Greg Laurie - The Importance of Right Choices (02/25/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie teaches on the hope of heaven as our ultimate destination, showing how biblical truth about eternity brings real hope amid life's trials and injustices. Drawing from Scripture like Colossians 3, he explains heaven as a literal place of paradise, city, and country where God rights every wrong. He urges believers to set their minds on things above and find certainty—not wishful thinking—in God's promises.
Today we are going to talk about the hope of heaven. And I would like to start with prayer. If you would please. Let's all pray.
Father, we are talking about very important things today. Things that concern every one of us hearing this message. We are talking about our future home. Our destination as Christians. And Lord, help us to see how the biblical teaching of heaven should impact us in day to day living. Speak to us from your word we would ask now. In Jesus' name. Amen.
The Short Supply of True Hope Today
Let me just say at the outset I have a cold. So sorry if I sneeze, cough, or if my head explodes at any time during the sermon. Do not be alarmed. This cold has been going around. I have been fighting it off pretty well. My wife has been sick five times and I didn't get it once. And then I was feeling very proud of my resistance. And then I started sneezing. So there you go.
All right. The hope of heaven is our topic today. And hope is certainly something that is in short supply these days. As I said in my first message in this series, quote, Man can live forty days without food. He can go three days without water. About eight minutes without air. But only one second without hope.
So my desire in this series has been to bring a measure of hope to every one of you so it will help you cope with whatever it is you are facing right now. Because we all are facing challenges in life. We all face difficulties in life. And if you are not facing one today, you will face one tomorrow or the day after. And there may be times when you feel helpless. But you should never feel hopeless. You should never lose hope.
Where Hope Cannot Be Found
But the question is, where do we find this hope that we so desperately need? Well first let me tell you where you don't find it. You won't find this hope in people or things. No politician, regardless of the party or his political persuasion, is going to bring you this hope that you need. Certainly science isn't going to bring it. Nor will technology. Nor will any relationship or accomplishment.
This was realized years ago by George Bernard Shaw. A highly regarded writer and thinker. He was also well known for his vocal atheism. George Bernard Shaw won a Nobel Prize in literature. And was a man that was highly respected. And he believed that science could bring about a utopia. He believed that man could effectively institute his own millennium. And that is where he pinned his hopes.
But toward the end of his life, George Bernard Shaw, the great intellect, writer, and thinker, lost hope. And he wrote this. And I quote, The science to which I pin my faith is bankrupt. Its councils, which should have established the millennium led instead directly to the suicide of Europe. I believed them once. In their name I helped to destroy the faith of millions of worshippers and the temples of a thousand creeds. And now they look at me and witness the great tragedy of an atheist who lost his faith. End quote.
The Biblical Meaning of Hope
So even a guy like Shaw recognized where the answer was not. But where is the answer? Where do we find this hope? Where do we put our hope? And they are willing to get down to it. What are we talking about when we say hope? You know the modern definition of hope would be probably something along the lines of something that you wish for, or long for, or expect to happen.
We might use different words interchangeably for like fate, or serendipity, or good luck, or simply wishing upon a star. You remember the great theologian Jiminy Cricket said to the little wooden puppet, Pinocchio, when you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you.
By the way, how many of you believe that right now? Let's sing it together. When you... No let's not. But there are people that really do, in effect, believe that. They say, oh yes, I have hope. I hope that things will get better. I hope that there will be a brighter day. I believe it will happen. And my approach to it is, if I just believe it hard enough, it will take place.
Hope Rooted in God's Word
But if you have lived life for any period of time, you know things don't work out this way. You say it will get better, but it doesn't always get better. Sometimes it gets worse. If you put your faith or your hope in your investments or the things that you possess, you will be disappointed.
Job 8:11 says, the hope of the godless comes to nothing. Everything they count on will collapse. They are leaning on a spider web. They cling to their home for security, but it won't last. They try to hold on to it, but it will not endure. That is especially poignant in the economy right now, isn't it?
No. We should not have hope for hope's sake. This is all about where you place your hope. Put your hope in God, and you will not be disappointed. Psalm 42, verse 5 and 6, the psalmist says, why am I discouraged? Why am I so sad? I will put my hope in God. And this will give us the strength to go on in life, because we recognize that there is an afterlife where wrongs will be made right.
