James Merritt - Exit Right
If you’re a guest of ours today or you’re watching us for the first time, we’ve been in a series we’ve been calling «The God Life.» I’m going to be honest with you: we’ve been focusing on the prophet Elijah. When I started this series several weeks ago, I didn’t know how it would go because, if you think about it, how do you really sell a man who lived 3,000 years ago and try to convince people in the 21st century that this guy has lessons to teach? Yet, I’ve probably received more positive feedback on this series than anything I’ve done in years. One of the reasons I believe this to be true is that when I read what the Apostle James said about Elijah—that he was a man just like us—my excitement grew. That meant the life he lived is a life I can live, the way he lived for God can inspire me to impact others for God. So, as we wrap up this series, we will learn not just how to live the right way—God’s way—but also how to leave this earth God’s way.
Now, I want to say this as we get started: you’re not ready to die until you’ve lived the right way. So, I want you to take God’s Word and turn to a book called Second Kings. You might say, «I don’t know where it is.» It’s right after First Kings. All right, Second Kings chapter 2. Go to Genesis, turn right, go about nine books, and you’ll hit it. Thomas Paine, one of our founding fathers, said, «Nothing is more certain than death, and nothing more uncertain than the time of dying.» We know we’re going to die, but for all of us in this room, we don’t know when, where, or how. But this is what’s amazing: Elijah did. This is the story of Elijah’s last day on earth, and are you ready for this? He knew it was his last; he was checking out. He knew he would never see another sunset after this day. We don’t know that, but one day will be our last day. We’re going to exit this life and enter the next.
I remember when I was president of the Sunbass Convention. You run for a term, get reelected, and hopefully have two terms—it’s exhausting. I was relieved it was over because there was so much to do and not a lot of pay, plus all the travel. So, after giving my last session, I turned around and saw a man standing there with his arms crossed. He was smiling real big—it was Adrian Rogers, my mentor, my hero. I said, «Dr. Rogers, it’s so good to see you.» He put his arm around me and said, «James.» He pointed to a sign over a door and asked, «Do you see what that sign says?» I replied, «Yes, sir.» He said, «What does it say?» I said, «Exit.» He said, «That’s what you are now.» I’ll never forget it. He was joking, but the truth is one day we’re all going to reach an exit; one of these days we’ll walk through a door called death, leaving this earthly life. We’re not going to be here anymore, and we’ll learn today from this great prophet who lived the good God life that if you’re going to die the way a God life ought to die, you better make sure you take the right exit, and you better exit right.
So this is the lesson Elijah is going to teach us today. As we wrap up this series, the greatest legacy you can leave is when you leave a life well-lived. There were about six people who flew up from Tampa, Florida, just to hear me preach today. They watched me on TV and came to the first service. They were out there, and had some fellowship with them. They said, «Pastor, we’d like to pray for you before we leave.» I said, «Man, that would be great.» So they prayed for me, and when they finished, I said, «Let me tell you the biggest thing you can pray for me.» They asked, «What’s that?» I replied, «I have one last goal in life, one last big goal. I want to finish well. I just want to finish well. I want to hit the tape with my chest out. I want to hit the tape with my head up.»
Every day, I’m not tearing anyone down; it seems like every week now you read about another pastor who messed up, another pastor who failed, and another pastor who stumbled and has fallen. I don’t want to be that person. So, however you die, whenever you die, and wherever you die, I want to share with you today three things that should be true of you. They will be true of you if you have lived the God life. So, number one, as you exit— and one day you will—you should always follow God’s plan. You should always follow God’s plan. Now, the story begins with this simple statement: 2 Kings chapter 2, «When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.» Right up front, we’re told the exit sign is flashing. Elijah can see it; he knows he’s coming to an end. He’s about to be taken into heaven. But here’s what’s interesting: not only did Elijah know it, Elisha knew it, and not only did Elisha know it, there were a bunch of seminary students who knew it.
You say, «What do you mean?» We keep reading. Elijah said to Elisha, «Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.» But Elisha said, «As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.» So they went down to Bethel. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, «Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?» «Yes, I know,» Elisha replied, «so be quiet.» Then Elijah said to him, «Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.» He replied, «As sure as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.» So they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets of Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, «Do you know that the Lord’s going to take your master from you today?» «Yes, I know,» he replied, «so be quiet.» Then Elijah said to him, «Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.»
