Turn Your Forward Into Forever - Part 2

Under non-Christian review if we wanted was a droopy Lynnhaven is reduce the measure thrown to a report of the durbar revs up a series forward with a closer look at what you can expect when you arrive. After a lifetime of moving closer to Christ. What will it look like to meet him face-to-face is the conclusion of his message celebrate Daniel forward into forever though I grew up in a pastor's home and my father was was a great preacher about the second coming of Christ and the wish to have prophetic conferences. Every summer we would have a revival service and we brought in people who preached on the second coming. I remember it seemed to me like every time we had an evangelistic crusade Friday night was prophecy night and you are encouraged to bring your friends and let them hear the gospel. Many people came to Christ. But you know what's happened over the years we've kind of lost our vision for heaven. Perhaps it's because we've created euphoria on earth for many of us, and that's not really true if we understand what real happiness is, but as we go forward in the days ahead. I think Evans can become more more important to us and one of the joys of writing this book is to realize that while this book starts in time and ends in eternity. And when you celebrate at the end of your journey. After you have dreamed and prayed and chosen and focused and risked and pursued and believed and invested, and finished when you finally get to heaven you will celebrate it will be a great celebration of all that God has done for you and you most of all because of his sacrificial death on the cross for your life. So today were going to go back to where we left off in this message on celebrating want to jump right into it right at the front. I have some things to say to you at the end but right now let's finish up our discussion celebrate turn into forever. Look forward to celebration.

Look forward to a rousing welcome and a ritual Lord and look forward to a resurrected body. Oh my goodness, listen to this. It's important to remember that we are going to be ghosts or angels or disembodied spirits in heaven at the moment of our rapture, our resurrection were going to celebrate our new glorified bodies were not going to be like Lazarus, who was raised from the dead. John chapter 11 he hobbled out in his grave.

Close others cut them out of the shroud. No, Jesus was resurrected and passed right through his grave clothes. Nobody could figure out how that happened. Lazarus rose to die again, Jesus rose never again to age experience in numbers face weakness or encounter death.

Philippians chapter 3 says the Lord Jesus will form our lowly bodies so that they will be just like his glorious body so I don't know about you but for me that's really good news.

Some of you who are listening to this message are battling illnesses and disabilities and ravages of aging medical sciences grappling with all these issues. Some of our advances are amazing. Sgt. John Peck is an American Marine who lost all four limbs to an explosion in Afghanistan in 2010.

At first he thought he spend the rest of his life right prosthetic arms and legs but I could hardly believe this in 2016 he received a double arm transplant.

The limbs came from a young man who was declared brain-dead and whose arms were rushed in ice packs to an operating room in Boston for the 14 hour transplant surgery performed by a team of 60 surgeons, nurses and technicians. When Peck woke up the next day he had someone else's arms today. John Peck is able to perform many daily tasks with his new arms, including signing copies of his book rebuilding Sgt. Peck human medical technology can do so much to help our bodies recover from horrific tragedies. Imagine what God can do instantaneously at the moment of the resurrection prescribed him since it this way, we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an at the last trump for the trumpet will sound and dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. Consider what we know about the resurrection body of Christ was his own natural body recognizable with his unique DNA. This personal essence and his personal qualities were intact. It was the same body he acquired in embryonic form at conception, but in a flash of Easter glory, it was transformed into an imperishable body with new capabilities. This resurrection body is the way our bodies are going to be when we go to heaven would have bodies just like the Lord, you can cut like that all you want. Next time you are considering cosmetic surgery. Just remember, if you wait long enough, you will have to do that because Jesus Christ is going to change everybody to be just like him so when you go to your celebration. You will look forward to a rousing welcome, you will look forward to a ritual Lord you will look forward to a resurrected body. But here's one that surprises a lot of people will look forward to a new assignment resurrection body because you have a lot of work to do when you get to heaven. One of the greatest aspects of heaven involves the prospect of more service twice in the book of Revelation were told will be involved in meaningful tasks and acts of service in heaven. Revelation 715 says therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night, and Revelation 22 three says there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in, and his servants shall serve him to go to heaven and sit in the clouds, ukulele or whatever it is that you think were going to do when we get there no good to go to heaven work and if you don't understand how powerful that is that you don't have a job you love you have a career you excited about his work is to be listened to the words of Randy Alcorn as he describes it work in heaven being frustrating or fruitless.

Instead, it will involve lasting accomplishment, unhindered by decay, unhindered by fatigue enhanced by unlimited resources will approach our work with the enthusiasm we bring to our favorite sport or our favorite hobby. In other words, work will be difficult it will be the greatest joy of heaven to be able to work without anybody pushing back on you. Anybody trying to tell you to do what you don't want to do because God desired to do the right thing.

You will be able to get off at work every day will be the joy of your life. Perhaps occupations in heaven will be an extension of the work that we do here on this earth.

Some occupations will exist in heaven. There won't be any doctors in heaven because there won't be any illness.

Many police officers or prison guards.

There won't even be any evangelists for everyone already know Christ. But there will be musicians and maybe also be teachers for we won't be omniscient, will be capable of learning and teaching what we learn. We know there will be layers of authority and responsibility in the administration of the new heaven. I expect some of us will be scientists because God's new heavens and new earth will be full of surprises to investigate.