A Supernatural Certainty, Not Wishful Thinking
Now people get irritated when you say things like that. Apparently I came on the radar of a group of atheists, and they attacked me on their website. And I know I'm doing something right when I'm getting attacked by atheists. Right? When the atheists start liking you, something is not right.
And so they quote something that I wrote that was posted online. And here is the quote from me on their site. When a Christian dies, it is a direct flight to heaven. There are no stopovers. The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first breath in heaven, we go into the presence of God. End quote.
Yeah. So here is what they say. They are outraged. They write, going to heaven after death is assumed. Not only does Laurie start with this unsubstantiated and onerous assumption, but then he goes on in more detail about the precise state of affairs that take place in heaven once you arrive. And what evidence is offered to bolster these claims? Nothing but a bunch of Bible quotes. End quote.
That's right. That's right. Nothing but a bunch of Bible quotes. Listen. I don't expect atheists to understand the hope of a Christian. But when we talk about hope we are not describing wishful thinking or blind optimism. It is a quiet confidence. It is a supernatural certainty.
And where do we get this hope? We get it from the Scripture. Or as the atheists would say, a bunch of Bible quotes. Yes. True and lasting hope comes from God and His Word. Psalm 119:114 says, You are my refuge and my shield. Your Word is my only source of hope.
Scripture's Purpose to Give Hope
In fact, this is one of the very reasons that the Bible was given to us to bring us hope. Romans 15:4 says, Such things were written in the Scripture long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises.
So when the Bible speaks of hope it is not wishful thinking. It is something altogether different. In Scripture, in the Greek and Hebrew, words that are translated to the English word hope, it speaks of a certainty. Hope in the Bible is always a strong and confident expectation. Again, a strong and confident expectation.
Now I have preached on this my whole life. As long as I have been a Christian and a preacher, I have talked about hope and I have talked about trusting the Word of God. But I have put my beliefs to the test like no other time in my life, especially in the last three and a half years, in the aftermath of our son being called to heaven.
I have tested every one of my beliefs. And I have found them tried and true. Now, I don't tell you to believe in them because I found them tried and true. We believe in them because God says they are true. But it is always a wonderful thing when we put these things to the test in our own lives. And we find that God's Word is accurate. Isn't it?
Hope for Every Christian's Ultimate Future
And so that is why I am wanting to bring hope to others who are facing crisis. It is not like I am some person that has gone through a valley and I have come out of it and everything is wonderful and now I want to speak from my little ivory tower. No. It is more like I am a person coming through a valley. In a sense a person who is still in a valley.
But I want to say to others that are just starting into it that they are going to get through it by the help and the power of God if they will have hope. But put your hope in the right thing. Put your hope in the right one. And it is God and God alone.
Now, in this series we have talked about various types of people that need hope. We have talked initially about hope for those who have lost loved ones. Then we have talked about hope for those that are facing crisis. I also did a message for the singles and for married people if your marriage is falling apart. We also did a message last time on hope for prodigal children.
Today I want to focus on what is the ultimate hope for every Christian. Because frankly there will be times when that marriage does not work out. That single person never finds the person that they long for and they remain single. The person in crisis never finds the happy resolution they long for. Or the prodigal never does return home. Or the healing you were praying for never does come and in fact you get worse.
Then what? Has God abandoned you? Do you give up all hope? No. Listen now. You recognize that whatever happens in this life, be it wonderful or painful, is temporary. You remember that there is another life to come. We call it the afterlife.
This Life as the "Before Life"
The Bible says in 1 Chronicles 29, we are on earth only for a moment. Visitors and strangers as in the land our ancestors were in before us. Our days on earth are like a shadow gone so soon without a trace.
I think we think far too much about life on this earth and far too little about life in eternity. Randy Alcorn in his book We Shall See God wrote this and I quote, Eternal life means enjoying the finest moments on earth the way they were intended. Since in heaven we will finally experience life at its best, it would be more accurate to call our present existence the before life rather than to call what follows the afterlife. End quote.
That is a great way of looking at it. We talk so much about the afterlife, but because that goes on forever, we ought to think of life now more as the before life. It is like when you go to a movie and you watch trailers, right? The previews. And I have often found that the trailers are better than the movie they are promoting. Have you noticed that? Like all the good bits are in the trailer.