So you read this last story, and I have to tell you what’s going on because it’s kind of interesting. This is going to be Elijah’s last day. Elijah knows it; he knows it, God knows it, Elisha knows it, and the seminary students know it. It’s going to be a long, long day. Let me tell you why. Back in that day, you read about the company of the prophets; they were called the school of the prophets. They were like seminaries and were located in three places: Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho. God has let Elijah know that by the end of this day, he’s going to be with Him. But today, Elijah, you’re going to leave Jerusalem. First, we’re going to go to Gilgal; then, we’re going to go to Bethel; then, we’re going to go to Jericho; then, you’re going to cross over the Jordan River; and then, I’m going to take you to heaven.
Now here’s the question I was asking as I was reading this: this is his last day. Why are you taking him all over the place? Just to go from Jerusalem to Gilgal to Jericho was a trip of about 30 miles; it would take all day long. Why is he doing that? Well, he’s doing it for two reasons. First of all, this was kind of a trip down memory lane. You know, people say that when you’re about to die, your whole life flashes before you. Well, in a way, this is what was happening to Elijah. When you go to Gilgal, what was Gilgal? Gilgal was the place where the children of Israel first camped when they had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. This is where they first camped before they crossed over the Jordan into the promised land; this was a place where God, their God, life had really begun. But then they go to Bethel. What’s in Bethel?
Well, the word Bethel means house of God; that symbolizes the presence of God. That’s how Elijah had lived his entire life—he had lived every moment of his life aware he was in the presence of God. Then they go to Jericho. Why did he go to Jericho? That was the first place that Israel conquered when they took the promised land. In fact, Pastor Chuck Swindoll said this: what Normandy was to the Allied forces in World War II, Jericho was to the Israelites. Now, Elijah said, «I’m right at home in Jericho» because all I’ve been doing all my life is fighting battles. You know this; you’ve been with me several weeks. He’s always been in a battle—with the king, with Jezebel, with prophets, with false believers, with people on his tail trying to kill him. He’s always been in a battle, and so God is just reminding him of all the victories that he had won. The last place he had to go was the Jordan River. Why does he have to go to the Jordan? Because this is where you cross over to the other side—this is where you leave one land for another land; this is where you leave one life and go to another life.
So what is God doing? He’s saying, «Elijah, I want you to look back at your life one more time. Look at the God life that you have lived. I’m about to take you to heaven.» That’s one reason. But God had an even bigger reason. There’s another reason why He’s taken them from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho. There was what was called the school of the prophets. These were like modern-day seminaries; these were men that had been called to ministry just like Elijah. These were men that Elijah had mentored, taught, encouraged, and poured his life into. So God said, «Elijah, there’s one last ministry I want you to perform: I want to get all these young men together. I want you to meet them and teach them and encourage them and exhort them and urge them to live the God life and to lead others to live the God life as well.»
So do you see what God is doing? God has a plan for Elijah’s life; He has work for Elijah to do. That plan is not finished, and that work is not over until you exit, right? Let me tell you why I say all that. I’ve heard so many people say, «If I knew today was the last day that I would live, I would get all my affairs in order. I’d make the calls I ought to make, I’d see the people I ought to see, and I’d do the things that I ought to do.» You know what I tell people like that? If that’s really what you would do if it were your last day, why don’t you live every day of your life as if it is your last day? That’s what we ought to be doing today. You ought to look; we say it, but we don’t mean it. You ought to live every day of your life as if it is your last day. You say, «Well, pastor, if today were your last day, what would you do today?»
I would do what I do every day. The great Christian saint, St. Professors of Aizi, was a very devoted follower of Jesus. Someone asked him one time, «What would you do if you knew you were going to die at sunset?» You know what he said? «I’d keep hoeing my garden. I’d just keep doing what I’m doing; I’d be doing what I know God wants me to do.» Because when you live the God life, you live as if every day were your last day. As a matter of fact, on that day, you would do what you believe God would want you to do if it were not going to be your last day. You would be following God’s plan. So my point to you is this: right now, you are here because God has a plan for your life. That plan does not end until your life does.
So if you live the God life right up until you draw your last breath, you follow God’s plan. Number two: if you live the God life and it’s time for you to go through the exit, the second thing is you go to God’s presence; you will go into God’s presence. Now, we’re going to skip a big part of this story. I want to come back to it; I want to move ahead. Elijah and Elisha have gone to Gilgal, they’ve gone to Bethel, they’ve gone to Jericho, and they’ve actually crossed over the Jordan River. They’re just having a wonderful conversation, enjoying each other’s company.
