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April 30, 2021 3:00 am
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A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.
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The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry. Pastor Greg wanted to see a special word of thanks to the harvest partners who make this ministry possible next time your online check out Pastor Greg's personal blog go to harvest data work. There are so many opinions about what lies beyond the grave today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie shares God's word is clear on the mountain. Here is the view of the other live show when you die your Christian you will go straight to heaven if you're not a Christian you will go to that is the case, why are we not doing more to warn people about the reality of hell is very soup. This warning systems in our car computers on TV. We get weather alerts Amber today on the new beginning for Greg Laurie issues the spiritual over will see that those who live their lives apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ facing the most serious kind of danger. There is not only risking life and now they're risking their life, no I visit yesterday were I was taken to heaven and greeted at the pearly gates by Simon Peter, of course, and so he took me to a large room and in this large room because some of ever been in. There were thousands and thousands and thousands of what looked like clocks on the wall of these clocks I could Peter, what are all these clocks. He said come here let me show you something. So we stepped a little closer to realizing only on one hand, one yeah and I said what are these, he said. Greg goes Arsenault meters.
This is a true story. By the way goes Arsenault meters they said once a centimeter Peter is it every time the person sends under they have a backlog was around 15 net meter. Just like that so well. I want to find out how spiritual people really are now. So I started look at some of you up, to be honest. And I for some. I was pretty impressed and some well I was a little disappointed. I looked up Pastor Brad sitting here in the front and die and you know there was movement Brad there was movement on your centimeter more than I expected to be honest like okay well then stop for a second and again that I look at Pastor John Collinson is was little lesson Brad but still movement.
I went and looked up my wife Kathy, you know, and there were cobwebs on it. It just said this had soever Ms. Watson all these centimeter summer going faster summer going lower, but everyone's moving every time the person for one time around the dial. So I said what looked up. Everyone ever looked at myself and so I said Peter where's my sin, no meter he said oh years. We use that one for a fan in the kitchen. That was depressing. Okay, so silly story to going to make a point. There's a lot of strange and aberrant and incorrect views of the afterlife.
So many, and sometimes even believers will adopt some of these views. So what we need is a biblical view of biblical worldview of the afterlife. There are people today that say they met these mirrored that the variances and they always see a great light frighten feel this great peace and they write books about it. They make movies about them and you know and we have these views and some people will think about must be what it's like. I read an interesting article the other day and said that many Americans are skeptical about God, but more believe in heaven.
So believe in the existence of God is down a bit, but believe in heaven is top a bit. How does that work God is the one that gave us heaven and the first time we read of heaven is actually in the Bible so this is a strange thing to me.
You know heaven is not going to exist because more people believe it exists.
I would be like saying more people today believe that the state of Arizona exists in the state of California. It doesn't matter what you think they both exist in heaven exists and of course soda hell and this is some we need to think about because as we get older the afterlife is getting closer we start losing friends and even family and we know one day. Our day will, in fact, you get quite a bit older, you might realize what day you want more friends in heaven. Then you have honor.
By the way, if that's the case you need to get some new friends. Okay the next time get some younger ones but you know this is a reality work phase even in life is just passing by so quickly. I see when I was a kid like you know the third grade lasted 10 years and and now decades go by I am serious XM radio and they have these channels you can go to 60s on 650s on 570s on 780s on eight and so sometimes I'll be at 60s on sex at all like I flip over the 70s. I go to the 80s and then it dawned to me. I've lived through all of these decades from the 50s, the 60s and 70s, the 80s even have 90s on nine and I the men you know you're getting old when 90s songs are called all these right, but life marches on eternity gets closer and we wonder what happens when we die. All right, I want to give you a very quick answer here is the biblical worldview on the afterlife. In a nutshell when you die if you're a Christian, you will go straight to heaven.
That's true worth bopping for. You probably won't file for this next statement when you die if you're not a Christian you will go to hell will older I'm just telling you what the Bible says you want to biblical worldview that I don't see that with any delight I said with sadness and I say that because the Bible is very clear in this topic and begged Jesus himself said broad is the way that leads to the instruction and many there are the go that way, and there was a way that leads to life, in view, there are that find it. According to Jesus, and the rest of the Scripture. More people are going to hell than those that are going to heaven. That's not what God wants. But God is given to us of three will so if we really believe what the Bible teaches about the outcome.
