Greg Laurie - Down to Earth Talk About Heaven (12/08/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie uses a funny joke about an older couple arriving in heaven to show how amazing it is compared to earth. In this message from Revelation 6 and other Bible passages, he tackles real questions like whether we'll be married there, if loved ones watch us from heaven, what rewards await, and what happens at Christ's judgment seat—all while calling us to live ready for eternity through faith in Jesus.
A Funny Joke That Points to Heaven's Reality
Alright, we are in Revelation chapter 6 and the group just sang a song talking about heaven, thinking about heaven. We are going to talk and think about it one more time as a part of our essential series. And the title of my message is, Down to Earth, Talk About Heaven.
I heard a story about an 85-year-old couple, both of them were 85, and they had been married for some 60 years. And as it turns out, they both died the same day and went to heaven. Now, as a matter of fact, this particular couple had been in very good health for the last 10 years of their lives, mainly as a result of the wife's interest in health and good exercise.
So they arrive at the pearly gates, of course, and I guess Peter, who is in charge of housing, or so we have heard in so many of these jokes, and he meets them and welcomes them and escorts them to their beautiful, palatial mansion. And the husband can't believe it. I mean, the master bedroom alone is 10 times bigger than the home he lived in on earth, and it has all the features that one would hope for, and a fireplace, and a jacuzzi.
And then he says, “How much is this going to cost?” And Peter says, “This isn't going to cost you anything. This is heaven.” And then they go outside in their backyard, and they have a beautiful view of this golf course that, because it's heaven, changes every week to resemble one of the great golf courses on earth. And the husband is overwhelmed, just so full of joy. And he asks again, “How much is this all going to cost? What are the green fees?” And Peter says, “No green fees. You play for free. This is heaven.”
Then after that, Peter escorts them to this dining room, where there's this lavish buffet lunch with cuisines of the world laid out. “How much does it cost to eat?” the man asks. Peter says, “It doesn't cost you anything. It's free. You're in heaven.” And then the man's looking around. He says, “No, wait a second. Where are the low-fat and low-cholesterol tables?” And Peter says, “That's the good news. In heaven, you don't have to eat low-fat and low-cholesterol. In fact, you can eat anything you want. You'll never get fat. And you'll never get sick.”
At this point, the man pulls the hat off his head, throws it on the ground, and he starts stomping on his hat. He's beet red, screaming. And Peter and his wife say, “What is wrong with you? Will you calm down?” And he turns to his wife and he says, “If it weren't for your blasted bran muffins, I would have been here ten years ago.”
Now, that's just another one of those heavenly jokes. But I kind of like that one in particular because it brings home some valid points about heaven. One being the most obvious: heaven is clearly better than earth. C.S. Lewis said, and I quote, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
Why Heaven Feels So Hard to Grasp
But it's hard to wrap our minds around this place we're all headed to as believers. It seems so surreal, so mystical, so unreal. Yet, the Bible speaks very specifically about heaven, giving us glimpses of it that really are, to some degree, understandable. The Bible presents heaven as a future destination and specifically as a place. The Bible tells us that heaven will be much better than anything we're experiencing now.
The Bible promises that in heaven we'll be given new bodies that will be strong and healthy. And the Bible promises that heaven is a place where our pain is gone and we'll live in pure joy. There will be no boredom in heaven.
Now, in our last message, we talked a little bit about what we will do in heaven because some have this idea that in heaven we're going to just sit around and strum stringed instruments, harps, and so forth, and lay on clouds and sleep, which may appeal to some people. It wouldn't appeal much to me, but we discovered that in heaven we're going to be active.