But anyway, you watch the trailers, but you didn't go to the movie to see a trailer, did you? You went to the movie to eat popcorn and check your phone throughout the... Well that is what you would think by the way that some people go to the movies. You know, it is like they talk. They eat loudly. Some bring in five course meals with them. It is like, could you like go away now? I am actually... anyway.
Eternity as the Real Story
But no, you go to see the movie presumably. And in many ways life on earth is like the trailer and eternity is like the movie. Eternity is, well, eternal. It just goes on and on.
One person put it this way, quote, eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset. Eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise. That is well said.
You know, living eternally is not the only thing we should think about. Because if you want to get really technical, everyone will live eternally. Man is an eternal soul. So no matter if you believe in God or you don't believe in God, you will live eternally. But the bigger issue is where will you live eternally?
Of course the Christian has the hope of being in heaven. And then one day heaven comes to earth when Christ establishes His kingdom. But the nonbeliever is told that they will spend eternity separated from God initially in Hades and ultimately in the lake of fire.
Heaven Rights All Wrongs
But you see, the point is my hope is in Christ and my real home is ultimately in heaven and later on earth because now I am a citizen of heaven, the Bible tells me in Philippians 3:20.
But having said that, we all know that life is not fair. It is filled with inequities and injustice. I am sure there are times in life when things work out as they ought to. A good is rewarded. Evil is punished. But far too often it is the opposite of that. Bad people succeed. Good people suffer.
So while it is true that life is not fair, it is also true that God is good. And He is also righteous and He also is holy. And He has promised that one day in eternity, in the afterlife, in heaven and later on the new earth, He will right all of the wrongs of life. All of those unanswered questions will be dealt with. The unfair things of life will be solved. Pain will be replaced by comfort. Tears will be replaced by joy and laughter.
Heaven is where losses are more than compensated for. Let me repeat that again. Heaven is where losses are more than compensated for. And knowing this should put our present troubles in perspective.
2 Corinthians 4 says our present troubles, excuse me. Remember I have a cold. Our present troubles are quite small and they won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever.
So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now. Rather we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over. But the joys to come will last forever.
The Reversal in the Story of Lazarus
And so now we just see things the way that they are. But things are going to change. Quickly. Especially when we leave this life.
Here is a perfect example. The story of Lazarus and the rich man. And this is sometimes described as a parable. But I don't think it was a parable at all. Because in the parables that Jesus told He never gave names to the characters. So this seems to be an actual behind the scenes look at the afterlife.
And in this story, in Luke's Gospel, we have a rich man who is indifferent to the needs of anyone. He is completely self-indulgent. And he lives for the moment. He lives for pleasure. He has huge parties and the finest clothes.
And meanwhile there is a guy right outside of his estate who is living off the food that he throws away named Lazarus. And this rich man could care less about Lazarus. And for that matter, care less about God.
And meanwhile here is poor Lazarus who is living off the bread discarded from the rich man's table. That is life on earth. So then they both die and go to eternity. And everything changes.
Now we find that the man who had time for God but had hardship on earth is in the presence of God and in comfort. And we find that the man who had no time for God and had pleasures on earth is in torment.
So everything changes. As Dinesh D'Souza said, quote, Heaven is the venue of cosmic justice. And so when we pass over to the other side, these things are all going to be sorted out.
Compensation Beyond Imagination
And there is no question that some have suffered more than others. You know, some have a relatively pain-free life. And others have a very hard life from beginning to end.
So here is my question to you. How long will you need to be in heaven to make up for the suffering you have faced in life? How long would compensate? Two months? Two weeks? Two days? Two minutes?
As Randy Alcorn said, quote, One paragraph into chapter one of the new earth will make up for eighty hard chapters on earth. End quote.
Even if it took ten years it will be the beginning of eternal life where in God's presence there is fullness of joy and on His right hand pleasures forevermore.
Heaven is the opportunity to develop and fulfill dreams bigger than anything on this earth. Let me repeat that again. Heaven is the opportunity to develop and fulfill dreams bigger than anything you had on earth.
The Inconsolable Longing for Heaven
See here is our problem. We think only of this life. Oh their life was cut short. Oh they never saw that happen. Oh they never reached their potential. As though the moment you die existence ends and the party is over.
Well in one sense your earthly life is over. No question about that. But there is eternal life. And there is the other side. And there are things that were not done here that may be done there.
