Greg Laurie - What Happens Beyond the Grave? (10/29/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie addresses what happens after death from John 5 and Revelation 20, affirming death is not the end—we live on eternally. Believers face resurrection to life and rewards in heaven; unbelievers face judgment and the second death. He urges preparation through faith in Christ for heaven, reunion, and eternal joy with God.
Facing the Reality of Death
Well let's turn our Bibles to John chapter 5 and Revelation chapter 20. We are going to be looking at both today. And the title of my message is, What happens beyond the grave?
Let me start with a really happy statement. One day we are all going to die. As I have said so many times, the statistics on death are quite impressive. One out of every one persons will die. I heard a story of a man who was walking through a cemetery and he saw a tombstone. And written on the tombstone were these words, Pause now stranger as you pass by. As you are now so once was I. As I am now so you will be. So prepare for death and follow me. The man read it. Thought about it for a moment. And then he said, To follow you is not my intent until I know which way you went. Right. So that is what I want to talk about today. What happens beyond the grave. We all have to face it head on.
Ecclesiastes 3 says, There is a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born. And a time to die. Hebrews 9:27, It is appointed unto a man once to die. And after this comes the judgment.
History tells the story of Philip of Macedon who was the father of Alexander the Great. He commissioned a servant whose job was to follow Philip around everywhere he went and repeat this statement, Philip you will die. That sort of kept him grounded. The psalmist writes in Psalm 90, Now I know some of you are thinking, Greg this is such a depressing subject. Let's talk about something else. No. We have to talk about this. Listen. Only those who are prepared to die are really ready to live.
The Benefits of Thinking About Eternity
The research has been done that has actually revealed that those who think the most deeply about death and the afterlife actually live longer. Harold Cohen, Duke University's Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences gave this summarization from a wide body of data pointing to the fact, quote, that people of religious faith who believe in life after death are not only healthier than their counterparts but are less likely to suffer from stress and depression, less likely to attempt suicide, less vulnerable to a host of other ailments, and are likely to live longer. His data shows that if you believe in life after death you will live longer, be healthier, be happier in your marriage, and make a greater contribution to your fellow man. End quote. Isn't that interesting? So when you actually think about this and prepare for this you will live a longer, happier, more fulfilling life.
Now most Americans today believe in the afterlife. 84 percent. 82 percent of Americans believe in heaven. 70 percent believe in hell. But I think as you get older you start to think about this more don't you. Because the body is not doing what the body used to be able to do. There are those reminders that time is marching on. But one thing that will really tether you to the afterlife is if you have someone close to you die. Especially if it is sudden or unexpected. But someone that is a part of your life if they leave you suddenly you find yourself thinking a lot about the life beyond.
Key Truths from John 5
So I have some good news and bad news. So let me start with a statement of fact. After the grave you continue to live. Death is not the end. It is just the continuation of it in another place. Now here is the good news. If you are a Christian that place is heaven. And after that heaven will come to earth and will live forever worshiping and serving the Lord with our loved ones who have also died in faith.
It seems whenever I do any kind of a call in show be it on TV or radio we always get asked the following questions. They are always in rotation. It is like people can never get enough on this topic. They will ask what happens right after we die. What kind of body will we have in heaven. Will we know one another in heaven. Will we remember anything about earth. That is asked a lot. And do people in heaven know what is happening on earth and are they watching us. I am going to answer all of those questions in this message. We are going to look at what Jesus has to say about what happens beyond the grave.
So John chapter 5 starting in verse 25 Jesus says, Most assuredly I say to you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, also because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this. The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and they will come forth. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life. Those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. Now we will stop there.
Some important truths strike us from this text. You might want to write these down. They are on the screen as well. Number one. Death is not the end of existence. Again death is not the end of existence. Number two. There is a final judgment. There is a final judgment. Number three. There are two forms of existence beyond the grave. Two forms of existence beyond the grave and also two destinations. You choose. Number four. The kind of existence or the destination that we go to will depend on our relationship with Jesus or our lack thereof.