Now they know their time is about to come to an end, and here’s what we read: as they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, «My father, my father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!» And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Fascinating! This is only one of two times you read in the Bible; as a matter of fact, it’s only one or two times in the history of this world that anybody has ever had what I call a deathless departure. They had an eternal exit. Only two people in the history of the world have ever exited this earth without passing through the door of death; only two people have been immediately ushered from earth directly into heaven.
Now, if you don’t remember who the other was, he was a man named Enoch. You go back to Genesis chapter 5, and you read this interesting tidbit about Enoch: the Bible says Enoch walked with God, and God took him—just poof, gone! One step he’s here, one step he’s not; one breath he’s here, one breath he’s not; one look he’s here, one look he’s not. He takes one step, and God took him. The second man is Elijah; he’s taken up in a whirlwind. Now, why do you think that’s in the Bible? Why do you think that story is there? Why do you think God took him that way? Because God just wants to remind us there’s also going to be another group of people who are not going to die; they’ll go directly to heaven. Those are the people who are alive when Jesus returns and raptures those who are still alive, and that may be us one day—who knows? But in the meantime, here’s where we are: we’re in no man’s land.
We don’t know when we’re going to die, how we’re going to die, or where we’re going to die. Just in case you don’t know, or you might think this matter-of-factly, I thought to myself that I should ask you this question: You don’t have to answer it, but would you really want to know when you’re going to die? I mean, if God were to say to you today, «Hey, if you really want to know, I’ll tell you,» I’m going to be honest: I wouldn’t want to know. I mean, I really wouldn’t want to know. I told the Lord about 20 years ago, «Lord, just don’t let me die until Georgia wins one more championship; after that, I don’t care.» But really, would you want to know? Because let me tell you why. If you’re one of those people who says, «You know what? I would like to know exactly when I’m going to die,» well, guess what? There’s a watch that you can buy that will predict your death to the nearest second.
I’m not making this up; it’s called the ticker watch. I’m going to put it up on the screen here. This is the ticker watch. Let me tell you how this works: if you go, you can actually buy this watch. This watch will ask you a set of questions about your medical history; then they’ll take your age, subtract it from your answers, and give you the estimated death date when you hit that button. Isn’t this a blessing? It starts counting down the years, the months, the days, and it comes to the exact second when you supposedly are going to take your final exit.
Now, some people call it the death watch. The man that invented it was named Franklin Colting. He was a Swede, and he didn’t like that; he said, «That’s not a death watch; that’s morbid.» He said, «It’s a happiness watch.» When they asked him why, he said, «Well, if you know when you’re going to die, then you can make the most out of your life, and you can get ready; you can make preparations.» Well, I’ve got news for him: you don’t need a watch to do that, because here’s the good news: no matter where you die, when you die, or how you die, if you live the God life, you are going to heaven.
If you live the God life, I read the other day about a 95-year-old woman. She was in a nursing home, and her pastor came to visit her. He sat down and said, «Miss Smith, how are you feeling today?» She said, «Pastor, I’m so depressed; I can’t even eat. I’m just sick to my stomach.» He said, «Well, do you have a lot of pain?» She said, «No, I’m not in any pain.» He said, «Well, do you have a disease?» She said, «No, I just had a checkup the other day.» He said, «Well, what are you worried about?» She said, «Well, Pastor, I’m 95 years old.» He said, «So what?» She said, «I just got to thinking: every single one of my close friends has died and gone to heaven.» He said, «Why does that bother you?» She said, «I’m afraid they’re wondering where I went.»
You don’t have to worry about where you’re going if you live the God life wherever, however, and whenever. You’ll take the right exit, and you will go to heaven. One of the highlights of my life was back in the day—this is, golly Pete, 30-plus years ago—I got to have lunch with George H.W. Bush. This was after he was out of office, and the man was running for governor. He invited me to come down and have lunch with him while they were raising money, and he let me bring two of my sons with me. As God worked it out, it was me, the guy running for governor, President Bush, my two sons, and me. We spent about an hour together, and he was one of the finest, sweetest, gentlest, kindest men I think I’ve ever met in my life. You would have never known he was once the President of the United States.