Because there are those horrible injustices of life. When a child dies. Or when a person has to live with a disability. Now are these just people that got the short end of the stick and too bad for them and good for me. And that is just the way life works out?
Or is there the hope that one day everything will be made up for? Is there the hope that dreams will still be realized? I believe there is. And it is found in heaven.
Death for the believer is not the end of life but the continuation of it in another place. Again death for the believer is not the end of life but the continuation of it in another place.
God has other times and places where these dreams may be fulfilled. God's people will be better off eternally because they suffer temporarily. The trade off in eternity will bear this out.
There are things that you are going through in life that are inexplicable. But when you get to the other side you will look back in retrospect and understand why God allowed those things and they changed you. Or they brought about something in your life that would not have been there otherwise. Or there will be other reasons that will be disclosed then.
But until that day we must simply trust God. The argument for the greater good may be the strongest biblical case for why God allows suffering. A greater good will come ultimately. And this is where hope kicks in.
Because I can't show it to you right now. I can't say, look, here is the greater good. See, it is behind the curtain. Got to close it now. I don't know what it is. All I know is God says it is there. And it is waiting.
So that is where faith and hope comes in. And this is that thing that we now long for. You know, deep down inside everybody, I believe, longs for heaven. It is like a pre-wired hope. We are all born with it.
And at first we don't know what we are longing for exactly. But then in time hopefully we come to realize that we are longing for a place we have never been to before.
The Homing Instinct for Eternity
Paul speaks of the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven that you already have heard from the gospel. It is deep down inside. Romans 8 says, We groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons. For it is in this hope that we are saved.
Have you ever heard of the bird known as the golden plover? Well, here is what they look like. Cute little bird, isn't it? Now this is one amazing bird. Native to Hawaii. Smart bird.
The plover migrates during the summer to the Aleutian Isles twelve hundred miles away. Then they mate. They lay their eggs. And their little fledglings are born. And then the golden plovers return to Hawaii leaving their fledglings to grow up a little.
Okay. So that is amazing that they can make that journey without GPS or any technology. But here is what is even more amazing. These little baby plovers, the little fledglings, as they get older they then make the journey twelve hundred miles away to a place they have never been to before.
This little bird has better GPS than your car. And it was put in there by God. It is called a homing instinct. So check this out. The next time someone calls you a bird brain take it as a compliment.
So what comes naturally, or we might even say supernaturally because God built them this way, to the little golden plovers, also comes to men and women made in the image of God. We have never been there before. I know. And the plovers have never been to Hawaii before either. But they make the journey.
And one day you are going to make your journey to heaven. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, He has set eternity in our hearts.
C.S. Lewis describes it as the inconsolable longing. And I quote, There have been times when I think that we do not desire heaven. But more often I find myself wondering if in our heart of hearts we have ever desired anything else. It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want. End quote. So well said.
Heaven as an Actual Place
It is that signature of our soul. And until that day, we effectively live between two worlds. And these two worlds coexist simultaneously. Though we do not know all that much about heaven, heaven knows a lot about earth.
Now I bring this up because we always have a curiosity about the topic of the afterlife, right? There are so many books on it. In fact, there are a few books out right now that are on the bestseller list that allege what happens to people who have supposedly gone to heaven.
And I was looking at one of these books recently. And I was troubled by the fact that only a few pages in I read something that was contradictory to what the Bible teaches. And yet I have heard people cite this book as an authoritative source.
One person said to me, well, she knows what Jesus looks like. And I said, well, how do you know that? She says, well, I read this book about someone that went to heaven and they saw Jesus and they wrote it down.
You are really believing it because someone wrote it in a book? Now maybe that person really did die and go to heaven and see Jesus. And maybe they didn't. The fact of the matter is, I don't really know.
But if you want to know where you should look as an authoritative source on the topic of heaven, this is the book that has always been on the bestseller list, okay? Don't go any further than this book.
Well, was God waiting around for these people to come along and have their experience and write about it so we could finally get these things sorted out? Or has God told us everything we need to know about the afterlife in the Bible?
Well I suggest to you it is the latter, not the former. Everything you need to know about it is right here. And listen to this. If it is new, it is not true. And if it is true, it is not new.
So if someone comes along and says, I have this new thing that I have discovered from God and it is not in the Bible, but I am already not interested. Don't believe it. If it is new, it is not true. And if it is true, it is not new.