For instance, in heaven, the Bible teaches, we will be worshiping because Revelation 15:3 says we're singing the song of Moses. Not only are we worshiping, but we are going to be serving the Lord as well. We're doing many things in heaven. We're living in dwelling places. We're reigning with Him. We're working for Him. And as we're doing all this, we're maintaining unbroken fellowship with Jesus. Revelation 22:3 says, Revelation 19:9 promises that we will be present with the great heroes of the Bible at the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Down-to-Earth Answers About Heaven
Well, let's talk a little bit more about heaven now. Some down-to-earth talk about heaven. And we're going to answer the following four questions. Number one, will we still be married in heaven? Number two, how much do people in heaven know about what is happening here on earth? For instance, are they watching us right now? Number three, what about the rewards in heaven? The Bible promises a day of reward in our future. What is that? And finally, what is the judgment seat of Christ that we are going to stand before?
So let's start with the first one. Will we be married in heaven? Now, let me take a quick poll. How many of you would like to be married in heaven? Raise up your hand. You want to be married in heaven. That's interesting. Let me... Second question. How many of you are married? Raise your hand. There's more hands. Okay, let's try that again. How many of you want to be... Remember, you're here with your spouse, okay? How many of you want to be married in heaven? Raise your hand up. It's too late. The first one was the truthful one.
Some people would be very happy to think that there would be marriage in heaven. Others would not be so happy. So what is the answer? Well, the answer is yes and no. Listen, you will still have relationships in heaven that you had on earth. You're receiving a glorified body. You're relocating to heaven and ultimately to the new earth that God will establish. But that will not erase history. It will culminate history.
No, we can't take material things with us to heaven. But we will take relationships with us to heaven. But will we still be married? Well, actually, Jesus was asked that very question by a group of religious leaders known as the Sadducees. Now, the Sadducees, in contrast to the Pharisees, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. In other words, the Sadducees did not believe that there was life after death. Maybe that's where they got their name. Sadducee. Because they were sad. You see? I mean, that's a pretty bleak outlook, isn't it? To not have the hope of life beyond the grave. Right?
So, they thought they would trap Jesus. And they came up with this hypothetical situation. They said, okay, Jesus, we have a question for you. There was a woman who was married to a man. And the man died. And then, she married his brother. And he died. She married his other brother. He died. And she married all seven of his brothers. They all died. And our question is, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?
If I were Jesus, my follow-up would have been, okay, what's up with this woman? What is she cooking these guys? Anyway, seven husbands died? Whose wife will she be in the resurrection? That was supposed to trap the Lord. And he responds by saying to them, “You guys don't know the scriptures and you don't know the power of God. Because in heaven, when the dead rise, they won't be married. They will be like the angels in heaven.”
So we won't be married in heaven, right? Well, not necessarily. You won't be married to your spouse in heaven, but you'll be married to the Lord. You see, because the Bible describes us as the bride of Christ. And we will join our groom in heaven. So, in that sense, there is marriage in heaven.
Relationships That Last Beyond Marriage
Well, what about my relationship to my spouse? No, seriously, if you've been married to someone for 25, 35, 45, 55 years, the idea of not having any connection with them in eternity is troubling at the very least. But here's what you need to know. Your relationship with them will not end. And it's not like I get to heaven, I see Kathy, “I've never seen you before. Who are you?” No, we'll know each other. Now, we won't be there as husband and wife, but we'll be there still in relationship.
Randy Alcorn, in his excellent book on heaven, makes a statement, and I quote, “Earthly marriage is a shadow, an echo of the true and ultimate marriage. The purpose of marriage is not to replace heaven, but to prepare us for it.” Yes, the human institution of marriage culminates in heaven. We're no longer married in a technical sense, but that doesn't mean our relationship will end.
God's plan doesn't stop in heaven. It continues. God doesn't abandon his purposes in heaven. He fulfills them. Therefore, friendships and relationships that have begun on earth will continue in heaven richer than ever.
Do People in Heaven See What's Happening on Earth?
Question number two. What do people in heaven know about what is going on here on earth? Some people think they know nothing of what's happening. Others think they're watching everything. And then sometimes people will even say, “I sense the presence of my loved one that has died with me. I think they were with me the other day,” or “I think they were guiding me,” or maybe they spoke to me.