On November 29th, 2018, President Bush was 94 years old. He didn’t know it, but this would be his next-to-last day on earth. His best friend, James Baker, who served in his administration, came to see him every single day. Whenever he would walk in, here’s what he would always say to the President: «Mr. President, where are we going today?» This time, when Baker walked in, the President asked him first. He called him Bake and said, «Bake, where are we going today?» James Baker, looking back, knows the reason he said it. He said, «I don’t know why I said it at the time, but I said, 'Well, Mr. President, we’re going to heaven.'» George Bush looked at him and said, «That’s good because that’s where I want to go.»
Can I tell you something? That’s where I want to go, and that’s where I’m going. That’s where I know I’m going because I have lived the God life. When you live the God life, it ends by going into God’s presence. But now let’s go back to one part of the story because there’s one last thing I want to share with you. Yes, when you live the God life, you follow God’s plan, and when the God life ends, you go to God’s presence. But in the meantime, as you live the God life until you take that exit, the most important part of my message today is that we are to live in God’s power.
Now, I want to take you back to the part of the story that takes place before Elijah is taken to heaven. Elijah and Elisha are standing on the banks of the Jordan. They’ve crossed over, but the water is too high; they need to cross over. Two of the prophets are watching—there are about 50 of them—and they’re wondering what is going to happen. They all gathered together because they knew he was going to die; they knew he had to cross over. But the water’s overflowing; the river’s overflowing the banks, and there’s no way they can get across. So they’re wondering, «Okay, what’s our mentor going to do? What’s our hero going to do?»
Here’s what happens: 50 men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. Now again, that raises the question: Why did Elijah leave the promised land and cross to the other side of the Jordan? Because I’m going to tell you something you know is true: God could have taken Elijah from Jerusalem, God could have taken Elijah from Gilgal, God could have taken Elijah from Bethel; God could have taken Elijah from this side of the Jordan or to Jericho. Why did he have him cross over to the other side? Because he wanted him to perform one last miracle.
Well, why did he do that? Because God wanted to remind Elisha, his successor, and all these young seminary students who had been studying under Elijah that the God life is the God life only because it’s lived in the power of God. Now Elijah’s gone to heaven, but Elisha’s got a problem: He still has to get back across that river; he can’t get back home; he’s stranded. So now he’s got a test, and here’s what God is saying to that young man named Elisha: Are you going to believe me the way Elijah believed me? Are you going to trust me the way Elijah trusted me? Are you going to follow me the way Elijah followed me? Are you going to obey me the way Elijah obeyed me? Are you going to believe I’ll give you the same power that I gave to him? Deep down, Elisha knew he needed God’s power because here is what we read in verse nine: When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, «Tell me, what can I do for you before I’m taken from you? Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.» Elisha replied, «You’ve asked a difficult thing.» Elijah said, «Yet if you see me when I’m taken from you, it will be yours; otherwise, it will not.»
Now here’s what’s going on. Here’s what you don’t know: Elisha has spent nine years with Elijah—nine years, every day, never leaving his side. Nine years, he saw the battles that Elijah fought. He saw the wanted posters where people wanted to kill him. He knew that the king was hot on his trail; he knew every day might be his last. But he watched as this man never went to sleep worried, never blinked, never flinched, never walked the floor, never worried about anything because he absolutely lived in the power of God. He said, «Look, every day of my life I followed God’s plan. I know one day I’m going to God’s presence; in the meantime, I’m going to live in God’s power.»
With the same trusting heart and the same power Elijah had, Elisha said, «Can I tell you what I want? I want double of what you’ve got. I know what your secret sauce is; I want double of what’s in your heart, double of what’s in your head, double of what’s in your mind. I want a double portion of your power.» When I was working on this sermon, I put my pen down. I’m going to tell you what I told the Lord because I want to tell you; I want people to see the power of God in our church. I want people to see the power of God in your life when you go to work on Monday morning. When people walk into this building, I want them to see the power of God in the words that I use; I want them to see the power of God in the work that we do. I want people to see the power of God in the walk that we take. I want people to see us live the God life.
So these young seminarians are looking from a distance, wondering, «Okay, what’s Elijah going to do? Will he measure up to his master? Will he follow God’s plan? Will he still believe he will go to God’s presence? In the meantime, is he going to minister in God’s power? What’s he going to do?» Well, here’s the answer: Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back to stand on the bank of the Jordan. He held it up for just a minute; I tell you to change it. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. I’m going to stop right there. I’m going to read the rest of the story, but if you don’t listen closely, you’re going to miss exactly what happens because I don’t want you to miss it.
