Richard Ellis Talks

Richard Ellis: Today on Richard Ellis Talks, the reason Him dying on the cross, being buried, raised, this whole thing is so huge is that your problems got solved on the cross. You got no heaven, you got no eternal life, you got no abundant life, you got jack without Jesus taking care of business on that cross.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. So many of you have shared how important this program is to you and how Richard's messages have impacted your life. We also know that there are many others who have positively influenced your life and how to be a better Christ follower.

We are devoting this entire month to celebrate and give honor to those in our life who have made a great impact and how we want to do the same in the lives of others. So we're introducing a new feature on our website to help you share that story. More on that later, but for now, with today's talk, here's Richard Ellis.

Richard Ellis: The title today's message is Certain Death. From time to time, hurricanes blow through the Gulf of Mexico. A couple that come to my mind, Katrina and Ike, had connected with them a warning that as far as I know, there hasn't ever been a warning like this. This is literally what it said: persons not heeding evacuation orders in single-family or two-story homes will face certain death.

That's a very extreme thing to put out there. You think, everyone gets out, right? There's nobody stupid enough to stay and face certain death. But hurricanes come and go, storms hit us, and somebody rides it out and goes, "Can't touch me. Got my house, got my stuff." But what about your certain death? I escaped, nothing to it.

Now let me jump quickly and tell you where this is going. You have certain death coming your way. The people you know and you love, the people you don't know and don't love yet, have certain death coming their way. What I'm about to read is not very popular a lot of times, but my concern is that one day I get to heaven and either I didn't have enough urgency or we didn't communicate this enough or we didn't think about this enough.

Because you don't think about it, because I'm not talking about it, whatever is not happening, we don't look at our friends and our families and go, "Certain death." If we don't have this conversation and don't broach the subject, they're in trouble. I'm literally going to read you verses that have the words fire and brimstone in the verses. This is not something that an angry preacher invented; it is actually in the Bible.

Turn to Ephesians chapter two, let's start there. New Testament, Ephesians chapter two, and I'm going to start with verse one and we'll go from left to right as much as possible and read some of these verses. Ephesians 2:1 says this: "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. What does this thing "dead in trespasses and sins" mean? The only way to get on this planet is to be born. Even God Himself in a man did not just appear and show up on the planet. He was born of a virgin, God the Father being the Father, Mary being the mom, but Jesus literally was born onto the planet.

Without sin, the only person ever born without sin. You say, what about Adam? Adam was not born; Adam was created, so he was not born. He had no sin to begin with and then he chose to sin, he and Eve both, and that's what creates this problem. Here's what people don't like to hear: you literally were born dead. We are all born with a sin nature.

You say, how can a little child be born dead? An innocent little child be born dead? Spiritually dead. There's a place in the course of life where, without getting off on this, you say, aren't children innocent? At what point do they not have the ability? Don't all babies go to heaven? I personally believe that; they don't have a way to choose. But there is a point, and you say, at what point do you start sharing the gospel and telling the good news to small children? As soon as possible.

You say, then you're really not sharing the gospel with them; you're just brainwashing them so they don't know anything else but Jesus. I'm okay with that. Because sooner or later, the world is going to hit them with everything it's got and tell them there is no God, there is no heaven, there is no right or wrong, there is no absolute anything. You better have built a slab under those kids because they're going to get the crap beat out of them.

Even if they are brainwashed, brainwashing somebody won't overcome what the world has to throw at you. You have to believe something. Sooner or later, children either believe it or they don't. Part of the reason we are so freaked out in some ways—you think we've got all these children's classes, forget the kids, bring them in the service—is it's too much work. You've got to tell these kids. They've got to know what's up out there because they are going to get hit hard.

They need to know who they believe in and be persuaded that He's able to keep them through all this mess. Here's where you start and here's why this may help you understand why you feel so horrible if you're not a Christian. I've got days I feel horrible and I am a Christian, so I'm not saying that all goes away. But people are born and then they start living and they try to make sense of it, but spiritually they are dead.

They can't see, they can't hear, it doesn't make sense. All you can see is the physical. This physical everything you see and touch. I am for now trapped in this ever-growing body. It's deep and wide and you just can't hide it as much. I buy bigger shirts and try to suck my gut in. Core exercise is what I call it, but it's sucking my gut in. But I live in this body. I got born into this body on this physical planet.

The book says in John that being born physically gets you on the planet physically, but you're born spiritually dead. If you want to be alive spiritually and live forever, you've got to be born a second time. I know this sounds very simplistic, but you'd be amazed how many Christians don't even get this thing. They hear the words, but it doesn't make sense. Being born once won't cut it. You won't make it.