If it is right, it is here. If it is not here, it is not right.
Setting Our Minds on Things Above
So we don't know as much about heaven as we would like. But heaven knows a lot more about us. But I suggest to you, heaven is not as far away as you may think. We think of heaven as being very distant.
But the Bible teaches that there are two worlds that coexist simultaneously. There is the physical world and there is the spiritual world. Right? Right now around us there are angels.
You say, are you seeing something I am not seeing? No. No. I see the same thing you see. But the Bible teaches that the angel of the Lord encamps round about those that fear Him.
An illustration of this is found in the book of 2 Kings. It is a story of the prophet Elisha and his servant. So they went to bed and woke up and found themselves surrounded by enemy forces. And the servant started to freak out. And he woke up the prophet. Oh Master, we are surrounded. What are we going to do?
And Elisha wanted to sleep a little bit longer. And he said, don't be afraid because those that are with us are more than those that are with them. And then he prayed, Lord, open his eyes that he may see.
And the Bible tells us that Elisha's servant looked up and saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So he was able to see into that supernatural world.
Stephen also saw that world when he was still in this world. You remember that Stephen was the first martyr of the church. He was tried falsely, or on false charges I should say. And then he was sent to be executed by stoning.
And as they were stoning Stephen, we read these words in Acts 7:55, Stephen full of the Holy Spirit came steadfastly into heaven. And he saw the glory of God. And he said, I see Jesus standing in the right place of honor at God's right hand.
And he said, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And falling on his knees, he shouted, Lord, don't charge them with this sin. And the Bible says with that he fell asleep. What a moment. Stephen was between two worlds. He was seeing the eternal world, the heavenly world, while he was still here in the earthly world.
It would just blow our minds up if we could see it. If God said, I'm going to give you a quick peek. Like that. Whoa! I'd change everything about the way that we live. It would change our decisions. It would change our view of everything that we're facing in the moment.
Think Heaven Continually
I was speaking with a woman a while back who has a severely handicapped child. She said, as a result of that, she said to me, her life, she said, his life has placed my feet, speaking of her child, one in heaven and one on this earth.
I thought that was an interesting way to put it. Because of the severe handicap of her child, it gave her an eternal perspective. She has one foot on earth and one foot in heaven.
And this often happens when crisis hits. Because you're dependent on God. You know, you might listen to me right now and say, Greg, this is very interesting. But you know what? I'm young and my health is good and everything is fine. And I really don't care that much about what you're saying.
Yeah, you just watch what happens when an unexpected hardship hits you. You watch what happens when someone close to you dies. You watch what happens when the doctor tells you that he has concerns about a test he did. You watch what happens when something happens in life that shows you the shortness of life.
And all of a sudden these things I'm talking about will become real important to you, even to the young man boring right now wearing the ball cap.
So the thing is, we need to pay attention to what the Word of God says. And we need to think more about heaven.
C.S. Lewis, who obviously wrote a lot about heaven, said this, quote, A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but it's one of the things that Christian is meant to do.
We need to think about heaven more. Paul put it this way in Colossians 3, our first text. So go ahead and turn there. Colossians 3. I'm just going to read a couple of verses.
Paul writes this in verses 1 and 2. Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Now this phrase that Paul uses here for set your minds speaks of a diligent, active, single-minded investigation. The word think could be translated to have this inner disposition.
Or a simpler way to put it, Paul is simply saying, think heaven. Think about heaven more.
The verb that he uses here is in the present tense. So you could say, keep seeking heaven. So put it all together. Paul is saying, constantly keep seeking and thinking about heaven.
Listen, our feet must be on earth, but our minds must be in heaven.
But many of us will go through a day, sometimes a week, sometimes a month, without a single thought of the afterlife. But we should be thinking about it, because it is where we are headed.
Ian Bound said, quote, Heaven ought to draw and engage us. Heaven ought to fill our hearts and hands, our conversations, and our character, and our features, that all the world will see that we are foreigners and strangers to this world.
The very atmosphere of this world should be chilling to us and noxious. It's sun's eclipsed, and it's companionship dull and insipid. Heaven is our native land, and it's home for us. And death to us is not the dying hour, but it's the birth hour. End quote.
