The Hope of Heaven | When Heaven and Earth Become One

A New Beginning presents a book from Pastor Greg Laurie, with help for those suffering loss, called Hope for Hurting Hearts. God has used this book over the years to touch many people. If you've lost a loved one, or if you know someone that's recently lost a loved one, it would be an excellent thing to get this book into their hands, because I really wrote it for them. So we're offering you a copy of this book, Hope for Hurting Hearts, for your gift of any size.

Available at Harvest.org This is why we have hope in a hopeless world. This is the day when the lost are found This is the day for a new beginning Amazing grace, how sweet the sound Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing? This is the day, the day when life begins At a certain age, you're old enough to remember mimeograph copies. Many schools used them. They predated photocopies, very poor reproductions of the original.

Sometimes they were barely legible. Well, spiritually speaking, as compared to God's original plan for this world, it's as though we're living in a smudge, wrinkled mimeograph of what He had in mind. But today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us paint the picture of the world to come, just as God designed. I think we think far too much of this life and not enough of the next one. We think far too much about life on earth and far too little about eternity. Randy Alcorn in his book, We Shall See God, writes these words, and I quote, I think that is a great thought. We are living in the before life. We are talking about the after life. This is the before life.

And the before life happens pretty quickly. Sort of like when you go to the movies and the trailers start to roll. The previews.

You know. And I have often found that the trailers are better than the movies. They are promoting. All the best bits are in the trailer. But you don't go to the movie to watch a trailer.

You go to the movie to watch the film itself. Well in many ways life on earth is like the trailers that come and go rather quickly. And the film is like eternity. That's the main event. So we think so much about this part.

We don't think about that part. That is the main event that everything is building up toward. Eternity is well eternal.

Which means it goes on and on without end. And until that day that we get to heaven we effectively live between two worlds. And these two worlds coexist simultaneously. Though we don't know a lot about heaven I think that heaven knows more about earth. In other words though I don't really know what my loved ones are doing in heaven right now. I think they may be more aware of what I am doing down here. And I will develop that more in our next message that we are calling the Blessed Hope.

But we have to be very careful in this area because I think if you have someone that has gone on before you to heaven you tend to wonder what it is like. You want to know more. I was speaking a while back with a woman who had a severely handicapped child. She said as a result of this that her life had been changed. And she said his life, speaking of her child, has placed my feet one in heaven and one on this earth. I thought that is a great way to put it. You know when something like this happens to you. When some kind of crisis happens it opens your eyes up to the eternal world and you suddenly start living in those two worlds in a sense. In other words you are aware of eternity. You are thinking in the light of eternity. You are planning your life accordingly.

You are living your life accordingly. And that is a good place to be. We should all be looking forward to that day with one foot on earth and another one in heaven. And that brings us to our text. Colossians 3. Because here is what Paul tells us we ought to be doing in the interim. In the before life is we need to be thinking more about the after life. And he tells us in Colossians 3, since you have been raised with Christ set your mind on things above where Christ is seated on the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above not on earthly things.

Now what does that even mean? Well to set your mind means to engage in a diligent active single minded investigation. This could be translated think or have this inner disposition or a simpler way to translate it. Paul is saying think heaven. Think about heaven more. And the verb used in this verse is in the present tense so it could be translated keep thinking heaven.

Put it all together and Paul is saying constantly keep seeking and thinking about heaven. So our feet must be on earth but our minds must be in heaven. But sadly some of us will go all day, a week, a month without a single thought of heaven or eternity. But if we are living as we ought to as Christians we will think about it.

And Greg how can I think about a place I have never been to before? Answer by seeing what the Bible says about it. The Bible tells us what heaven is and how it should affect us. Ian Bounds wrote these words and I quote, "'Heaven ought to draw and engage us. Heaven ought to fill our hearts and our hands and our conversations and our character and our features, so all will see that we are foreigners, strangers to this world.

The very atmosphere of this world should be chilling to us and noxious, its suns eclipsed and its companionship dull and incepted. Heaven is our native land and home to us and death to us is not the dying hour but the birth hour.'" Well you say yeah but what is heaven? I mean is heaven sort of a metaphor or is heaven like a state of mind?

No. Actually according to Scripture heaven is an actual place. It is a dwelling place of God Himself. Jesus said, "'I have gone to prepare a place for you.'" A place. I think one of the problems is we have a caricatured version of heaven. And this is supported by movies we have seen or television programs or even commercials on TV.

You know cartoons you were raised on. You know where basically we die. We go to heaven. We become an angel in heaven and we sit on clouds and we play harps.

You know it looks pretty boring quite frankly. But that is not the biblical heaven. That is the cartoon heaven or the exaggerated heaven or the caricatured heaven. The biblical heaven is different altogether. Different words are used in Scripture to describe this place we call heaven. For starters heaven is described as a paradise.

