Let's Talk About Heaven: Overwhelming Joy

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Learn more and sign up at harvest.org. I think some people think heaven's going to be a long worship service. Coming up, Pastor Greg Laurie points out what we'll be doing in heaven, influenced by the gratitude and praise that spring up from within us. There will be singing in heaven, and I think one of the reasons for the unbridled worship in heaven is because now we know all things, all of our questions are answered, all of our pain is removed, all of our tears are dry. Okay, that's going to be amazing.

Sometimes we just can't hold back the joy when our favorite sports team wins the big game. When our young child takes his first steps, when you hear the words, you may kiss your bride. Well, when we get to heaven, we just may not be able to hold ourselves back from worship. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see what we'll be doing in heaven and what things will be different from this life and what things will largely be the same.

It's one of our most requested messages. Let's answer some often asked questions about the afterlife. Number one, what will our new bodies be like in heaven? Number two, will we know each other in heaven? Number three, will we be married in heaven? Number four, what will we do in heaven? And fifth and lastly, and this is often asked, do people in heaven know what's going on with us on earth?

All right, so let's go question by question. And by the way, in our last message, we discovered, of course, heaven is an actual place, not a state of mind. It's a real place. Jesus said in John 14, I've gone to prepare a place for you. Jesus tells us and the rest of the Bible tells us, heaven is a city. Heaven is a country. Heaven is a paradise. Whatever you've experienced on this earth, the best of the best of the best doesn't even come close to the glory of heaven.

Why? Because earth at its best is a pale imitation of the real thing, which is heaven. Heaven is not a watered down version of earth.

It's kind of the other way around. And so whatever you are thinking, it's going to be far better than you ever imagined. All right, so what about these new bodies the Bible talks about? What will they be like?

Short answer, amazing. You will be given a new body, but it will still be you. It'll just be the radically upgraded version of you, okay? Here's what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 15. Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised they'll be full of glory. They're weak now, but when they're raised they'll be full of power. They're natural bodies now, but when they're raised they'll be spiritual bodies.

So listen to this. Our new bodies that God will give to us later will be both different and at the same time the same as our body here. By that I mean you are still you, as I've already said, but again a radically upgraded version of you. Okay so Jesus says in John 14, in My Father's house are many mansions or dwelling places if or were not so I would have told you. If I go I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am you may be also. In My Father's house are many mansions. So what is this mansion referring to in John 14?

A couple of options. One it may be our new body that God will give to us. 2 Corinthians 5 one in the New Living Translation says, when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, when we die and leave these bodies, we have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself. We'll put on the new body like new clothes. Okay so it could be a description of our new body, but it could be a house. I mean literally a house in heaven.

Why not? The idea is that it's a real place waiting for you. What it is exactly I don't know, but it's going to be amazing. We know that. And you know I'll tell you what the thing is is with life as you get older it seems like it goes more quickly.

But here's the good news. Though your body is wearing out like a tent, which is not meant to last forever, God's going to resurrect it and your soul will live forever and your body will be resurrected. So now when we're in heaven will we know each other in heaven? Do you think you're going to be more stupid in heaven than you are on earth? Maybe I should ask the question well do you know each other on earth? Well then you're going to of course know each other in heaven. So I think when you get to heaven yes we'll see each other.

Yes we'll know one another. We're told in 1 Corinthians 13 we will know as we are known. We'll know everything we know on earth except more.

We'll know everything we know on earth but with divine perspective now. Sometimes people have this mistaken notion that when you get to heaven you have some kind of a brain wipe. It's almost like heaven's a giant lobotomy or something. No I want to know. There's memories of earth in heaven.

Oh that can't be true Greg because we would be sorrowful. Well you have perspective. See I understand things now. How can I be rewarded for something I did on earth if there's not a memory of what I did on earth? So you're going to remember earthly things but now with perspective. There's no break in my love for my loved ones. Death breaks ties on earth but renews them in heaven.

We're the same people we were here. Here's one that sometimes asks will we be married in heaven? Interesting question. All right first of all let's take a quick poll. How many of you are married? Raise your hand up okay. How many of you want to be married in heaven? You want to continue to be married in heaven. How many of you would rather not be married in heaven? There's a few hands going up and some of you are not totally committed in that other question. Kelly my wife's next to me. I do. Liars.

