Dennis L.
Finnan Commentator THE HIGH COST OF BEING LOST “HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT HAPPENS THE MOMENT YOU DIE? WELL THE BIBLE TELLS US YOU WILL EITHER INSTANTLY IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE, BE IN A PLACE OF HAPPINESS AND BLISS, OR, YOU WILL BE IN A PLACE OF UNIMAGINABLE HORROR, PAIN AND SUFFERING? EITHER WAY YOUR FUTURE WHICH WILL BE EVERLASTING, WILL BE UNCHANGEABLE!" I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word and You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about the High Cost of Being Lost… ...“Welcome to Eternity!” A popular biblical writer penned a chapter of his book “How You Can Be Sure You Will Spend Eternity With God,” with that interesting phrase. In fact, it led me to present to you this broadcast today. Indeed one day, “eternity” will stare us in the face and usher us in and no one can stay behind. No admittedly, when one talks about eternity, our thoughts either rush towards the idea of Heaven or Hell, and if we talk about the latter we often can receive a sanctimonious rebuke. A narrative once was penned that expresses that venomous hate of hearing of the negative side of eternity, “I
started to tell of the horrors of Hell, When
suddenly his eyes lit like coals; And
¾
‘Church it!’ said he: ‘Don’t persecute me, With
your cant and your saving of souls!’” Truly, many would agree with that, and show contempt for any talk of a negative eternity. However, we would be fools not to consider the risk of anything that lies before us. No one steps on a plane without thinking about the possibility and probability of crashing. Only after we consider the risk, do we venture out into the unknown future before us. Well friend, it should rationally be the same for consideration of what lies ahead the moment eternity opens to our souls and spirits. So today after one more pause for some lovely music, I’ll return to share with you some factual truth for you to consider about the HIGH COST OF BEING LOST… ..You know according to the Bible, and especially Jesus Christ Himself, along with the apostles and prophets of the New Testament, all agree that personal life goes on after physical death and the prospect of the quality of life in the hereafter depends entirely upon what you do in this life you have before you now. If one reads the Scriptures carefully and evaluates it, they will undoubtedly find that Jesus talked more about the negative side of eternity that the positive side. Why? Well it’s simple, He is God comes in the flesh (John 1:1,14) and because God is love (1 John 4:8), our Creator wants desperately for no one to experience it. Some time ago NEWSWEEK Magazine took a poll and found that more than 76% of all Americans felt they had a good or excellent chance after death, to experience the positive side of eternity which is heaven and eternal life. Oddly enough, only 6% felt they would surely experience the negative side which the Bible calls “Hell” or “the Lake of Fire.” These percentages are rather level throughout the decades for most people think Hell is “for you and not for me.” Yet I must again refer to the Bible, for it’s main theme and teaching from cover to cover is the fact that the entire human race, which was born in sin and rebellion to the Creator God, is under a judgment that will bring everyone of us into the full force of the negative side of eternity, unless ¾ we can change the course of our lives to avoid such a terrible place and experience as this. Yes, my friend, there is a HIGH COST FOR BEING LOST. Now, I’ve used that catchy phrase a couple of times and I should explain it thoroughly. First of all what do I mean by “being lost?” In the Bible, the Old Testament and the New, being “lost” explicitly means “something or someone who has fallen into a state of complete corruption and ruin, or has vanished and been wasted and perished!”The Hebrew word “abad” and the Greek word, “Apollumi” both mean this same thing, and are used expressly in these meanings when applied to the human race. In other words, God say that the human race is lost with respect to being in a state of wholeness and purity and has been separated from God, and as a result is and will finally perish! Listen to some Scriptures that utilize this word in the Old and New Testaments,
To be lost, is therefore a perilous state of being, in relationship to eternity and God. Now I know you’ve heard this before somewhere, but have you really counted the cost of what lies ahead in eternity? I doubt the victims of the 911 World trade Center tragedy or the recent airliner crash in New York ever did. They went to work or travel assuming life would go on for them as it did, but suddenly without warning ¾ things changed and death overtook them within minutes. Where did they go when the portal of eternity opened wide for them? Only the Bible can answer and only the Bible can give absolute assurance everyone can enter the positive side eternity, for that is God’s greatest desire and will for us all. Now let’s examine what is necessary for experiencing the negative side called Hell. Many people have their own ideas. Through polls taken, many were asked what would constitute anyone going to Hell? Well, people have very decided opinions based on their speculations. For instance, a Gallop poll, U.S. News & World Report, and an Australian poll combined; found that one in five said murder was a reason for someone to go to Hell. Yet about the same number simply said, “being bad” was equally a reason to go there. Other offenses were rape (8%), not believing in God (6%) and child abuse (5%). Yet, adultery, sexual deviance like homosexuality and “not repenting of sins,” received only (1%) of the votes. This is a far cry from the seventeenth century where it was thought that Hell bound sinners were those who were “hunters, dancers, those who painted their faces, played sports, even singing drunkards, and of course all who failed to attend church. To some degree these earlier generations ideas of what constituted a reason to go to Hell are almost laughable! But, I assure you Hell is not laughable, nor is it if anyone goes there the moment of death. Now, let’s look at what the Bible says about who will go there, and how to avoid it. That’s the best way to be sure of not paying the high cost of being lost. We go first to the words of Jesus, who spoke plainly on the subject. He said in reference to eternity,
