Dr. Ed Young - Heaven Is Real

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TOPICS: Heaven, Afterlife

Every second three people die. Every minute 180 people die. Every hour 1,1000 people die. Every day 250,000 people leave this earth. The mortality rate is 100%. A hundred percent. And therefore when we cease to function as a living person in this world, the atheists, the agnostics say, "I don't know. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We go back to dust and Earth nothingness. We cease to exist". Are we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, in that book, knows that when life leaves this body, we go to Heaven, we go to Hell, understanding that God never sends anybody to Hell. It is a choice we make on this earth that decides our destiny.

So we're gonna be looking at for weeks to come, Heaven. Heaven. And every time I say heaven is, you'll answer real. Let's try it. Heaven is? How many of you have ever got on the Internet and looked at real estate on the Internet? Would you lift your hand? You just looked at real estate. A lot of people. Good, good, good. It's called real estate. They are real. But sometimes we can be confused about what we see and what we don't see. Like the two blondes who were on the coast, and they look out over there and they look at the moon, and one blonde says to the other, "Are we closer to the moon or to Florida"? And the other blonde says, "Can you see Florida"?

So we can be confused about what is real and what is not real, but we know one thing in our study, we will see that heaven is? Now, people have trouble believing that, because it is out of this world. But it's real, heaven exists. Let me show you how real it is. Would everybody clap your hands? Then that chair, you just feel that chair. Would you feel a little bit? All right. All right, take a deep breath. Oh, that's real, isn't it? You know, the chair, the noise, the clap, heaven is just that real. And we'll talk about reality. In a sense, most of us think reality has to do with material. If it's real, it has to be material, but we know, we think about it, that's not true. Real is material. In heaven, we'll be material, but also real is spiritual.

Can you see love? Can you see friendship? Love, friendship, these are intangible, so in heaven, we discover there will be that which is material and that which is immaterial, that which we can measure objectively, and that which we cannot measure subjectively. We will have a resurrected body that will be real spiritually and physically in another dimension, and we'll look at that next time we gather. But now we're talking about heaven. And when I think about heaven, you know the verse that comes to my mind? And the chapter is John 14. Most of us are familiar with John 14 chapter number 14, verse 1 says, "Do not let your heart be troubled".

Now, let's get the context of Jesus speaking these words. He's in the upper room. It's only hours before his arrest and his crucifixion. This is valedictory address in which he's instructing those 11 Apostles one last time, and he's trying to teach them and let them understand that he's about to leave. Now, a lot of people take this passage, and they say, "Let not your heart be troubled," and they say, "Well, if you're a Christian, you should never have any troubles".

You can cut on television, hear that 24/7. Well, if you're a Christian, and you're serving the Lord and you have enough faith, you'll not really have any trouble. You'll just wash away troubles. You'll be healthy and wealthy and wise and free from any concern, and they take this verse and use it as one of the text that they'll use. Or Romans 8:20, "All things work together for good to those who love God. Therefore, let not your hearted be troubled". We as Christians should not have trouble, but we know from personal experience that is a lie. It is simply phony, it is not true, why?

One reason there is evil in the world. Anybody want to debate about that a while? And we could show evil in some religious groups, we could show evil and some people who are just mentally confused, some people who are addicted. There is evil in the world, so there is trouble in the world, but we don't have to look at a global perspective, we can look in our lives. And there's trouble in individual lives, there's trouble in relationships, there's trouble in families, there's trouble in our vocations, there's trouble with our health. All around us we see there are troubles, but this scripture says, "Let not your heart be troubled," but we are surrounded by troubles. We have trouble. Everybody walks this earth has troubles. Jesus did.

In the preceding chapter, John 13, it says Jesus was troubled. Well, how in the world can Jesus be troubled? You read in the context there, it's because one of his close associates he'd followed with, he'd loved, he'd believed in, he discipled, he had trained, this associate was selling him out. By the way, nobody can really hurt you, really hurt you deeply unless you've loved them, been with 'em, shared your life with them, they shared your life. That's somebody who can really hurt you. Other people can scar you, but you can back away, but somebody that's really walked inside of life with you, that's that people are gonna hurt you.

This is what Judas did. Jesus was troubled because of Judas. Jesus was troubled because of the braggadocios idea of Peter. Jesus said in the 13th chapter John, "I'm going away. I'm not going to be with you". And Peter says, Where you going? And Jesus says, "You can't go with me". And Peter says, "I'll go with you. I'll lay down my life for you". Big talk, isn't it? Jesus looked at the bombastic Pete and said, "Let me tell ya somethin'. Before the rooster crows in the morning, you'll deny you even know me".