Let me be very blunt, because we cannot allow emotion to guide us at a time like this. We need to know that when a loved one dies and goes over to heaven, that's where they go. So, you can't communicate with them, and they can't communicate with you. Now, that does not mean that there is no connection. It simply means that there's no real communication.
People in desperation will reach out to psychics or mediums and so forth, trying to have some connection with a person that they've been suddenly separated from. But here's what we do need to know. People in heaven may indeed be very aware of what is happening on earth. I'm going to give you four passages to support that statement. And I think there's a pretty good case to be made for people in heaven knowing about what is happening.
For instance, people in heaven are aware of the fact that loved ones are not saved. This is based on an amazing behind-the-scenes look at life beyond the grave in Luke chapter 16. You remember it's the story of Lazarus and the rich man. They both die. One goes to a place of comfort in Abraham's bosom. One goes to a place of torment on the other side. Both were fully conscious and aware of those that they had left behind.
We read in Luke 16:28 that the rich man suddenly is reminded of the fact that he has five brothers. And he says, “I don't want them to die and come here. I want to warn them about this place.” So that shows that on the other side, you're aware of what you have left behind.
Number two, when people believe in Jesus on earth, it is public knowledge in heaven. You say, well, how do you know that? Well, read Luke chapter 15. And you have three vignettes given by our Lord about lost things. First, you have a lost sheep. Then you have a lost coin. And finally, you have a lost son.
And Jesus keeps bringing home a central point throughout that series of parables. He talks about a shepherd who had a hundred sheep and one went astray. And he went and searched until he found it. And he brought it back rejoicing. And then Jesus says in conclusion, “And I tell you in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who don't need to repent.”
Then Jesus talks about a woman who lost the coin. And as it turns out, that was probably a coin that would be placed in the special bridal headband that a bride would wear. It would be like losing your wedding ring today. So she searched and searched until she found it. And then she rejoiced and she said, “Rejoice with me, I found the lost coin.” Jesus then said, “Likewise I say there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Then, finally, it culminates with the parable of the prodigal son. You know that story. The son runs away. He comes back home. His father welcomes him with open arms again. There is joy in heaven in the presence of the angels over one sinner that comes to repentance.
Now, I want you to notice something. It doesn't say joy among the angels. It says joy in the presence of the angels. I'm not implying the angels are not rejoicing. I'm just saying let's expand our thinking and note that Christ specifically says, joy in the presence of the angels. Could that be referring not to the angels as much as it would be referring to me?
Listen. In heaven we will know more than we know on earth, right? Not less. Is it not possible that we could be aware of the fact that someone had put their faith in Christ because of our testimony? If there was a party breaking out in heaven, don't you think you would know about it?
Celebrations in Heaven Over Souls Saved
I remember years ago we were in San Jose for one of our crusades and I was staying in a hotel and, you know, I'm a light sleeper. And so if there's noise in a room near me, it's hard for me to get to bed. And we just had an event that night and then the next night we were having one more and I started hearing music in the next room. And it got louder and louder and louder. And then pretty soon, and I'm not exaggerating, the wall was moving. Thump, thump, thump.
I thought, this is crazy. So I finally called the hotel security and they called up the police department. Well, there was a party going on next door. It was a bachelor party. And there were a hundred people in the room, complete with a DJ, sound system, strobing lights. And I'm watching this and my little peephole in the hallway as they're carting all this stuff out. And the cops are taking these. They threw them out of the hotel. Man, I knew about that party.
Now, don't you think if there was a celebration in heaven and we were rejoicing over what God had done that you would know about it? Of course you would. Maybe we would know that our testimony played a part in a person coming to Christ. We know more in heaven than we know on earth.