Death Is Not the End
So let's start with the first one. Death is not the end of existence. We are an eternal creature. Nonbeliever. Believer. It doesn't really matter. Everyone lives on because the soul lives on forever. Some think that when they die they are just put in a box and they go underground and that is the end of the story. That is not true. We live on. Number one. That is clearly taught in Scripture.
Number two. There is a final judgment. Acts 17:30 says, Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commence all men everywhere to repent, because He is appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. And He has given assurance of this by raising Him from the dead. Then 2 Peter 2 says, The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment while continuing their punishment. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, Every idle word you may speak you will give an account of on the day of judgment.
No question there is a day of judgment coming. And actually the fact that there is a future judgment should assure us that God is fair. This coming judgment should satisfy our inward sense of need for justice in life. Why? Because bad things happen in this world that are inexplicable. Horrific acts of violence. Terrorism. And we say, How can a person do something like that and get away with it? Well the answer is they won't get away with it. God is in control. He keeps very accurate records. And the Bible says the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done and there is no partiality.
Another interesting little medical thought here. The teaching of a future judgment should help us to not want to bear grudges or get revenge. Studies have shown that people who forgive live longer. Recent studies suggest that those who do not forgive are more likely to experience high blood pressure, bouts of depression, and problems with anxiety, stress, and other pressures. So it comes down to this. If you want to live longer be prepared for the afterlife and learn to forgive people. And that is what the Bible actually teaches. The Bible had a jump on all of these experts when we are told in the book of Romans that we should not take revenge but leave room for God's wrath. For God says, I will avenge, says the Lord.
So you might say, OK, fine Greg. I will forgive. But it doesn't seem right to me that those people who did that horrible thing would get away with it. Well listen. They won't get away with it. Every wrong in the universe will ultimately be paid for. Either it will turn out to have been paid for by Jesus Christ when He died on the cross. And if the offender repents of their sin and puts their faith in Him they will be forgiven. Or it will be paid for by the nonbeliever at the final judgment for those who do not know Christ.
Two Resurrections and Two Destinies
Number three. There are two forms of existence beyond the grave. Look at verse 28-29. Don't marvel at this. The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. According to the Scripture there are two resurrections. There is a resurrection of the just and there is a resurrection of the unjust. The resurrection of the unjust is speaking of the unbeliever. The resurrection of the just is the believer.
So now we shift gears to another passage that will bring a lot of clarity to what Jesus has said here in John. So go over now to Revelation 20. The second passage I had you turn to. Revelation 20. We are going to look at verses 4-6. And I saw thrones, and them that sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of them who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, and for the word of God who had not worshipped the beast or His image, and not received His Mark on their foreheads or their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is He who has part in the first resurrection. Over such a second death has no power. For they will be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Ok. What is the first resurrection? That is the one that all true believers will experience. Basically when a Christian dies they go immediately into the presence of God. They go straight to heaven. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5. We are confident. I would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him. Whether we are at home in the body or away from it. So you immediately go into the presence of the Lord. Paul talked about how he desired to depart to be with Christ which was far better. He didn't say I desire to die so I can take a really long nap. Or go into a state of suspended animation. Or go to some kind of soul sleep. Or to purgatory. No. He said he would depart and be with me in Christ. And be in Christ.
Remember the thief on the cross who turned to Jesus and said, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Christ said, Verily, verily, I say to you, what? Today. Today you will be with me in paradise. Not down the road. No. Today. Immediately. That is what happens. You see death died when Christ Rose. Remember that. Death died when Christ Rose. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 55 says, O death where is your sting? O Hades where is your victory? The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Resurrection Body in Heaven
So what kind of body will God give to us when we get to heaven? Well 1 Corinthians 15 verse 42 answers that. It says, Our earthly bodies which die and decay will be different when they are resurrected for they will never die. Our bodies now disappoint us. Amen. Right. But when they are raised they will be full of glory. They are weak now but when they are raised they will be full of power.
