Heaven and Hell-Michaels Sermons 2000

First Baptist Church

September 24, 2000

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Final Frontier: Part 1

It was the last day of school at Lake Worth Community School in West Palm Beach, Florida. There were 15 minutes left in the school year and Barry Grunow was teaching his 7th grade English class. In his wildest dreams, he never would have imagined that when he left home that morning, he would never return. A 13 year old student been sent home earlier that day for throwing water balloons in class; who was a member of the National Honor Society with no previous record of trouble; came back to class, and shot and killed him. Barry Grunow was 35 years old, he was married and had a 5-year-old son, and an infant daughter. He was a popular teacher who often joined students in pickup basketball games after school. The mother of one of his students said, "He was a great man. I always enjoyed it when my kids were going to be in his class. Every way you look at it, it's a tragedy. It's scary."

Life can be scary, life is also short and uncertain. But, death is even scarier. It is sometimes said that nothing in life is certain, except death and taxes. But I would disagree with that. Find a good accountant and lawyer, play with your numbers and you may never pay taxes, but no one escapes death. George Bernard Shaw once said, "The statistics on death have not changed. One out one person dies." Worldwide, there were approximately 53,835,300 deaths in 1999. That works out to 4,486,275 per month, 147,494 per day, 6,146 per hour, 102 per minute, and 1.7 per second. Those are scary numbers.

And each of us will one day die. And so will our loved ones. This is not a fact we like to face. We live in a death denying society. We don't like to talk about it, think about it, or hear about it. We don't even like to say that someone has died. We prefer to say he "passed on" or she "departed" or he "isn't with us anymore." It seems so harsh to come right out and say that someone died. A number of years ago, I went to visit my aunt who was in the hospital, and while I was there, she died. When the doctor came out to tell those who were there, another aunt had to ask him if my aunt had died. He simply could not say the words, that she had died. Instead, he said 'they had done everything they could for her, but her body was weak.'

We also try to deny death by working so hard and so long that we have no time to think about it. We also diet, exercise, work out, jog, bike, Move, Groove and Lose with Richard Simmons, take vitamins, stop smoking, lay off the fatty foods, take herbal remedies, track our cholesterol, keep a weight chart, and cut back to only one Big Mac instead of two. Or we stop drinking coffee, pop or milk shakes. And if we're really serious, we start taking fish oil and add fiber to our diet.

All of these things have value in themselves because we ought to take care of the body God gave us. But the fascination with health and a youthful appearance goes beyond merely trying to stay in shape. It touches a deep uncertainty within our soul. We desperately want to stay alive, in part, because we aren't sure what will happen next. It's more than simply loving this life, it's a deep-seated fear of death. The fear of death forces us to confront our own mortality. Sooner or later we will all die. We have an appointment with death. And that's one appointment we won't miss and won't be late for. And when death comes knocking at your front door, you can't slip out the back door.

So this sermon is the first in a new series called The Final Frontier: A Biblical View of Life After Death. This series is built around questions and issues regarding life after death.

Today, I'm going to address one of the most troubling questions we have, "What Happens When I Die?" The next two sermons will deal with more controversial issues, reincarnation and purgatory. Those will be followed by messages dealing with major Christian doctrines: hell, heaven and the resurrection. The hope in this series is that we will be able to face our death and the death of loved ones with more confidence and assurance, because we have the answers to our questions.

Many of us have thoughts about eternity. We wonder, 'Where are they? What are they doing? What is heaven like? Will we have bodies? Will it be fun? Is hell for real? That and more questions will be answered in this series. After all, you're going to be dead for a long, long time. So it only makes sense to understand what God intends for our bodies and souls, when death arrives.

Our faith offers the only solid answers to the Final Questions. The Bible tells us everything we need to know about life after death and it tells us with certainty. Outside of the Word of God, we are left with speculation and personal opinion. And if you don't know Christ, I pray these messages will stir up your heart to seek the Lord. You need to know, friends, what will happen to you if you should die tonight.

On May 25th, Hillary Clinton was speaking in Rochester, New York when someone asked if she thought she would spend eternity in heaven or hell. Mrs. Clinton responded, "I cannot tell you where I will be, I can only hope and pray that I will find favor in God's eyes." (The New York Post, Friday, May 26, 2000). I would say that we are all in the same boat with Mrs. Clinton. She needs to know, and we need to know, what happens when we die.

I must add one caveat to this point. I used to think the way Hilary Clinton did. I thought, 'even though I am a Christian, I still wasn't fully convinced that heaven was mine.' I realize how wrong that thinking was. Friends, when you proclaim Jesus as your Lord and Savior, heaven is your eternal reward, there are no questions about it.

A 1998 Harris Poll revealed that 84% of those surveyed said they believed in the survival of the soul after death. If I answer yes to the question, "Is there life after death?" I'm only affirming what most people instinctively believe. But it's the second question that grips the mind: Can we be sure? When you stand by the casket of a beloved husband or wife, when you lay your parents to rest, or when the sad moment comes to say goodbye to a lifelong friend, in those moments theories, hopes, and wishes won't do. We need to know that we will see our loved ones again. We need to know that death is not the end.

Our hearts yearn to believe that there is life after death, but on our own, can we be sure? It depends on what sort of certainty you seek. If you will not be satisfied by anything other than scientific proof, then I can't help you. By definition the soul is the immaterial part of us. Since it is immaterial, it cannot be weighed or measured, has no mass or shape, and is not susceptible to any sort of scientific analysis. It's not that the soul is unscientific, it's simply that science deals with the observable and the soul cannot be observed by normal means. Some years ago, scientists attempted to measure what happens at the moment of death, hoping to prove that when the soul leaves the body, its exit can somehow be traced with sophisticated devices. But it was all in vain. At the moment of death your physical body dies. That can be measured. The soul lies beyond the reach of the laboratory.

So, what happens when we die?

The people in Thessalonica were uncertain about those who died before Christ returned. They were not sure what happened to their bodies and soul. So, Paul starts out this section of scripture by telling them, in essence, 'I don't want you to be in the dark, I want you to fully understand what happens.' Because you know as well as I do, that when we are in the dark about something, it becomes troubling. And the people were troubled. They feared that when Jesus returned those who had died would miss out on the wonder of meeting Jesus.

And Paul tells them that 'he does not want them to grieve as others do who have no hope.' Because friends, we have hope. We have hope because our Lord Jesus the Messiah, has already defeated death, so we have free entrance to eternal life. That is reason to have hope. But these Thessalonians thought their loved ones were forever lost, and hence, they had lost hope. Paul tells them otherwise.