Let me backtrack for a second. How many of you believe what I just said is true. Raise your hand if you believe that I sister okay what you're really saying is, I believe the Bible because I didn't come up with this. I think you know that so we believe what the Bible says about the afterlife right if that is the case, why are we not doing more to warn people about the reality of hell I don't know the answer, I would. I would just hope that that knowing the hell is real would motivate nonbelievers to come to Christ. But I also hope it would motivate believers to share their faith with even more urgency.
I don't want us to look at this topic today intellectually I want us to look at it with our heart as well. This is not mere data.
This is life and death.
Stop, you know, Gen. William Booth is the founder of the Salvation Army, and at its inception, the Salvation Army was a very evangelistic organization and diet was a big deal. The general booth to get out and encourage people to share their faith so he actually said that if he had had his way, he he would like to have as part of his training of people to share their faith taken those who were training to evangelize and dangle them over hell so they would recognize that this is the future of some people that don't know the Lord and that is the last thing we should ever want. The apostle Paul was so concerned about this that he said that if given the choice he would go to hell if he can be assured that others specifically in his case, his fellow Jews would go to heaven well the good news is we don't have to do that because the prices already been paid for everyone to go to heaven to the death and resurrection of Jesus. We just need to share that message in a moment Mr. Gray gives us a glimpse of the great family reunion waiting for us in eternity. Good encouragement is coming up in just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here personally inviting you to join us for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a Bible study. It's a worship service into church in your home, you're not able to get out your church right now.
If so, join us per Harvest at Home people are listening this from around the world listen to this. We have seen thousands of people make a commitment to follow Christ. Join us this weekend Harvest at Home.oh well were looking beyond the grave today as Pastor Greg brings us a message called the biblical worldview of the afterlife.
You can get a copy of this study@harvest.org.
All right, so let's now look at what the Bible says about the afterlife. What happens to a Christian when they die very simple answer. What a Christian dies they go to heaven. Give a loved one. The believe in Jesus and they died there in heaven right now the Bible is very clear about the subject.
That tells us over in second Corinthians 58 were competent and I would say were away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it so were absent from the body were present with the Lord. This doesn't take months or years. It's instantaneous.
The moment you take your last breath on earth you take your first breath in heaven. Paul even said in Philippians 123 I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better that I would fall then I would like to be in heaven right now.
Notice he didn't say I have a desire to depart and just live in sort of a soul sleep for decades now or I have a desire to depart with Christ in purgatory for a while and atone for my sins out. He says I am a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better in adjusting the phrase he uses and the Greek be translated far far better are the Hawaiian version is mold that I brought you know that's what heaven is another's questions up up in our minds about the afterlife like okay what we still have our bodies in heaven. Let me ask you, do you want the body herein in heaven.
Maybe you would like a radically improved version. Actually, the answer to that question is yes and no are you are given new bodies, but they're not completely disconnected from the body you're in now, it's just a radically upgraded version of you were told over in first Corinthians 15 our earthly bodies will die and decay, but they'll be different on the resurrected then they'll never die our bodies now disappoint us commando that bore the razor be full of glory their week novel. When the raised will be full of power. So what is this me needs.
If you are disabled on earth you will not be disabled in heaven. That means if you were facing the ravages of age on earth.
You will not face those in heaven. If you had cancer on earth you won't have cancer in heaven.
If you were bald on earth you won't be balding heaven. I don't think the Bible doesn't address that want to be a mind blower forgot they have and realize that the glorified state is everyone's bald what we found out that here was a part of the curse. That's probably not true but I thought I throw it out there anyway so this is the great thing it we talk about the differences but there are similarities you see heaven is the earthly life of the believer glorified and perfected.
We passive the other side. Our minds are memories are clearer than they've ever been before. That's great to know because we forget think we forget names all the time I meet someone great going on like nice to meet you.