So what does this mean? It means that there are differences and similarities between your body on earth and the new body that God will give you. First of all there are differences. If you are disabled on earth you will not be disabled in heaven. If you are in pain through the aging process on earth you will not have that in heaven. People often ask, How old will we be in heaven? Nobody knows the answer to that. But we will be in a perfect glorified state. So there are differences. But there are similarities. Listen. Heaven is the earthly life of the believer glorified and perfected. There will be no more senior moments. Right. You ever find yourself saying, And the most important thing I want to say is, then your mind blanks out. It happens all the time to me. Our minds and our memories will be clearer than ever before. It is like the radically upgraded version of you.
Now here is a very important thing to know that will help you understand what this new body will be like. Our new body, our resurrection body, will be like the resurrection body of Jesus. 1 John 3:2 says, We know that we are the children of God. It has not been revealed what we will be. But we know when He is revealed we shall be like Him.
Ok. Now remember when Christ Rose again from the dead. Was He in a physical body or was He a spirit. It was a physical body. We know that He came to His disciples. He said, Go ahead. Reach out. Here are the wounds of my hands. He still bore in His body the wounds from the crucifixion. He asked for a piece of fish to eat. And I don't think He was like translucent and you saw the fish going down into His stomach or something weird. He didn't float around. You know. He walked like anybody else. So He was human. It was physical. However His glorified body or His resurrection body I should say was different in that He could appear in a room without using the door. Remember that. He ascended to heaven. Does that mean we will fly one day? I don't know. But I would like that. I sure fly in my dreams. I don't know about you. How many of you fly in your dreams? I do. It is not like I fly like Superman running and jumping out a window. I just kind of go like that. It is pretty cool. I hope we can do that. I am glad I am not the only one that thinks about that.
Questions About Heaven Answered
Will we know one another in heaven? I think the answer is yes. Why would you think you are more stupid in heaven than you are on earth? Well maybe I should ask this. Do you know one another on earth? Well sometimes we do. But sometimes we see people we haven't seen in a long time and they change so much we don't recognize them. But in heaven we will know one another because our knowledge will be perfected. 1 Corinthians 13 says we will know fully as we are known. You see we will know more than we know in heaven than we know on earth. We will know more in heaven than we know on earth I should say.
But the desire to sin will be gone. Won't that be great? You will still have love. When you are with your family you will still love your family. But the love will be stronger, sweeter, and purer. There is no more a break in your love than there is a break in your thoughts. In fact heaven is the reunion. It is the reconnection. When we pick up where we last left off. Death breaks ties on earth but renews them in heaven. Heaven is the perfecting of the highest moments of our present Christian experience. So we are the same people. I think that is important. Because I think sometimes people think in this new body we are like another person. No. You are still you. Just perfect you. That is all.
After Christ Rose remember He said to His disciples, It is I and not another. Guys it is me still. You see. And that will be true of us as well.
Now here is a big question. Do people in heaven know what is happening on earth? This is asked often. Are they watching us? You know sometimes people will say, I know my loved one is watching me. And just the other day I felt their presence. And they spoke to me and told me to do thus and so. And I talk to them all the time. Now we want to be very careful when we talk about this topic. First of all let me say I have compassion on people who feel a desire to be connected to a loved one. Because when you lose a loved one suddenly as our son loved us so suddenly almost six years ago the desire to communicate is very strong. And I understand this pain that people feel.
But let me just say a couple of things. First of all your loved one does not speak to you from heaven. So if you are hearing voices from your loved one that is not them. All right. Number two they don't guide you and they are not with you. They are with the Lord. All right.
Now are they aware of what is happening to you on earth. Some will say no. They don't know anything at all. They are just in heaven. They are oblivious to your situation. Well I don't know that that is completely true. I actually think that one can make a pretty good biblical case for the fact that people in heaven know more about what is happening on earth than we may think. There are a number of references in this Scripture. And I have dealt with this many times. In fact I deal with it in depth in my book. A little plug here. My new book on heaven. But it is called As It Is In Heaven. But I deal with it in depth in this book. So I am just going to touch on it briefly.
There is a number of Scriptures I could point out. But one that comes to mind is where Jesus says that there is rejoicing in heaven for every sinner that repents. Because people say there is no connection between the two. Wait. Jesus said there is rejoicing in heaven every time a sinner repents. That shows a connection between the two worlds. Between heaven and earth every time a sinner believes. And it doesn't say when a hundred sinners repent one sinner. And it doesn't say that the angels rejoice. It says there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels when one sinner repents. That would imply to me that we are doing The rejoicing if we are in heaven. Could it be, now I can't say with certainty, but could it be that when I am in heaven and I hear of a sinner coming to faith on earth that I may have played a role in that conversion. Or maybe it is my loved one, my son, my daughter, my husband, my wife. I don't have a husband. You know I am just putting myself in a neutral position. Right. Or someone I cared about. Could it be that I would know who that was. It could be. I don't think you would rule that out and say it is not possible.
Do people in heaven know what is going on on earth? Well in Revelation chapter 6 we read of those who are martyred for the faith. These are mere mortals. And their life is taken from them unjustly. And when they are in heaven they say, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell on the earth? Now this is interesting. Because this actually contradicts some ideas I have heard about heaven. Number one people say you are not aware of time in heaven. Really? Well these tribulation martyrs in heaven say, How long, O Lord, until You avenge us? That is a recognition of time. When are you going to do it Lord? Number two there is still an awareness of the suffering of their fellow servants on earth. How long? Until You avenge our blood on those that dwell on the earth. So it seems to me there is more awareness than we may think.
Also in Romans 12 we read of being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Hebrews 11 often called the hall to faith is a veritable who's who of believers. Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Gideon, Samson, David, Rahab, Daniel. The list goes on. So it talks about them. And here is all these great men and women of faith. And then we go to Hebrews 12. Therefore, since you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run the race that is set before us with endurance.
Now when we talk about this great cloud of witnesses does this mean that they are an example we should follow? Or does it mean there is an awareness of the saints in heaven of what is going on on earth? I don't know. But I don't think you can say it doesn't mean that.
But then some will say, well wait. There is no sadness in heaven. There is no tears in heaven. And if we were aware in heaven of what is going on earth we would be sad. Well first of all it is not true to say there is no tears in heaven. I know Eric Clapton had a song about that. But the Bible teaches something different. Again going back to the tribulation martyrs. They are aware of something that is unjust. There is an awareness of it. But in Revelation 5 a scroll is produced. An angel says, Who is worthy to open the scroll? But no one in heaven and earth could open it. And suddenly one appears, identified as a lamb. But before the lamb appears John says, I wept because no one was found worthy. And then the Lion of the tribe of Judah comes and opens it. Now wait a second. I just read John saying, I wept. Where was John? In heaven. Someone wept in heaven. So there is weeping in heaven to some degree.
But then we read over in Revelation 7. The Lord will feed and guide us and God will wipe away all tears. Wait a second. How can I wipe away a tear if there is no tear to wipe away? So it appears there could be tears. In heaven there are tears. God wipes them away. And the verse that is often quoted in Revelation 21:4 when it says, God will wipe away all tears from your eyes. There will be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. For the former things are passed away. That actually is in the New Jerusalem. So here is the chronology of events. When a Christian dies they go to heaven. Or if they are raptured they go to heaven. Then we are there in heaven until the Lord comes back at the second coming. We return with Him. And that ends the tribulation period. Then the millennium begins. That lasts for a thousand years. And then comes the final judgment. I will talk about this more in a moment. But then the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth. So this passage that says where God will wipe away all tears and sorrow happens in the New Jerusalem. You see.
See now Greg you have really confused me. So are we going to need a lot of tissues in heaven? Here is what I am simply saying. When you get to heaven there are tears. God will wipe away the tears. Now let me come back to the earlier point. If I was aware of someone hurting on earth with them. Wouldn't that make heaven a miserable place? The answer is no. See we think knowing something would make us sad and we wouldn't enjoy where we are because we know what they are facing. Wait. The difference is perspective. Because now I know all things. See. Now I see things the way God sees them.
It is sort of like the difference between the reaction of an adult and a child to something. When one of my little granddaughters breaks one of their toys I bought them these little doll things called Lala Loopsies. Ever heard of those? How many of you have heard of Lala Loopsies? It is sad that men are raising their hand. But actually I am almost an expert on them because all my granddaughters love them. The weirdest toy ever. It is a giant head. A little plastic head with a body that just dangles. They can't stand. I don't know why the kids like them. But I got them a little collection of Lala Loopsies. And the other day one of the kids took the head off Lala Loopsie. Pretty worthless now. Now we just have a dangling body. Not even a head. And she was very upset. And I said, It is okay. Why would my Lala Loopsie? It is okay. You know why? Because I have more Lala Loopsies in storage. See I ordered extras. Because they lose them. So I have them hidden. And I said, Okay. Well I am going to get you a new Lala Loopsie. And I walked in the other room. Opened the thing up. Pulled out the Lala Loopsie. Gave it to them. And she was happy. So the reason I was upset is because I have knowledge of what is going to happen. I have perspective. They are just a child. They don't get that.
When we are in heaven we will have perspective. You see. So I do think people in heaven know more than we may think they know. So when is the first resurrection? Revelation 20 says, Blessed and holy is He that is part of the first resurrection. Listen. The first resurrection is the rapture of the church. 1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold I show you a mystery. Will not all die. Will be changed from mortal to immortal in a moment and the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet.
So let's put it all together. When a Christian dies they go straight to heaven. You have not yet received your glorified body. That happens at the rapture. So if you die before the rapture you don't have your glorified body yet. We all get it at the same time. Okay. Well what body are we in... What body do we have in heaven? The Bible doesn't give an answer. Sort of an intermediate body of sorts I would think. But it is at the resurrection. At the rapture. Or it is from the word in the Greek, rapturus in the Latin, harpazo in the Greek. It just means the catching up. The removal of something or someone. So that is when we receive it.
The Rapture and Reunion
The question is once we are in heaven will we see our loved ones again? Well this is what the rapture is all about. It is about a reunion. See the backdrop of 1 Thessalonians 4 where we find that very familiar rapture passage. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remaining shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. So we love that passage. But then Paul concludes by saying therefore comfort one another with these words. Why did he say that? Because the believers in Thessalonica were having loved ones die. They were wondering will we ever see them again? Paul is saying in the rapture, in the harpazo, you will be caught up together to meet them. Who are them? Your loved ones that have gone before you. They are in heaven. They are receiving their resurrection bodies as you receive your resurrection bodies. And it is a time of great reunion.
Death is the great separator, but Christ is the great reconciler. It will be a family reunion. Now some of you may have just shuddered. Family reunion. Eugh. Greg I have a weird family. Don't we all? I love it when people say I come from a dysfunctional family. Who doesn't? Listen. I came from a dysfunctional family. Now I am the head of a dysfunctional family. But I like to put the fun in dysfunction. But anyway all of us have weird family. Especially extended family. But the good news is in heaven, in the glorified body, in the coming family reunion everyone is glorified. Even Uncle Harry is normal now. So don't worry about it.
All of this should cause us to long for heaven. All of this should cause us to see that death doesn't have to frighten us as it does. Because we should be longing for this place we have never been. We should be homesick for heaven. And God has put a homing instinct inside of us. The animal kingdom has it. And people have it too. I read a story a while back about a cat named Clem. It had some pretty amazing homing instincts. He had run away from his family eight years earlier. That is what cats do by the way. Dogs run away occasionally. But cats they will just leave with no explanation. And eight years later these people thought Clem was gone. Dead. There is a clawing at their screen door. They open it up and in walks a cat purring. Walks into the front room. Jumps up in Clem's old chair and just falls asleep. They think who is this cat in Clem's chair? They got all the old photos and realized the cat in Clem's chair was Clem. He had been gone eight years. Where did he go? This is why I don't like cats. But anyway. At least he came home. And one day we will come home too. To heaven.