You have plenty of time to undertake new vocations, new hobbies, new pursuits with eternity to practice you'll be able to master great symphonies create wonderful works of art.

Play extreme sports like books deliver lectures and explore exotic locations and enjoy thrills without risk.

All along the way there will be meaningful work and that will be fulfilling responsibilities and activity when you get to heaven when you attend the celebration at the end of what happens here on this earth, you will have a rousing welcome, you will get a ritual Lord body will be resurrected and changed completely. You get a new assignment and you will look forward to a royal throne by far the greatest energy and enthusiasm in heaven will be around the throne of God. When we cast our crowns at his feet and worshiped him with full understanding and joy.

We have a preview in Revelation 4 and five when the saints and angels of heaven, saying in a loud voice, blessing and honor and glory and power to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.

Dr. Vernon Whaley has been training worship leaders for decades. His passion for worship stems from the small Alaska church he attended as a child, his parents were missionaries there. They had a concern for people with disabilities when they met for the services. It was a remarkable crowd an alcoholic turn Deacon a prostitute transformed into a Sunday school teacher. A blind man who played the piano former fugitive who kept the church grounds young woman lame from birth young man with down syndrome who helped take the offering, but they all sang praises God Vernon Whaley says my father was a great one for having extended times of singing during the Sunday night services. I know about that. My father was a pastor and we used to have Sunday night sayings. Sometimes they lasted for the whole service. Whaley said my father entered the ministry during the 1940s when youth for Christ rallies were held all over the country. He never lost the excitement of those rallies and their impact on his life so he said almost every Sunday night.

Our congregation sang him after him after him. If you know those days you know you sign all the verses all four verses, or five. Sometimes Dr. Whaley recalls one Sunday night when there was a puzzling stirred from the middle of the congregation. He turned around to see a significantly disabled girl slowly steering her wheelchair to the front of the church were converted alcoholic got up and helped her roll to the front of the pulpit. Rev. Whaley came down there using her alphabet slate.

She told him she wanted to sing a solo she wanted to sing amazing Grace, the blind pianist struck up the tone for amazing grace and the girl began making groans and moldings in time with the music. I was not able to clearly understand a word she signed. Dr. Whaley said. But somehow the musicianship and the articulation of words did not matter all of us understood intuitively what she was doing and more importantly why she was doing it. There was no doubt we all knew she was singing from her heart to the living God.

There was not a dry in the audience, even the children were captured and still that moment. Can you imagine the moment tens of millions of us join tens of millions of angels, all of our disabilities gone. All of our problems solved all of our burdens lifted and we lift our voices in a choir of billions and we sing of God's amazing grace. Yes, we look forward to a rousing welcome and a ritual Lord in a resurrected body of renewed assignment, a royal throne and a rapturous reunion or something else. As you gather around the throne to look over and you see your dearest loved ones in Christ you instantly know each other and you begin the fellowship in heaven, where you left off on earth. All the saints of all the ages will be there, plus all the angels no more separation, no more sorrow I'll see my dad and my mom again dearest ones who have proceeded me to glory our lives are ordered by the Lord, and he brings us together on earth and friendships, and marriages and family units and relationships and fellowship in the same God who brought us together. The first time will reunite us again and will pick up where we left off, minus all the disagreements and all the personality conflicts shortly before he passed away from complications from pulmonary fibrosis. In 2003 Jewish Bill Bright contemplated the nature of our heavenly experience. Here's what he wrote. No union in history can even foreshadow what joy we will experience when we see loved ones and friends went on before us brought together in the all surrounding presence of the Lord, our faces will be what throated glad hearted welcomes these blood wash centers will give each other how we will adore the Lord Jesus together how we will love each other.

All my friends. The celebration that awaits us if we continue to go forward is beyond description and includes a rousing welcome a ritual Lord, a resurrected body. It includes a royal throne, a rapturous union and a risen Savior all yes all of the things that happened to us in heaven are peripheral because the main thing in heaven is we get to see Jesus. That's the greatest anticipation about heaven are risen Savior. The Bible says you will see Jesus face-to-face.

There is no more glorious verse in the Bible than Revelation 22 four they shall see his face one day in the future if your heart is right with God and you are Christian and you die, you go to heaven. The Bible says you will meet Jesus personally face-to-face. This is your ultimate goal. This will be your single most phenomenal moment of your entire life. This is what you're living for what you waiting for, and what you're anticipating with all your heart. This is celebration with a C for Christ. You shall behold him as the blind poet Fanny Crosby proclaimed that I shall see him face-to-face and tell the story saved by grace. The closer we get to heaven, the greater our longing for Jesus face will be during the coronavirus pandemic. Many families faced difficult separations. One South African Matthew Kalil was working in Iowa and found himself quarantined away from his wife, Clea was away from her by 9000 miles and eventually made it back to South Africa by taking a series of overnight flights.

When he arrived in Johannesburg. He was again quarantined. Finally he received permission to travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town and he was amazed at the emotions that he felt interestingly he wrote it was more difficult.

