Paul Washer: Living In Light Of Eternity

Paul I've often heard the phrase that we are to live in light of Eternity to live every single moment here on Earth with eternity in mind Jonathan Edwards used to pray God stamp eternity on my eyeballs what does that mean Paul and how can we do that how can we live in light of Eternity well eternity is a great motivation properly understood although it's not the greatest um here here's the what we need to realize Christianity is talking about extraordinary things we're talking about the meaning of life we're talking about the consequence of death we're

talking about the Judgment Throne of God we're talking about eternity in an a bliss that we cannot describe or a terror that we cannot even comprehend so Christianity is talking about extraordinary things now we also know from Ecclesiastes and the full you know everything that's in the scripture since Genesis 3 is that we're going to die we know that and that um my life is is actually so brief it's like a vapor it's like a cloud it's like grass the flower of the field so it flourishes the wind passes over it it is no more

so if I have a view of these other things judgment Eternal consequences and then I compare eternity to a temporal existence that is like a blip on the screen the thinking man is going to say everything I do here must be in light of this extraordinary thing in eternity now the atheist I believe is very wrong but he is at least consistent this is the only life we have and there's no consequences to it at the end except what you might suffer here and so um let us eat drink for tomorrow we die that is

at least worthy of respect in the sense that it's consistent but when the Christian or someone who professes Christianity says I embrace these extraordinary things about my humanness that I'm going to live forever that there's a judgment that there's an eternity and what I do here affects what happens there what I do during this blip on the screen is going to determine what happens to me throughout endless eternity a person who says that but then lives in a manner that's cont contrary to it there's no consistency there there's no it's an absurdity it's irrational and

so what do we need to do we need to constantly be laying these things before men and those theologians who have said you know eternity stamped on my eyeballs it wasn't just for them it was eternity stamped so that other people saw eternity one of the jobs of the preacher is to constantly set before the people there are these extraordinary things headed your way and that your best life now is not that important because if your best life is now that means your eternity is hell you see and so that's one of the sad things

is the tendency that is applauded today and I would say the greater portion of evangelicalism is teach me how to live in this life where where the reformers the Puritans the early evangelicals was yes we can learn to live blessed before God in this life but this is not the issue the issue is prepare to meet thy God yeah so that's where we are so you mentioned to to live in light of Eternity is a great motivation yes but you said Paul that it is not the greatest motivation right what is then the greatest motivator

for the follower of Christ we have to be very careful about the statement live in light of Eternity yeah because what we're doing is we're talking about our own welfare obey God uh which of course is believing the gospel obey God so that it goes well with you in eternity now there's nothing wrong with that yet at the same time that is all about you the greater motivation is this live for Christ live for the one who died for you and uh in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 we see this we see what I always call

uh the Sun and the Moon the greater light and the Lesser light and in in verse 10 we see the Lesser light Paul says well in verse 9 he says therefore we also have as our ambition whether at home or absent to be pleasing to him then he gives the reason for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done whether good or bad so that was a motivation for Paul but it wasn't the greatest motivation

for Paul wasn't about Paul thinking about his self-preservation or his eternal reward his greatest motivation is found later in verse 14 for the love of Christ controls us not Paul's love for Christ which all our love and Paul was similar it can be fickle can be dynamic everchanging um he's not talking about Paul's love for Christ motivated him but Christ's love for Paul and so for us our motivation in this life of course is eternity and judgment but our great motivation is for God so loved the world that he gave his only son God loves

me Christ loves me and this is how it has been shown to me through Calvary and this is the thing that constrains me and so you know on the internet sometimes it's like I lament the fact that it's only my controversial you know really hard rebuking sermons that become popular I spend the greater part of my time trying to teach Christians the love of God in Christ because when they grasp that remember what said about the the frail frightened man in the jungle why was he there because Christ loved him and he was willing to

do something that was far out of his comfort zone so the great motivation for me is not eternity it's Calvary eternity is a motivation but it's what Christ has already done I think it's safe to say even though I wouldn't say that my spirituality keeps me in this place uh my spiritual is not worth talking about but if there were no eternity and all we had was this life what Christ did should still be a great motivation I mean this is the love of God that he gave his son he gave his son that is

the thing that controlled Paul that that just bewildered Paul that set Paul on fire for God so loved the world he gave his son Paul you know what you said is that the anthem of even just my time with you the last few days has been the love of God it's a a redundant consistent intentional theme in your conversations and in your preaching how would you respond to someone that goes I theologically agree that God loves me if they look at you Paul I look at you and go well that love is precious how can

the love of God become if it's the motivator if it's the compelling Force how can it be re more real to me and how can it be more precious to me that love of God first of all the well the first place you want to run and stay is Calvary I I decided you know I'm not a great academic I'm not a great I I wanted to I asked myself when I was a young man I don't have the mind that I can know everything I don't understand a lot about eschatology there's so many things

with my limited academics and my limited IQ if I had to set my sides on knowing one thing what would it be and it was the Cross of Christ and I have studied many times hours and hours a day I have written probably 3 4,000 pages of notes just the cross just this one person Jesus and things that probably never be published won't but that's it the more you come to understand who this person was who died and then how he suffered and died it's it's a controlling thing it is a controlling immensely controlling thing

and then but what you need to also understand you know we all have our times where we lament our lack of passion our lack of Drive remember always and if if I could say anything to the young Christians there's a person young lady that has over left last few years would would come and talk to me and and say and all the evidence in the world points to the fact that she's such a genuine believer but she so struggles at times and there's one thing I always am telling her remember there's only one hero in