Here's another thing to think about. People in heaven may know about the time and place of events on earth. And that brings us to our text, Revelation 6. Revelation 6 is, in the beginning of the chapter, an overview of this great book, The Unveiling. As we read about the four horsemen of the apocalypse. But here we look now at a group of people that are martyred for their faith. People that are followers of Jesus Christ who are unwilling to worship the beast or the Antichrist and take his mark. And so, they're killed.
And we read in Revelation 6:9, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” And a white robe was given to each of them. And it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer.
This is interesting here. Because first of all, we realize they know a number of things in heaven. They know they were killed for following Christ while on earth. And that shows that we are the same person in heaven that we were on earth. In a glorified state. In a flawless state. But it's not like I become a different Greg in heaven than I was on earth. I'm aware.
These people were aware that they were put to death for their faith. Also, they're aware of the passing of time. They say in verse 10, “How long, O Lord...” Verse 11, it was told that they should rest a little while longer. Number three, there was a connection between the believers in heaven and those on earth. They're talking about their fellow servants and brothers in verse 11.
Now, this is speaking of tribulation believers. In other words, this is only said of them. These are mere mortals. If it were true of them, could it not also be true of us?
One final thought. Maybe they're cheering us on in heaven. Hebrews 12 says, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” That's translated in a number of ways, that being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. But who is it referring to? The witnesses. The people who are viewing, watching.
Well, Hebrews 12 follows Hebrews 11, of course. And Hebrews 11 is what we describe as the hall of faith. Kind of a who's who of people of God. Including men like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Gideon, Samson, David, Rahab, Daniel. The list goes on.
And so, Hebrews 12 starts with, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses...” hey, in light of the fact that these great men of God served the Lord so faithfully, you better run your race well. So, that could be one of two things. They've set the pace, follow it, but maybe it's implying they're watching us. I don't know if they are or aren't. Heavenly grandstands, who can say? But I know this much, Jesus Christ is watching us. And He is waiting for that appointed day when we will join Him in glory.
Stephen's Glimpse of Heaven and Jesus Standing
In fact, we get a glimpse into what this will be like in the story of the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the church. In Acts chapter 7, verse 55, we read that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, and gazing steadily into heaven, and saw the glory of God. And he saw Jesus standing at the place of honor at God's right hand. And he said, “Look, the heavens are opening, and the Son of Man is standing at the place of honor at God's right hand.”
And then we read, they stoned him. And Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And he fell to his knees shouting, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And with that, he fell asleep. What a moment. Stephen was between two worlds. He was still on earth, but yet he was getting a glimpse into heaven, and he saw Jesus standing. Isn't that amazing? Normally when we read of Jesus in heaven, he's sitting at the right hand. Here he's standing. One wonders why. Was he doing so in honor of the first martyr of the church? I can't say. But Stephen was seeing glory, and he was ready to go there at any moment.
And you know, when a person sees that, it changes their life forever. There are things that can happen to us in this life that make us more aware of heaven, more aware of our future destination. I was speaking with a lady the other day who has a severely handicapped son. And this is very difficult for her. And she made this statement. “His life has placed my feet, one in heaven and one on this earth.”
You know, that's not such a bad place to be when you have one foot on earth and the other one in heaven. Pain can bring this about. A handicap in the life of a loved one or even your own life can bring this about. The unexpected death of a loved one or the death of a loved one in general can cause this to happen. Where you long to see them, you're connected to heaven. Or on the other hand, you're aware of the limitations and the pain of this world. It's not a bad thing to have a foot in heaven and a foot on earth.
C.S. Lewis said, quote, “A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.” Oh, that's true. It's a good thing to be thinking about heaven. We sang about it a few moments ago. Paul in Colossians 3 says, seek the things that are above or literally keep seeking heaven or again, another translation would say, think heaven.
I like the way that this story also says, the story of Stephen, that he fell asleep. I mean, this man, let's be blunt, was being stoned to death. This man was dying a violent death, but the Bible describes it as falling asleep. Listen, that's what death is like for a believer. It's like falling asleep. I'm not saying you could not experience pain. What I'm saying is, God will wrap you in His loving arms and receive you in the glory.
