Let’s Talk About Heaven: The Hope of Heaven

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God don't want to hear from you. Would you consider emailing me you can reach me at greg@harvest.org again that's Greg harvest.org and you can also make me one of your friends on Facebook and drop me a comment visiting physics on our quite impressive one out of every one prisons will die. And then there's the afterlife of the article I was no longer than the slight one, or more likely to shorten the afterlife, so we need to know about a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie help us learn more about the future destination every true believer in Jesus Christ as a whole person. It's a supernatural certain remove relocate me explain what there were 7000 moving away when we move we try to find out details about our new home today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie provide some details about our eternal home. The Bible gives a more detailed and you may be aware, none of us knows are moving good idea to get that information now was very about heaven because out of the subject.

I love to talk about. That's a topic the Bible addresses many many many times that heaven is a place that we all need to know about because it were a Christian. That's a really end up one day and you want to be ready for you're going to take a trip you want to know a little bit about where you're going, you know what close.

Do I take with the good place to eat. Where should I stay what site should I go see you we prepare ourselves for a trip that we take. Well, we want to be prepared for heaven, because heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. So let's talk about heaven going to turn the Colossians chapter 3 tonight turn over there with me if you would Colossians chapter 3 heard about an 85-year-old couple who had been married for almost 60 years who incredibly died on the same day they been in good health.

Actually, for the last 10 years mainly as a result of the wife's interest in health food and exercise so they reach the pearly gates and their meta-course by St. Peter and he takes them to their brand-new mansion waiting for them in heaven, it's equipped with a beautiful kitchen.

The master bath suite and a sauna and Jacuzzi at sertraline and online. The old man says to Peter how much is this going to cost Peter says something to cost anything man.

This is evident and then they looked out of their backyard and it's a championship golf course that changes every day resembling one of the great golf courses on planet Earth and the old man says one of the green fees.

Peter says there's no green fees kids have and everything is free. Then they take the couple to this massive buffet lunch and have all the food that the old man wanted to eat but couldn't eat Mexican food, Italian food nachos with lots of cheese pizza, hamburgers, all that good stuff that's. I like to buy the way and the old guys looking at all of this food and he says well worth the low-fat and low-cholesterol tables. Peter says that's the great thing we don't have low-fat tables. We don't have low-cholesterol eat whatever you want and you never get that in. You never get sick without the old bed take this throws on the ground and start stomping on it and Peter and is the man's wife are looking like what is wrong with you. This is what what is happening. He looks at the wife and he says this is your fault. He says if you hadn't been feeding me those blasted bran muffin for the last 10 years I would've been here sooner is a two-story, it's also about but have and of course, is no joke. It's a real place. As I said, for real people to do real things now how many of you believe in heaven raising you believe in heaven right okay well most Americans actually do believe in a place called heaven. 81% of the stocks are a little lower for hell, 69% believe in a place called hell. But I think deep down inside we long for a place we've never been to before and never traveled for a while, especially overseas and found yourself really homesick wanting to get home again, especially those that serve in the Armed Forces are those that do business overseas. They can wait to get back home again. I think deep down inside, God is prewired us to be homesick for a place we've never been to before and that place is heaven. We long for the Bible even tells us over in Ecclesiastes 311 that God has said eternity in our hearts, the great writer CS Lewis.

Speaking of heaven, said it was the secret signature of each soul. Lewis continues urban times when I think we do not desire heaven, but more often I find myself wondering whether in our heart of hearts if we have ever desired anything else.

It's a secret signature of each soul. The incommunicable and nonappealable want" I love that that it's his longing deep inside of us like the story of a little boy who was flying the sky and I went up higher and higher in soon. You couldn't see that was obscured by the cloud and someone said boy, how do you know that kite still up there the little guy said I can still feel it's Todd and I think deep down inside we feel the tug of heaven goes back to our childhood. I think even our excitement about Christmas in a way, as a longing for heaven. There's something about Christmas. Apart from all the commercialism of it and also apart from the fact that it starts in August. Now that there really is a glimpse of heaven is not all the beautiful lights, the Angels, the beautiful songs like I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus know about those once a beautiful Christmas songs that we sing and it's just like a little glimpse of heaven.

It's sort of like a promise record Christmas cannot deliver on the promise, but Christ can in heaven can in the Bible teaches that when a Christian dies they go straight to heaven. Now I came across an atheist website a while ago. I don't usually read that many atheist websites, but from time to time of check-in and what other people are saying and it turns out that they were quoting something I said on their atheist website and here's what it said they quoted me rightly with these words, they said that I said quote when a Christian dies.

