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Watch Video & Full Sermon Transcript » Greg Laurie » Greg Laurie - Hope For the Afterlife

Greg Laurie - Hope For the Afterlife (12/07/2018)


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TOPICS: Hope, Afterlife

Pastor Greg Laurie uses a humorous story and the reality of death to point to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which conquered sin and death. He explains that because Jesus rose, believers will receive new bodies, enjoy resurrected relationships, and face no judgment for sin—urging all to receive Christ’s forgiveness now for eternal life in heaven.


Introduction


You know Jesus said that we are to go into all of the world and preach the Gospel. What does that mean? It means go everywhere and reach as many people as we can with the good news of Jesus Christ. But let me personalize it for you. It might make it a little easier to wrap your mind around. Go into all of your world and preach the Gospel. You know we all have a world that we live in. We all have a sphere of influence. Our family. Our friends. Our neighbors. They need to hear about Jesus Christ. So we need to go into all of our world and share the good news of who Jesus is.

What is the message that we are to deliver? It is the good news. That is a technical definition of the word Gospel. Good news. Sometimes before people can fully appreciate the good news quite frankly they need to know the bad news. Because Jesus is not just a pleasant additive to a person's life that will give you a little more spring in your step and make your marriage a little bit better and maybe even make your teeth a little bit whiter. Jesus is the Savior and he is the only Savior who will save us from, get ready for it, hell. I know we don't use that word a lot in this day and age. The h word. But it is real. You know Jesus spoke more about hell than all of the other preachers of the Bible put together. Here is the bad news. We are all separated from God by our sin. Here is the bad news. All of us have broken God's commandments again and again and again. Did you know that one sin is enough to keep you out of heaven?

Two thousand years ago God sent his son Jesus Christ on well a rescue mission to walk this planet of ours that he created by the way. He breathed our air. He lived our life. He died our death. Then he rose again from the dead. Now he stands at the door of every human heart and he knocks. He says, "If we will hear his voice and open the "Door he will come in". That is good news. Especially in a world that is so filled with bad news. Good news in a bad world. I want to talk to you personally about how you can have Christ come to live inside of you.


A Humorous Story About Death and Resurrection


I heard about a husband and wife that took a trip to Israel. They went to Jerusalem. And he agreed to bring along his difficult to deal with ever nagging mother-in-law. Sadly, while they were there in Jerusalem, the mother-in-law passed away. So the husband was trying to figure out what to do with her body. And he went to a local undertaker. And he said, how much would it cost to ship the body of my mother-in-law back to the United States? And the undertaker said, sir, that will cost you around $5,000. But I have a better idea. You can Bury her here in the Holy Land for $150.

The man thought about it for a moment and said, no, I'll go ahead and ship her body back to America. And the undertaker said, I don't understand. This is a great deal. And she'll be buried here in the Holy Land. Why would you not want to Bury her here? And then the man said in response, well, you see, a long time ago, a man was buried here. And three days later, he Rose again from the dead. I can't take that chance.

Now that's a joke. But life beyond the grave is not.

The Resurrection Changed Everything


But listen to this. The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything. Why? Because when Jesus died on the cross, he conquered sin. But when Jesus Christ Rose again from the dead, he conquered death. He conquered death.

But that's not a subject we're comfortable talking about. A lot of times we won't even use the word death. We'll say the D word. You know, a long time ago, people would write over important documents, especially documents about your finances. Memento mori. Which meant, think of death. Not because they were morbid. But because they wanted to be grounded in reality.

But nowadays, we don't even want to deal with it. If someone does die, we'll say, well, they passed away. Or they're no longer with us. Or we might use the technical term, they expired. Or we might mask our discomfort and say, well, they bit the dust. Or they kicked the bucket. Or cashed in their chips. Or they reached room temperature. Why do we say that? Because we have a discomfort talking about this subject.

The Inevitability of Death


But listen, the statistics on death are pretty impressive. One out of every one person's will die. Everyone will. Doesn't matter who you are. You may be famous. You may be unknown. You may be wealthy. You may be poor. You may be a man. You may be a woman. Young or old. Everyone will face death eventually.

I read an article where Arnold Schwarzenegger was talking about death. He's now 67 years old. Despite the amazing success he's had, he says he's angry at death. And that's because his brother died in a car crash at the age of 24 many years ago. And Schwarzenegger said, and I won't try to do his voice. I'll just say it as I normally would. He says, I've always been extremely angry about the idea of death. It's such a waste. I know it's inevitable. But what the blank is that? Says Schwarzenegger. Your whole life you work. You try to improve yourself. You save money. You invest wisely. And all of a sudden, poof, it's over. Death angers me more than ever, he says.