I don't know about you, but I kind of like to fall asleep. You know, when I was younger, I hated it. But now, I enjoy a nap in the afternoon. I try to take one whenever I can. Not long naps, mind you. My naps after lunch last maybe eight, nine minutes, ten at the most. But I wake up refreshed. But as I sort of drift away, to me, that's a good thing. I enjoy that. And one day we'll just fall asleep, in effect, and wake up in heaven.
The Rapture and Family Reunion in Heaven
In fact, it's that very verbiage that Paul uses to encourage the believers in Thessalonica who were feeling that they would never see their loved ones again who had died and gone on. So he wrote these words to encourage them. He said in 1 Thessalonians 4, “According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a loud command and the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ arise first, and after that, we which are alive and remaining will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
He's talking about something we call the rapture. You heard of that? Now some people will say, you know the rapture is not in the Bible. Well actually, the rapture is in the Bible, but the word isn't. Unless you have a Latin Bible. Because the phrase caught up is from the Latin word raptura. So we get our word rapture from. It means to be taken away by force. But the teaching of the rapture, where we're caught up to meet the Lord in heaven, is taught throughout Scripture.
Jesus said in John 14, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come back and receive you unto myself.” And that phrase receive you means to take you by force. Jesus also described it in the Olivet Discourse, also known as Matthew 24. And he says, two will be in a field, one will be taken and the other left. Two will be in a bed, one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
And the moment he takes you to heaven, you'll be reunited with your loved ones. Heaven will be a time of family reunion. Now, I don't know what kind of family you have, but it's probably dysfunctional like mine. I don't think anyone really has a normal family, do they? And I'm speaking especially of an extended family. You know those big reunions you have every few years and you meet cousins you never knew you had before. And every family has some weird relatives, okay? Every family has the weird Uncle George and Cousin It, you know. Remember Cousin It from the Addams Family?
Here's the sad thing is you might be the weird uncle or cousin in your family. We always think it's someone else. What if you're the one? And so, sometimes family reunions are difficult and uncomfortable and, oh, I don't really like to even go to them. Well, listen, the reunion in heaven is going to be glorious because even if some of your weird relatives make it, they'll be redeemed so they won't be weird anymore. And you won't be weird anymore.
And imagine, you'll just be going about your business and in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, you're caught up into heaven, immediately reunited with loved ones you've been separated from, and best of all, you come face to face with the one who made this all possible, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's why we need to be ready because the rapture could happen at any moment and when it does happen, it will happen instantaneously. Listen, death is not only the great separator, but Jesus Christ is the great reconciler and He will reunite us.
Rewards and the Judgment Seat of Christ
And when we get to heaven, we'll not only be reunited with those that have gone before us, but we will be united with those we may have helped bring to faith. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, Paul says, “What is our hope, our joy, or our crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” Paul is saying that these spiritual children of His would be His crown of rejoicing in the Lord's presence when He comes.
This passage would seem to be implying that when we get to heaven, we would have grouped around us those we helped to believe in Jesus. Now that might discourage some because you'd say, well, I don't know that I've really helped that many people believe in Jesus. Well, you don't know what you've done or haven't done in many ways. Because you haven't seen the big plan here yet. And you don't know the person that you affected that will affect another person who will affect another person. You don't see how it's going to all play out.
Here's what you need to focus on. Just be faithful with the opportunities that God sets before you. You may have reached more people than you realize. Because ultimately it's God that converts people, not you or I. I've never converted anyone and I never will. Nor will you. The Bible says one sows, another waters. God gives the increase. God is the one that brings men and women into the kingdom of God.
But check this out. When you've prayed for the work of evangelism, you're invested in it. When you've given financially to support the work of evangelism, you're also invested in it. So when you see the work that God does at one of our crusades, such as we just had there in South Dakota, you share in the fruit of that. As you see the blessing of God as people are coming to faith at our own church and maybe you were involved in Harvest Crusades, you share in the fruit of that, you see. So you may have reached more people than you really understand.
