june2002

WHEN GOD ISSUES A SUMMONS


	You are stopped by a traffic officer. He ignores your excuse and gives you a ticket. You can tear up the citation and toss it in the trash, but if you do, the court will issue a bench warrant and sooner or later it'll catch up with you. God also issues citations and He has one ready for you. This one you can't tear up and ignore, for it is an actual summons to appear before God's court.

		God's summons is—DEATH!


	One invitation no one can refuse.

That's one invitation no one can refuse. Here's the scary thing: when death strikes your body you will appear at heaven's door—JUST AS YOU ARE! There'll be no opportunity for last minute changes. You go exactly as death finds you. You won't be able to do one more job for Jesus or make any last minute changes in your person. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Heb. 9:27)

DEATH BRINGS JUDGMENT

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Cor. 5:10)


	This judgment is for Christians only. Please note that they are judged for what they have DONE, whether good or BAD! Ouch! That could be rough. Few Christians give any thought to the day of our accounting. And do so in spite of Paul's warning...


	*"So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."* (Rom. 14:12)


	It's true that the blood of Christ washes away all our sins, but this judgment has nothing to do with sins—it's for WORKS! Sin has already been judged at Calvary. It is our works that are weighed at this judgment. This is what caused the apostle Paul to say:


	*"Be not deceived. God is not mocked— for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap."* (Gal. 6:7)

It is possible to receive Christ as one's Savior and then turn around and mock Him with a wasted life. Christians will surely be judged, you can count on that. And the consequences of that judgment will stand forever. Why? Because the blood of Christ does NOT take care of wasted lives. God's law of the harvest is not canceled out by the salvation experience. Those believers who waste their lives in living for themselves and their families will be sorry.


	When death strikes their bodies, there will not be ONE THING they can do to change their service record or make themselves more like Christ. Death is final. It brings to an end our opportunity to *"lay up treasures in heaven."* (Matt. 6:20) That's why Paul calls death our LAST ENEMY!


	THE LAST ENEMY
			Go to a funeral. Listen to the preacher talk about heaven. He makes it sound so wonderful. He says death brings the reunion of loved ones, the end of all toil and the struggle to survive in a hostile world. He paints a picture of solid comfort with no fear or distress of any kind...


	"...and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain, for these first things will have passed away." (Rev. 21:4)

Doesn't that sound fantastic? Everything man fears seems to vanish before those words! Take away pain, sorrow and death, and what's left to terrorize anyone? Nothing? At least that's what many Christians think. Some even feel their wasted lives will somehow blossom into fruitfulness once they are ushered into Jesus' presence. And even though they haven't paid much attention to Him on earth, they feel He will be the center of their lives in heaven.


	Well, the apostle Paul doesn't share that happy view of death. If death really ushers in the bliss and joy so many expect, wouldn't that make death the believer's last FRIEND? But Paul doesn't buy that idea. Squarely in the middle of his resurrection passage he calls death the Christian's...LAST ENEMY! (1 Cor. 15:26)

Wow! What does the apostle see in death that would make him call it that? Look—death is the last enemy of the Christian because it closes the door on his last chance to get ready for heaven. When death summons, we're all through laying up treasure in heaven or maturing in Christ. That's critical, for the Lord made it clear the only treasure we'll have in heaven is that which we lay up for ourselves. (Matt. 6:20) When you add the fact that we can't make one more change into the likeness of Jesus, death indeed becomes a frightening enemy.


	NO CHANGES IN HEAVEN

Here's why death is our last enemy: It puts an end to all spiritual growth. We enter heaven just as we are at the point of death and NEVER CHANGE...I mean no more changes in our person! I'm serious about that, and here's why: The conditions for personal change do not exist in heaven. God never changes and neither will we— once we step outside of TIME. Only on earth can we change.

Let's say you're already in heaven and want to become more forgiving, how would you go about it? You have to be HURT in order to forgive. But who's going to hurt you in heaven. There is no hurt there. Suppose you want to become more long-suffering. How can anyone develop that grace without suffering a long time? There's no suffering in heaven. The same is true for becoming more patient, resisting evil or any of the qualities the Lord seeks to develop in us. There simply is no way to acquire the fruit of the Spirit in heaven. The conditions for making us more like Jesus just DO NOT EXIST there.


	SEE WHAT THIS MEANS?

You've heard the phrase..."Only one life; `twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." Those words summarize what I've been saying. If we want treasure in heaven, we have to get busy and earn it now. No one is going to do this for us... certainly not Jesus. He's the One Who told us to do it for ourselves. But it will be too late for that when death strikes.

God looks for changes in us every day. CHANGE is the most important word in our Christian vocabulary. Our talk should be sweeter today than it was yesterday. We should pay our bills better, be kinder in speaking of others, be careful with our mates, serve our employers more faithfully, raise our children more diligently, and display more peace in anxiety situations. Why we should even drive our cars better and pay our taxes cheerfully. Those are reasonable expectations. If we don't change now—while there is time—WE'LL ENTER HEAVEN AS WE ARE AT THE POINT OF DEATH—AND NEVER CHANGE! There is no "before or after" in eternity.


	THE CONSEQUENCES ARE PERMANENT


Christians will not all be equal in heaven. The place we give Jesus in this life, determines the place He gives us in the next life. In Jesus' kingdom there will be all kinds of jobs ranging from cabinet officers, ambassadors and department heads, down to street cleaners, sewer workers and day laborers. When death calls us into God's presence, we'll appear before His judgment seat. According to our earthly record, He will assign us our future jobs. If you want a good job with Jesus, you'll have to EARN IT.

"Get rich quick" schemes abound today, but Jesus invites us to become RICH toward God. It's not a scam, it's a legitimate offer. I'm working on my eternal fortune. How about you? It's my job to help my brethren get ready for their LAST ENEMY. I am called to help you become rich toward God and qualify for a nice position in Jesus' kingdom. You can't afford to be *"ashamed before Him at His coming."* (1 John 2:28)

The Lord has given me the tools for making you rich toward God. The tools are books. You may not believe books can be that powerful, but they are when the Holy Spirit anoints them. Does not God USE A BOOK for preserving His revelation? Indeed. Books are His prime method for changing people today. The two books that will help you come with action kits to help you start moving to earn treasure in heaven. Put the truths of JESUS IS COMING—GET READY CHRISTIAN and THE 100% CHRISTIAN to work in your life and I guarantee you'll be READY TO GO...

		*when you receive God's summons!*





	This article is Copyright 2002 by Dr. C. S. Lovett and is found on www.cslovettbooks.com