No. Okay you will be married in heaven. Now let me return to that and I'll explain it in a moment.

You will be married in heaven. Okay so one day a group of people called the Sadducees came to Jesus. Now the Sadducees were different than the Pharisees. The Sadducees did not believe in life beyond the grave. The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection of the body. The Sadducees had a pretty bleak outlook. In fact their name said it all. Sad.

You see right. Because that's a sad way to see life. So they thought they were going to trap Jesus with a question.

Okay Jesus we have a question for you. There's this woman who was married and her husband died and then she married the guy's brother and he died. Then she married another brother and he died and went out seven times in the resurrection. Whose wife is she? I would have asked what is this woman cooking and feeding these men?

What's going on? The point of that is they thought you know oh if you're going to be together in the afterlife who's going to be married to this person? And now Jesus sets a record straight and he says in Matthew 22 you're mistaken not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage.

You're like the angels of God in heaven. So they neither marry or are given in marriage. Okay so let's say you have a really close marriage and you can't bear the thought of not being married to your spouse anymore. Well in heaven you will not have the same kind of relationship but it will be better.

It'll be stronger. You will be closer but you will not marry or be given in marriage in heaven. But you'll have the fully realized version of everything that marriage points to.

So you say well you're contradicting yourself. You just told me we won't be married in heaven but earlier you said we will be married in heaven. You will be married in heaven.

Not to each other. You're the bride married to Jesus Christ who's the bridegroom. So you are married in heaven. Of all the things God could have chosen to show his love for the church and the church's love for him God chose marriage.

And of all the witnesses God could have chosen to a lost world he chose marriage effectively saying hey non-believers check this out. See how this Christian husband loves his wife. That's how I love my church.

Hey check this out. You see how this wife loves her husband. That's how my church loves me. So marriage is a beautiful symbol that will be fully realized in heaven.

It'll be different than it is now but trust me it will be better. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. So many listeners have commented on the help they receive from these daily messages. God's word ministers to them and it often gets them through some of their darkest hours.

Hi Pastor Greg. Your messages have been a blessing to me this last year. In 2020 I had heart valve replacement. Then my dad had heart issues and was in the hospital until he passed away.

Three days after that my husband and I tested positive for COVID. It's been tough but listening to your encouraging words and your books on audible have helped me through it with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. I know there will be more bumps in the road along the way mainly because I'm a six-time cancer survivor but I know who guides me in my journey and I thank God for servants like you as well.

God bless you. We're encouraged to know that listeners are hearing these messages and God is using his word to comfort them. How have Pastor Greg's studies impacted your life?

Would you let them know? Drop an email to Greg at harvest dot org. That's Greg at harvest dot o-r-g. Well today Pastor Greg is presenting the answers to five common questions people ask about heaven. All centered on how different life will be there than it is here.

It's one of this past year's most requested messages. Number four, what will we do in heaven? I think some people think heaven's going to be super boring. Well we know we will be worshiping and that's of course why I exist to bring glory to God but Revelation 15 says I saw a glass scene mixed with fire and there stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast that would be the anti-christ and his image and the number representing his name.

There were whole people they were holding harps so there are harps in heaven that God had given them and they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the lamb. So there will be singing in heaven and I think one of the reasons for the unbridled worship in heaven is because now we know all things. All of our questions are answered. All of our pain is removed. All of our tears are dried.

Don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean heaven's going to be a long worship service because oh it's going to be like a church service forever. No you're going to do other stuff okay but you're going to be doing a lot of worshiping okay and it's going to be amazing. But here's something else you're going to do in heaven. I guarantee this.

You're going to be eating amazing food in heaven. Come on you want that don't you? See well where do you get that? From the Bible.

The only authoritative source in heaven. Revelation 19 19. Then the angel said blessed are those who invited to the wedding supper. That's a reminder we're the bride of Christ. The wedding supper of the lamb.

These are the two words of God. I like the word supper. In the south they call dinner supper and I was raised by my grandparents for many years of my life.