There is going to be reunion with loved ones. There is going to be laughing and rejoicing and feasting and praising and serving the Lord. But listen. There will also be a judgment. Now don't be thrown by the word judgment. This is not a judgment as to whether or not you will get to heaven. This is a judgment that will take place in heaven for Christians. 2 Corinthians 5 says, We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each may receive what is due him for the things done in his body whether it be good or bad.
The same concept is further developed in 1 Corinthians 3.11-14. Please write these references down and read them later. For 1 Corinthians 3.11-14. Speaking of this judgment for Christians, Paul writes, No one can lay any other foundation than the one we already have laid which is Jesus Christ. Now anyone who builds in that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hair straw. But there is going to come a time of testing at that judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put to the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire the builder receives a reward. But if the work is burned up the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.
Certainly there could be a tinge of sadness there, I would think, if I got to heaven and I realized I had largely wasted my life. But what a joyful thing it would be if I realized that God was going to now faithfully reward me for all I had done with my life.
Now some of us have won a lot of awards. I have a friend that has competed in so many races. He just has all the like probably 200. little medals hanging around ribbons. You know. And once I told him, put all those on and wear them and see what people know. He wouldn't do it. But you know I never won anything like that. I never won first place in anything. When I used to compete in races and things when I was a kid I won a lot of honorable mention ribbons. As I recall they were usually purple. I don't know why they picked purple for that. Basically an honorable mention ribbon says, You exist and we acknowledge it. Now go.
But there is going to be a reward ceremony in heaven. You see nowadays a popular trend especially among kids is to not keep score. I went to one of my granddaughter's soccer games the other day. I was watching them. They have these names like the purple princesses and all this. So you know they are so dainty and cute kicking the ball around. Anyway I am watching this and I said to someone, What is a score? Someone said, We don't keep score. There are no winners or losers. So I went over to someone else. I said, What is a score? It was some guy. He says, It is five to two. Okay. Thanks. By the way I think that is stupid. I think you should keep score. There is a winner and there is a loser. Guess what? God keeps score. And there will be rewards given to winners. To people who have taken what God has given us and they have used it faithfully.
See your presence in heaven is guaranteed by God's promise. But your position in heaven is earned or lost by the quality of service we offer. You will receive rewards if you are faithful to God and use the gifts He has given you. And what has God given to every Christian? Three things. I have told this to you before. Time, treasure, and talent. We all have it. Some have more than others. Some have less than others. That is not the point. You take what God has given you. You will be held accountable for what God has called you to do. Not held accountable to what He has called me to do or someone else. Time, treasure, and talent to use for His glory. This day of reckoning is coming. So let's be faithful with it.
The Second Resurrection and Judgment
Then there is the second resurrection. The first resurrection, to repeat, is the rapture when Christians are called to heaven. And there is a judgment. But it is a judgment of the giving out of rewards. You are home free. But the second resurrection is different. This is for the nonbeliever. Revelation 20 verse 6. Blessed and holy is He that has part in the first resurrection. Over such a second death as no power, there will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
So after the rapture we go to heaven for seven years. That is the tribulation period. We return at the end for the second coming. Then there is a millennium as I mentioned. After the millennium is done which lasts for a thousand years comes the second resurrection. That is when books are opened and a book is opened. Which is the book of life. Speaking of this Revelation 20 verse 13 says, A seeing and the dead gave up the dead that were in them. Death and Hades delivered up the dead that were in them. And they were judged, each one according to their works. And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Anyone that have done written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
By the way I believe every word of that. Do you? Do you? If you do it should affect you in the way that you live. If you do it should cause you to want to reach as many people as you can with the message of the gospel. Someone asked me the other day who had just given a little talk publicly for some tips on public speaking. And then they said, Do you ever get nervous when you get up to speak? And I said, Well a little bit. But really when I get up to speak I have a certain level of confidence. Because number one I have confidence in my message. Because you see I am proclaiming the Word of God not the Word of Greg. If I were getting up here giving you my opinions that is one thing. But if I am up here telling you what the Bible says. I believe in this book. I believe in the message of this book. And I believe that God's Word will not return void. So that gives me a certain boldness. That is not just public speaking. And then number two, there is an urgency to what I am saying. Because I believe that eternity is at stake. This could be compared to the way a flight attendant might give the normal announcement when you are getting ready to take off. You know they are calm and collected. They tell you what to do in case of an emergency landing. They show you where the exits are. They always have the little exits are here and back there. Right. And then they put that little life vest on. They show you where you blow into it. And the little whistle. And how to inflate it. And they tell you that your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device in case of an emergency water landing. Which has never given me any comfort at all. Oh the plane has crashed in the ocean. But I have my seat. Oh wait. I have a whistle too. And it is not even a big whistle. Well they give that announcement over and over again. But nothing happens. And the plane lands.