People who are only born once die twice. I'm going to read you those verses and they are horrible verses and should be terrifying to all of us if you actually believe this stuff. Go to Colossians chapter two. We start out physically alive but spiritually dead. In Him, meaning Jesus or Christ, you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him up from the dead.

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

The reason the cross, Him dying on the cross, being buried, raised, this whole thing is so huge is that your problems got solved on the cross. You got no heaven, you got no eternal life, you got no abundant life, you got jack without Jesus taking care of business on that cross. It all points to Him. From the beginning of time, everything pointed to Jesus dying on the cross. For us, it goes back to that because what He accomplished on the cross and then being buried and raised from the dead takes care of our sin. It takes care of all the accusations that rightly come against us.

Every once in a while I meet someone who says, "I don't know about you, but I'm not one of you kind of people. I'm not a sinner." You just think, wow, do I bow? What do I do? The book says, whether you agree with this or not, all have sinned and everybody comes short. None is righteous, not one. No one's going to make it without Jesus. You say, that's not being very politically correct. Who cares about being politically correct?

Forget being politically correct. Be sensitive and gentle in a situation, but stop trying to appease everybody. Jesus appeased nobody. They strung Him up, He made them so mad. You're going to offend somebody somewhere. Don't try to do it; it's going to happen without you even trying. You are going to offend someone if you speak the truth, even if you speak it in love.

Go to Revelation chapter two. The first mention in the book of Revelation of this little phrase is what I want to read you. Revelation 2:11: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Everybody checks and goes, "I've got an ear, I guess that's for me. I've got two ears, it must be for me." It's not talking about physical ears; it's talking about spiritual hearing where you see what the scripture says and go, "Oh, that's what it means."

Here's what it says: "He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." The thought of physically dying and dying in a horrible way is hard enough. But if you survived dying and then you died and realized you were dead, and then somebody told you there's another death, there is a second death. It's not mentioned one time; I'm going to read you a bunch of places where this is cited, and it is worth paying attention to and thinking about and warning people about.

Go to Revelation chapter 20. Then I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

I always think this is the coolest thing: one key, one angel, and the devil's thrown in a pit. I'm not saying the devil doesn't have some power, but one angel locks him up for a thousand years just like that. The devil and God are not neck and neck and, "Oh, let's pray God wins." God is God. Satan himself is a created being, another angel that's created lots of problems and got in the mix here. God allowed even that, but he's going to be done forever sooner or later.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. You say, "I don't believe that, nobody can live a thousand years." Stop being so limited by what you think is possible.

We are surrounded by impossibilities. If you had told people a hundred years ago you're going to be carrying around a little telephone in a little thin box and you'll be able to send emails, nobody knew what that was. You can text your friends BFF and tell them whatever you want to tell them. They'd say you're crazy and they'd have burned you at the stake. Witchcraft! And now we go, "Oh yeah, well, we've known that was there all along." Have we?

God says He's going to lock the devil up and then there's going to be a thousand-year reign. Quit thinking it's not possible; it's here, it's going to happen. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works.

Let me tell you something: I will not be judged by my works. I will be judged by the blood of the Lamb. If I get judged by what I've done or not done, I will give an account for it, but I will not ultimately be punished eternally because of what I've done. I have traded in all my junk for His purity, His holiness, His sinless sacrifice. That's the only way you're going to survive this stuff.

Let me say this as clearly and as loud as I can say this. I don't know how this works, but whether you're listening here or some other place to this, it is possible that you will remember this day on that day and go, "Somebody tried to warn me." Because this will happen and you will not be exempt. You won't say, "Well, I got a lot of money, I'll hire me an attorney in heaven." The only attorney in heaven is Jesus Himself. You want an attorney, get you one now.

You say, "I don't believe all this." I'm highly recommending that you believe it now because you will believe it then. Then you'll say it's too late, but you will not say you weren't warned. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. It's very interesting that even the problem somehow is personified here. Death and Hades itself get thrown in the fire because they're not going to cause us any more trouble.

This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. I don't care whether you believe it or not—I care if you believe it or not—I'm suggesting it'd be worth thinking about. You better get your name in the book. The only way to get your name in the book is to accept His grace, His mercy. Hebrews says it is appointed unto man once to die physically, and after that the judgment. It's coming. I'm just telling you, you need to think about this stuff because it is real. It is truth. It is printed and it is coming.

In Revelation 21:8, the second death is mentioned again. Revelation 22:1: "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street and on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him."

"They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Then he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true.'" That's what I'm trying to say to you: these words are faithful and they are true.