Paul the apostle did have the unique experience of dying and going to heaven. Interestingly he did not write a book about it. He could have written a whole epistle about heaven. The things that he saw and heard. But he did not. But he did tell us what it was like. And I think he was at a loss for words.

Because he writes in 2 Corinthians 12 from a modern translation. I know a man who 14 years ago was seized by Christ and swept into ecstasy to the heights of heaven. I really don't know if this took place in the body or out of it. Only God knows.

But I know this. This man was hijacked into paradise. Again whether in the body or out of the body I don't know.

God knows. And he heard the unspeakable spoken but was forbidden to tell what he heard. So Paul is saying, look it is really hard for me to put into words what I saw. But it is still ringing in my ears.

I still see it. And he used one word to describe it. Paradise. That is a very hard word to translate. This is the same word by the way that Jesus used to the thief on the cross when that man said, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom.

And Jesus said, Truly I say unto you today you will be with me in paradise. But the word that Paul uses here is a word that is used to describe one of the walled gardens of a king. I don't know what we would compare this to. Think of a palatial estate like Downton Abbey or something.

I don't know. You know some beautiful place where you have full time gardeners that tend to this beautiful garden. Or maybe you have been to a place like this.

You probably paid admission to get in there. And so you think of this beautiful scene. And Paul says, well it was like that.

He was at a loss for words. All we know is heaven was way better than earth because Paul said in Philippians 1, you know I am kind of caught between the two. I have a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better. And in the Greek that is in the superlative form which means far far better. Way better.

Or as they would say in Hawaii, mobeta bra. It is way better. Nobody in heaven if given the choice would ever want to come back to earth again. But Paul went to heaven and had to return. Can you imagine that conversation when he arrives and stands before God and the Lord says, Welcome Paul.

Well done. Hey I have got some good news and bad news. Paul would say, What do you mean good news and bad news? What is the good news? Well you will be coming back again. Coming back again? Am I going somewhere?

Yeah. That brings me to the bad news. You have to go back to earth again. Lord why? Well there is a group of believers standing around your body and they are praying for you to be raised from the dead. Lord don't listen to them.

They are sinners. I don't want to leave. I want to stay here. The Lord said, I know Paul. But I actually have a work for you to do down there. So I am going to have you go back for a time and you will be back again. Meanwhile back on earth here are the believers standing around the beaten bloodied body of Paul who had been stoned.

Not that kind of stone. And they thought they would never see him again. And suddenly the flesh of color returns to the apostles face and his eyes begin to blink.

And boy for me the first thing I would do I would have hit someone. Whose idea was it to pray for me to be brought back? But no. Paul got up and went right back to work again and did the work that God had called him to do. But heaven he described as a paradise. Heaven is also described as a city. A city. Hebrews 11 says, it is a city that has an architect and builder who is God. Hebrews 13, 14 says, here we do not have an enduring city but we are looking for a city that is to come.

D.L. Moody says, heaven is as real a place as Chicago. And it is true. I mean we need to get away from this idea of this mystical heaven that is in a real place. It is a city. Now think about cities that you have gone to. There are things to do in cities. There are places to go in cities. You have activities. You have you know culture and you have music and you have stores and you have places to eat. Greg are you saying that there could be like that in heaven?

Yeah I am saying there could be. I don't know. The Bible says it is a city. So I am thinking about cities. Now there are cities that have things we don't like. You know urban decay or crime or things like that. So think of the best city you have ever been to. You know certain cities have a quality about them. Like Jerusalem at sunrise. Rome at sunset.

San Bernardino any of the time. How many of you are from Verdu? Raise your hand. Sorry about that. Just kidding.

Really wasn't. But heaven is a place. Heaven is a paradise. Heaven is a city. Heaven is a country the Bible says. Hebrews 11 16. They desire a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. He has prepared a city for them. So I am bringing this up to just help us to realize we are headed to a place.

And listen to this. Heaven is in our final destination. A lot of people say, I am going to die and live forever in heaven.

Well have fun. I am not staying there. Well where are you going? I am coming back to earth with Jesus. See to me wherever Jesus is that is where I want to be. Ok. Now I will go to heaven as you will when you die. But the Bible teaches that one day Christ will come back to earth.

Right? And He will establish His kingdom. We call this the millennium that lasts for a thousand years.

But then there is more. After that we read that the new Jerusalem as a bride adorned for her husband descends from heaven and comes to earth. So effectively heaven and earth become one. That means that you are going to do things in the new earth. This is the time where the Lamb is with the Lion.

This is the time when age is no longer a factor. We are building homes. We are living our lives. We are fulfilling our dreams. This is all yet to come. These are promises for the child of God.

This is why we have hope in a hopeless world. I received an email recently from a man named Abram who tells me the story of his 90 year old grandmother that he calls Beppy. Here is what he writes. She is a holocaust survivor. She lost her mother, father, both of her brothers, and many friends and extended family members. She is the most traumatized by her last conversation she had with her mother which transpired on the crowded cattle car which took them to Birkenau. That is a concentration camp in which they got into an argument. The last words Beppy ever said to her mom were, I hate you and I hope to never see you again.