But what if you were in flight and three out of four engines went out. They have to give the announcement again. Do you think there will be a little more urgency this time? Of course. Because your life depends on it. That is the difference between public speaking and preaching the gospel. Preaching the gospel has urgency because eternity hangs in the balance for the people who are hearing it. So we want to make sure we get this message out to as many people as we can. Because one day our memorial service, our funeral is going to come. And you know when you do a funeral for someone you try to find some nice things to say about them. Right? In a funeral you never talk about how handsome or beautiful a person was because no one really cares about that much. No one cares about that much at that moment. You don't talk about their portfolio or how big their house was or how successful they were in business. No. You talk about other things things like their love for their family or things they did for others. How they gave of themselves. We are always looking for substance because that is what matters at that point.
Right? And some people they have no substance in their life. You know the prophet Daniel said to the wicked King Belshazzar, you have been weighed in God's balances and you have been found lacking. In other words he is saying, Buddy you are a spiritual lightweight. You got in God's scales and you don't weigh enough. Now usually when we get in a scale we weigh too much. Right? But in God's scales you want to have weight. And Belshazzar did not. Some people don't. What if you just got up and told the truth in a funeral instead of saying something nice. This person basically wasted their life. They bought a bunch of stuff that now is going to be fought over by members of their family. It is too bad they couldn't have done more with their life. We wouldn't say that. But it would be the truth.
Let us not be one of those people that those things are said about. Because all the flowery things are said in the funeral and the real things are said afterwards by people that knew you. They will say the truth about you. Your life will be summed up. I read an article about John Gotti. He was the mobster. The Mafia Don. Known as the Dapper Don because of his beautiful expensive suits. So when he died in prison he had his wake and it was a who is who of gangland figures. And the florists of Queens delivered what I assume were floral displays that to some degree symbolized Gotti's life. So they brought in these six foot replicas of things that symbolized the life of mobster John Gotti. One was a Martini glass. Another was a racehorse because he loved the races. Another was a royal flush, the cards. And finally a Cuban cigar. That summed up his life. What if they had floral displays to sum up your life? This is what you were all about. What would they have? For some maybe a football. For others a TV set. For others a Bible perhaps. I don't know. What would sum your life up best if you were to be honest?
Well that day is going to come and we will die. And then comes the afterlife. Yes you will live forever. But the big question is where? You will either be in heaven and the presence of God and then you will come to the new earth ruling and reigning with Christ. or you will be in hell separated from God and your loved ones forever. The choice is yours. In that final day it is not going to be the sin question as much as it is going to be the sun question. S-O-N. As in what did you do with Jesus Christ.
Look we are all sinners. None of us is good enough to get to heaven. Heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people. And if you have asked God to forgive you of your sin you can have absolute confidence you will go to heaven one day. Because Jesus died on the cross for your sin. And if you will turn from that sin and believe in Him you will not have to fear death.