Jesus was troubled. He was troubled because he was facing the shame of the cross. He was troubled because he knew the father would turn his back on him. He was troubled because he knew he would take upon himself all the trash of your life and my life and the trash of the world. Jesus was troubled, but in the midst of trouble, he was concerned about his apostles. Isn't that something? He was preparing them. He said, "Let not your heart be troubled". And then he gave them three reasons why they should not let trouble take over their lives. Not that they would not have problems and challenges and pain and suffering and difficulties, but he gave three reasons how you handle it, how you find victory in it. And look what he says, "Let not your heart be troubled," number one. "Believe in God, believe also in me".

When trouble comes to you, when trouble comes to me, the first thing we have to do is to trust God and trust Jesus Christ. It's trust. Can God be trusted? He created this world. Can Jesus be trusted as you look at his life and his words? He not only taught these principles, he lived them out. So, Jesus, saying trouble comes. Don't let trouble get over you and control you and ruin your life. He said, "Put your trust in me as you put your trust in Almighty God". That's where we begin when troubles come. We trust, we believe, put our full weight down upon him.

And what's the next thing Jesus says when trouble comes? He said, "In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would've told you. I go to prepare a place for you". He's saying, look, when trouble comes, the worst thing can happen is your life can be taken from you. You can leave this earth, but he said that shouldn't be an overwhelming trouble, because he said, I have gone ahead of you, "I have paved the way for you, and I have prepared a place just for you". And that will be our home.

Anybody thinks they're at home on this Earth, you are fooling yourself. It's just like here are fish in an aquarium, and they're swimming around and they look contented. I don't know. None of 'em have ever seemed like they were upset at me. But don't you know instinctively those fish say surely there's something more than this little rectangle bowl of water here. See, they were meant to be in the ocean. We're like that, folks. You see, we're made in the image of God; therefore, all of us breathe suddenly the air of the garden of Eden. I mean, this world isn't big enough to contain us. We'll never be totally fulfilled, totally satisfied, totally on top of a things, totally happy in this world. It's not gonna happen, because we were made for something more and bigger than this world.

And Jesus says, "I'm going ahead of you, whatever happens in this life, you go to the next life, I have prepared a place for you". We are pilgrims, we're passing through. We will never be totally at home here, but when we all get to heaven, we'll be completely at home there in a way that we can't even imagine in this life. The Bible says, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered the heart of man what God has," what's the word? Prepared for those of us who love him, those of us who are in relationship with him. So don't let trouble overwhelm you, don't let trouble overwhelm me, because we trust God, we trust Christ, and we know Jesus has gone ahead of us and prepared a place for us, and when we get there your initials will be there, and for the first time, you'll be totally at home.

The best day of my life will be the last day I live on this earth, but the last day of I live on this earth with not by a long shot be the best day of my life. That's true of you, that's true of me. This is something of a little vision we're going to get of heaven in our study in these weeks. Also, he says something else. The next thing he says, he said, "I not only will go prepare a place for you". He said, "I will go and prepare a place you," verse 3, "and I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am there you may be also. And you know the way where I'm going". He said, "Not only do you have to put your trust in me, not only have I prepared a place uniquely for you," but he says, "I am going to come and get you when life leaves this body or the curtain of history comes down, I'm gonna come and get you. I'm going to take you to that place uniquely prepared for you, and more that I'm going to stay with you and be there with you".

Man, what kind of beautiful comfort and promise that should be. By the way, John Chapter 14. It's a whole chapter of comfort. Martin Luther said it's the best chapter of comfort in the Bible. You read John 14, it's just comfort stacked on comfort stacked on comfort stacked on comfort. It is a comforting word, and this is the very heart of that comforting word. He will come and get us. Breath leaves this body. He will take us to the place that has been prepared where we'll first time in ever feel totally at home, and he will abide there with us. What a deal. That is the beginning of heaven. And then we read, Jesus says, "I am going away," and look what happens. Amazing thing. Thomas speaks up.

Now, listen. Jesus says, "And you know the way where I'm going". Thomas speaks up, listen to what he says. "Lord, we did not know where you're going. How do we know the way"? Jesus says, "You know the way," and Thomas said, "We don't know where you're going". I know the way. That happens all the time in the world to me. You go to the bank, and they said, Well, we're having an audit, and it's a Q2B audit. We don't know what, every profession has all of these initials and numbers and names, and we just sit there like, "Oh, yes. I know that. Sure". And that's what happened here. All the other apostles, Jesus says, "You know, I'm going away, and you know the way," and they said, "Oh, yes, we know the way".

And Thomas, thank God for Thomas, he stands up and says, "Lord, we don't know where you're going. How in the world can we know the way"? Doubting Thomas. He professed his ignorance, then he asked a question. We need to learn how to do that, folks. Don't be so smug, sophisticated. "Man, I get that. I know what that's..." No, no, no. He professed ignorance, he said, "I don't know where you're going, Lord. And I don't know where you... I don't know the way". And then Jesus uttered the most exclusive narrow statement that you'll ever find. He said, "I am the way, I am the truth, And I am the life". He explained clearly and probably elaborated on this to the Apostles exactly what that was all about. He said, "I am the way".