As Paul said in Philippians 4:17, “I don't want a gift from you. I just want you to receive a well-earned reward in heaven.” And listen, when you get to heaven, there's going to be rewards given out. There is a judgment for Christians called the judgment seat of Christ.
Now, I'm not talking about the great white throne judgment where the books are open and the book of life is open. We'll talk about that next time. That's really for non-believers. The judgment I'm talking about, the judgment seat of Christ is in heaven, so you're already there to start with, so don't sweat it, man. You made it. But this is a judgment where rewards are given out.
Maybe it would help us if we thought of it more as an award ceremony, you see, sort of like the Grammys or the Oscars. Don't you love it at the Oscars when they're getting ready to announce the Oscar for maybe Actor of the Year and the screen goes into split format and they have the camera and every one of the people that's nominated, they're all waiting, you know, and the winner for the Actor of the Year is... and they announce the name and the one person jumps up and all the others are like, oh, they're so happy. I was hoping they'd win. When really, they're thinking, yeah! But they're actors, right? Oh, that's wonderful. I never wanted to win.
And then sometimes there are those occasional sweeps where one film may win multiple awards, and then the film you were rooting for doesn't win any awards. And we say, well, what about me? I mean, there's things I've done for the Lord that have gone unnoticed. Well, maybe they're unnoticed by people, but they're noticed by God. Okay? Because Jesus said, “Be not that your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly.” And this is that day that the Bible talks about.
In fact, we read about it in 2 Corinthians 5:10. It says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and everyone will receive the things done in the body according to what they have done, whether they be good or bad.” This can also be translated, things will be made clear and open. This is not a judgment of many people at one time. It's a judgment of an individual.
And by the way, the word that is used here for bad is not one that speaks of something that is ethically or morally evil. The word for bad means evil of another kind. Maybe another way to say it is good for nothingness. Listen, God's not going to drag up all your old sins at the judgment seat of Christ because they're covered in the blood. They're forgiven. We should not choose to remember what God has chosen to forget.
So that's not what this is about. The Lord is saying, all right, what did you do with your life? What did you do with your resources? What did you do with your time? When it talks about good or bad, it's talking more about a person who is good for nothing. They just sort of wasted their life in the pursuit of nothingness. You can have a saved soul in a lost life.
The Bible tells us the story of the wicked King Belshazzar who was confronted by the prophet Daniel. Daniel said, you know, you've been weighed in God's balances and you've been found lacking. Now normally when we get on a scale, we want to weigh less, right? Generally. When you get on God's scales, you want to weigh more. You want to have substance and depth and purpose and weight to your life. Effectively, Daniel was saying, Belshazzar, you're a spiritual lightweight. You've done nothing with your life.
Yes, we will stand before this judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Speaking of this, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For no one can lay any other foundation than the one that we already have, Jesus Christ. And anyone who builds on this foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But there's going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives, he'll receive a reward. 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.”
So it's not so much about bad things you did. It's more, what did you do with your life? Did you accomplish anything? Did you impact anyone? Did you seek to glorify God or did you spend it in the pursuit of nothingness?
Surprises at the Heavenly Reward Ceremony
I think we sort of envision this day as being monopolized by the great heroes of the faith. In other words, at this heavenly award ceremony, if you will, we're thinking that people like Corrie ten Boom or Jim Elliot or Billy Graham are going to get all the rewards and there will be nothing left for us. But I suggest to you there might be some surprises in heaven.
I'm sure the Lord will reward these great people of faith I've already mentioned in a wonderful way. But I think he's also going to reward those you've never heard of before. People like Pearl Good. You've heard of the little old lady from Pasadena. That's Pearl Good. You say, I've never heard of her before. No, you haven't, have you?