Alas those words came true. And then Abram writes of something he had never known about his grandmother where she revealed that she was liberated during World War II by the Americans and then immigrated to the United States. So here the holocaust survivor comes to America and she goes to a rabbi according to this letter and asks him, Why did God let this happen to us? The rabbi said, We should never ask such questions of God. So Abram writes, She has been carrying this burden for 62 years now and has understandably rejected the very concept of a loving God. But Abram writes and says, Well I started following Jesus in 2003. This is a Jewish family.

Abram himself is Jewish as is his grandmother. And then he says, And God led me to you through your radio ministry. I heard your sermon on the topic of God allowing pain and suffering. And God has given me understanding and peace through your teaching. But this last weekend Beppy shared with me the story about her rabbi. And she asked me what I thought of that thanks to your sermon podcasts and numerous other resources like Hope for Hurting Hearts. For example I was well prepared to show her in the Scripture where God not only allows but welcomes our questions. And he says, Then your devotional came. So that day that he wrote me this email a devotional arrived from us here at Harvest. And in it I wrote about asking God why. And he forwarded this to his grandmother Beppy.

And here is what the devotion said among other things. Not long ago a woman who had lost a child told me, Greg all I can ask is why. Why? Then she said, Is it wrong to ask why?

I told her, I don't think it is wrong. You can ask why all that you want. And even Jesus said, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? God could tell us why. But we are never going to get in until we get to heaven and see things as they really are.

So maybe instead of asking why a better question would be what. As in what do you want me to do? What God wants you to do is to call on Him. When people come to me and are suffering and they ask me for answers I tell them, I don't have an answer but here is what I do have. Turn to God. Lean on Jesus.

Cling to Him and pray. One day the whys will be resolved. Until then it is about whom and what. It is about whom we turn to and what we do. So when tragedy hits don't run from God. Turn to Him.

So I was basically saying it is ok to ask God why. He sent that to his grandmother Beppy the 90 year old Holocaust survivor. And now he writes this. After 62 years of living in darkness and confusion my grandmother has turned back to God. Isn't that wonderful? He says, Please continue to pray for me and my entire family as we bear witness to the transforming power of God and the life of my grandmother. Pray that they would all turn to God and accept Jesus as their Savior. What a testimony that would be. So God has intervened in this Jewish home and God has brought hope to a 90 year old Holocaust survivor.

Because you have got a little bit of an eternal perspective and He can bring hope to you. What are you facing? What is troubling you right now? Do you feel hopeless?

I hope not. You can feel helpless. But don't feel hopeless. There is always hope. And the hope is in God. Your situation may be resolved. Your circumstances may get better. But even if they don't you still have the ultimate hope of heaven. That one day you will be with the Lord. And that should put everything in perspective.

But listen. Everything that I have said this is for Christians only. This isn't for the nonbeliever. You can hope all you want and wish upon your stars and talk about serendipity and good luck. But my hope is in the Word of God and in the Lord who will sustain me. And I hope your hope is in Him too. Do you have this hope?

If not why don't we help you get that resolved? Jesus Christ came to this earth and He died on the cross for your sin and paid the price for all the wrongs you have ever done. And then He rose again from the dead and stands at the door of your life now and He knocks and says, If you will hear His voice and open the door He will come in. Do you want this hope I have been talking about? Do you want to know with certainty that you will go to heaven when you die? Do you want Jesus Christ to come into your life? If so I am going to give you an opportunity to do this as we close in prayer.

Let's all bow our heads. Father I thank You for every person hearing this message. And I pray that You will bring hope to them.

Help them to turn to You and find the answers they need. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue.

Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online you'll find us at harvest.org and there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now.

That's harvest.org or write us at A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside, CA 92514 or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-3300. And then here's Pastor Greg once again. Let me close with this thought. Would you like Jesus Christ to come into your life? Would you like your sin forgiven?

Would you like to fill the hole in your soul? Would you like to go to heaven when you die? If so, just stop what you're doing and pray this prayer with me. You can pray it out loud if you like. You can pray it in the quietness of your heart if you choose, but pray this prayer. This is a prayer of asking Jesus Christ to come into your life. Pray these words.

Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from that sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Hey, did you just pray that prayer? If so, I want to congratulate you and be the first to say welcome to the family of God.

Yeah, that's right. You have a whole new life in front of you now. And to help you begin living this new life, Pastor Greg would like to send you his helpful New Believers Bible. It's written in the New Living Translation with scores of helps for those who are new to the faith. So let us send this your way. We'll do so free of charge. Just ask for the New Believers Bible when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here to take your call around the clock.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. Well, next time, more insights on what to expect in our heavenly home. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie.