Living Between Two Worlds - Part B

This is his motto.

This is his slogan. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I wonder what one sentence would sum up your life. If there was going to be something on your tombstone that marked who you were in this life and how you live. What what would it be? I heard about a dentist who died and on his tombstone it simply said, here lies John Smith filling his last cavity.

That's not too comforting. What is your fantasy vacation? A trip to the Caribbean, an African safari, an outback adventure, or a luxury cruise?

There are plenty of exotic luxurious destinations on this planet that can seem like the ultimate vacation spot, but all of them pale in comparison with the one true paradise. And today here in Connect with Skip weekend edition, Skip Heitzig includes our preview tour of what life after death and more specifically what life in heaven will be like. And we'll discover today if you want to reach the ultimate getaway spot, you need to know the right person.

We'll begin today's message here in just a moment, but first we have a great resource for you this month in the Connect with Skip resource center. Reading the Bible can lead to asking some serious questions like, is the rapture real or how can I overcome anxiety? These two questions are among those answered in Pastor Skip's Picks, a new DVD of four impactful messages by Skip Heitzig. Imagine knowing somebody who knows everything about you.

Now imagine somebody who knows everything about you and loves you anyway. That's what we're dealing with when we deal with the knowledge of God. This collection of some of Pastor Skip's most memorable teachings also includes what most people don't know about heaven. And it's our thanks for your gift of $25 or more to connect more people to God's life-changing word.

Visit connectwithskip.com slash offer to give online securely or call 800-922-1888. 800-922-1888 and request your copy of Pastor Skip's Picks. Open your Bibles to Philippians chapter one. And as you do so, let's join Skip Heitzig for this final message in our series From the Edge of Eternity.

Now for Paul to say this is pretty obvious that he believed the moment he died, he would at that very moment be with the Lord. There's no holding pattern. There's no waiting. There's no going somewhere else. There's no limbo. There's no purgatory. There's no soul sleep as some hold that if you die as a Christian, you go into this sort of suspended state of unconsciousness until the Lord returns.

Then you're awakened and you're with Him. Paul wouldn't have said that if he believed that because he thought when he departs, he'll be with Christ, which is far better. He was anticipating to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I'm going to read to you something else. Dwight Lyman Moody.

I've quoted him on many occasions, a great evangelist and pastor of Moody Bible Church last generation. He was on his deathbed. While he was there and he didn't know what the future state would be, he told his family gathered around him, I'm not discouraged. I want to live as long as I'm useful, but when my work is done, I want to be up and off. I want to push off. That's my desire to depart when it's my time. After a particularly restless night, the next morning with a very careful, measured speech, he said this, earth recedes, heaven opens before me. Now his son who was at his bedside thought Pops is dreaming.

And Dwight said to his son, no, this is not a dream, Will. It's beautiful. If this is death, it is sweet.

There's no valley here. God is calling me and I must go. What a great way to go. It's so great to have lived that kind of a life, so that at the end you go, ah, this is it.

I'm graduating now. This is sweet. So go back to Paul. He's in prison in Rome, writing to the Philippians. Doesn't know which way the verdict will pass on his behalf, or will he be killed? And as he wrestles with this, he says, let me just tell you where I'm at, where I'm at, my own personal desire, be a lot easier, a lot better for me to leave this earth and be home with the Lord.

However, the 24th verse switches gears. So that's what he wants. The third word, he's willing to persist. He's willing to stay and work for the Lord on earth, for he says, nevertheless, to remain in the flesh, or in my physical body, is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you for, or, excuse me, I forgot the word all, and continue with you all.

He's from the south. For your progress and joy of faith. So you see what he's saying? As much as I want to go home, I understand that I have some unfinished work here, and I have a hunch that I'm going to stay around for you all.

This is what I want you to notice. Here's a spiritual man caught between two worlds, earth and heaven. And as a spiritual man, though he would love to just be in heaven because it's a place of comfort and joy and reward, he's balancing out what he wants with what they need, and he places what they need before what he wants. That's a spiritual man. What I want you to see about Paul is that he just didn't preach great sermons.

This is how he lived. Go over to chapter two. Look at verse three. He writes to them, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Here's a guy who will practice what he preaches. Here's Paul in prison putting them and their interests even before his own. Go back now to chapter one. Look at verse 22. But if I live on in the flesh, that is, if I don't die, if I get released, if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor.

Yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. In other words, as long as I'm still kicking, I'm going to be serving the Lord. I'm going to make sure that I'll labor and be energetic and produce fruit. Now Jesus himself said you can tell about a person's life by the fruit that they produce. And if you're a spiritual person, you'll produce fruit from the flesh. If you're a spiritual person, you'll produce spiritual fruit. John Stott said these words, the Christian should resemble a fruit tree, not a Christmas tree. For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only tied on, whereas fruit grows on a fruit tree. Now what is fruit the result of?