It's a direct flight to heaven. There are no stopovers them only take our last breath on earth. We take our first breath. In heaven we go into the presence of God exactly what I said they were outraged by this and here was a response. Going to heaven after death is assumed not only does he start with this unsubstantiated and onerous assumption, but he goes on a more detail about the precise state of affairs that take place in heaven. Once you arrive and what evidence does Greg Laurie have both of these claims. Nothing at all just a bunch of Bible quotes. That's right, just a bunch of Bible quote by the way, I love the I stand by that. That's right, just a bunch of Bible quotes I'm building everything I believe I just a bunch of Bible quotes I'm building my hope on Jesus Christ. What he tells me in his word. Now listen, I don't expect EPS to understand the hope of a Christian it's hard for them to wrap your mind around the fact that we have such a strong hope that this is something that God gives to us isn't it.

It's a quiet confidence. It's a supernatural certainty and where we find this hope we find it from Scripture or is he atheist website, said a bunch of Bible quotes.

That's why it's a good thing to memorize the Bible and pull your mind with what the Bible says in the Bible actually has a lot to say about heaven that someone 19 says you are my refuge, my shield, your word is my only source of hope. That's one of the reasons the Scripture was given to us to begin with, to give us hope. Romans 15 for says such things were written in the Scriptures long ago did teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises by the way, the word that is used there for hope is a word that can be translated a strong and confident expectation will have that I have the hope that one day I will go to heaven after Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message just a moment we send these daily studies out via radio satellite and over the Internet. We don't always know how these messages are touching lives when we hear the stories of her listeners. It really is encouraging to us. Hi Pastor Greg share the same birthday as my dad, thank you for the online videos of your sermons. I was a particle child. I stumbled across your videos and decided to recommit my life to the Lord.

I've never felt better. You brought me back in my faith and now I want to live right and serve the Lord.

What are your videos about prayer helped me learn how to pray. I hope one day when this pandemic is over that I can visit your church in person. Thank you. Do you have a story to tell of how Pastor Greg's teaching is impacting you. If so, why not email him angry@harvest.org again, that's great harvest.org joined us for the kickoff message Pastor Greg's new series, the afterlife and the eternal, to get a replay of any part of today study online to harvest.org. I was asked in a TV interview a while ago by the interviewer what you talk about heaven all the times that I noticed in your sermons. I'll see you on TV or hear you on the radio and you're always talking about heaven and I thought really well. It's good thing to be always talking about. I wasn't aware that I'm not embarrassed by that are ashamed of that because really when it said and done. What's more important than that, the more we spend our eternal destiny and I want to do everything to help you come in your relationship with God and find that beautiful and meaningful relationship he has for you on this earth. But when it's all said and done the statistics on death are quite impressive. One out of every one prisons will die. And then there's the afterlife and the afterlife was a lot longer than this life on earth that we should call our time on earth. The before life. We put so much focus on the afterlife know the before life is short, the afterlife is forever. Yes, it's true, I admitted I wanted to get as many people to heaven with me as I possibly can. So we need to know about half have always studied haven't always been fascinated by.

I wouldn't say I'm an expert on it at all, but I would say am a student of it and I probably became greater student of it.

No doubt in 2008 when my son went to heaven he beat me to heaven. My son Christopher was 33 at the time. Now Christopher and I used to race each other on the beach and he was a runner. He was out in track and field is very good but I was okay as a runner in high school and so I was a bit younger and so we be on the beach and I brace him all the time, I'd say let's raise to that mark down there and you know what I was better at short distance and he was better long distance so I always pick a distance. It favored me right because I would run out of steam quicker than he would.

Let's wonder that Arkansas ready doughnut you would run and I get ahead of him and IBG again.

You and Mimi had one day will walk along the beach.

Is it okay I picked a spot. Let's go new markets ago it off we went in. He beat me finally happened that happen in life to it.

I expected that I would go way before him to heaven. In fact, written on his tombstone are the words I fought the good fight, I kept the faith. I finished the course and that is what were all going to do when we don't know how long the course will be some of this may run that course for 8595 years. Some of us may run that course for 45 years.

Some of us may run the course for 18 years. Some may run it for 33 years.

Likewise, and we don't know none of us know. That's why we want to run as well as we can and as hard as we can while we can, because one day will be our last day and there were an eternity and then were standing before the Lord. So what is heaven like let's talk about that a little bit here in Colossians chapter 3 and read two verses. Since then, you've 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. There so we are to set our hearts.

We are to set our minds on things above. This phrase set your mind to be translated. Think, or more thoroughly, have this inner disposition.

Let me put it another way, the verses actually saying simply think heaven think heaven that something were all supposed to do as Christians and by the way, the verb that used in this verse is in the present tense. So to be translated. Keep thinking heaven, or keep thinking about heaven, or keep seeking heaven put it all together and think constantly be seeking and thinking about heaven. You see, our feet must be on earth, but our minds and our hearts can be in heaven. Whatever honest many of us have gone an entire day without a single thought about heaven. That's not a good thing we should always be thinking about it were and where to be a great Bible commentator said, quote for the Christian heaven isn't simply a destination. It's a motivation is a okay will that that's fine but you know how to we think about a place I've never been to before.

