Myth Death

According to Weather.Com, it's 83 in Orlando today and it's supposed to be 81 tomorrow when we arrive for our 35th anniversary trip. Oh, it's going to be tough to enjoy that with so much ice and cold here in St. Louis - but we'll try to have a good time in spite of that. Needless to say, you won't be seeing a blog here until we return next week. So before we head south, I wanted to share my outline from last Sunday's Myth America Contest series. It wasn't a fun subject, but a very important one. Hope some of the thoughts bless you in some way.

Myth Death
Introduction: I asked everyone to hold there purse or wallet and imagine someone else handing it to their "next of kin" because you're dead and don't need it anymore. Here are three introductory truths I shared. 1) The single biggest indicator of lack of faith is the denial of the fact that we are going to die. Because we don't live like we believe it. 2) The foundation of faith is the belief that there is more to us than this physical life! There is nothing more real than death and nothing more important than our soul. 3) Everyone who has every lived has died! Bible characters, historical people, and famous people. All just like us! Some cultural myths about death vs. God's Truth!
1. It's predetermined vs. it's undetermined. World says it's fate, luck, or "numbers up" - almost predestination. The physical elements of life are choice, the fact we're mortal (dying), accidental and intentional death. We add to that the spiritual elements = God's will, which includes the natural (He created) and the providential (He intervenes).
2. Avoidable vs. Unavoidable - Heb.9:27 says is unavoidable!
3. Fear vs. Fearless - God/Love takes away the fear 1 Jn.4:16-18
4. The End vs. The Beginning - 1 Thess.4:13-18 even early Christians had a hard time with that.
5. Ultimate Loss vs. Ultimate Win! World says to die is to lose, God says it's to gain (Phil.1:21) and a victory (1 Cor.15:51-57) At death we receive every spiritual blessing the physical can't have - and we call it losing?
Conclusion: Be Real - nothing reveals how genuine our walk with Jesus is like how we feel about death. We're going to Disney World! I starting planning and preparing back in January. If you want to go, that's what you have to do - start taking the steps! Want heaven? Start taking the steps that get you there. Start seeking God!