What Heaven Really Is Like
So what exactly is heaven? Well, the Bible is clear in pointing out heaven is an actual place. It is a dwelling place of God Himself. It is not merely a state of mind. It is not a metaphor for something else. Heaven is an actual place.
As Deal Moody said, heaven is as much of a place as Chicago is a city. It is that real. And that is why Jesus said in John 14, I have gone to prepare a place for you.
Now I think due to movies and television and cartoons even perhaps, we have a caricatured version of heaven in our minds. You know, we see ourselves sitting around in clouds, dressed in white robes, playing harps, watching fat little babies with wings fly around, or I think they call them cherubs.
And you know, we have this idea of heaven as being ultimate boredom, like a never-ending church service or something. I don't know how you envision it, but something that you are not really looking forward to.
But that is not the biblical definition of heaven. The Bible uses different words to describe it. Each one something you can sink your teeth into.
For instance, Paul described heaven as a paradise. Now Paul did have the unique experience of dying and going to heaven and coming back to earth again, which must have been a real drag. I mean, the poor guy had to die twice. For starters, like Lazarus.
But then he was in the glories of heaven and had to return to earth. Can you imagine the conversation he might have had with God? It probably happened after he was stoned. Not that kind of stone. You know, stoned by rocks, okay?
And so Paul enters into God's glory. There he is. All of his dreams have come true. This is it. And you wonder if the Lord said, Paul, welcome. Well, it is great to be here, Lord.
Hey, Paul, listen. I have got some good news and some bad news. You are kidding, right? Actually, no. Well, what is the good news? You will be back again. Back again? Where am I going? That brings me to the bad news.
There are some believers down there on earth praying that you would be raised again from the dead. Lord, don't listen to them. They are sinners. No, Paul, I actually have a job for you to do back on earth. And I am going to send you back again.
And meanwhile, back on earth here, the believers gathered around the Paul, who they presumed was dead, praying for a miracle. And suddenly the flush of color returns to his face as eyelashes begin. Eyelashes or eyelicious. I don't know what those are, but. that is what you call eyelashes when you have a cold in your preaching. Eyelicious.
So that is all you are going to remember from this sermon, right? What did Greg preach about it? I don't know, but he said eyelicious. Anyway.
So life comes back into the body of the apostle. Man if I were him, I had to punch someone. Why did you pray for me to come back again? I can assure you that no one in heaven would ever want to come back to earth unless they had to.
But Paul speaks of what he saw as paradise in 2 Corinthians 12. In a modern translation it goes like this. Paul describing what he saw. I know a man who 14 years ago was seized by Christ and was swept into ecstasy to the heights of heaven.
I don't really know if this took place in the body or out of it. Only God knows. I know that this man was hijacked into paradise. Again, whether in the body or out of the body. I don't know. God knows.
He heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard. Funny thing. Paul didn't write a book about it. He could have. He could have given us a whole epistle. What I saw in heaven. But he didn't do it. He just used one word. It was paradise.
Paradise, City, and Country
Now that is a hard word for us to translate. Because a literal definition is the royal garden of a king. So we are thinking, well what does that mean? Well I guess the most beautiful thing they can imagine at this time was the garden of a wealthy king.
Think of the garden on some English estate. You know like Downton Abbey or something. I don't know. Or you know that you have gardeners that tend to it and care for it.
If you have ever been to a beautiful park of some kind wine. And you have seen all of the flowers and all of the growth. You think how beautiful it is. That is what Paul used as the picture. It was like paradise.
I don't know what to say. It was like this sort of. And that is all he could say.
And by the way that word paradise is the same word that Jesus used when he spoke to the thief on the cross who said, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said, today I say to you, you will be with me in paradise.
So that is one word that is used in scripture to describe it. We know it was much, much better than earth. Paul himself said it in Philippians 1. I desire to depart and be with Christ which is much, much better.
Number two. Heaven is described as a city. A city. Hebrews 11:10 says it is a city that has an architect and builder. An enduring city. That is what we are looking for. Hebrews 13 says.
Now cities have buildings. They have culture. They have art. They have music. They have restaurants. Right? Why would you think of heaven as being any different than that?
Think of any city you have been to. The best cities you have visited. You know certain cities have a unique quality to them. Jerusalem as the sun rises. Rome as the sun sets. San Bernardino at night time. No.
