THREE CENTRAL TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE, Culled From Dipo Toby Alakija Illustrative Sermon Book Titled: “The Two Routes To Eternal Destination.
There is a story about an encounter of some grave diggers with a mentally deterred person, whom normal people considered imbecile. The grave diggers were digging a place where a very rich and influential man in the community would be buried. When the imbecile saw them digging the grave, he asked, “why digging a small grave for a rich man like that? You should have made the grave big enough to accommodate all the houses, cars and other properties he owned. Don’t you think he would need to take them with him where his going?”
The grave diggers looked at him with bewilderment. Though they considered him an imbecile, everybody knew he had make a very valid point which the so-called-wise people need to consider about life.
The followings are the central truths about life:
1. Everybody Would Die One Day: Nothing can change that. No matter how long a person lives, he would still die one day. No matter how many physical lives are saved from killer diseases like Corona virus or HIV/AIDS or other things, they will still die anyway. Nothing can change certainty of death, not even riches, wisdom or technology can change this central truth. The Bible says in Hebrew 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
2. There Are Eternal Life And Death: After departing from this world, everybody would be judged, according to Hebrew 7:27. The judgment would determine the eternal destination of each person either in heaven where, according to Revelation 21:4, there is no death; sorrow; crying; pains or in hell fire. In Revelation 21:8, Jesus said, “But the cowardly, and unbelieving, abominable, murderers sexual immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” The Bible also says in Proverbs 11:4, “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivers from (second) death.” Many people pursue riches at the expense of their eternal lives as if they would take them to the grave. Instead of them to seek the kingdom if God and His righteousness as Matthew 6:33 says, they live their lives heaping riches which other people will inherit when they die.
3. Jesus Is The Only Way To The Kingdom Of God: The Bible says in John 3:16 that God so loves the world that He gave mankind Jesus Christ, saying that whosoever believes in Him should not perish in hell but have everlasting life in heaven. Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.” No one among founders of religions in the history of man ever made this claim. There was a time an agent of the devil who claimed to be equal with Jesus Christ told his followers to kill him, saying that he would rise up on third day as the Lord did. When he was killed, of course, he could not rise up again.
The word of God instructs all Christians how to live their lives in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 which says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Jesus also said in Luke 12:15, “…take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.” So what matters in life is godliness with contentment. I pray that those who are not in Christ Jesus would receive Him in the lives in Jesus’ name. I also pray that everyone who read this message would begin to live in a life of godliness and contentment in Jesus’ name.