this story if I look at my love for Christ it wouldn't it would only earn me an eternity separated from him if I look at the times when I'm flaming In a Pulpit just passion and then my heart just there's a drought in the hotel room or there's only one hero in this story and it's not a man it's not a super Saint there are no super Saints there's one hero and and when you realize that that it's our elder brother who did everything that incre even when I look in the mirror and I see

my failure it increases my understanding of Christ's love for me which then motivates me even more the my best deed my best thought if it could be called out and that was the only thing for which I was judged it would only earn me hell it is the son everything was made for him Redemption is for him everything is for him and so yes I I don't want young people to look at me in this interview and go oh I wish I had his kind of passion you don't need my kind of passion you need

to go far beyond me I'm a I'm a pygmy when it comes to spirituality don't look at somebody's passion look at their Christ he's The Only Thing Worth looking at you know when people get to know me they're often times very disappointed not because of I don't think hypocrisy but just because I'm normal I'm average it's like you know when there's an accident and the police say you know just keep going nothing to see here nothing to see here there's nothing to see here it's Christ everything is Christ and oftentimes for the young people they

all think you know if I can only Reach This certain level like this other guy then God will use me God always chooses the runt of the litter if I have been used it all in my years of serving him it's only because God looks for a Gideon wi hiding in a wine vat the least of the least so that he can say because he told Gideon when he amassed that Army no it's too big because if I if if if you have Victory you'll attribute it to you people will attribute it to you we

got to call the Army if he'd to send out not a little David but a big Saul to take on Goliath it would have been Saul so God always looks for the run of the litter and it's the only thing I ever qualified for so and Paul said you know I you know I boast in my weakness you know and and and that's what I want people to see yes we need to strive to be Godly we need to strive to be devoted we need to sometimes lament our lack of worship and all these things

but but that's not the issue don't be self-absorbed what you need to do is just keep looking at Christ This Magnificent infinitely magnificent person look at him that's all you're required to do the ends of the Earth are not called to look in the mirror the ends of the Earth are called to look to him and and never stop looking as many old men and Puritans have said for every inward glance give 10 long gazes upon Christ even as you're saying the love of God is what is compelling us it also produces obviously even in

your own life a gratitude yeah and there's a thankfulness which is accompanied with a joy a real joy that serving him is best and it's what he deserves yes you know it's like I shared this morning my favorite one of my favorite stories in in the whole Bible is is Peter in that boat when not when he walks on the water it's when Jesus does the miracle and he says depart from me I'm I'm a wicked man and and what he's saying is that Lord I should not be here I should not be allowed to

see this I should not be granted this privilege your kindness It's almost wrong it just seems wrong and as we grow in life I have found myself at times in the night watch or something you know after preaching and going back to a hotel room or and maybe God's done something and or you're just up at night and you see something in scripture you've never seen before about Grace and you just when you think about all the kindnesses of God to you that here's a enemy of God Paul Washer enemy of God even till today

uh often self-absorbed often so many wrong things about him and yet this this never changing loving kindness and you almost just want to go Lord this is this doesn't even seem right and it only is right because of Calvary because he died for everything that I'm not every trespass every iniquity every sense of being laxidasical about God there's only one hero in this story and if the young people could only see him and then walk in that one hero Jesus you shall call his name Jesus he will save his people from their sin and that's

you know you know in heaven it's not like you're not going to walk around with you know he's got a shirt on says great preacher or great missionary or great this I think if if there were jerseys in heaven it would just be saved saved how did you get here him you know one day in heaven you know I'm not going to be walking down the street with you let's say and uh and I see a bunch of people and I say hey everybody come here come here I want to tell you about all the

things Johnny did for Christ I'm so excited I want to tell you about all the things he did for Christ that's not going to happen what I want to do is go hey hey I tell you everything Christ did for him I tell you about everything Christ did for me we're only recipients and even if even if you give your life as a martyr you serve in the mission field not I but the grace of God did it one boast remember Romans 3 shut every mouth with regard to self-basting to open every mouth to boasting

only in Christ that's that's that's what it is he's the hero the always and his love is real yes it's real it is real it is real and that's why sometimes it is important very important to see the doctrine of sin but it's also important I hate when I fail I I I don't want to fail him but I have found that even my failure serves a purpose in that it is a constant reminder there's only one hero there's only Grace and you know um on sanctification people always attribute they think of sanctification as growing

in Holiness and that's what it is don't want to take away from that for a second when I look at my progress in Holiness over the last three decades I would honestly tell you I thought I would be much further I thought when I was younger I would be more holy but there is one aspect of Holiness of sanctification that has grown like a rocket and that is my recognition of my absolute need of Calvary and Grace I am I mean it was just a kernel when I got saved and and now as the years

progress and all the times that that I failed all the times that it was you know two steps forward and three steps back all the times it it just now I realized look it's all him and I said that when I was saved and I believed it but the fullness of it that it's it's all Christ one hero yeah it's been en more now than ever before you and then as you you understand your sin God's love becomes more amazing his grace more Unthinkable and then service to him the only rational right response so Paul

thank you so much so helpful and challenging for me I I appreciate your earnestness you're saying nothing to see here yeah I'm also mindful of Paul saying follow me as I follow Christ and as we watch just your earnestness I want I want to imitate that I want to imitate Christ and I'm watching you strive after that so thank you for your time