Work, right? A farmer will sow and the Bible says whatever you sow, you'll reap. So fruit comes from one's labor.

That's why Paul uses the term from my labor. Unless you actually do something as a Christian, you'll never be fruitful. Now it begins by just a connection with Jesus Christ. You abide in the vine, and as you abide in the vine, he energizes you to serve, to serve people, to work. Now before we move on from this, notice that toward the beginning of that sentence of verse 22 is the word if.

Don't miss this. But if I live on in the flesh. You see, Paul doesn't know if he'll die or if he'll live, right?

So because that huge condition is sitting in front of him, this if, he understands that if I live, I'm going to be fruitful. Because once I die, my opportunity to labor and produce fruit is over, right? You're not going to witness in heaven. You're not going to pass tracts out in heaven. You're not going to be giving money to further God's kingdom in heaven. You won't be discipling in heaven.

You're in heaven. The reward comes. So if I live on in the flesh, all of my labor and all of my energy and all of my fruit must be produced now on this earth before I get to heaven. Now I take you to the fourth word, and that is waiting. Paul's been wrestling with the predicament, wanting to depart and be with Christ, willing to stay here if that's what God desires.

But I've saved this, which is I think the best for the last. This is Paul now waiting with a passion. Look at verse 20. According to my earnest expectation and hope, I will not be able to live. According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always so, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Now that is Paul's life sentence. That sums up, in my view, all of Paul's life and death. This would be a great thing to have on his tombstone. This is his motto. This is his slogan, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I wonder what one sentence would sum up your life if there was going to be something on your tombstone that marked who you were in this life and how you lived.

What would it be? I heard about a dentist who died and on his tombstone it simply said, here lies John Smith filling his last cavity. Now that's not too comforting. All he did in life is fill cavities and now he's just filling in this cavity in the earth.

This good old dentist is filling his last cavity. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. So let's just consider enclosing those two options. Let's say Paul got out of jail. Okay, Paul, you're free now. You get to continue and live on in the flesh.

What's your life going to be all about? Christ. You know, talk about a guy with a one-track mind. It's Paul. I've been honestly convicted just reading through Philippians in preparation for this morning's message because I noticed how often Paul zeroes in on and mentions Jesus Christ in just the first chapter. We're in Christ Jesus. You're in Philippi but you're in Christ. I'm in prison but my chains are in Christ.

I want to spread the gospel of Christ. This guy lived with a one-track mind. He wrote to the Romans and he said, I've determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. It was all about Christ. It's like the little boy who went to Sunday school and he got his first time he'd ever been to church. Got out of Sunday school and his mom said, well how was it?

He said, it was good. Well what was your teacher's name? He goes, I don't know her name but she must have been Jesus' grandmother because Jesus was the only one she could talk about the whole class.

Alright, that's just like Paul. Jesus is the only one he seems to talk about in this life. For me to live is Christ. I want to tie something to that. Don't lose this one. Look at verse 20.

I want to unpack that. According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all boldness as always so now Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death. You see that those two words earnest expectation?

Let me tell you what that means. It speaks of a person sticking his head out to see what's coming up. He's intently focusing on what's coming up that he's eager.

He's anticipating it. He's saying, as long as I live my one focus of what's coming is that my life might magnify and glorify Jesus Christ. I want to live in such a way that my own body becomes a base of operations for Jesus Christ. I don't miss this because I have met too many Christians with this weird view of the body. Yeah the body's all bad and the spirits all good and don't worry about the body it's all about the spirit and there's truth to that and I know where they're coming from but the Bible says your body ought to become the base of operations and a vehicle for him to work. Verses like Romans 12 present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable which is your reasonable service. Romans 6 present the members of your bodies as instruments of righteousness to God. 1st Corinthians chapter 6 do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?

This is what all that means. Your hands can become like his hands, his instruments to do his work. Your mouth could be so yielded to him that you're speaking his words and speaking life to other people. Your feet could be on a mission to do his work.

Your whole life marriage, hobbies, occupation could be to magnify Christ. The great composer Bach said all of music should have no other aim than the glory of God. Whenever he wrote a score he would begin by writing two letters at the top. J, J. Je su juva which means Lord Jesus help me and he'd write his music.

At the end he would write three initials at the bottom. S, D, G. Soli Deo Gloria to God alone the glory. All of life was lived to magnify and to glorify Jesus Christ. Now again we're not done yet with that verse. Look at this phrase that Christ will be magnified. Now just get a picture in your minds of what it means to magnify Christ. Megaluna is the Greek word. It means to enlarge or to make great. Now here's my question. How in the world could we possibly make great or any greater the greatest person who ever lived Jesus Christ let alone through our bodies? How is that possible? I'm gonna tell you how.