Now as startling as that is, it appears modern man’s idea that 1-6% of the entire human race will experience a negative eternity, is in severe conflict with what Jesus taught. Here astoundingly the God Man Jesus Christ, reveals that the overwhelmingly and vast majority of all human being to ever live, will go to the negative side of eternity the instant they die! Furthermore, He states only a minority will go through the portal of death and see the wonders and bliss of Heaven and eternal life with God. Now what causes so many of the human race to perish and be lost? Remember the biblical meaning of being lost. It is a state where one is dying and separated from God, perishing and ruined apart from God’s rescue of finding and changing them. Well, the Bible is not silent here either for God does list sins against His commands to be holy that constitute the sentence of eternal death in Hell for those who have broken His laws for life. Listen as I read some of them. 1 Cor 6:9-10 (NLT) “Don’t you know that those who [unrepentantly] do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers—none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God.” Eph 5:5-6 (NLT) “You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world. 6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him.” Gal 5:19-21 (NLT) “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Well there you have it, a sure list of specific transgressions that God says will absolutely bar the door of Heaven and eternal life to all who “practice” them. Now I must state, the Bible also says many who are going to Heaven once committed these things but they being lost in them were “found,” and rescued! If your life and lifestyle is found among these listed sins, and you have not being found by God and rescued ¾ you can know for sure the moment death overtakes you, you will awaken in unrelenting horror and regret in a place called Hell! But now, there is more to this than these few listed sins that will bring a man or woman, or a boy or girl to Hell. We discover Jesus also said,
Here Jesus says that the vast majority who practice religion in God’s name, even acknowledge Jesus Christ in some fashion will perish in Hell for eternity? How’s that? The answer is in Jesus’ words. He is saying, those who practice religion which does not line up with or agree with His Words and teachings, is a false faith that is deadly and will on the day of eternity cause all who follow it to perish, being that they are already lost. This means only those who turn from false religion and service to it, and believe the Bible and God’s Word concerning Hell and eternal life will be saved. Peter the great apostle said,
If this wasn’t enough to get our attention, Jesus went on to say,
Does this mean all rich people will perish in Hell? If so, then the entire United States will perish. No, that is not what Jesus meant. He was simply stating that riches in this world’s goods could easily keep our eyes off the fact that although some may have it good in this life, we still should consider eternity for we are all lost. Material wealth can be deadly as to getting right with God and believing one is in this “lost” state. Now, let’s sum all this up for quite frankly in all these verses we do discover that not one of us can escape having committed one or more of these sins. In fact, for us all, we live in sin as the Bible describes it. Do you know that the greatest sin of all, is the sin of self-deification and idolatry? Self-deification and idolatry is to put yourself, your mind and thoughts and acts above that which God has designed for you. Let’s face it, we all have sinned in this manner, when we judge God and His word and reject it and Him for our life and living. The Bible says,
So the question is where will we spend eternity, if we are all lost in sin? The answer is determined by what you do with God’s Word on the matter. You see, although God spoke more about Hell and Heaven, the reason is He doesn’t want anyone to end up there! Yet, the whole human race is lost in sin, and is perishing and ruined, facing the most horrible eternity unless one changes that. Of course, only God can change that because we are helpless to do anything. The GOOD NEWS of the Bible is God has done something. He sent us His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the infinite God Man, come to pay for the sins of the world, and to free us from the penalty of death. Now contrary to human thinking, there are no degrees of death for sins. If you’ve committed the smallest sin or the worst of sins, there is only one penalty – eternal death and separation from the presence of God in a place called Hell or the Eternal Lake of Fire. Friend, no sin is insignificant and God cannot clear the guilty without their paying for their debt of sin. The payment is separation from God for eternity in Hell. Ah, but God solved this problem by placing our sins, all of them mind you, on Jesus Christ on the cross. Christ died there for you and for me. God says this in,
Now, since Christ died for us, the Bible says all the sin of the human race is now forgiven, provided that you come to God in this life, confessing those sins and believing that Jesus Christ died for you and is your Savior and God. This “belief” is quite simple and allows even a little child who has reached the age of reason to “believe” God. Have you believed God and His Word? Jesus said,
One cannot “believe” God and continue to live in sinful rebellion to Him, following false religions and faiths, or no faith at all! This is why Jesus said, “few there be that find it.” Many are on the broad way that leads to death and Hell. Friend, know this ¾ God has done everything to keep you from going to Hell. Remember death can overtake you today, tonight, in an instant. Where will you be? Where will you spend eternity? You can only answer in this life and the only answer in the Bible is to take Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. So then, first learn the fact that you cannot save yourself by any good works, religious asceticism, or any other way! Secondly, learn God doesn’t want or expect you to try, just accept the fact that He has done it all for you. Third, realize all God wants is your heart! Will you give Him your heart? This is a word that describes your mind, emotion and will, a surrender to Christ, to God your Creator and trusting Him alone to bring you Heaven and grant you full forgiveness of your sins and eternal life. Now, all who surrender their hearts, will be as the Bible states ¾ “found.” All who fail, neglect or deny this teaching of the Bible, will remain “lost” and continue to perish now and for eternity. That my friend is the facts. You can take them or leave them but I warn you, as does Scripture if you leave them, you will never be found and saved from your sins. Hear then Jesus’ words to us all,
There now, it is done! The Word has been declared, but the question is will you respond? Will you be among the few that enter life eternal, the positive side of eternity? It’s your decision. May God bless it to your heart for Jesus sake, Amen. · Radio talk #4901 · Broadcast date: December 09, 2001 · Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator · Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast · Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81504 The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 22 years, and serves as General Director. These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also. Want to Help? If you've been blessed and
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