Introduction:  Summary of Sermon preached on Sunday, July 25, 2021

This sermon talks about the fact that each person born on this earth has a “return ticket” to go back to the Lord. 

Ecclesiastes 12: 7:  “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:  and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”

In Luke 16:  19 – 31, the rich man did not come to salvation before he died.  His spirit returned unto God who gave it.  The Lord put it in hell.  He wanted his five brethren, who were still alive, to come to salvation, “lest they also come into this place of torment”.  Nothing else on this earth is of any consequence when compared to eternal life.

Psalm 116: 15:  “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”  

The mighty God came as the Lord Jesus, “reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them”.  He has now “given to us the ministry of reconciliation”; He has “committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5: 18 – 21).  

Summary of Sermon preached on Sunday, July 25, 2021 

We listened to a sermon titled “Unseen Creates The Seen”, CD # 761, preached by Brother Neal Frisby on 12/2/79 (AM).

In the sermon, Brother Frisby said:

It is where the Lord is that you will find peace and rest.

The promises of God are already ours.

It is time for the sons of God to manifest.

There will be more faith among the people of God at the end of time for the translation.

The unseen (that is, eternity) is within you.

The word of God created something out of nothing; likewise, you can speak the anointed word of God and create something out of nothing.

Hebrews 10: 23:  “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering”. 

Paul refers to our faith in the word of God as the profession of our faith.

Stay with the true gospel of the Lord Jesus and you will not backslide.

Faith must have an anchor; it must be anchored in the word of God.

When you pray, you leave that prayer with Jesus.

Faith is part of God; it gets into reality.

Do not dig up your faith time and time again in unbelief.

After you have prayed, keep praising and thanking the Lord, quote His promises and expect an answer from Him.

Faith will get your prayers answered.

Faith has a commitment; leave your prayer in the hands of the Lord.  The unseen will then create the seen.  

The unseen is more real than what you see.

Psalm 37: 4 – 5:  “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

Delight thyself, commit thy way and trust in the Lord and He shall bring it to pass.

The kingdom of God is within you.

Faith is always now, even though the answer may come later.

Faith cannot be in the past or in the future.

Today is the day of salvation; today is the day of healing; today is the day to save souls.

Faith is like God’s eternal time; it is now.

Eternity does not end.

God’s time is always eternal, even though we come and go at different times.

The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13: 8).  He is in eternity.

If you can number God, then He is no longer God.

When you come to the end of your time or of your numbers, then eternity begins.

The church will have the faith of Enoch and the power and faith of Elijah for us to be translated.

It will take faith in the word of God and the power of the Lord to deliver the sick. 

Hebrews 11: 6:  “But without faith it is impossible to please him:  for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

I started the sermon.

Ecclesiastes 12: 7:  “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:  and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”

This Scripture mentions the dust returning to the earth and the spirit returning unto God who gave it.

It means each person that is born on this earth has a “return ticket” to go back to the Lord.  

Each person mentioned in the Old Testament, each person mentioned in the New Testament, each person born hundreds or thousands of years ago in whatever land, our parents, our relatives, each of our children, you, I or whoever else is on this earth now or will be born has a “return ticket” from the Lord.  Each one of us will go back to see the Lord.

This Scripture – Ecclesiastes 12: 7, is illustrated by Luke 16:  19 – 31.

Luke 16:  19 – 31:  “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:  moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:  the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things:  but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:  so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  And he said, Nay, father Abraham:  but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

The Lord Jesus, the eternal God, is telling us what happens to the spirit when it returns unto him.  If you knew the Lord Jesus before you passed on from this earth, your spirit will be in paradise.  If you did not know the Lord Jesus before you passed on from this earth, your spirit will be in hell. 

The rich man wanted his five brethren, who were still alive, to come to salvation, “lest they also come into this place of torment”.  Nothing else on this earth is of any consequence when compared to eternal life.

The rich man was so concerned for these five brethren that he did not want just anyone to go preach to them.  He wanted someone coming from the dead who would be able to affirm that the reality of hell is true if you did not believe the word of God.    

Revelation 4: 11:  “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power:  for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”  

This Scripture states the Lord has created all things, and that for His pleasure, we are and were created.  

Romans 11: 36:   “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things:  to whom be glory for ever.  Amen.”  This Scripture states all things are “to him”.  It shows all things will report back to the Lord.  

Psalm 116: 15:  “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”  

We are still alive now and we are required by the Lord to preach to others, lest they go to hell – and finally to the lake of fire (Revelation 20: 11 -15). 

2 Corinthians 5: 18 – 21:  “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”  

The mighty God came as the Lord Jesus, “reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them”.  He has now “given to us the ministry of reconciliation”; He has “committed unto us the word of reconciliation”.  

We can preach to others that the Lord has forgiven them their sins – “not imputing their trespasses unto them”.  We are ambassadors for Christ.

When you preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus, you are talking of the person who has brought life and immortality to light.  2 Timothy 1: 10:  “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”.

“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3: 15). 

I read from Scroll # 43:

THE BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT – (When the spirit leaves the body, the soul and spirit become one)  The body carries the soul and the eternal spirit (Gift of deity) ignites the soul body with life, and it becomes a “living personality” of the spirit!  The body (flesh) often waring against “the spirit soul” which is the real you!  The elect body will be changed uniting soul and spirit together, (becoming Glorified)  Then all three stages of body, soul and spirit blend as “one”  The same as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost united together as “One”  (marvelous!)  (Read – I Cor. 15: 40-44).  (The soul is the personality connected to The Spirit)

I continued with the sermon:  

When someone dies in the Lord, the soul and spirit unite as one and leaves the body to be with the Lord in the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12: 1 – 4).  The body is left in the grave.  At the time of translation, the body is resurrected from the grave and unites with the soul and spirit and all three parts become one. 

For those who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord, their body also changes and unites with the soul and spirit.  All three parts also become one. 

We are all changed – both the resurrected saints and the saints that are alive at the coming of the Lord.  Each one of us will have a glorified body.  

If the person did not come to salvation before death, the body is also in the grave, but the person’s spirit and soul, now united as one, is in hell.  

Remember, each person that is born on this earth has a “return ticket” to go back to the Lord.  

1 Corinthians 15: 51 -58:  “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:  for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

At the time of translation, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we shall be changed.  This Scripture states:  “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”  You will notice it states:  “must” put on incorruption; “must” put on immortality.  It is a “must” because the Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has already paid the price for our change – to have an eternal body, because He has tasted death for every man.  

You can rest assured that when you leave this earth, either through death or if alive at the time of translation, the Lord will be waiting for you.

1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18:  “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”  

Josephus Oluwatoyin Thomas

www.gospelwordministry.com