I'm talking about my wife in the morning site. Who are you know not really, but the point is, this week we have lapses in memory and and we don't have her memory isn't as sharp as it once was, perhaps, but all that's going to change it and get to know things that we don't know now I will get to see things with the perspective we don't see now the question is often asked what we recognize one another in heaven. The simple answer is, do you think you'll be more stupid in heaven then you are on earth. Maybe I said us a question you recognize one another under 12 generally will you will in heaven, but even more so because all of the clouding and damaging effects of sin are removed and the Bible says will know as we are no I don't and that means that God takes everything that he knows and puts it into our brain. The moment we enter eternity otherwise would all be like little bobble heads walk around these massive heads in tiny little bodies but what the Scripture seems to be saying this over time in eternity. The Lord will unveil to us more and more great screws on our knowledge will expand as we spent time in his presence, worshiping him and we will be reunited with those that have gone before us who trusted in Jesus.
So you have allow many of you of loved ones that believed in Jesus out of died. Raise your hand you have people you that's pretty much everyone is that of course I interviewed, raise your hand. You probably very young, still it will happen. Here's the good news. You'll see them again. Heaven is going to be a family reunion without the weirdness without the work to family reunions are not always what are the company of your weird families raising what I would think all of us to. Who here has a completely normal family know where this rate I getting really well.
You may be the weirdest of all, I don't know. We gotta talk about weird later but when we all have strange members of our family and in reality, we ourselves are one of the strange members of our family.
But all that sin will be gone all the selflessness will be gone and be a great family reunion going to be amazing. Think of the purest joy you have ever experienced on earth. Multiply it up thousand time and you of a fleeting glimpse of the euphoria of heaven. The Bible says in his presence there is fullness of joy and on his right hand pleasures for evermore. Okay, that's what happens to a believer now what happens to a nonbeliever. Let's look at Revelation 20. Pretty bleak. Verse 11 I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.
And another book was open, which is the book of life and the dead were judged according to their works for the things were written in the books notice plural books. This he gave up the dead that were in it, death and Hades or hell delivered up the dead that were in them and they were judged, each one according to his works, and death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire.
There gentlemen is seen.
This is the most serious sobering and tragic passage, perhaps in the entire Bible. Abandon hope all you who enter here are the famous words about the gates of hell and Dante's poem inferno. John the apostle, the author of this see the great white throne.
The throne is white because of its awesome power. It's a place of judgment, its employees, a purity, the verdicts that will proceed from it.
Now our righteous verdicts W no debates at the great white throne over guilt or innocence. There will be a prosecutor. No defender in accuser, but no advocate an indictment, but no defense mounted by the accused Doug convicting evidence will be presented the been over a bottle or cross-examination.
There will be no jury, but a judge in his holy judgment is binding for all eternity. So what happens to the nonbeliever when they die. Now they go to Haiti uses Warden eventually. It is an interchangeable word with Dell but let me explain.
Sometimes there's confusion. There's a difference between the lake of fire in Haiti, the lake of fire that we just read about is the final destination of nonbelievers and the devil and his angels. The lake of fire. I is the destination nonbelievers are said to after the great white throne judgment. The great white throne judgment has not happened yet it is still in the future. So what happens when a nonbeliever dies they go to Hades.
What is that Hades is spoken of, among other places over in Luke 16 and that is an amazing story that Jesus told about two men that died on the same day.
One was rich. One was poor.
One was powerful one was weak. One was a believer.
The other was a nonbeliever.
The believer was named Lazarus, not the same Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead. John 11 everyone but that he died and he was carried by the angels into the presence of God. But then we read that the nonbeliever, the wealthy man, and by the way, his sin was not in as well.
His sin was in his rejection of God, but he dies and he goes to a place of torment. So at this time. Historically, Hades effectively had for lack of a better way to put it to section a sort of a comfort section and eight torment section or smoking and non-smoking.
If you will. So when the believer died before the death and resurrection of Christ. The Old Testament believer. They went into the comfort of Abraham. Abraham the patriarch, and so the believer in our story. Lazarus is arid what is described in King James is Abraham's bosom reason a place of comfort.
Meanwhile, the nonbeliever dies and he separated from this place of comfort in the place of torment and so will we read death and Hades delivered up the dead that were in them, to the great white throne judgment is sort of like you're arrested and you're in a jail. You're being transferred from a jail to the judge who's going to give you your final sentence, which will send you to prison so the nonbeliever now is waiting no what happened to the believer coming back that comfort section is no longer there for us to go to because when Christ died and rose. He went down to Hades he preach to those who were waiting in faith, those who had died waiting for the coming Messiah and there in heaven and that's where we go now so this is no longer a destination for a believer, but that judgment or I should say the torment section of Hades is the destination for the normally we don't want people to go to hell they say all right item. I agree. What I do when you do warn people Greg Laurie clear warnings today about what lies beyond the grave.
