A young man came to Jesus in Matthew 19:16 and said: “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”  Many today have that question.  The question is great, if they are willing to hear the answer and do that which is required.  Notice the remainder of the text.  (Matthew 19:17-22) “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”  This young man wanted to know, but only to the extent that suited him.  Such is the case with many today.  The big surprise however, awaits these “religious do-gooders” who have thought they have done all God requires.  The big surprise awaits them.

    The first big surprise of the Day of Judgment will be the when.  While many throughout time have guessed at when Christ will return and meet us in the sky they have been wrong.  The Bible reveals that only God the Father knows when Christ will come and judge (Matthew 24:35).  The Lord will come in a moment, a twinkling of an eye (I Corinthians 15:52).  The last trump will sound (I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:16).  We will not be here on earth, but we will be raised up and into the sky, where we shall EVER be with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:17).  Of course, there will be those who are sent away from the Lord (Matthew 25:31-46).  This is when the biggest surprise will occur to some folks.  There are many who are called, but few who are chosen (Matthew 20:16).  The big surprise comes to all those who have for so long believed they were saved, but they have failed to obey the Master’s will.  They will hear the words depart.

    The many who on this earth who think they are doing the will of God, but they really never check their Bibles to see if it is God’s will.  They do things they term to be good, but God has not termed at all.  The Lord had something to say about these folks who will be greatly surprised.  (Matthew 7:21-23) “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Just a few passages before these the Lord stressed that many will not go to Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14).  The questions to all are: do I want to be the many?  Do I want to be the one who lives this life fooling myself thinking that I am going to Heaven?  How can we know?

    The Foolish Rich Man had it all wrong because his focus was on earthly goods and retirement and not on things above (Luke 12:16-21).  We must focus on things above and not on things of the earth (Matthew 6:19-21;33, and Colossians 3:1-3).  Once we focus on things above and not on things of the earth we will separate ourselves from earthly things and make our thinking more along the lines of spiritual things.  This makes obeying God much easier because we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).  We cannot love the world and love God.  They are exact opposites.  God represents that which is good and the world is a place of darkness that we must be converted out of (Colossians 1:13, I John 2:15-17, and John 1:1-10).  Finally, we must focus on the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13).  When we realize that we love God we keep His commandments (John 14:15).  If we focus on obeying God and we focus on heavenly things we will be able to be wise and not foolish.  It is when we allow the god of this world to blind us that we cannot see our path until we have come to the end of it (II Corinthians 4:3-4).

    We need to take our salvation seriously.  We cannot allow ourselves to be surprised in the Day of Judgment.  If we study the word of God we will know what path we are heading down.  It is God’s word that lights our paths (Psalms 119:105).  Will you use the lamp that is provided for you to help you see the straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal?  If not, be honest with yourself and know that Heaven is not within your reach.  The Day of Judgment will be a big surprise to those who have accepted something other than God’s truth and His plan of redemption.  That day will be a day of vengeance (II Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Those Serving Today
A.M. Song Leader –  Mike Lockwood
Lord’s Table – Bill Graham
Assisting –  Terry Nannie and Brian Yeager
Opening Prayer – George Papp
Closing Prayer –  Steve Burgoon

Those Needing Our Prayers
Keep in your prayers: Lester (is improving) & Patti Fleeger, Ann Holt (she is out of town, but when she arrives back in one week she will need a ride to services because of her health problems), Betty Brown, Joan Croyle, Bill Croyle, and John & Olive Anderson.
Ladies Class
The Next ladies class is planned for May 19th, plan on being prepared to study lesson two in your workbooks.

Door Knocking
If you would like to help give the people of Butler the opportunity to study the Bible please be here at the building at noon on Saturday.  If you do not feel comfortable talking to others, still come and be a silent partner for those who do.