Being away from my wife. The closer I got to her like when I was in America with the different time zones. It was easier. The closer I got the more I missed her last hours of his journey home was tantalizing.

I was showing my location via WhatsApp with clear she knew I was just around the block. She met me in the road and we were just both in tears. It's really important to have that perspective.

And it really puts what is important into perspective for your life. Kalil's journey sounds like a prototype for our own experience going to heaven.

The closer we get to heaven.

The more we long to see our Lord in the more we miss our loved ones who've gone before us. We should always be picking up momentum in life constantly and eagerly accelerating onward from glory to glory what you think you'll be doing an hour after you die want to give you the answer to that from the Scripture doing the same thing you are doing an hour before you died seeking to please Jesus in all that you are and all that you do. The Bible says so whether we are in this body or away from this body. Our goal is to please him, your location may change men and women but your core purpose in life will not things that pleased Christ on earth will please him in heaven and that means Christ followers have an exhilarating celebration ahead will make the heavens ring and the angels sing. We get down to the last minute of your last dollar of your last day on this earth.

You ready for something more something far better. You ready to go forward several years ago Donna and I went to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I was to speak at a prayer breakfast Alabama Pro breakfast.

I've been blessed with many opportunities to teach and preach the Bible and when possible I accept invitations on this occasion, we drove to the hotel reserved for us from the airport I noticed it was near a huge stadium. I looked around and I realized we were on the campus of the University of Alabama on Paul W. Bryant Drive I would do my notes and saw that my speaking engagement was at the Bryant conference Center. When we arrived for the prayer breakfast. Someone told me there was a man wanting to see me with a story to tell. His name was read see why he had long red hair pulled back in a ponytail that went down the back of his neck. He looked like someone whose life had been very hard. Told me I tried everything to find some kind of peace here confinement. My life was spiraling downhill just getting worse and worse.

One day he said I decided that it couldn't do this anymore.

I want to take my life and get this over with his work so often that I recall the curve in the road. I begin to think that if I went straight ahead into that curve 80 miles an hour. I would hit a huge tree and will be over for me so that's all I decided in my life.

I decided I would go to the end of the road as far away from that curve as I could get in my car driving at full speed, not negotiate the curve hit the tree and I would be over my misery. So I got my car turned on my radio found my rock 'n' roll station and turn it up, wide open so I would have as much noise in the car as possible. As he talked with me, I could visualize this man sitting behind the wheel, intent on killing himself and wanting some rock 'n' roll music to distract him from the process but for some reason he told me the radioactive up, which frustrated him so badly that he took his fist and slammed it into the radio in the car. This is a true story, all radio program, Turning Point came on suddenly red heard my voice was talking about heaven and about sometimes people taking their own lives, and I actually said on the radio you maybe thinking of taking your own life, but don't do it, wrote said it cost me. I was so shocked I know what came over me pastor. I shut my car off and then and there.

I just prayed and asked Jesus Christ to be my Savior. And what I heard you were going to be here in Tuscaloosa. I wanted to come and hug your neck until you I'm going to heaven so excited about it like red. You two can be excited about heaven, you can turn your forward into forever miss the celebration and eternal joys of heaven. Jesus died and rose again to take you to heaven as God ahead of you to get everything ready and the only way you can go forward is with him the whole human race is poisoned by sin.

The blood of Jesus Christ is the cure died on the cross and the Bible says if you declare with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved carefully. This last message in this 10 message series there's no going forward without Jesus. And when you have Jesus there's no turning back.

Amen. Some of you asking this Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

Are you trying to go forward in your own energy in your own strength confining how difficult it is with no leadership and no inspirational power of the Holy Spirit. No direction from the Bible. No friend that sticks closer than a brother helping you do what you do. The Lord God wants to save you from your sin he wants to give you a home in heaven he wants to make sure you are there for the celebration.

But you have to make the decision if you've never put your trust in Christ we are doing now we are just simply say Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I need to be saved for my sin. I believe that you got on the cross to pay for all of my sin. When you came to this earth, and that your death is sufficient for everything that I've ever done or ever will do that's wrong.

So please come into my heart and forgive me and give me the gift of eternal life so that I can spend forever in heaven as a part of the celebration when you make the decision. Please let us know. We have some things would like to send you to help you get started. Heaven will be wonderful but we want to make sure you're there. So you make certain that you invite Christ into your life today and then tomorrow don't forget were going to replay the view that we did with Sheila Walsh way back at the beginning of this series, I think it will mean a lot more to you now that you heard the teaching and it will be a tremendous review of what we have been learning during this month. On Friday we have a special message on the joy of victory. I hope you stay with us throughout all of these teachings have a great day will see tomorrow. Mrs. came to from shadow Mountain Unity church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as senior pastor. How is Turning Point enriching his right until his point is that we spoke San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website@jeremiah.org/radio ask for your company's powerful discovering God's presence and purpose in your tomorrow was for a gift of any amount you can also download the free .5 all have to be a smart phone or tablet app still Turning Point ministries Texas have programs and results just as Jeremiah.org/radio the Jerry tomorrow as Sheila Walsh joins David to discuss his series to