Pearl Good was an older woman who heard of the ministry of Billy Graham and committed herself to pray fervently for every crusade that he did. Word reached Billy Graham of the faithful prayers of the little old lady from Pasadena, Pearl Good. He was so moved by it that they started flying her out to the crusades so she could pray on sight, which she did faithfully till she died at the age of 90.
And at her funeral service, Billy's wife Ruth paid this tribute to Pearl Good. Quote, “Here lie the mortal remains of much of the secret of Bill's ministry.” See, here's my point. She wasn't a preacher, missionary, or author. She didn't have a hit song on Christian radio. But while Billy did his part, Pearl did hers. While Billy was out preaching, Pearl was praying. And in the same way, you have your part.
So don't worry about what God has called someone else to do. You focus on what God has called you to do, because the key in that final day is not how much you did, but why you did it. God is far more interested in significance than he is in success. God is far more interested in faithfulness than he is in success.
Because in that final day, what is Jesus going to say? “Well done, good and successful servant.” No. He's going to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” It's all about faithfulness. It's all about doing what God has set before you and doing it well with all of your might. And that's what will be judged for in that final day.
And there will be crowns given out. Crowns given to each of us. Fortunately, this does not involve a dentist. How many of you have ever received a crown at the dentist? No fun. Wow. You folks have bad teeth. I have too. But this is going to be a crown of a different type altogether.
You know, it's kind of funny how, and I'm just discovering this for the first time having two granddaughters now, how little girls like to dress up like princesses. See, with raising two boys we never dealt with these issues at all. Pretty straightforward. Girls, you know, they want to be a little princess. I was at Disneyland a while ago and these little girls I mean, they're fully dressed up as princesses. I mean, look, there's Cinderella, there's Snow White, there's Sleeping Beauty, they've got the full gown, the crown, the scepter, the whole deal, you know, and I'm thinking, this is a whole new thing to me.
Something about us, you know, we want to be royalty. We want a crown. Well, one day you're going to get a crown if you're faithful to the Lord. Here's some of the crowns that God is going to give out in heaven. For starters, there's a crown of rejoicing, which I already alluded to. When Paul wrote about those that would be gathered around him, his crown of rejoicing, that would probably be a soul winner's crown. Using your influence for the glory of God.
Number two, there is the crown of life. This one is specifically promised for the man or woman who has resisted temptation and has persevered under trial. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation and perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he'll receive a crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
Listen, there are people who suffer in this world. And it doesn't seem fair sometimes. Because they have to go through life with a handicap. They have to go through life with a difficulty. But God says, I have a special crown for you that have endured this. I have a special crown for you that are hurting. I have a special crown for you that have resisted temptation. While many of your friends maybe caved in and did it and said you're missing out on all the fun, you said, well, I'm going to just be faithful to the Lord. I'm not going to do what you're doing. So when you're in heaven, you can sing to them, who's sorry now? Because you'll have a crown to show for it.
Not only that, but there is also the crown of righteousness. And this is specifically going to be given to those who have served God and have a heart for heaven. Paul, speaking of this, in 2 Timothy 4, says, “The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. Now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me, and not to me only, but to all who have longed for His appearing.”
Let me ask you a question. Do you long for the return of Jesus Christ? Then there's a crown waiting for you. There's also this crown waiting for you if you've been faithful to the Lord, and you've finished the race, you complete the work He has set before you. So make your life count. Be heavenly minded. Be earthly good. Keep one foot in heaven, and keep another foot on earth, and make every day count, and be ready to meet your God.
How to Make Sure You're Going to Heaven
There may be some of you listening to this message right now that aren't even sure if you're going to get to heaven. We're talking about rewards in heaven. You're saying, man, I don't even know if I'll be there. Well, listen, let's get that fixed right now. This is down-to-earth talk about heaven. Let's talk about that.
How does a person get to heaven? They have to put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have to turn from their sin, and trust in Christ, and Christ alone for their salvation. Jesus laid it out pretty plainly when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.”