So Elisha takes the cloak, the same cloak Elijah had—I mean, you can still see the smoke from the chariot—and Elisha’s got this cloak that Elijah had. What did Elijah do? He went over and struck the water with the cloak. Everybody got it? All right, don’t miss this now. «Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?» he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. Now if I were to ask you what happened, 99% of you would say, «Well, he picked up the cloak, struck the water, and the water parted.» That’s not what happened. He picked up the cloak and struck the water, but it didn’t part. When he asked the question, «Where is the Lord God of Elijah?» then he struck the water, and then it parted.
Now why is that such a big deal? Listen to me carefully: God wanted to teach those seminary students; God wanted to teach Elisha, and God wanted to teach us that the power was not in the cloak. The power was not in the hand of the prophet that held the cloak; the power was in God. That’s where the power was. Here’s why I say that: Elijah was gone, but God was not. So you say, «What’s your point?» One day, I won’t be the pastor of this church. I don’t know when that day is going to come—sooner probably rather than later. I don’t have any specific date in mind, and I hope you’re not trying to kick me out, but one day it’s going to come to an end.
I want you to hear me carefully: God’s power, God’s plan, and God’s purpose are never limited to a place, a person, or a period. Men and women of God come and go, but the God of those men and women never goes, and the work never stops. That’s why I want you to hear me clearly: you don’t need me; you need God. Whoever follows me—you just need God’s man; that’s all you need because the power is not in the cloak, and the power is not even in the hand that holds the cloak; the power is in the God of the cloak. So I want to say three things about God while we’re in the neighborhood. Just remember this: first of all, only God is indispensable. Pastors come, pastors go, presidents live, and presidents die. But you know what this church and this nation have in common? We both need God. Period.
God alone is indispensable; God alone is imperishable. Leaders don’t leave us; they’re taken from us. The Elijahs don’t stay around forever, but God does, and only God is irrefutable. Even the greatest heroes in the Bible were not perfect. Even the great prophets and leaders in the Bible made mistakes; at times, they were wrong and had to be corrected. Their ways had to be rejected, but God can always be trusted to say the right words, lead the right way, and do the right thing. So, where there’s an exit, there’s always an entrance.
So, what do you read? Here’s what we read: Elisha exited, Elijah exited, Elisha entered. One person’s exit led to another person’s entrance, which leads me to say the most important thing you will hear and the most important thing I try to teach young pastors, and it’s this: God can do His work without us, but we cannot do our work without God. I tell these young pastors that I mentor, «You may be a great communicator; you may be a great alliterator; you may be a great sermonator; you may be a great illustrator; you may be erudite; you may be educated; you may be energetic; you may have dynamic magnetism, but God doesn’t need any of that. You need God. You need the power of God; you need the purpose of God; you need the plan of God; you need the presence of God in your life.»
Where is the God of Elijah? That’s what I want people to know; that’s what I want people to ask: Where is the God of Elijah? One of the reasons why the Father sent the Son to die on the cross and come back from the grave was so He could send the Spirit to live in every one of us, to enable us to live the God life until the end of that life, when the God who gave us that life will take that life back with Him so we can live with Him forever. So now, I’m going to ask you the question I asked you at the beginning of this whole series: You’ve got to make a choice now. We’ve been talking week after week about the God life.
Now you’ve got to make a choice. When you walk out that door, what kind of a life are you going to live: the good life or the God life? There is an eternal difference between the two. Church members that live the good life are a dime a dozen, but church members that really walk out of here and live the God life—I’m telling you, they are like diamonds in the dust, because at the end of the day, the God life is a life that just points people to Jesus, as far as living the cross-shaped life. So, I’ll tell you two stories, and I’ll be done. What I’m about to say, I want to brag on Jesus, not me; let’s make that plain. Last weekend, I felt led by the Spirit of God to fly to Texas to see Georgia play Texas out in Austin. So yeah, go Dawgs! My flight left at 10:00 that night, and I got into Austin about 11:25. I walked into the airport; I was about two hours early, and there weren’t many people there.
About half of them had dog stuff on, and I had dog stuff on, too. There was a guy sitting there in dog gear, so I sat down about two seats from him and said, «Hey, how are you doing?» He said, «I’m doing fine.» I said, «My name’s James.» He said, «My name’s Steuart.» I shook his hand and sat back down. He looked at me and said, «You’re James Merritt.» I said, «Yes, sir; I watch you on TV every Sunday. I can’t believe I get to meet you.» I said, «Man, I can’t believe I get to meet you.» We struck up a conversation, and I said, «So, where are you staying when you get out to Austin?» He said, «I’m staying in Round Rock.» I said, «That’s where I’m staying. I’m in a hotel there with my son in Round Rock.» He said, «Why don’t we get an Uber together? We’re going to the same place.» I said, «Will you pay for it?» He said, «Yeah.» I said, «Man, I’m in.»