Well, I want to say something to Arnold. He might be surprised to know that God is also angry at death. You say, well, if God's angry at death, why didn't he do something about it? He did. He did. Death died when Christ Rose.

Facing Death with Hope Through Christ


So, we don't have to be afraid to discuss this subject. We can face it head on. Because death is not the end. It's just a bend in the road. And the moment I take my last breath on earth, I take my first breath in heaven.

So, you say, well, that's awesome. So, you know what, I'll just live like hell and then I'll go to heaven. No. Know this, friend. Heaven is not the default destination of every person. Heaven is only the destination of the person who has put their faith in Christ.

Now, you say, well, I'm a Christian. Well, wait a second. Do you even know what a Christian is? What do you think it means to be a Christian? Well, it means to go to church and to read your Bible and to pray. Did you know you can pray and go to church and read your Bible and have no relationship whatsoever with God?

Now, if you're a Christian, you should go to church, you should read your Bible, you should pray and more. But you can do those things and not know God at all. Being a Christian means that you admit to God that you're a sinner. You turn from that sin and ask Jesus Christ to come into your life.

Now, I ask you, has that happened to you yet? You say, well, I'm not sure. Hey, if Christ has taken residence in your heart, I think you'll know. And I want you to walk out of here knowing tonight He's living in you. And thus, knowing that you will go to heaven when you die.

The Disciples’ Shattered Dreams


I want us to go back in our imaginations now. 2,000 years to the time of Christ. And try to put ourselves in the shoes, or the sandals, if you will, of the disciples. Here comes Jesus. He is the Messiah. He is God in human form, walking among them. And they leave everything and they follow Him. It is their belief that Jesus is going to overthrow the Roman government and establish His kingdom right then and there. And they'll rule and reign with Him.

But that's not why Jesus came. He came with the express purpose of going to a cross and dying for their sin, and our sin, and the sin of the whole world. And He talked about it openly. He'd say, I'm going to be betrayed, and crucified, and die on a cross, and I'll rise again from the dead. He'd say it over and over, and it just went right over their heads. Like they didn't get it. They didn't get it.

And then one day, one of their own, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Jesus. And he was arrested on false charges. And then he was brought before the Roman governor Caiaphas, who had him scourged, a horrible process that would rip off the skin and actually go into the skeletal tissue, exposing vital organs. He survived the scourging. And then he's sent to the cross to be crucified. He was beaten so badly. And his body was so traumatized, the Bible says, you couldn't even tell he was a man.

So their dreams were shattered. Their lives were over. They're hung on a cross. Their Lord, who they thought was going to overthrow Rome. But he never said he was coming to overthrow Rome. He said he was coming to die for their sins. And he said he would also rise again from the dead.

Well, three days later, guess what happened? He Rose again from the dead. And he appeared to Mary Magdalene there at the tomb early in the morning. Then he appeared to others.

Jesus Prepares Breakfast for the Disciples


And that brings us to a text I want to read. It's an appearance of Jesus after he had come back from the dead. And it's found in John 21. So here's what we read. Simon Peter said, I'm going fishing. We'll come too, they all said. So they went out into the boat and they caught nothing all night. At dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach. But the disciples couldn't see who he was. And he called out, boys, have you caught any fish? No, they replied. Then he said, why don't you throw your net on the right side of the boat and you'll get some. And they did. And they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, it's the Lord. When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he put on his tunic. He jumped into the water and headed to shore. And the others stayed with the boat and pulled the net to shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them. Fish cooking over a charcoal fire and some bread. Jesus said, bring some of the fish that you've just caught. And Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. And Jesus said, come now and have breakfast.

I love that scene, don't you? By the way, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Second only to lunch and dinner. But I love breakfast. I love the smell of bacon. I love eggs, you know. And here's this scene. They're fishing all night. They've caught nothing. And here's Jesus. And he made them breakfast. Listen, these hands that were crucified made them breakfast. Can you imagine such a thing? And he's serving them. And there they're looking at the risen Lord, the resurrected physical Jesus.

What the Resurrection Means for Us


And I bring this up because it shows us some important things about what the resurrection of Christ from the dead means to us.

Here is point number one. Because Jesus died and Rose again from the dead, that means that I as a Christian will one day receive a new body. One day I will receive a new body.

The Bible says, when Christ who is our life appears, we shall be like Him. What does that mean? It means He is going to give you a radical upgrade on the body you are in now. You will still be you. Jesus was still Jesus. He wasn't floating around. He stood on the ground. He said, it's me and not another. He even ate some food to prove it was Him. And it's not like He was translucent and they saw the food going down, you know. He was a physically resurrected Lord, but now He's in this perfected state.

And one day we're going to have a new body given to us. And that's good news as you get older, you know. Because these bodies of ours start to break down. They disappoint us.

