Gods home. He decides who gets to come in. Just like you and your home. You typically don’t let people into your home that you don’t know. Some people can force their way into your home(Burglar). You cant force your way into Gods home if he doesn’t want you there.
John 14:6
JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you don’t know Jesus, you cant go to Heaven. No Heaven means no Happily Ever After for your story ending.
The right person solves the right problem.
If you take away the things mentioned in Revelation 21:4
tear from their eyes, death or mourning or crying or pain,
the only thing you can be left with is happiness.
You will never truly live Happily Ever After in this lifetime on Earth-Why?
You were not made for it. Look at Ecclesiasties 3:11 again
11 God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future.
ILLUS-Fish Outta Water On The Beach
You were made and created to live in Heaven for the ending of your story. Thats the only place you will live Happily Ever After!