I mentioned the second death. The Bible speaks of that second resurrection as a second death. Here is a simple way to look at it. If you are born once you will die twice. If you are born twice you will die once. If you are born once you will die twice. You will die physically and spiritually. The second death separated from God for all eternity. If you are born twice physically and then born again Again, by believing in Jesus Christ you will only die once. You will die physically. But then you will live forever.
And you know what? There is a generation that won't even die physically. There is a generation of people that will be caught up in a moment in the twinkling of an eye to meet the Lord in the air. Are we that generation? We could be. I hope we are. But even if we aren't, one thing I know. I am going to heaven. Are you?
Invitation to Be Ready for Eternity
Listen. If you are not sure if you are going to heaven or not let me tell you how to be sure. You need to admit you are a sinner. You need to turn from that sin. You need to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. And you need to believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. And if you have not done that why don't you do it right now as we bow our heads for a closing prayer.
Again, let us all pray. Father, thank You for Your Word to us today. This is a big deal. There is no bigger deal. This is it. Eternity. Once we leave this life there is no coming back to the life as we knew it. So Lord I pray for any here that are watching, listening. If they do not yet know You, help them to come to You and believe in You and be forgiven of all of their sin. Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying, I am going to say to you right now, are you going to go to heaven when you die? Do you know that you are ready to meet God? If death came tonight or tomorrow or if the rapture came would you be one of those ones who are ready? Or would you be one of those ones who are not ready?
If you want to be ready, if you want Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin, if you want to be certain you will go to heaven when you die, I am going to ask you to do. I am going to ask you to stand up wherever you are and I am going to lead you in a prayer. A prayer of asking Christ to forgive you. Listen to me. If you want your sin forgiven, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want to know with certainty you will go to heaven when you die, stand to your feet right now wherever you are. Stand up. And I am going to pray with you. God bless you. Just stand up. More of you need to stand. Go on. Stand up. Stand to your feet. You are watching the video screen. You stand to your feet. You are on a satellite campus. Stand up. It does not matter. This is between you and God. And this prayer that you are praying, you are praying to Him and He will hear it and He will answer it.
Anybody else? You want to be sure you will go to heaven when you die. Stand up. I am not trying to put pressure on you but this could be your last chance. You may never have another opportunity like this again. Don't miss it. Anybody else? Stand to your feet. There might be a few more. God bless you that are standing. I will wait a couple of more moments. You are not sure that your life is right with God. You want to know with certainty you will be ready to meet Him. Stand to your feet. One final moment. Anybody else? God bless all of you that are standing. God bless you.
Now all of you that are standing I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. Again as I pray, pray this prayer out loud right where you stand. Pray this now.
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But You died on the cross for my sin. And I turn from that sin now. I ask You to forgive me. I choose to follow You from this moment forward. Be my Savior and my Lord. Be my God and my friend. Thank You for calling me and accepting me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
God bless you that just prayed that prayer. God bless you. Amen. Well God bless all of you. Listen. You that just prayed that prayer we have something we want to give you. It is called a Start Bible. It is designed for someone like yourself making that first time commitment. It is a New Testament along with some notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment or recommitment you have made. So listen. You that just stood and prayed that prayer here is what I want you to do. I want you to get up out of your seat and go to this room over here in the corner. And we are going to give you one of these Bibles. So you that just prayed that prayer get up out of your seat right now. Go on over to the room there in the corner. We are going to wait on you. Don't worry about that. Right Right over there. Up in the balcony. Go on over to that room. Right over there. God bless you guys. Right over there. In the corner. If you are outside in the amphitheater come around to the back of the sanctuary and go to the same room and we will give you the same Start Bible. God bless all you guys.
Well now we are going to receive our morning tithes and offerings. Remember when we stand before the Lord in that final day as believers. He will want to know what we did with the resources that God gave to us. What are they? Time, treasure, and talent. Every day we spend some of that time. We utilize some of that talent. And we invest that treasure. Here is an opportunity to invest in God's kingdom. Let's pray:
Father, bless now this time of giving. Use these gifts for Your glory. That more people can hear the only message that can change your eternal destiny. The message of the gospel. We commit this time of giving to You now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.