How do you get to God, ladies and gentlemen? How do you get to know God? How do you have an entree to God? How do you listen to God? How do you speak to God? Jesus says, "I'm the way you do it". And it comes through reconciliation. Anybody who is arrogant enough, and I want to say stupid enough, to think we can just walk up to God and say, "God, I want to have a little talk with you, and God, I want to tell you what I think, and God..." No, no, no, no. We don't have that entree, folks. We are unholy, impure, stained, broken, lost, confused people. We have to be reconciled. We have to have a way to get to God, and Jesus is the way.

He established the way through reconciliation by dying on a cross and paid the price for all of your stuff and all of my stuff; therefore, he is the way, the way, the way, and it comes because he has reconciled us, you and me, to Almighty God so we can go right before our heavenly father. He's the way. He said, "I'm the truth". And the truth is is the embellishment, it is the enlightenment, it is the facts. People say, "Well, this is true, that is true, who can know truth"? Jesus not only spoke the truth, but he embodied the truth. He tells us about God. It's not, "Well, listen to what I think. This is what somebody told me. This is what I believe". No, no, Jesus tells us the truth about God. If you really want to know the truth about God, there is Jesus. Make no mistake about it. He's the way, he is the truth, and truth is enlightenment.

So we understand all we need to know about the almighty. He's the way, and he is the life. He regenerates us. We die, we leave this earth, we get that resurrected body, and all of a sudden we are regenerated. We have life forever, meant for Heaven. See, Jesus said the way, the truth, and the life. Does that sound too narrow, too exclusive? Truth is always narrow and exclusive by definition. Something that's true is true. Jesus said, "I'm the way. And this is the way you get to the father. I'm the truth. This is enlightenment of what's really going on with God in life and what it's all about. And I am the life, and he gives us that life so we can walk around Heaven all day and have life that's meaning there". You see, Heaven is? Heaven is? And it really is real.

A young girl was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and she realized that when all of her family and friends were gathered, and her mother comes and says, "Let me show you what death is," and took her out of this room and put her into another room by herself. And the little girl was crying, the mother went and got another member of the family and brought her in the room, a little girl, and another one and another one til all of them were in the room with the little girl, and the mother said, "This is the way it is with death. You just went first". He said all of us will follow with you afterwards. That's a partial story, but the truth was if the mother was Jesus Christ, Jesus comes to get us and take us to himself, and we are the first that's there in our family, maybe the 21st in our family, but one day we'll all be there together, those who die in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Understand he's the way, the truth, and the life. It's heaven, it's the joy and the privilege of Heaven. Just say it another way: Heaven is exciting. It's exciting. My mother prayed every night of my life. She'd have family altar, and when I was young and a teenager, I didn't like it, but she'd always pray these words: "When thou art through with us on this earth, take us to our home, which is in Heaven". I didn't like that. It's about death, and I wasn't interested in death. Don't wanna talk about death, don't recognize death when you're young and even for many who are older. But I understand that now, she was saying to our home which is in Heaven, and man, it is exciting, so exciting to understand that.

Let's say that a friend invites you to a party. He went to the party. There's a few people there, hors d'oeuvres, all right, a little laughter, talking with one another. It's okay, you'd been there and hour or so, and your friend said, "Let's leave". Said, "No, maybe the party will pick up". Said, "No, let's go". So your friend takes you and takes you home, and you open the door and all of a sudden you're home, lights come on, there's laughter, there's food, there's people you hadn't seen in a long time. Your family is there. There's celebration there, there is music there, and all of a sudden you realize that you have gone to your own graduation party. And it is really terrific. It is magnificent. And you said, "My goodness, I was worried about leaving that little old one-horse party, but look at this celebration, this banquet that I've come to".

You see, we have the idea, "Well, I leave this world. I may have missed something, and boy it needs to go on". Oh no, we go to a party, a banquet, a place of excitement we can't even imagine in this life. It's called Heaven, Heaven. And I don't want to get us too excited about heaven today, because you'll say, "Pull up a bus and let's go there right now". No, no, no. But God tells us all we need to know about heaven, to know that in Heaven we'll have resurrected lives, in Heaven all of our friends will have resurrected lives, in Heaven there'll be a resurrected new Heaven and a new Earth, in Heaven there'll be a resurrected Jesus, in Heaven there'll be a resurrected culture, in Heaven there'll be challenges and creativity and joy and celebration that'll go on and on that's beyond anything we can picture or imagine, because we see heaven is real. It's real.

Older Christian man was dying. He's into bed, his son came and sat on the edge of bed and said, "Dad, how do you feel"? And that Christian man, with a little smile on his face said, "Son, I feel like a young boy on Christmas Eve". You see, Heaven is exciting, Heaven is? Heaven is?