Do you recall in Mark 5 when Jairus asked Jesus to come to his home to heal his 12 year old daughter? By the time Jesus arrived she had died. But when Jesus came into the house and went to her, He told everyone that she was...what? SLEEPING. You see, many times in the Bible the word 'sleep' is used instead of died or dead.

So, we need to understand what God means when He refers to people who in our minds are dead, but He calls them asleep. This is crucial to our understanding of what happens when we die.

So, with that in mind, Paul responds to the Thessalonian's concern about those who had died. He tells them that these deceased believers are with the Lord spiritually (2 Cor. 5:6-8; Phil. 1:20-24), but their bodies are physically "asleep" in the earth. Paul made it very clear that the soul of the believers went to be with the Lord. It is not the soul that sleeps; it is the body. The soul leaves the body at death, and the body goes to sleep and no longer functions. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, that to be apart from the body means that we are with the Lord.

This is commonly referred to as "The Intermediate State." It is the period of time between our death and the Second Coming of Christ. I believe we have clear cut biblical examples that our souls are alive and either with the Lord or are as we say, "down under." Jesus tells the story in Luke 16:19 about the rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. They both died, and Jesus tells us that the angels took Lazarus and brought him to Abraham who was in heaven. This is a clear indication that there is life after death. A second example is what Jesus tells the thief on the cross. The thief asked Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." Again this indicates that this man will have life after he has died.

This can be very complicated and hard to understand. I guess the easiest way to explain what happens when we die is that our souls depart from our bodies and go to heaven to be in the presence of Jesus. We will not have our resurrected bodies, that comes later. But we will have spiritual bodies, that have some similar features that we have today, but that will not be fully perfected until Christ returns.

Resurrection stories - Road To Emmaus (Luke) and Mary Magdalene (John)

- At first glance, they did not recognize Jesus.

Now when the Second Coming of Christ occurs, our bodies will be resurrected. And the decay, disease and weakness that plague our bodies now will be stripped away. When Jesus comes we will have Christ like bodies (1 Cor. 15:50-55). For the believer in Jesus Christ who has died, we can think of their bodies as sleeping, because there is the assumption that anything that is sleeping will wake up. And our bodies will arise and be transformed into new bodies when Christ returns.

That is why Paul tells the people that they are not to grieve like those people who have no hope. Because we have hope in the resurrection of Christ. For the unbeliever it is an unending sorrow. When we have an absence of faith in Jesus, it leads to hopelessness, Ephesians 2:12.

I want to add one final comment before I close. The Old Testament saints, who by faith trusted in God's Word and looked forward to God's redemption at Calvary (which they did not fully understand) will be in heaven. All people who have died believing that Jesus is the Son of God are in heaven. It includes every true believer from every continent and every denomination. Everyone who has genuinely trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior will be there. I also believe that children who died before the "age of accountability" go to heaven and I would include those born with such mental limitations that they cannot understand the gospel.

Friends, the Christian life is all about hope. Hope for today and hope in a tomorrow that will last for eternity with our Lord Jesus. Are we ready to die, not by a long shot. But we have the assurance that we will come before God in all His glory. Paul said, "Living is Christ and Dying is gain" (Phil. 1:21). He was torn between the two. On the one hand to live was to suffer, as Christ did; and to die, well there is no greater gain than to be in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have the assurance that in life and in death, when we believe in Jesus, we will always be in His presence, and that is reason for hope.

John Walvoord has a good summary of our hope as believers. He writes, "A Christian has a wonderful hope that after this life there is going to be a glorious, unending existence in the presence of God with all the joy and ecstasy that will be ours when we are joined to Christ and with our loved ones in Christ who have gone on before us." We are therefore not like those who have no God and no hope.

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First Baptist Church

October 1, 2000

Reincarnation: Out On A Limb

Deuteronomy 18:9-14

You may wonder, why do a sermon about reincarnation. After all, we claim to be Christians, and of course, we don't believe in it. But did you know that almost 50% of the world believes in reincarnation? This includes Buddhism, Hinduism & various New Age cults. Interestingly and alarmingly, 25% of all American Christians believe in reincarnation, this includes those who consider themselves, 'born again.' In other words, 25% of you believe in reincarnation. Those figures should be reason to enough to examine reincarnation from a biblical perspective.

The most popular spokesperson for reincarnation is Shirley MacLaine. Most of us know her as an accomplished actress, the star of movies, such as Steel Magnolias and Terms of Endearment. An Internet biography calls her "a dancer, singer, highly regarded actress and metaphysical time traveler." She has written five books which describe her spiritual journey and belief in reincarnation -

Out on a Limb--1983 Dancing in the Light--1986 It's All in the Playing--1988

Going Within--1990 The Camino-- 2000

Out On a Limb has sold more than 3 million copies and The Camino has been a best seller. We may be tempted to dismiss Shirley MacLaine as a kook. But she has influenced thousands of people, as she shares her deep curiosity to understand the universe and her place in it. We should not doubt her sincerity. Shirley MacLaine is deadly serious when she says she believes in reincarnation. The list of people who believe in reincarnation includes Pythagorus, Plato, Aristotle, William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Henry Miller, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As she details her spiritual journey, she asks the right questions, but somehow ends up with the wrong answers.

What exactly is reincarnation? Let's start by taking the "re" off the front end of the word. We are left with 'incarnation.' To incarnate something is to cause it to be born in a human body. When we refer to the birth of Christ, we often speak of His incarnation, being born in a human body. The "RE" prefix mean 'to do again. So, to reincarnate something is to cause it to be born again and again. So, reincarnation is the belief that each soul will live a succession of lives in various human bodies.

The goal of each life is to be a better person. Most teachers of this doctrine believe that the soul must pass through 100's or 1,000's of lives before perfection is achieved. Any one of us might have been a cave man, a pilgrim, King David, Judas, Mary the mother of Jesus, or a housewife in the days of Napoleon. MacLaine says she was once a Buddhist monk, a court jester to King Louis XIV, a mistress to Charlemagne, and a moorish girl who lived along The Camino. She also believes her daughter was once her mother.

Key to the doctrine of reincarnation is the concept of cosmic justice. This means you pay in a future life for the misdeeds of your previous lives. Stated in biblical terms, you reap what you sow. The biblical concept means, you reap either in this life or in eternity. But MacLaine means you reap in the next life and the next and the one after that. The hope is that your soul will be purified, cleansed, enlightened and finally perfected.

Reincarnation, then, is a kind of self-salvation, worked out over time. People who have been evil will take thousands of lifetimes to perfect. While others progress rapidly and take fewer lifetimes. New Agers generally regard Jesus Christ as an example of the truly perfected soul. His life on earth would simply have been the last in a series of incarnations.

A second and crucial key to New Age belief and reincarnation is the belief that god is within you. In other words, you are god. This is why in their literature you are encouraged to journey into yourself, explore your feelings, discover a 'higher consciousness,' and then experience true spiritual reality. This is a major point made over and over again by MacLaine. When she asks her spiritual guru David about the meaning of life, he replies, "happiness, purpose and meaning is you. You are everything. Everything you want to know is inside of you. You are the universe" (p. 87). Ultimately, it is being able to proclaim that you are god.

Douglas Groothuis is a Christian theologian, and he points out incorrect elements of New Age beliefs. 1) Everyone and Everything is God. This is called pantheism. 2) We have all lived before and will live again. This is the heart of reincarnation. 3) We create our own reality. All of us should be in contact with the spirit world through ESP, telepathy, spirit guides and so on. The Bible calls these 'mediums.'

There is also a devaluing of the body, since you're going to leave it behind when you die and take another body in your next life and they reject the Bible as the Word of God.

According to New Age belief and Shirley MacLaine, "Christ was the most advanced human ever to walk this planet. He was a highly evolved spiritual soul whose purpose on earth was to impart the teachings of a Higher Order" (pp.90-91). They believe Jesus spent the years between ages 12 and 30 in India where He learned yoga and reincarnation and that was the secret of His miracle-working ability. He never said that explicitly, and the early church deliberately suppressed the truth. This is nonsense, and contradicted by the Bible, but it is often repeated by New Age adherents. Groothuis sums it up well "Their Jesus is pure fiction, a false Christ. Their contention that we are really gods puts us on a par with Christ and makes us pitiful imposters of deity."

While I don't want to be judgmental, have you listened to Oprah Winfrey lately. She is a self-proclaimed born again Christian. But most of her guests have nothing to do with Christianity. They are all about New Age religions. She loves people like Phillip McGraw, Gary Zukav and Deepak Chopra. Chopra's new book How to Know God is a runaway bestseller. Let me tell you what Chopra says about God, "God is not a person or a thing but rather a process."

A review from Amazon.com says this about Chopra's new book, "Fortunately, Chopra is a gifted narrator, able to make human anatomy and quantum physics understandable while also keeping spiritual and metaphysical discussions grounded. As he drifts through the cloudy realms of ESP, telepathy, clairvoyance, miracles, obedience, loyalty, evil, ego, addictions, and mentors, readers can trust that there is a competent pilot at the helm, deftly guiding this excellent book." -- Gail Hudson.

Friends there is not a competent pilot at the helm. There is a messenger of satan. You might not like hearing that, but Jesus tells us 'if you are not for me, then you are against me.' Nowhere in Chopra's writing will he encourage to seek Jesus as Lord and Savior. Another person who read this book wrote this, "'God' is a situation. Not a power, or a being, or an influence. Not a 'he' or a 'she,' but an 'it.' Not entity or non-entity, but the situation in which there can be both entity and non-entity." What does that mean. This is pure garbage.

The same is true for Conversations with God and The Celestine Prophecy. It's all there, slickly packaged Eastern religion. Add to that the fascination with horoscopes, psychic hotlines, Tarot Cards, ESP and astrology. The growing openness to various forms of Eastern religion coincides with society's rejection of absolute truth. Now that Christian teachings have been dismissed as archaic, into that void has come a host of strange teachings which are supposed to satisfy our souls.

When you boil it all down, there are three great reasons Christians have always opposed reincarnation.

1) Reincarnation teaches we will live and die many times. Hebrews 9:27 says, "For it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment." You live once, you die once, and then you come before God's throne. Jesus said the same thing in John 5:28-29, "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out, those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." Reincarnation isn't mentioned because it doesn't exist.

2) Reincarnation teaches that my only hope is to save myself. Christianity teaches that God forgives and extends mercy.

Reincarnationists have no concept of a merciful God. The Lord said in Isaiah 55:6-7, "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord our God, and God will have mercy on him, for He will abundantly pardon." That is a God who is filled with love, mercy and grace.

But how could God forgive us if we can do nothing in a million lifetimes to be forgiven? That is the question reincarnationists cannot answer; and the Bible does. Isaiah 53:6: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." Ephesians 1:7: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace." Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Friends, the answer is Jesus Christ. Through Him we come to know God and find forgiveness.

3) Reincarnation teaches that after this life we are doomed to return again and again. Christianity teaches that when we believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are given eternal life, and when we die, we go into the presence of the Lord.

How sad it would be to lay our loved ones to rest and our only hope is that sometime, somewhere, somehow they will be reincarnated in some other body, in some other personality, in some other place, in some other time. What kind of hope is that? And what would it be to think that this life was just the latest in a long series of lives?

Thank God for hope in Christ which gives meaning to this life and rock-solid security for the future! We don't rest our souls on the flimsy testimony of strange voices, spirit guides, astrologers, or misguided actresses. No wonder the church has always rejected reincarnation. There's nothing there we need.

So how do we respond to this New Age Confusion?

If people will not believe in God's truth, they will believe satan's lie. A starving dog will eat whatever you put in front of him. Our nation is starving for spiritual truth, and they will go wherever to find it. There is a reason why New Age books sell in the millions and why Oprah Winfrey loves Deepak Chopra and Shirley MacLaine. They have tapped into the deep desire inside every human heart to understand who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us that God has put a longing for eternity in every heart. The popularity of New Age teaching means that many people are searching for spiritual reality. The fact that many have bought into a false system doesn't make their desire any less real.

Do not be taken in. Be informed, know what the popular books are and don't be deceived by them. We must be grounded in the Word of God, for once we know His word, then all of these other babblings will have no impact in our lives and we will have the ability to guide our children and loved ones to know that the way, the truth and the life, comes through Jesus Christ, and nothing else. If we don't give our children faith to believe, they are going to find one on their own. And people like Shirley MacLaine are more than willing to help.

Realize the danger of dabbling in the occult. Dabbling is how most people are taken in. Maybe you'll play with a Ouija board or consult a fortuneteller experiment with seances or read some of the popular New Age books. People are often unaware of something they regard as 'neutral.' It's hard to find anything in New Age teaching that wasn't taught thousands of years ago. The content is the same, only the packaging is new. (For specific biblical commands against dabbling in the occult, see Leviticus 19:31, 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:9-13; 2 Kings 21:6; Isaiah 8:19, 19:3, 29:4, 47:12, 65:4; Galatians 5:20).

The Bible does talk about rebirth, as Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This is the final and fundamental difference between reincarnation and Christianity. Both teach the need for rebirth, but the reincarnationists mean physical birth over and over again. The Bible teaches a spiritual rebirth from above, once for all, never to be repeated.

The choice is simple: It's either the incarnation of Jesus or your own reincarnation. Either Jesus saves you or you try to save yourself. If you believe that Jesus died in your place bearing your sins, and if you trust him as your Savior, you will be born again. If you have never made that decision, I urge you to do it right now.

You can follow the teaching of reincarnation and end up in hell or you can trust your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and end up in heaven. Our answer to New Age deception is not an argument, it's a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the light of the world. Those who follow Him will never walk in darkness. We believe in resurrection, not reincarnation; because we believe in full salvation from all our sins through the blood of Christ. How blessed we are to know that all we need to is to open our hands and accept God's gift of free grace.

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BOOKS TO CONSIDER READING

Ankerberg, John; Weldon, John. Facts on the New Age Movement. Harvest House, 1998.

Eidsmore, John. Basic Principles of New Age Thought. New Leaf Press, 1991.

Felter, David. In Search of Eden: Understanding New Age Thought. Beacon Press, 1992.

Habermas, Gary and Moreland, J. P. Beyond Death. Crossway Books, 1998.

Hunt, David. Occult Invasion. Harvest House, 1998.

Groothuis, Douglas. Confronting the New Age. InterVarsity, 1988.

Groothuis, Douglas New Age Jesus. InterVarsity, 1999.

Jones, Peter. The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back; An Old Heresy for the New Age. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1992.

Kole, Andre. Astrology and Psychic Phenomena. Zondervan, 1998

Kole, Andre. Mind Games. Harvest House,1998.

Martin, Walter. Kingdom of the Cults. Bethany House, 1997.

Rhodes, Ron. New Age Movement. Zondervan, 1994.

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First Baptist Church

What About Purgatory?

October 15, 2000

Hebrews 1:1 - 3

Tommy DiNardo, who is a Catholic comedian, once tried to explain purgatory to his protestant friends. He said, "Purgatory is a place between heaven and hell. It's like your stuck between floors on an elevator jammed full of people, who have just gorged themselves at the famous chili supper. Eventually, you're going to get to the top floor, but it's not going to be a pleasant ride.

Most Protestants and many Catholics do not understand what purgatory is all about. My hope is that we will better understand what we believe and why we believe it.

I am not here to declare that Protestants or Evangelical Christians have a corner on the right theology and doctrine. Nor am I here to condemn anyone, or to say that we are the only true religion and the only one's who will find salvation through Jesus Christ. I want to help us understand what we believe and why we believe it. In a sense we're all in the same boat; Catholics, Orthodox, mainline Protestants, and evangelicals all need to know, 'What does God say about the future?' We need to be clear on what the Bible really teaches. We need to know -

What happens to Christians when they die? Where do they go? Do they go straight to heaven or do they go to a place called purgatory? If to purgatory, where is it? What happens there? How long are you there? How and when do you get out?

Since we are taking a thorough look at the afterlife, I believe it is important to spend a little time becoming more informed about what the Bible says about purgatory and its relation to the afterlife.

Catholics and evangelicals agree on many things. For instance, we agree that the Bible is the Word of God, we share a common belief in the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, His death on the cross, His bodily resurrection, and His ascension into heaven. We also believe in heaven, hell, angels and demons. We also agree that salvation is only through Jesus Christ, though we don't agree on what that statement really means.

Not all Catholic writers are in total agreement on purgatory. What the Council of Trent (1545) says about purgatory is not exactly what Pope John Paul II said in August 1999. There isn't a direct contradiction but rather a difference in tone and emphasis. In mentioning this fact, I'm merely pointing out that Catholics have said different things about purgatory at different times. And the same could be said of evangelicals regarding many issues.

It is generally assumed that Catholics believe in purgatory and Protestants don't. For the most part that is correct. In fact, I'd like to go on record as saying that I believe in purgatory and that all Bible-believing Christians should believe in it. No, that is not a mistake, but you will have to wait for me to explain what I mean by that statement.

Part of the confusion with purgatory stems from the fact that it is not explicitly taught in the Bible. Many Catholic theologians would also agree with that statement. They can cite several passages that might infer the existence of purgatory. Some of those include Matthew 5:25 (a passage about promptly resolving personal conflicts), 1 Corinthians 3:15 (which is about the judgment seat of Christ), 2 Timothy 1:16-18 (a wish for blessing upon the household of Onesiphorus), 1 Peter 3:18-21 (a difficult passage by all accounts but probably a reference to the spirit of Christ preaching through Noah to the people living before the flood), 1 Peter 4:6 (a reference to the preaching of the gospel to those who have since died), and 2 Maccabees 12:39-45, from the apocrypha. But the Bible doesn't teach the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. It owes more to religious tradition than to anything found in the Word of God.

1. What about Purgatory?

According to Catholic theology your soul goes to one of three places after you die -

1) If you die with unforgiven mortal sin, you go to hell. The most obvious example would be the deliberate rejection of Jesus Christ. In this, we would agree with our Catholic friends that to reject Christ means to go to hell forever.

2) If you die in a state of perfect holiness, you go directly to heaven. Perfect holiness means there is no sin in your life that stands between you and the Lord. Obviously, there are very few people who meet this standard.

3) If you die as a believer in Christ, but in a state less than perfect holiness, you go to purgatory where your soul is purified until you are ready to enter God's presence. This would include nearly all believers since virtually no one achieves perfect holiness.

Purgatory has been called "The Divine Waiting Room." It's a place that is greater than earth but less than heaven. The older Catholic writers stressed the terrible conditions in purgatory, which in the end sounded a lot like the flames of hell. Purgatory was seen as a place of punishment where you paid for your sins before entering heaven. Thomas Aquinas, the great Catholic saint of the 13th century said that in purgatory, the punishment which cleanses you is fire. In August of last year, the Pope said Catholics are to pray and do good works on behalf of those in purgatory, so that those in purgatory will be released earlier than they otherwise would be. What the Pope says would lead someone to gain entrance to heaven because of someone else's works. That can never happen. My eternity is not contingent upon someone else doing good works on my behalf. It is entirely based upon my belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

More recent Catholic writers have de-emphasized the suffering aspect of purgatory and spoken of it as a place of spiritual growth, moral reformation, and personal preparation for heaven. The word purgatory contains the notion of being 'purged' from your sins. Thus, it is very difficult to remove the concept of punishment from purgatory.

In the early 1500's, a German monk named Johann Tetzel began selling indulgences, which amounted to a scheme by which the living could free the dead from purgatory by paying money. Martin Luther was so agitated by this, that he nailed his famous 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenburg. Tetzel's views were not shared by all Catholic's. Nevertheless, the people who gave their money, truly believed that by doing so they were helping a loved one leave purgatory and enter heaven. Even today, there are Priests who proclaim that certain prayers will relieve the dead from purgatory sooner, and they even state how many fewer days they will spend in purgatory.

This leads to the question, how long do people stay in purgatory? No one knows. The length of time depends in large part on the kind of life a person lived and the state of their soul at the moment of death. Since only God can make those judgments, purgatory may be as short as a few hours or it may last for hundreds or thousands of years. As a result, an elaborate doctrine of prayers, masses, candle lighting and saying the Rosary; all for the dead, was developed.

In the end, many Catholics have an overwhelming fear of death, because they fear purgatory. They believe they will suffer in purgatory for centuries. No matter how devout you have been, you can never be sure what purgatory is like, how long you'll be there, or when you will finally get to heaven. Under this doctrine, there can be no real assurance of eternal life.

Yet, on one level this doctrine makes perfect sense to me. It is evident that there are no genuinely holy and sinless people. Even the best among us comes to the end of life conscious of many faults, hidden sins, bad habits never conquered, good deeds never done, and sins repeated time and again. Not many of us seem 'ready' for heaven. It's that feeling which leads Catholic's to suppose that there must be some place or condition where our faults are 'purged' before we can pass through the gates of heaven.

Our problem at this point is a familiar one, we don't understand the grace of God, it doesn't sink in very deeply. You see, the appealing aspect of purgatory is the fact that it just does not seem right that we can sin and sin and sin, and then we can freely enter heaven because we profess that Jesus is Lord. It would seem that we should have to suffer, at least a little for our sins. This shows how difficult it is for us to accept the doctrine of salvation by faith, through grace. It seems that no doctrine is more repugnant to our nature than the doctrine that everything God does for us comes freely from His grace. Deep in our hearts, we like to think that we're sinners, but when you get down to it, we're really not that bad. If we understood how far short we fall of God's standards, we would cling more to His grace and give up all notions of being 'ready' for heaven. In essence, we are worse than we think we are, and God's grace is far greater than we imagine.

I do think Catholics are right in saying that 'something' must be done to us before we can enter heaven, but that 'something' was done 2000 years ago and doesn't need to be repeated in the future.

2. Christ Purged Our Sins at the Cross

The question regarding purgatory boils down to this - Does the death of Christ purify us from our sins so that when we die we go directly to heaven or must we be further purified in purgatory? Hebrews 1:3, among other scriptures, supplies a key biblical insight, "After Jesus had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." The King James version gives a slightly different wording, "When Jesus had by Himself purged our sins." This is the closest thing to purgatory in the Bible, AND it doesn't happen after we die. It happened 2000 years ago when Christ died on the cross. It's not something I suffer. It's something Christ suffered for me. He purged us from our sins. I was dirty, He was clean. He took my dirt that I might be made clean. I am never going to face purgatory because He purged me from my sins. My purgatory occurred 2000 years ago when Jesus died in my place. The first verse of our final hymn asks, "What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." The purging or washing of our sins took place at the cross. Nothing else is necessary.

Nothing can be added to the cross. There is no room for self-cleansing, for extra penance or for human merit of any kind. There is no need for purgatory because Christ purged our sins 2000 years ago. In that sense I believe in purgatory, not the one after we die, but the one that took place at the cross.

3. The Application: Salvation Depends on Christ Alone

The purgatory debate isn't about which church is right or what happens when we die. It's really about the perfection, finality, and completeness of the death of Christ on the cross. Either His death is enough or it isn't. If it is, nothing else is needed. If it isn't, then why did He die at all? If Christ paid for my sin with His life, then for me to have to be cleansed again is unnecessary & an insult to God.

Hebrews 1:3 isn't the only verse that stresses this truth. Listen to some of the others:

1 John 1:7,9 "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Romans 5:9 "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

I Peter 3:18 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God."

John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him, will not perish but have life everlasting. For God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

If we are already cleansed, purified, forgiven, already have the righteousness that comes from God, and already in a state of no condemnation before we die; if all those things are true, then purgatory is not necessary. It robs believers of their assurance of heaven. It keeps them guessing and offers no hope in the moment of death.

When God wanted to create the universe, He spoke and it was done. But when He wanted to redeem us, His Son had to die. Mere words would not do. Only the blood of Jesus could cover our sins. The purgatory we need happened 2,000 years ago on a bloody Roman cross. He suffered the punishment we should have suffered. He paid our debt fully and completely.

Our only need is Jesus. He's all we need yesterday, today, and forever. If you know Jesus, you don't need to fear death whenever and however it comes. Put your life in His hands. Trust Him as Lord and Savior. Those who know Jesus will never see purgatory because He cleansed you from your sins 2,000 years ago.

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First Baptist Church

October 22, 2000

Luke 16:19-31

Is Hell Real?

The two least liked topics for preachers to preach about are: giving money to the church and hell. Of course, I would not want to attend a church where the preacher enjoyed preaching about hell. In fact, the topic of hell is not mentioned in church very often. But did you know that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven. There are 162 references to hell in the Bible. If the Bible mentions hell that many times, I believe it's important that we pay attention to what God wants us to learn.

This morning, my only goal is to declare what God has said on this topic. If you don't believe in hell, maybe the Holy Spirit will speak to your spirit. This sermon is not meant to scare anyone to Christ, although that is not altogether bad either.

It's been said that the doctrine of hell is a stumbling block to the work of evangelism. We are told that hell is indefensible, obsolete and out of touch with modern thinking. That last point is certainly true. In a world where the very concept of truth is up for grabs, the notion of eternal hell seems outdated. While we must be sensitive to our culture; at the same time we must be true to God's Word, even when it isn't popular.

When I worked at a rehab hospital, I counseled an atheist, and I asked him, 'what will happen when you die?' He replied, 'Nothing, our bodies are buried and our soul dissolves into nothingness.' But the question lingers, 'What if he was wrong?'

So, let's take a look at three important questions regarding hell.

Question # 1 - Is Hell Real?

The most obvious biblical fact is that Jesus believed in hell. Most of what we know about hell comes from Jesus. The apostles believed in hell; and the Christian church has always believed in hell. For 2000 years Christians have united in saying that those who die having rejected Christ will spend eternity in hell.

The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 offers our clearest picture into the nature of hell. Some people call this a parable, personally, I don't believe that. Jesus doesn't call it a parable, and if it is, it's the only parable in which the actual name of a person is used (Lazarus). This is a genuine report of life after death.

According to Rev. Debra Brazzel, this text is not about the afterlife, she believes Jesus was commenting on God's view of social justice. (Duke Chapel on October 1, 1995) She said:

"Some preachers have interpreted this parable as a literal depiction of the righteous in heaven and the evil in hell and preach it as a stern warning about the eternal hellfires of damnation. But as with all parabolic language this vision of heaven and hell should not be taken literally but symbolically. Through this parable, Jesus offers us a window in which the curtain of time is pulled back and we have the opportunity to glimpse eternity. In eternity - God's kingdom - things get rearranged and those who appeared to be powerful and on top of it all sometimes find themselves on the bottom; and those who were weak and powerless and least sometimes find themselves on top." (www.chapel.duke.edu/sermons/1oct95se.htm)

Count me among the "preachers" she references with a note of condescension. I believe this text to be a clear picture of the afterlife. A vivid description of heaven and hell. There is nothing wrong with preaching about social justice, but don't make the Bible say what is not there. In 2 Timothy 4:3, Paul said, "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear." We have entered those days. And I am not here to tell you what you want to hear, but to tell you what God wants you to hear.

The Biblical story goes like this. A beggar named Lazarus sat at the gate of a rich man, hoping for scraps from his table. He was so poor and ill that the dogs licked his sores. When he died the angels carried him to "Abraham's bosom," a Jewish expression for paradise or heaven. The rich man died and went to hell. In the flames of hell he saw Abraham and Lazarus faraway and made a request, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire" (16:24). It was like a prayer from hell to heaven, from the damned to the redeemed. Abraham replied that it can't be done. "Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us" (16:26).

No one in heaven can cross over to hell; no one in hell can cross over to heaven. Eternal destinies are fixed at the moment of death and cannot be changed nor can the situation in hell be alleviated. Then the rich man thinks of his five living brothers. He asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them not to follow him to hell. Abraham refuses, saying that they should read Moses and the prophets. Deeply concerned for his brothers, the rich man declares that they will believe if someone comes to them from the dead. The answer remains no. If they won't believe what the prophets have written, they won't be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. End of story.

What do we learn about life after death and about those who are in hell?

1) Both Lazarus and the rich man survived their own funerals. Their souls lived.

2) The dead retain their personalities and basic character. Even in hell the rich man could see, hear, feel, recognize, remember, speak, reflect, plead, suffer, and think ahead. There was only one thing he couldn't do. He couldn't get out.

3) Death marks the final separation between the saved and the lost. Once in heaven, always in heaven; once in hell, always in hell.

4) Hell is a place of personal suffering. Three times Jesus mentions the torment, suffering, and agony of the rich man.

5) The damned cry for help that does not come. None of the rich man's 'prayers' were answered, nor could they be.

The rich man knew there was no way out, his brothers could avoid hell if they repented and he knew that someone needed to warn them about the danger they were in. Here is a case where a man in hell has more evangelistic fervor than most Christian's who are alive. Is hell for real? If the words of Jesus are taken at face value, the answer must be yes.

Question # 2 - Is Hell Eternal?

In recent years there has been a growing debate on this topic in evangelical circles. Some well-respected Bible scholars have argued in favor of 'annihilationism,' the view that at some point after death, the unsaved are incinerated by God and simply cease to exist. It is argued that annihilation is far preferable to the traditional view that hell is a place of eternal torment. Some say that the doctrine of eternal hell is immoral and makes God vindictive. Unitarians believe that everyone goes to heaven.

There are also many people who say, "If God is a God of love, then I don't believe He'll send anybody to hell." And in one sense that is right. God doesn't send anybody to hell. In fact, hell was not created for people; hell was created for satan and his demons. But, God loves you so much that He won't force you to love Him. He won't force you to accept eternal life, nor to believe that His Son died to give you eternal joy. You see, if you go to hell, it will be you who sends you to hell, not God. You are the one who makes that decision.

Others say that hell is simply living life here on earth. Hell is a series of bad and terrible calamities that we experience in this life. I don't believe in a 'hell on earth,' although when we sin, or when things don't go our way, we feel like we are in 'hell on earth.' Hell is a literal place, where the lost will spend eternity. If you want to read more about hell, then read:

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 Revelation 14:9-11

Mark 9:47-48 Revelation 19:20

Matthew 25:41 Revelation 20:15

After reading those passages tell me that according to the Bible, hell is not real. I don't enjoy telling you that, because it means that some people will suffer for all eternity. No one can fully grasp the concept of eternal hell, but we must be true to what the Bible teaches.

Question # 3 - Is Hell Necessary?

With this question we come to the bottom line. Of what use is the doctrine of hell? Hell serves many purposes.

1) It promotes right living because it teaches us that actions have consequences. If we sin with immunity in this life, in the next we will pay heavily for our misdeeds. Without God there is no reason to be good. Why not live as we please? If there is no God, all things are permissible. We can't be good without God and we can't have God without hell. Christian writer Jerry Walls said, "If there is no God, no heaven, no hell, there simply is no persuasive reason to be moral." In the end, people go to hell because they deserve to go there. No one will be there by mistake. If you end up there, it will be because you made that decision.

2) It provides for final justice. We need hell in order to right the wrongs of this life. What about the pornographers who ruin so many lives? The drug pushers who corrupt the young? The spouses who abuse their mates? The politicians who abuse their power and get rich off the misery of others? And what about the monstrous criminals who kill for sadistic pleasure? What about those who commit rape? Or those who perform abortions? How can any punishment on earth repay them for what they did? Hell must exist, if for no other reason than to balance the scales of justice.

3) It helps the saints on earth. Hell reminds believers of the great salvation we have received. When we remember that we too were on our way to hell, we must stop and marvel at God's free gift of grace. The reality of hell ought to motivate us to talk to our friends and loved ones about Christ.

4) It demonstrates the greatness of God. In ways we don't fully see right now, the reality of hell will make God's glory more real in the ages to come. Hell proves that God is both holy and just and that He truly keeps His Word. The saints will praise the Lord because all His ways are right and true.

Two Things I Know

In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The way to heaven is as narrow as the cross. Only those who trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will enter the gates of heaven.

There are two truths I know about myself with complete certainty. First, I have committed thousands upon thousands of sins in my lifetime, and I will commit even more. I have sinned against God and I deserve His punishment because of my sins. But the second truth is greater than the first, I am going to heaven because Jesus died on a cross for me. He paid the price; He took my punishment so that I could go free.

God has done everything necessary for you to go to heaven. It will be your own fault if you end up in hell. God has posted an enormous stop sign on the road to Hell and the sign is in the shape of a cross.

God has provided a way for you to escape hell. But even God's way of escape will do you no good unless you reach out and take it. If you ignore Jesus, there is no hope.

We should not be ashamed to declare the hard truth even when the world doesn't want to hear it. If we believe that hell is real, that should motivate us to demonstrate Christ's love to those who don't know Him. When we keep the Good News to ourselves, we are being selfish.

What must I do to go to heaven? The answer is, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." What must I do to go to hell? The shocking answer: Nothing, nothing at all. If you do nothing about your soul, hell is where you will go. Do nothing and be lost. Trust Christ and be saved and have hope.

First Baptist Church

October 29, 2000

Inside the Pearly Gates: What Will We Do in Heaven?

Revelation 7:9-17

Dwight L. Moody was a great evangelist in the 19th century. Moody used to begin his evangelistic sermons with the following statement - "Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal; a body that death cannot touch; that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto his glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever." Moody would say this to shock his audience with the truth that death would not be the end of his life but only the beginning.

His words came true on Friday, December 22, 1899, as his heart began to fail. With his family around him, he cried out, "Earth recedes; heaven opens before me." His family thought he was dreaming. Then he spoke to one of his sons, "No, this is no dream, Will. It is beautiful. It is like a trance. If this is death, it is sweet. There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go." Then it seemed as if he saw heaven opened before his eyes. "This is my triumph, this is my coronation day! I have been looking forward to it for years." His face lit up. "Dwight, Irene, I see the children's faces." He was speaking of the two grandchildren who had died the previous year.

A few minutes later he took his last breath. Dwight L. Moody entered heaven. (From The Life of D. L. Moody by William Moody).

Children have no trouble believing in heaven even though their ideas are sometimes a bit mixed up. A 7 year old said, "I know what heaven is, but I don't want to go there. I want to go to North Carolina instead."

And many of us would say the same thing. We know heaven is real, but we'd rather go to North Carolina (or Florida or Hawaii) first. As far as we're concerned, heaven can wait. But we fail to recognize this earth is passing away. It is here today and gone tomorrow. Heaven, which seems like a fairy tale to us, is the true reality and it is "the heart's true home."

The book of Revelation tells us more about heaven than any other book in the Bible. In today's scripture, John pulls back the curtain and gives us a tantalizing glimpse of our eternal home. What will heaven be like? What will we do there? What will we experience?

Revelation 7:9-12 tells us many things: those who believe in Christ as Savior are so numerous that it is beyond calculation. 2nd, note the variety of the redeemed; there are saints from every nation, tribe, people and language group. 3rd, note the posture of the redeemed; they stand before the throne of God, like an army before its leader. 4th, note the appearance of the redeemed; they wear white robes, a symbol of purity, and they hold palm branches, a sign of victory. And 5th, note the song of the redeemed; they sing about salvation that comes from God and from the Lamb, Jesus. What a picture. Wouldn't you like to be part of that?

Every prejudice will be gone, all conflict will be left behind. What a day that will be when God's children come together in love around the throne.

But note that we keep aspects of our individuality in heaven. John saw the redeemed gathered into nations, tribes and language groups. We will retain our personal and group identities. And what language will we speak in heaven? Our native tongue. In heaven we will hear English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Swahili, Hausa, Finnish, Yiddish, Hindi, Guarani, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, to name just a few. Although I can't prove this, I believe each person will speak whatever language they knew on earth and the rest of us will understand everything that is said. I may hear someone speaking Greek and I will know it's Greek and I will understand it even though right now I can't understand Greek. In heaven we will understand all the languages we hear, just as the early believers did on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13.

And if you think about it, this scene answers the question - 'Will we know our loved ones in heaven?' The answer is yes. If in heaven I am still joined to my nation, my tribe, my own people, and if I still speak my own language, how can it be that I will be a stranger to my own loved ones? Such a thought is impossible. Those relationships on earth that were sanctified by saving grace will continue for all eternity, becoming deeper and more precious as the ages roll on. Those I love in this life, I will love more deeply in the next. And that love will be returned in a purer form because it is not mixed with sinful desires and earthly weakness.

In the sense that we speak of age on earth, I don't believe we will be a particular age in heaven. Growing old is a function of the effects of sin. I don't believe that babies who die in infancy will be babies for eternity, nor do I believe that people who waste away of cancer will appear emaciated in heaven. It will be something else entirely, which I can barely explain.

In heaven we will know each other intimately. That's why on the Mount of Transfiguration Peter, James and John recognized Moses and Elijah, even though they had been dead for hundreds of years (Matthew 17:1-9). I believe there was something about those two men that made Peter, James and John recognize them even though they had never seen them before.

That's why a wife whose husband died when she was young will be able to pick him out of a crowd of billions of people, even though she hasn't seen him for 50 years. In heaven they will know one another. In heaven, there will be no strangers. Consider a couple that was married for 55 years, facing all the joys and trials of life hand in hand. Will they say a fond farewell to this life, only to become strangers in the next? It's inconceivable, impossible, and against the words of our text. It cannot be true.

In verses 13-14, when John refers to the "great tribulation," its most immediate application lies in those terrible end time events just preceding the coming of Christ to earth; when the seals are opened, the trumpets blown, and the bowls of judgment are poured out. But in a larger sense those words apply to all believers. Every person in heaven will have a story. One was persecuted, one was sick, one was forgotten, one was abandoned, one was abused, one was bereaved of lost children, one lived through a divorce, and another suffered physically and so on.

Every saint comes out of a different kind of "great tribulation" but all come to heaven by way of the cross. Where there was once a dark cloud of suffering, it is now replaced by the bright light of heaven. The road was steep, the journey hard, and the waters of death cold and deep, but all God's sheep, one by one made it safely to the other side. Salvation is their cry! The road to heaven is paved with the blood of Christ. Only those who walk that road by faith in Jesus will ever enter the celestial city.

We will experience the life we could never find on the earth. Revelation 7:15-17

"Therefore, 'they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes'" (Revelation 7:15-17).

Here is the final picture of heaven. The believers are seen gathered in the place of honor before the throne of God. They serve him day and night, yet because we are in heaven we never grow weary. 'We mount up with wings as eagles, we run and are not weary, we walk and do not faint.' In this life we must rest. Age and sickness come to all. Even the strongest eventually gives way. But in heaven, we grow stronger and stronger, and more joyful. We will serve God in His temple, which means that we will be in His immediate presence. There will be no "second-class" saints in that day. And over us He will spread the tent of His protection. We will not hunger, thirst, and will never be scorched by the heat again.

Why the saints are filled with joy in heaven? Because they stand before the throne, serving God day and night, and they follow the Lamb, Jesus, wherever He goes. Today, we follow Jesus by faith, but later, face to face. Whatever we need, He will supply it. In heaven, Psalm 23:1 will come true in a new and deeper way, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

There will be no tears in heaven! Imagine a world without tears. Today we live with heartbreak and sadness. But all suffering will be gone forever. The Basic English translation of the Bible offers a wonderful twist on this image saying, "And God will make glad their eyes forever."

Bitterness and revenge are gone, failure left far behind, suffering redeemed and rewarded. There are no glasses, no braces, no wheelchairs, no false teeth, no bald heads, no hearing aids, and no crutches. There are no more hospitals, no more nursing homes, no paramedics, no CPR. Medicine gone, accidents over, cancer disappeared, heart attacks banished, AIDS a distant memory. In heaven no one grows old and feeble.

There is one more thing you won't find in heaven. There are no cemeteries. Because there are no funerals, for in heaven no one dies. If you make it to that city, you live forever, never to die again. Either you believe in heaven or you don't. It's real or it isn't. Heaven is where all our best dreams come true.

Many things about heaven are a mystery but some things are clearly revealed. In reading Revelation I am struck by how many of the truths about heaven are stated in the negative. Heaven will be the absence of so many things that trouble us on earth. There will be no tears . . . no death . . . no sorrow . . . no pain . . . no night . . . no curse. Best of all, there will be no more goodbyes. No more saying goodbye to a loved one as their body is lowered into the grave. No seeing our children grow up and leave us for some distant place. No saying farewell to dear friends. No broken friendships and marriages. No misunderstandings that grow into bitter disputes. All of that will be left behind. The great Christian writer, C. S. Lewis liked to say that Christians never say goodbye. We simply say, See you later. And we will.

We may ask, 'But, won't heaven be boring? It sounds like one really long church service. Who wants go to church forever? Especially if it lasts more than an hour?'

Think about the great celebrations. What if the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series? Would you be screaming and yelling? Of course. What if we had a big screen T.V. and watched Plains win the state basketball championship last year? Would we have been screaming and getting hoarse and having a great time? Absolutely. Well, I want to tell you heaven will be far greater than the greatest celebration you have ever been part of. You are going to love it.

I like the way Pastor Ray Pritchard puts it, "In heaven all our gifts and talents will finally be used. Here on earth so many things hold us back. Sometimes circumstances keep us from doing what we know deep inside we could do, if only someone would give us the chance. The expectations of others keep us hemmed in. The demands of daily life keep us from being all that we could be. Physical limitations hamper us. There are those among us who love to sing but there is no one to listen. Others want to paint, cook, write, design and lead. Think of your dreams, hopes and aspirations; and ponder how few have been fully realized. In heaven you will have ample time to develop them all, and in ways that would startle you if you knew about it now. We will take all our gifts and talents and put them at the disposal of the Lord, and for all eternity we will find ourselves growing and learning and all the while celebrating the amazing grace of our Sovereign God. Seen from this standpoint, death for the believer becomes the Great Adventure, the doorway to glory, the entrance to an unending journey beyond our wildest imagination."

Grace Rice MacMullen

The name Grace Rice MacMullen will not be familiar to most of you. She was the oldest daughter of evangelist John R. Rice. She was a vibrant, active Christian who led many people to the Lord. Her story is a familiar one. The doctors discovered cancer, treated it with chemotherapy and she went into remission. Then the disease came back in force. The doctors told her she had four to six months to live. That was on August 18. She went home and figured up four months and then wrote, "What will I be doing on December 18?"

"Well, that depends. I'll be praising the Lord for his glory and goodness either by faith or by sight. If by faith, as I've been doing, my praise may be subdued, alternating with a tear at times.

If not by faith, ah then, ah then! With angels and trumpets and choirs and instruments indescribable! I'll still be loving the Lord -- maybe blindly, hesitantly, but full-heartedly, trustingly!

And I'll be loving him in a burst of light where shadows are washed away, to know as I am known - with that full-pouring effusion that can only at last express my stunted, limited, longing love - in purest, shimmering light and color and substance.

OR, I shall, that day, talk to God a bit, as usual, about the things I'm thinking about, about the people I love, about how the day is going, about what I need and want.

OR yet - or yet - I shall that day talk to God! Himself, in person, no dark glass between, nor childish me to speak of childish things.

OR, I shall on that day lie in bed, or move about with wheelchair, finding my needs met minute-by-minute by loving hands and smiling faces.

OR, indeed, indeed! I shall be doing handsprings, cartwheels, run a dozen miles! To move with God's own planned grace, as Eve did, roll down a long grassy field, jump across a stream. I shall observe with undimmed eyes and hear with unstopped ears, taste with untainted buds and sniff the fragrances of another world.

Where shall I be?

Here or there?

How little it matters!"

Grace never made it to December 18. Death came on October 24. But, her words tell us all we need to know about faith in the face of death. That's Christian faith. Now, is that the kind of faith you have? Are you ready to die and do you know where you will go when you die?

Death cannot exhaust the promises of God. That's why Paul could say, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). Death has no power over us, it is, in fact something to look forward to. To be in the presence of Jesus, our Lord.

And friends, I'm going to see Jesus. I've never seen Him as I see you this morning, many times - I've dreamt about Him and thought about Him, I've preached about Him, I've prayed to Him over and over. He has shaped my life according to His values and standards. But I've never seen Him, like I see you. Yes, I have had my moments of intense experiences with Jesus; when I knew He was literally beside me, but let me tell you this, one day. . . one day . . . I am going to see this Lord and Savior, the One who changed my life, the One who redeemed me, who died for me, who has forgiven me, the One who loves me so intensely.

He is coming, are you ready? You say, "I'm a member of the church." That won't cut it!! You say, 'I try to be good to my neighbor.' That's good, but that won't cut it.

You say, 'Well, I just try to do the best I know how.' Your best is not good enough.

Have you really, really, honestly and truthfully asked Jesus Christ to save you? Have you asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of all your sins? Have you asked the Lord to save you? Have you made a commitment -- to live for Him, for all the days of your life?

If you feel in your heart He's coming for you, praise God. If you have never experienced His love and grace, then I want you to know that He is coming for you. He loves you and is extending His nail marked hand to take hold of your hand. You may not be able to raise your hand to heaven, but He's reaching down to you all the way from Calvary. To touch you, and to take you just as you are, to redeem you of all of your sins. Call upon Jesus, and know that eternal life in heaven is yours, hope is yours. God is yours. Please pray with me.