So we get to Austin at 11:25. He had been flying standby for three flights because he hadn’t really made a flight, and they thought they’d sent his luggage on, but it stayed back in Atlanta. So we had to go there. This all is going somewhere. We went to the luggage place, and they said, «Your luggage won’t get here until noon tomorrow.» He said, «Okay.» That took about another half hour, and man, you know, I’m really tired. So now we call the Uber driver. Now, keep in mind there are thousands of people coming and going; every flight’s packed—everybody’s coming in for the game. I mean, Uber drivers are just going, going. So we call this Uber driver. His name is Andre, 31 years old, never been married, drives Ubers on the side, works a full-time job.
We’re going to Round Rock, and I said, «Hey Andre, how long’s the ride?» He said, «It’ll be about 40 minutes.» I said, «Oh great, okay.» I asked, «How long have you been driving Ubers?» He replied, «About five years.» I said, «Can I ask you a question?» He said, «Sure.» I continued, «You’ve been driving Ubers for five years. Has anyone ever talked to you about Jesus?» He said, «No.» I said, «Well, would you mind if I talked to you about Jesus?» He replied, «Man, I’d be great.» So I shared with him the bad news, the worst news, the good news, and the best news. We pulled up to the hotel, and I asked, «Andre, do you understand everything I said to you?» He turned off the car, turned around, and said, «That is the best news I’ve ever heard in my life. I’d like to give my life to Jesus.» Right there in that car, he asked Christ to come into his heart.
Now wait a minute, listen, you say, «Well, you’re the pastor; that’s what we pay you to do.» No ma’am, no sir, you don’t pay me to do that. Well, you’re the pastor; that’s what you ought to do. I agree that’s what I ought to do, but I ought not do it just because I’m the pastor. Let me tell you why I did it: Because every day of my life, I try to live the God life. I just want to live the God life; that’s what God wants you to do—just live the God life. So I’ll close with this last story. King Henry IV of France was a big, strong guy, but he was getting up in years. Still, he was in great shape for his age. His courtiers were talking to him one day, and they said, «You know, sire, the way you’re going, you might live to be 80 years old.»
Nobody in that day lived to be 80 years old. He said, «You think so?» They replied, «Yeah, we really think you just might do it.» This is what King Henry IV said to them: «The number of our days is reckoned. I’ve often prayed to God for grace, but never for a long life.» Now listen to what he said: «A man who has lived well has always lived long enough, however early he may die.» The greatest thing you will leave your kids and grandkids is not money, houses, or real estate; it’s not memorabilia, pictures, or any of that. The greatest thing you’ll leave your kids and grandkids is a life well lived.
You know what I want my grandkids to say? I have five of them. When Pop finally goes to heaven, if my grandkids just say, «I’ll tell you about my Pop. He lived the God life; he was obsessed with Jesus. Jesus was everything to him. He did everything he could to bring glory and honor to Him,» that’s all I want—that’s all I need. Because when you take the exit through the cross and the empty tomb, you will exit right because you will have taken the right exit. Pray with me right now: Father, in the name of Jesus, honor Your word right now with the people who are watching online and the people in this room.
Listen to me carefully: You cannot live the God life until you know God, and you cannot know God until you come to know Jesus, which is why Jesus said, «You can’t get to the Father unless you go through me.» There are some of you watching this program right now, either on a computer or TV, or you’re in this room today. You don’t know Jesus; you’ve never trusted Him as your Lord and Savior. You can’t live the God life because you don’t know God. I just wonder who’s listening to me right now that needs to simply say, «I don’t want to live the good life; I want to live the God life.» To live the God life, you’ve got to have the God of life living in you. So I wonder who would say today, who would pray today:
Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner, and I need a savior. Jesus, I believe You’re that savior. I believe You died for my sins. I believe God raised You from the dead. I believe You’re alive right now. Lord Jesus, come into my heart, save me, forgive me of my sins. I surrender all that I am to all that You are. I repent of my sin. Thank You for hearing my prayer. Thank You for saving me.