"And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." Certain death. What I've discovered is there's something else: there's something called certain life. That certain life is found in a man, in a God-man named Jesus.

I highly recommend if you don't know Him—you say it's another one of these sermons about evangelism, about people getting saved. I'm already saved. If you're so thrilled that you're saved, when's the last time you told somebody that? This is not about getting your neat little ticket and package and going off and, "Well, God bless me, I got it. Certain death for them, certain life for me. Too bad."

Something's got to go off where when you sit down and look at someone at work or a friend or a coworker, you're not trying to figure out a way not to share with them. You're going, "God, You have given me this, I understand this stuff, there's got to be a way to get this in the conversation." God is at work. Somebody's praying over here, you're the answer to the prayers. You've got to take a deep breath and say, "God, I know it's certain death for everybody around me."

You're not a crazy person when you get into heaven and you make it and all those people come with you and go, "Man, thank you so much for at least just loving me enough, caring enough to tell me the story." It doesn't take long and it makes all the difference. Nobody's here unless somebody shared the story with you, right? Somebody told me and then we stuff it under a bushel somewhere, hide that light. Good luck for everybody else.

The tricky thing about this is trying to share the urgency of this and be passionate about it and everybody not think you're angry. This is intense life, eternal death. This is it. It's it for you and it's it for people around you who don't know Him. I'm begging you—Paul used these kinds of words—to communicate this with people around you. If you don't have what we've discussed today, I beseech you by the mercies of God, be reconciled to God. He is not out to get you in a negative way; He is out to get you in the best of ways and sent His Son Jesus to make that possible and to avoid certain death, get you some certain life. That certain life is Jesus.

Let's pray together. Father, thank You for Your word. Even for the tough stuff, Lord. I thank You so much, Father, for of all the stuff that You could have left written down for us to read, You left the end of the story for us so we don't have to guess where this is going to end up. But in some ways that makes it very difficult, Lord, because the people that we claim to know and love and are around, whether we really believe this, Lord, would be reflected in our prayer life.

If we honestly can think of people that we love and know and are concerned about and we don't pray for them, Lord, and I don't pray for them, then I'm just saying a bunch of words. I don't care about anybody if I'm not even willing to pray and then ask You to give me an opportunity, Father, to speak and give a reason for the hope that's within me. Wake us up, stir us up. As the scripture says, fan these flames, Lord.

The embers are buried in the ashes. It's not that there couldn't be a fire rekindled, Lord, but we get so cool, we get so cooled off that it almost doesn't seem to matter anymore. Father, for those who don't know You and something about this has made sense today like never before, and they understand that death is just what we've said, it's certain. Dying once is bad enough, Lord; dying twice and being separated from You forever is unthinkable.

I pray that someone today would not—whoever it is, Lord—that this wouldn't be complicated. That someone would just say, "God, I can't do this anymore. I can't live without You. I don't want to die without You. I get it. I am so sorry. I don't know what I missed or why it didn't make sense, but I see now that Jesus died for me on that cross in my place, took on all my sin. They buried Him, He was raised from the dead so He's dealt with my sin, He's dealt with death."

"Even though I may die physically, I know that spiritually I will live forever. I ask You to come live in me. I accept the forgiveness of my sins as a free gift, eternal life as a free gift. Change me from the inside out. A new heart, a new mind, a fresh start, a clean slate, like a newborn baby being born all over again. Let me try again, God, Your way. Use my life, change my life, and help me be urgent in the way I communicate what I've seen and discovered today, Lord."

Help us not get complacent and realize that my parents, my brothers and sisters, my extended family, friends, coworkers, even complete strangers, Lord, everybody I meet will face certain death and spend eternity in a real heaven or a real hell. Father, use my life to help someone else not end up where I was headed. And again, Father, for us who claim to know You, bring the water to a boil and remind us of the urgency. And we thank You and pray it all in Jesus' name, amen.

Guest (Male): Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to listen to Richard Ellis Talks. We know these programs encourage and inspire you because we hear from so many people about them. Richard has such a unique way of speaking right to the heart because it always comes straight from his own heart.

And maybe there are others who have greatly impacted your life as well. So who is it in your life that was a great example as a Christ follower? Possibly a parent, a grandparent, a friend, pastor, neighbor, coworker. Well, we have just the place where you can share this story. There's a brand-new feature on our website called a Legacy Wall where you can tell us who made a huge difference in your life in your growth as a Christ follower.

And this same inspiration is what you want to make sure gets passed on from you in leaving a legacy too. If it's important to you, it's worth sharing. So let me encourage you to go to our website, RichardEllis.com, and share that story. We'd love to hear it and it would inspire others as well. That's RichardEllis.com and share that story.

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