But you know when you think of cities. Sorry to pick on San Bernardino but it just came to mind. But you think of some cities you don't think of pleasant things. You think of trash or urban decay or crime or other things.
But heaven will be the best of the best cities you have ever visited. But so much better. But I believe it is an actual place with actual streets with actual things to do. It is a place that we are going to. Not merely a state of mind.
And then it is described in the Bible as a country. Hebrews 11:16 says they desire a better country that is a heavenly. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He has prepared a city for them.
So heaven is a country. It is a city. It is a garden. And it is a paradise. And heaven coexists while earth is existing as well.
Now there is a lot more I can say. And I was going to take you there in Revelation chapter 6. But I have run out of time. So we will get to that next time. We will have more than enough time to deal with it. And I don't want to just go on and cut it short. Because what we would look at is so important.
Heaven's Awareness of Earth
But what I was going to say was I was going to tell you about what heaven knows about earth. We talked a little bit about what we know about heaven. But heaven knows more about earth than I think we know about heaven.
While we are pretty oblivious to what is happening in heaven in this moment, I believe heaven is fully aware of what is happening on earth. And I believe that your loved ones that have come before you in the heaven know more about you than you may think. And I will make a biblical case for that next time.
But let me just close with this. We are talking about hope. We are talking about the whys of life, the injustices of life, the tragedies of life, and how this is all going to be sorted out.
I received an email about a week ago from a man whose name was Abram. And he wrote these words to me about his grandmother. He said, Pastor Greg, your devotions make a difference in my life, but more significantly in the life of my 90-year-old grandmother, Bepi.
She is a Holocaust survivor. She lost her mother, father, both of her brothers, and many friends and extended family members. She is most traumatized by her last conversation with her mother, which transpired in the crowded cattle car which took them to Birkenau.
And she got into an argument with her mother. And the last words Bepi spoke to her mom were, I hate you and hope I never see you again. Alas, these words came true.
When I learned this past weekend for the first time that she was liberated and immigrated to the United States, then that she went to a rabbi and asked a rabbi, why did God allow this to happen to us? And he told her we should never ask such questions of God.
She has been carrying this burden for 62 years now and has understandably rejected the very concept of a loving God.
Abraham says, Well, I started following Jesus in 2003. And God led me to you and to your radio ministry. I heard your sermon on the topic of God allowing pain and suffering. And God has given me understanding and peace through your teaching.
And just this last weekend, Bepi shared with me the story about her rabbi and asked me what I thought of that. Thanks to your sermon podcasts and numerous other resources. Hope for hurting hearts, for example.
I was well prepared to show her in the scriptures where God not only allows but welcomes our questions. And then he says, Then I came across today's devotion and I forwarded it to her.
And so this is the devotion that Bepi read, that I wrote these words. Not long ago a woman who lost a child told me, Greg, all I can ask is why, why? Then she said, Is it wrong to ask why?
I told her, No, I don't think it is wrong. You can ask why all that you want. Jesus asked it, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
God could tell us why, but we are never going to get it until we get to heaven and see things as they really are. So instead of asking why, a better question would be what? As in what do you want me to do? What does God want us to do with our lives?
And God wants you to call on Him. And when people come to Him who are suffering, He will give them the answers they need.
So I tell them, turn to God, lean on Jesus, cling to Him, and pray. And one day the whys will be resolved. Until then it is all about whom and what. It is about whom we turn to and what we do.
So when tragedy hits, don't run from God, turn to Him.
Well, Abram sent this to Bepi, his 90 year old grandmother. And Abram concludes with these words, At last, after 62 years of living in confusion and darkness, having been led away from the healing power of God's love and compassion, my grandmother has turned back to God.
Isn't that amazing? He says, Please continue to pray for her and my entire family as they bear witness to the transforming power of God in the life of my grandmother. Pray that all of them would turn to God and accept Jesus as your Savior.
What a testimony that would be. Now this is a Jewish home. And so this is an amazing story. God brought hope to a 90 year old Holocaust survivor.
Can God bring hope to you as well? Yes, He can. But our hope is not in the things of this life. It is in Christ and it is in the hope of eternity in heaven when we see Him face to face.
The things that I have shared are for believers only. And so if you put your faith in Christ, this is all for you. And if you haven't, you are not going to experience these things until you do.
The only way this hope will come into your heart and into your life is by believing in Jesus.