For those who haven't entered into a relationship with Christ and pastor Greg will have more insight as this eye-opening message continues here on the new beginning.
But if you have questions about where you stand with the Lord. We invite you go to know God.org pastor Greg has some important information for you there online. Again, go to know God.org KNOW know God.org and it is such a joy to make available pastor Greg's brand-new book called Billy Graham the man I knew it's a rich biography meticulously researched and is full of great inspiration for our lives.
There are indeed practical takeaways for all of us in learning about Billy's life, but Pastor Greg is you as you look at Billy's life through the eyes of an evangelist water a couple of the takeaways for you. Yeah well I observed Billy very carefully. You know when he was on the platform.
I would be sitting up there and I could watch him and I watched him as he gave the invitation and thousands of people would come forward to accept Christ, and I asked him after Billy what are you personally experiencing physically when you give an invitation and his response was I feeling power is going out at me and I understand that because I've stood on stages in stadiums and arenas and seen many people come forward in urine that definite time of spiritual warfare of the devil really attacks those were called to present the gospel. I think one of Billy's secrets was he didn't take himself too seriously. He took his message very seriously. But, but he was really a genuinely humble guy I think of one occasion I was with them in Portland, Oregon, and he had preached at that night of the crusade, it was a powerful Mike Johnny Cash and actually played that night as well and so were leaving the stadium and there are people lined up on each side being held back by these ropes and some security people just Billy Billy and you know is like Moses was walking through and and I was walking next to him and then we got in the car and were driving out and so his longtime friend and associate TW Wilson is at the wheel. I'm riding shotgun in the back seat is Billy and his son Franklin so I thought I want to complement Billy's return rising, Billy.
That was a great message tonight. He looked at me with those steely blue eyes and he said well it's just gospel.
I turned back around a fellow I know it's just cost that's clear and then II thought is that Mel something he had said a particular nature by Carranza billing. I love that point. When you said Christ can re-sensitize your conscience, and he looked at me and said well he can. Dr. Bachrach, I'm not seeing anything else that I was I was learning something.
When it was learning was you know some people loved. You know, just all was not great tonight and how did I do none of that. She didn't want to talk about it.
It was done all the accolades all the adulation he was moving on, and it was behind him and I was learning to was learning that you know when you have these moments were used by God and people come to faith.
That's great, but you know now you gotta get back to normal life. That's something I actually put into practice in our own Crusades. It's like afterwards and I want some big party and got with a bunch of people I just go back to normalcy by coming to go back and maybe hang out with my grandkids or do something normal – because it's it's kind of an altered state of reality to be on a stage in front of a lot of people in and how the Lord worked to you in that way and you want to remember to continue to give God the glory. It's not you, it's him and and I think that something Billy understood from the beginning to the end of his ministry. He would often say I'm just a country preacher but you know God called him and and so he he maintained his humility and he came through all of this with his integrity intact that is not something we need to hear and this time onward hearing the stories of people who are in Christian leadership.
Failing morally in other areas. It's good to know that we have a guy that he live the life he was the same guy in private that he was in public so this is a book that will give you insights in the Billy it'll show you the funny side of Billy it'll show you things that maybe you've not seen in other books and it was my honor to write it and it's called Billy Graham the man that I knew yet it's a fascinating biography and inspiring biography and it's hot off the presses and you can be one of the first to receive Billy Graham, the man I knew will send it to say thank you for your investment in the mission of this ministry. It's an investment in touching lives like this one dear Pastor Greg, 42 years ago when I was a teenager. You change my life by introducing Jesus to a kid who had nothing but darkness. Thank you for sharing messages about our father when we didn't have fathers that cared or who weren't in our lives to get us through those dark times again when you help us reach people like this with your investment right now let us thank you with pastor Greg's new book, Billy Graham, the man I knew and today is our last opportunity to mention this resource so get in touch right away. Just try to set a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24 seven phone number 1-800-821-3300 portal online to harvest.org well next time more insight about eternity from pastor Greg's message called the biblical worldview of the afterlife. Tune in next time you're on a new beginning with pastor Greg Laurie and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org