Signs of Aging and the Promise of Renewal


You know there's telltale signs of getting old. You know you're getting old when your memory is shorter and your complaining is longer, right? You know you're getting old when you and your teeth don't sleep together anymore. You know you're getting old when someone compliments you on your new alligator shoes, but you're barefoot, so that's not good at all. You know you're getting old when it takes twice as long to look half as good. You know you're getting old when your knees buckle and your belt won't. You know you're getting old when for you weightlifting is standing up. You know you're getting old when you drop something on the ground and you wonder what else you can do while you're down You know what I'm talking about? You know you're getting old when happy hour is a nap. Okay, so, telltale signs.

One day, because Christ died and Rose again, I, too, will have this resurrected body.

You know, sometimes people ask the question, will we recognize one another in heaven? What, do you think you're going to be more stupid in heaven than you are on earth? You'll know more in heaven. So, yes, you'll recognize one another, but we'll be different in a perfected state.

Resurrected Bodies and Relationships


Number two, because Jesus died and Rose again, we'll eat in our resurrection body. In John 21, he's making them breakfast. I love the fact that Jesus was always eating. Have you ever noticed that? I mean, here, after he's risen from the dead, he makes breakfast. Then he eats with his disciples. And then in the upper room, he has the last supper with the disciples. He even uses the picture of eating to describe his desire to have a relationship with us. He says, behold, I stand at the door and I knock. You know, if you'll hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and have a meal with you. Sup with you is the King James Version, but it means just, we'll have a meal together. A long, leisurely meal. He wants that kind of relationship with you right now.

Now, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we'll have resurrected relationships. One day, we're gonna have a great family reunion. Now, that freaks some of you out, because you have weird families, right? Don't we all? Greg, you don't understand. I come from a dysfunctional family. Are you kidding me? I came from a dysfunctional family. Now, I'm the head of a dysfunctional family, okay? But I try to put the fun in dysfunction. That's what I'm saying.

But we all have weird uncles or strange cousins, you know, and you get together and they show up. Did it ever occur to you that you're the weird uncle or strange cousin in your family? But the cool thing about the resurrection is when we're reunited with loved ones, we won't be weird anymore, okay? So, all that will be gone because Jesus died and Rose again from the dead.

The Certainty of Final Judgment


One last thing I'd like to say before I close. Because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, there will be a final judgment. There will be a final judgment.

The Bible says in Acts 17, 31, God's appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained and He's given assurance of this by raising Him from the dead.

One day God will judge the world. The Bible says, it's appointed unto a man once to die, then comes the judgment.

We say, well, I don't like that. How could a God of love judge? Are you serious? Think of all the injustices. Think of the horrific acts of terrorism we read about. Think of all the wrong things that have been done, the crimes that have been committed. There's a final court where everyone will have to face what they've done. The Bible teaches us.

And sometimes that reassures us that at least there's justice somewhere sometime. Because there's many injustices in life.

But this means that every sin we've ever committed is recorded. You know, nowadays everybody's getting hacked. Emails are getting hacked. Phones are getting hacked. You'll read about some celebrity. Their phone got hacked and there's naked photos of them on the Internet. I have a thought. Don't take naked photos of yourself. Consider it. And then carry them around on your phone, seriously.

But remember when that website called Ashley Madison was hacked? That was a website that was dedicated to help people have affairs, to commit adultery. And they had a slogan on their home page, life is short, have an affair. Well, someone got into the names of Ashley Madison and they were published and people were outed. Some were so despondent they took their own lives.

Well, Ashley Madison had one thing right, life is short. So it's not life is short, have an affair. It's life is short. So repent and get right with God. Because everything's recorded.

The Bible says you'll give an account of every word you've spoken. Think about that. Every word, every email, every text, every tweet, everything, you'll give an account.

But here's the good news. If I will ask God to forgive me, I will not have to face my sins. I will be forgiven and received into heaven.

See, this is not about a bunch of good works that get me into heaven. Because even if you did all the good works in the world, they would never be enough. Heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people. You need to be forgiven of your sin. And no matter what you've done, if you will admit your sin and turn from it, God will forgive you. And you will not have to face this judgment day.

But if you say, oh, you're crazy, Greg, what do you know? And I'm just going to do whatever I want. And I'll work it out with, you know, the men upstairs one day. No, you won't. It'll be too late. There's thousands of chances before death, but none after.

So you want to get this sorted out right here, right now.

But I'm telling you, whatever you've done, God will forgive you. Because He loves you. He loves you so much. He sent His Son to die on the cross in your place.

Hey, Jesus said it best. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. Finish it with me. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That's the Gospel truth.

Reflection & Discussion Questions