• The purpose of our lives is service to Christ.

▫ “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but

righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”

(Rom 14:17).

▫ “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name

of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father

through Him” (Col 3:17).

• Death itself can be service to the Lord.

▫ Stephen.

▫ “You did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas

my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where

Satan dwells” (Rev 2:13, ESV).

• Even if we don’t lay down our lives for the cross, we

still die to the Lord.

▫ We’ll be with the Lord.

“My desire is to depart and be with Christ” (Phil 1:23).

▫ We will serve God in heaven.

“They are before the throne of God, and serve Him day

and night in His temple” (Rev 7:15).

The redeemed of all the earth “sing the song of Moses,

the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev 15:3).

• One: You serve the Lord now.

▫ Only by serving Him now, can we serve Him in eternity.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter

the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My

Father in heaven” (Matt 7:21).

“Having been perfected, [Jesus] became the author of

eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb 5:9).

▫ What are you doing in the service of God?

• Two: You live life in reverse.

▫ If we’re going to serve the Lord after this life, we need

to be prepared to leave this life behind when He

returns or calls us home.

▫ That’s the right way to live.

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the

hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matt 25:13).

2 Tim 4:6-8.

• Spend some time this week thinking about your

funeral.

▫ Too often we view death in all the wrong ways.

“Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His

saints” (Ps 116:15).

▫ What would your funeral look like?

Would your family be able to grieve in hope?

What will the preacher be able to say about you?

• We must carefully live in light of eternity.

▫ “Each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom

14:12).

• We can have our Judge as our Advocate.

▫ “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 Jn 2:1).

▫ Do you need to come this morning and claim Jesus as

your Advocate with the Father?