Listen, let me say something that sounds controversial, but it really isn't. All roads lead to God, but not all roads lead to heaven. You say, what? All roads lead to God? No. All roads lead to God. Here's what I'm saying. Doesn't matter what your religious persuasion is. Doesn't matter if you're a believer, a non-believer, even if you're an outright atheist. All roads lead to God. Whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe, you're going to get to God one day. You will stand before God one day. But only one road leads to heaven.
See, I'll stand before God, and if I put my faith in Christ, I'll be admitted into heaven, and I'll stand before God, and if I've rejected Christ, and we'll talk about this in our next time, I will be sent to hell. Yes, there is a hell. And I know it's hard for some of us to understand. But we'll talk about why there is a hell, and what it was created for, and so forth, in our next message. So you better show up. Don't ditch church next week. You need to hear about it. So you can warn your friends that they don't have to go there.
But see, it's really our choice, and only through Jesus can I get in heaven. Why through Jesus? Because only Jesus met the righteous requirements of God, the Father, that we offended and sinned against. Only Jesus was uniquely qualified to bridge the gap, because Jesus was fully God, and yet He was fully man, and He lived a perfect life, and died a perfect death, and rose again from the dead.
And He says, “Now I'll give you eternal life in the presence of my Father, if you'll believe in Me.” I mean, if He said, okay, if you give me all the money you have, I'll let you in. It would be worth it. If you live a life of pain and misery on this earth, I'll let you in. It would still be worth it. But He doesn't ask that, because He took all that pain on Himself already, and you don't have enough money to buy your way in, no matter how rich you are. He says, no, I bought it for you. I paid the price for you. Here's what you need to do. Accept the gift.
And some people go to hell. I didn't mean it that way. That's where you're going to go. That's your choice that you are making. You will literally go to hell. And there'll be nobody to blame but yourself. Sorry to quote C.S. Lewis so many times on one message. But he said, “The gates of hell are locked from the inside.” In other words, if you end up there on that final day, you're the one that sent yourself there, and effectively locked the door behind you, there'll be no one to blame but yourself.
God offers you complete pardon and forgiveness if you'll believe in Jesus right now. And I'm going to give you an opportunity to do so. If you've never asked God for his forgiveness, if you've never asked Christ to come into your life, please do so as we close now in prayer.
Let's all pray. Father, thank you for your word. And now I pray for any that have joined us who may not yet know you. Help them to see how they can come into a relationship with you. Help them, Lord, to be forgiven of their sin. We pray that your Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin and bring them to yourself now.
Our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying. How many of you would say this morning, Greg, I want Christ to come into my life. I want to go to heaven when I die. I don't want to go to hell. I want my guilt removed. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus.
If that's your desire, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life right now and forgive you of your sin, I'm going to ask you to stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand to your feet wherever you are. If you want Christ to come into your life today, just stand up. If you're out there in the outdoor amphitheater, you just stand to your feet. I can't see you here, but the Lord sees you. You just stand up. If you're up there in our court building, our gymnasium overflow, you stand to your feet as well. And I'm going to lead you in this prayer. Stand to your feet. Anybody else? Just right here in the main sanctuary. Just stand up. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer of asking Christ to come into your life. Anybody else? Stand up now. There might be a few more of you. God bless you. God bless you too. God bless you. Up there in the balcony. Stand up now. Anybody else? Now I'm going to lead you in a prayer right where you stand. This final moment. God bless you, sir. God bless you. Yes. Anybody else? Stand up. Stand up. God bless you.
Now all of you that are standing, I want you to just pray this prayer right where you stand, out loud after me. Again, as I pray this prayer, you pray it out loud after me. Pray this now. “Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, but you died on the cross and shed your blood for my sin. I turn from that sin now, and I choose to follow you from this day forward. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my God. Be my friend. I want to go to heaven when I die. I want to be ready for your return. So thank you for coming into my life and for giving me eternal life now. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.”