Here's here's an illustration and then the application. Out there in the universe out there in the heavens there are stars that are so much bigger than the Sun. Some of these stars are a thousand million miles in diameter but they're so far away you can't see them you can't apprehend them unless you have an instrument called a telescope that magnifies them. It enlarges them.

It brings them closer. Well I suggest to you that just like the stars are in the heavens Jesus Christ is to most people. He's so distant. He's so 2,000 years old.

He's a misty figure of history that nobody thinks is relevant for today. You have the opportunity to magnify Him. To make Him large.

And here's how. As people watch your life, especially as you suffer like Paul was in prison, it's an opportunity for people to go, wow there is a Jesus who is alive and makes a big difference in that person's life. He's now larger than life.

I see Him at work in His people. So you get the idea of what Paul says when if I live or die I want to enlarge, magnify the Lord Jesus Christ. He's brought closer.

Okay so that's one option if I live. Now this is if He dies and this is where we close. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Okay we've spent four months on the last part.

The gain part. We've talked all about what you gain as a believer when you die and what's up ahead. We're not afraid of death.

Death just sweetens the pie. In fact I don't even think it's accurate to say He died or she died. It's better to say He moved. She moved.

They've relocated. I've watched a lot of people die over the years. I've sat at deathbeds a little over a year ago with my own mother and several other people even here in this fellowship and I've watched those last breaths and I've looked into their eyes and I've heard that last on many occasions.

Nothing more. And it's a holy moment for me because I imagine at the end of that labored breath what the next breath, so to speak, in heaven must be like. I guarantee it's not. It's more like wow. That's if you know Christ.

If not it might sound something like uh-oh. Certainly don't want that. Now only the person who can say for me to live is Christ is the one who can say to die is gain. You fill in the blank. For me to live is whatever.

And I don't know what that is. I don't know honestly what would sum up your goal in life. Let's just suppose it's finances. It's materialism.

Okay so let's finish the sentence. For me to live is money. To die is to leave it all behind. It's not a gain.

It's a loss. Let's say you want status, notoriety, position. Okay let's finish the sentence. For me to live is notoriety. To die is to be quickly forgotten. Let's say it's a perfect physique. Okay just for me to live is a perfect physique. To die, well you get really ugly after you die.

So you lose it all. Only the person who can say for me to live is Christ can say to die is gain. The Indians had a great saying.

I don't know which tribe of Native Americans it was but there's a little old saying in one of those tribes it goes like this, when you were born you cried but the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries and you rejoice. It's good wisdom in that. Put it in Paul's words for me to live is Christ and therefore to die is gain. Heaven is something we're all invited to go to but just as I needed a passport to get out of this country into another country the only way to get into heaven, the only passport into heaven are the merits of Jesus Christ on your behalf. Until we get there it's my prayer that heaven will be more than a destination. It will become our motivation. You know it's no secret how you can get to heaven.

It doesn't involve a secret knock, a secret handshake, the secret code word or anything at all that's secret. In fact God has told us very plainly how we can enjoy eternity with Him. All we need is Jesus Christ. So if you haven't secured your passport to heaven yet may we encourage you to not wait any longer and take care of that right now.

If you'd like to know how please call us at 1-800-922-1888. That's all the time we have for today but before we go here's information about this month's Connect with Skip resource offer. You know those times you hear a sermon that really speaks to you? It's almost as if the pastor knows what you're personally going through and he teaches a message like you're the only one listening. Well it's not that the pastor knows you personally, it's that God knows you personally.

Here's Skip Heitzig. In nearly 40 years of expository teaching I still love hearing that one of my messages spoke to someone personally that it urged them on to know God better or become more like Him. But that's not because of me that's just the power of the Word of God doing the work of God in the hearts of the people of God. Get to know the God who knows you with Pastor Skip's Picks, a collection of some of Pastor Skip's most memorable teachings including Is the Rapture Real?

and Overcoming an Anxious Mind. This four DVD collection is our thanks for your gift of $25 or more to help keep this ministry connecting more people to Jesus. Call now to request your copy of Pastor Skip's Picks 800-922-1888 or give online securely at connectwithskip.com slash offer. Now if you'd like a copy of the final message of our series From the Edge of Eternity just call us at 1-800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com.

Each copy is just $6 which includes shipping or you can also order the entire series From the Age of Eternity for only $39 plus shipping. And it's a great series to share with someone who has questions about death and the afterlife. So call us today and ask about ordering the complete series From the Edge of Eternity. Again just call 1-800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com and come back next week when Pastor Skip starts a brand new series he's entitled Church Who Needs Him. That's right here on Connect with Skip weekend edition a presentation of Connection Communications. Connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.