Otto I wrap my mind around the place. I know so little about what you need to learn about heaven and see what the Bible says about Scripture because when you're thinking about heaven and you're seeking heaven. You will be a heavenly minded person in the best sense of that phrase. I know it's used to critique people all there so heavenly minded. There are no earthly good and I know a lot of people are so overtly minor there no heavenly good and I think of your heavenly minded in the right way, you'll be of the greatest earthly good fact of the matter is those that think the most of the do the most in this one because of I believe there's an afterlife, and I believe there's a reward waiting for me for my people must want to make me want to serve the Lord of I believe in an afterlife and I believe there's a potential judgment for me more that make me want to fear God and avoid sin. So you see him. I believe in the afterlife affects me in this life, but of on the other. Again, I don't believe there's a reward waiting. Why do anything for anyone but me and I don't think there's a future judgment out there, why can't I do whatever the heck I want to do to whoever I want to do it to because nobody know, eternal repercussion, so as you can see your thinking about the afterlife, has a dramatic effect on you in this life. So let's just start with what is heaven. What is while it's the dwelling place of God. All right where is heaven well we know it's up. We know that there is 1/3 heaven.

The Bible talks about three heavens and the first heaven would just be basically walked outside to look up to see the sky. The second heaven would be the solar system and the third heaven is that supernatural run, but it may be closer than we think. I think we think it's so far away you know and maybe it's just right next to us in a way it's really another dimension. You see, right now we live in the physical dimension but at the same time we coexist within eternal dimension. It's a dimension of God and the devil of angels and demons of the supernatural world. Great illustration of this is found in the book of Kings with the prophet Elisha and his servant to his side, they were surrounded by their enemies and were closing in which chariots and Army soldiers in his I started up, reach out and panic. These and when we do mastery actually woke Elisha alleges whatever okay Lord just opened his eyes and his eyes were open and he saw the supernatural forces of God all around him, and he discovered that they had more on their side than the enemy had on their side right now were surrounded by the supernatural world. The Bible says that the angel of the Lord encamps around those in fear and we may even have guardian angels. I'm not sure of this, but I think you could make a fairly good case for it. At least maybe children have them because Jesus talks about how our little children have their angels, so it may be that we are personally angels in the maybe we just have angels that just do God's bidding, but they're working around this every single day God that works of the supernatural realm this place called heaven. We don't know where it is but it is where God is and that is the most important thing of all, because really the greatest thing about heaven is going to be seen God do series here on a new beginning, called the afterlife and the eternal Pastor Greg Laurie is offering compelling insights on what's waiting for us. If you missed any part of today study you can catch up by hearing the message online@harvest.org. It's a presentation called let's talk about heaven part one now for a permanent copy on CD.

Call us anytime around the clock, seven days a week at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 and I were excited about making available pastor Greg's book called Jesus revolution yesterday during the Jesus movement. You are a new Christian yourself did you have any idea the uniqueness of the season you were living in, or are when did you start realizing you live through something rather epic. Yes, that you know that's a really good question, Dave and the answer is I did not know I walked smack dab in the middle of a spiritual revival. You see I wasn't raised in the church so I had no real background in these things, I'd never really read the Bible for myself.

So when I came to Christ to my high school campus and then went to this church, Calvary Chapel were the Jesus movement was in full swing.

I thought, well, this is amazing. Then I didn't realize that I was in a revival delay started traveling around the country, because I would travel with these Christian bands and speak in various venues and I was in a lot of different church settings and I realize all well before experiencing is not happening everywhere but it was happening. In some places no revivals interesting. It sort of like when you open or close your door to it for the churches that open their door to revival and open the door to the kids coming the cries which in this case were primarily hippie kids they experience revival to the churches and kept their doors close. They missed it.

So it was really a lot, up to the people. Do you want to see God work or do you not want to see him work so it was like little embers blowing and they would catch year and they would catch there, and in many of those embers came together and it was a gunfire but a good fire spreading across our nation and we need to see that again and so I wanted to talk about it for a long time so I decided to write a book and I had a personal work would be her name is Ellen Vaughn very talented writer. In fact, she help me write my autobiography called lost boy she did a lot of research on the time on the culture of what was happening around the city gives you a greater appreciation of what God did in the Jesus movement in the Jesus revolution and then I also weave my personal story throughout the book, and I seek to find Takeaway principles in this book that we can apply in hopes that we can see another Jesus revolution so you want to know more when you got to get a copy of this book.

It's free. Let me restate that it's free for your gift of any size. This is not a gimmick grid trick son can only give a little will send you the book.

Some can get more will send you the book but whatever you can do know this will take those resources and use them to continue to get the gospel out to as many people as possible so again for your gift of any size I want to send you a copy of my book Jesus revolution and will also include a copy of a brand-new study guide out that's been created that undergirds the insights in the book is not right that's right yes at something special we prepared for this special edition of Jesus revolution and this will help you to dig in deeper.

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We should ask for Jesus revolution you can write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 and we can take your call anytime or go online to harvest.org is heaven just some very old metaphysical idea or ideal. Pastor Greg points out, heaven is a real place and it's really learn more next time you beginning pastor Greg Laurie possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org