Stella and Charles McDaniel. I called my grandmother mama Stella and I called my grandfather daddy Charles and then when my mom was running around with all of her guys and getting divorced and getting drunk and all that crazy stuff she sent me to live with my grandparents and so there with them it was a very stable home. It was almost like being raised from someone from another century actually.

My grandfather was quite a strict disciplinarian I have to say. But my grandmother was an amazing cook. She made everything from scratch.

She never served leftovers one time in her life. And we had all that good southern cooking. And if you know the southern cooking you know fried chicken that was just incredible. Black eyed peas. Okra.

Collard greens. You ever try those before? Now these are the things my grandmother would make. But her crowning achievement was her biscuit. I have never had a biscuit anywhere like this. Like if a biscuit could be literally anointed by God this is what I am talking about.

It was like so insane. It was a buttermilk biscuit. And when my grandmother was getting older I said to my wife Kathy watch mama Stella make the biscuit. Learn the secret of the biscuit. Grasshopper.

You must learn it. And you know she did a pretty good job reproducing them. But no one could quite produce the biscuit that my grandmother mama Stella made. And I just think you know when we get to heaven I am hoping to get some of those biscuits again.

I am going to find mama Stella. But some of you don't connect to southern cooking. You are into Mexican food.

Ok. So you are thinking enchiladas and tacos and all those things. And then others are going no no no it is Italian food. Italian food. No it is you know the pasta and the pizza. I had pizza today.

Here is my problem. I love all those foods. Everything I love is fattening.

I don't love anything that is not fattening. I don't love kale salad. I don't even know what the point of eating salad is. To me eating salad is like practice. It is just like ok I can chew and swallow. Good. You know someone says I had a nice salad for lunch.

I am like what? It is just nothing. It is just lettuce and stuff you know. But whatever it is that rings your bell good chance it will be in heaven. And if it isn't there there will be something better there. I am into sushi. Ok. Sushi then.

Whatever you like it is going to be better than what you could ever dream of. And not only will you have that meal but you will be with people. The whole thing about having a nice meal is having it with someone you like to be with.

Right. Being with friends and family. Enjoying a meal together.

Well check this out. You are going to have some pretty amazing company. Matthew 8 11 says, and that day comes you will take your place at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

How is that for starters? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have a meal with. You can sit down at a table with Moses. Moses could you pass the manna? Elijah my meat is a little undercooked.

Could you give it a little more fire? Lot could you pass the salt? Oh Lot you are so sensitive. Get over it. You made it to heaven.

Come on man. You have to know the Bible to get these jokes ok. These are insider Bible jokes. But one of the things that I have enjoyed over the years is getting to meet a lot of wonderful men and women of God. And whenever I am around older people who have known the Lord for many years I pick their brains. You know I have gotten to know people like Chuck Sundahl, David Jeremiah, Dr. Dobson, Alan Redpath, and of course Billy Graham.

I think I drove Billy Graham insane with all of my questions. Because whenever I was with him I wanted to know everything about everyone. Because he was like Mr. History. He knew all these people I have read about. He knew Golda Meir the prime minister of Israel. He knew Muhammad Ali came over to his house for lunch. He knew every president going back to Truman. Bono from U2 came and visited him and read poetry to his wife Ruth. And his wife Ruth was as amazing as Billy was. She was just a wealth of Bible knowledge.

And it was so wonderful to be with them. He knew C.S. Lewis.

I mean I quote C.S. Lewis. He met C.S.

Lewis for Pete's sake. It is just amazing the people he knew. So I mean thinking of that think about meaning people of the Bible. Asking David what was it like to slay Goliath you know. Noah so how did that work being in that ark all that time. Or Moses when you parted the Red Sea give me some details about it. Esther what was it like to save the entire Jewish race. Deborah what was it like to lead all those people into battle.

Hey Mary Mary what was it like to carry Jesus in your womb and later have him in your heart. You know I mean don't you want to ask those questions. I do. Because when I'm around godly people I want details. I want information.

I want to learn from them. And you'll have access to all these great men and women of God from the Bible who've gone before us to meet the Lord. And but of course it's being reunited with loved ones that we miss. How many of you have someone that was very close to you who has gone to heaven.

Right now you have someone and that's pretty much everybody. So you think about those people don't you. And you think about being with them. Because one of the hardest things about death is communication is cut off immediately. And you want to communicate with them.

