INVITATION

     We are invited to a meeting with God.

Like any other invitation we can accept, ignore or plainly say that we are not interested in it.

     Why would God want to meet with us anyway?

He wants to meet us because we have a broken relationship with him and He has provided the means by which this relationship can be restored.

        Mankind has one thing in common; some day we will die.

 After death a meeting will take place even if we have refused this invitation.

      The question arises: What caused our broken relationship with God? A second question is by what means did God restore this and lastly what is the result of our refusal or acceptance of this invitation?

       Our broken relationship with God is an inherited condition because the progenitors of mankind [Adam and Eve] disobeyed the one command God gave them.

God had no choice but to break this relationship since He had told them that He would do so if they disobeyed Him. The close relationship that had existed before was almost completely destroyed.

 In addition to this inherited disobedience (sin) all of us have added personal sins to it.

At the time of this separation God also announced that at some future time a restoration would take place.

      Many years later God initiated this restoration.

He did this by sending His son, born by a woman but created by Him, therefore without sin, to accomplish this.

This child, Jesus, when grown up, made known that He was the one promised by God to restore this full relationship.

     The restoration took place when Jesus suffered the full penalty of rejection which God has imposed on mankind because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the addition of our sins.

The fullness of our penalty suffered by Jesus was, when nailed to the cross, He cried out ”My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”

      Jesus rose from the dead and went back to be with his Father.

  Our response to Jesus suffering ought to be:

“He did this for me.” Those who accept this can now fearlessly look forward to their future meeting with God. They did accept His invitation and the way God decided to accomplish the restoration with Him. 

They are invited to His heavenly kingdom and ultimately will be part of a renewed earth where there is no more sorrow, sickness, death and anything evil.

       The ones who refused God’s invitation and His means of restoration of the relationship with Him will meet Him also.

 He cannot, and will not, admit them to His heavenly kingdom and they will not have a part in this renewed earth.

       Where will they be and how do we know about their destination and their circumstances?

      During His life on earth Jesus travelled the country with a number of men, known as His disciples. (learners)

        After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven some recorded many of His actions and statements.

   So what does Jesus say about the ones who do not accept Him as their Savior (rescuer)?

They will suffer the same fate as He did. 

Jesus suffered the worst possible punishment-God forsakenness.

    This God forsakenness is still in effect for those who do not accept that Jesus was God’s way of restoration.

       Did Jesus warn us about this?

 Many a time Jesus taught in parables. (“allegories”)

 They are part of the records kept by some of His disciples.

One of those parables is the one about a rich man and a beggar by the name of Lazarus.

 Both men die. The one is in the presence of God; the other is in a place of godforsaken ness. The rich man being in the place of godforsaken ness (not because he was rich) states that this is a place of agony (hell).

Read the report written by the disciple Luke (chapter 16: 19-31) for all the information.

At another time Jesus has a conversation with a member of the Jewish ruling council.

Part of this conversation went thus:

Jesus speaking: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life…but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. (John 3:16-18)

Several times Jesus expresses warnings against non-acceptance of what He did for us.

   “Then they will go away to eternal punishment,

but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)

“A place of darkness where there is only “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”(Matthew 8:12)

   To become more familiar with the consequences of acceptance or rejection of God’s invitation read the four gospels, the “good news”.

The good part of the gospels applies to those who have accepted God’s invitation.

Those who do not accept His invitation have condemned themselves to an eternal existence of utter misery.

     Accept His invitation now and you too can fearlessly look forward to the day of your meeting.

      If you do you can sing with all those who did accept the invitation.

  What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,

 And I look upon his face, the One who saved me by His grace,

 When He takes me by his hand and leads me thru the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be!

If you have any questions, and I suppose you will have some, don’t hesitate to discuss them with a pastor or a priest.