We all live now with hope for the future. If we know that the end of our lives is as dark as darkness and only death, in the end, there is no reason to live diligently in the present reality to have a better life. However, if we know the ending that our lives are bright and endlessly eternal like the sunlight that illuminates the darkness, now, even though it may be difficult, we can look at that hope and be empowered and encouraged by hope. There are countless hopes for us, but the audacity of hope lies in a certain proposition, “Never die.” 

“Never die” means you will not die. Death will not even touch you. In Christ, there is no death at all. It sounds crazy, but it is true. 

There are three reasons to say this because there are three deaths.

First, it is natural or physical death. Everyone who believes in Jesus or not will face physical death. But the Bible tells believers that death is just sleeping.

Second, it is spiritual death. If anyone does not believe in God and commits a sin against God’s Word, or even does not repent of that sin, he experiences a spiritual death in which his connection with God is cut off. They no longer have a relationship with God.

Third, it is eternal death. It is the death that comes after the final judgment. Everyone will stand before God’s judgment seat after their physical life on this earth is over, and God will calculate and count our lives. And then our future will be decided by God’s judgment, eternal life in heaven, or eternal death in hell, according to our life here on the earth.

Jesus said to the church in Sardis in the book of Revelation. “You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead(Rev 3:1)”. Just because you have life or breathe does not mean that you are alive, but only those who are recognized as living in the sight of God become alive. It is repentance that Jesus urges in this Sardis church. But it is also for us. He says that unless you repent and stay away, you cannot escape the Lord’s judgment that comes like a thief. Repentance is the door to two different eternities(eternal life for eternal death). 

But this repentance is impossible without relying on the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross. As recorded in Hebrews, “without shedding of blood, this is, no remission(Her 9:22)”. Someone must pay the price for our sins by bleeding. In the Old Testament, it was a sin offering, and after Jesus came, Jesus Himself became a ransom sacrifice and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, according to our choices, we can produce fruit worthy of repentance. And two answers are presented for our selection. #1 is “light, acts of repentance, eternal life,” and #2 are “darkness, unrepentant stubbornness, eternal death.” The choice is up to us, and either choice makes us sing a love song of hope. 

I hope we can sign the love song of hope this coming Christmas.