And it's so hard when you can't. And sometimes people want to try to talk to their loved ones and they'll go to mediums who will mediums who will tell them I'm getting messages from your loved one right now and just understand that is never real. It's either not real or it's demonic. But that you don't want to go there. You don't want to ever try to communicate with your loved ones in heaven.

And I'll hear people say well I sensed my loved one who died is with me and they spoke to me the other day. Can I be blunt with you. No they didn't. They didn't speak to you. They're not guiding you. And they're not involved in your life right now. They aren't.

Okay I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you they were. I wish I could tell you that they're you know helping you right now.

No they aren't. They're in the other side. As David said of a son who died he cannot come to me but I will go to him.

So they're not talking to you. They're not coming to you. But one day you will go to them. You will be reunited with them if they died in faith. Biblical truth today on matters of eternity from Pastor Greg Laurie.

The only information we can count on about the hereafter comes from the Lord himself. And Pastor Greg will have more insight as he continues this best of message here on A New Beginning. Well Pastor Greg and I have a couple of special guests in the studio today. Pastor Levi Lusko, author of the new children's devotional book called Roar Like a Lion which we're making available to our listeners right now.

And Pastor Greg's son Pastor Jonathan Laurie is here. Jonathan you're reading this new book with your own kids these days. How's that going?

Oh it's been going great. My kids really love it. They're the perfect ages. This book is 8 to 10 I believe it is right Levi? Well 6 to 10 is the reader level but then yeah. 6 to 10.

Yeah it's perfect. Well I've got a 9 year old and an 11 year old and Ali even though she's just outside of that age man she's absolutely loving it and I gotta be honest I'm loving it too. It's ministering to my heart going through different devotions hearing just wonderful reminders of who God is, his character, how it plays out in our everyday lives and one thing I like to do is I have my kids read it to me. It's a good way for them to just kind of practice their reading and read out loud and hearing their little voices is so sweet. Sometimes I sneak a little video of it and save it for later you know something to look at on a rainy day but it's so sweet hearing them read these devotions, read these scriptures and then have them pray too. There's a wonderful little prayer at the end of each devotion that kind of sums it up and it's such a blessing to get to go through it with my kids.

They're 9 and 11 and I know that any age is really going to be blessed by this. I started reading devotions to my kids man really from the time they were born you know they say it's so important for children to hear the sound of their parents voice and reading to them so whether you have a newborn child and you just need some content to read to them man this is a great book or whether you've got kids that are older I'm telling you no matter what age you're going to be blessed by this. I've been blessed by it. I've been encouraged.

I've been challenged and so really love this book. We're like a lion. Yeah we did the same thing Dave as I raised Jonathan and his brother Christopher you know with little devotions with them reading from the scripture encouraging them and it's so gratifying to see that passed on to another generation and that's what God wants us to do. He wants us to pass these truths on to the next generation. You know the Christian life is like a race and if it's a race it's a lot like a relay race.

We hold the baton for a time then we hand it on to the next generation they carry it and then they hand it on too. That's our job as parents to teach these things to our children but I know that's not always the easiest thing to do. You don't know where to start. You don't feel like your Bible knowledge is deep enough.

You're not a theologian. Listen we have a tool to put in your hands to help you do a better job of sharing the truth of God's word with your kids or your grandkids and it's a book written by Levi Lusko titled Roar Like a Lion 90 Devotions to a Courageous Faith and we'll send you this brand new book to help you lead your family spiritually for your gift of any size and whatever you send will be used to continue this ministry called A New Beginning as we teach the word of God and proclaim the gospel all around the world. Yeah that's right your investment helps us reach literally all over the planet. If you've been a partner with us thank you so much and if you can partner with us right now we hope you'll ask for a copy of Pastor Levi's new children's devotional book Roar Like a Lion. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or call us anytime around the clock at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions? Get these inspirational thoughts in your email box every day.

Sign up free of charge at harvest.org. Well next time this best of message continues as Pastor Greg helps us sharpen our focus on eternity. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. A New Beginning is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners helping people everywhere know God. If this show has impacted your life share your story leave a review on your favorite podcast app and help others find hope.