Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. We're on our way to glory. We're on our way to heaven where God says, I'm going to wipe every tear from your eyes. No more crying. No more suffering, no more sorrow, no more bakas.
On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how to stay passionate for Christ on your journey through life.
Now here's Doctor Graham with his message. Homeward bound. Take God's word and turn to Psalm eighty-four. Versus one. Through 12, verse 1 says, How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts?
My soul longs, yes faints. For the courts of the Lord, my heart and flesh Sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home. and the swallow a nest for herself. Where she may lay her young at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. Blessed are those whose strength is in you. in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the valley of Baca. They make it a place of springs.
The early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength. Each one appears before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer. Give ear, O God of Jacob.
Behold our shield, O God. Look on the face of your anointed. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a son and a shield.
He gives Favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you. What a great song. What a great Praise and prayer.
to God. It is the song of a pilgrim. It is all about our journey. Home. We all have a homing Instinct.
A desire For home. and heaven. God put it in us. Home, I pray, is a great place for you. I know, I understand home does not necessarily have great connotations for some.
But for so many of us, home is a place of belonging. It's a place of comfort and safety, you can make yourself at home. in your home. We all have this instinctive desire to be there and beyond our earthly home, our heavenly home. Our desire to be with God, to know God and to be with Him.
And that's what Psalm 84 is all about. Again, one of my favorite Psalms. And it talks about Being on this journey, the psalmist, a pilgrim on his way or desiring to be on his way to worship God. in the temple. to be in the presence of the Lord.
It was his heartfelt desire. to leave his household. And Or his house, and take his family with him, and to get to Jerusalem and there in Jerusalem to be in the presence of God, to be in the holy place. For us, it is to be in his presence and worship him today. You can make this akin to the church if you like, but it is all about this journey to the fellowship and the people of God, but more importantly, to the Lord Himself.
So how do we do that? How do we make our journey home? Number one. By pursuing God path. passionately.
That's the first stanza of this song. As he says, how lovely is your dwelling place? Oh Lord. It's beautiful. It's lovely.
The place itself. draws him near. But more than the location, it is the Lord. That is his longing. And so he cries out to God.
He says, I long. For you, O God. To be in your presence in that place. He even says, I faint for it. Which means he is out of breath.
And out of strength. Because he can't get there. He is so desiring.
Now, I don't know if you've ever fainted. I don't know that I've ever fainted in my lifetime. But I've been around people who have, and people who think typically think for a variety of reasons. Because they're overheated or overexerted, perhaps exhausted, maybe there's a blood sugar issue, people faint. You know, you could faint in the presence of greatness.
You could faint in the presence of a celebrity, just becoming so worked up.
Well, the psalmist is saying, I'm longing. For the presence of God, I'm fainting. And it was the absence, the fact that he couldn't get there. That was wasting him away. And then he's praying, he's crying out.
And the idea of crying here or praying is a piercing cry to God. He's not yawning thinking about going to worship God. He's yearning. He is living for the day. That he could be in God's presence in the temple.
once again.
So he has set his face towards Jerusalem. what he calls Zion. And we also are marching to Zion. Beautiful, beautiful Zion. We are on our way as believers to the new Jerusalem.
to heaven itself, to stand on heaven's mount, beautiful, beautiful Zion. And we should have our faces set. And our attention and our focus on that day when we stand before the Lord, because heaven is not just a destination, heaven is a motivation to live our lives for Him. Don't chase happiness per se. But chase righteousness, chase God.
Because so many people are trying to find happiness. By trying to be happy. It's not in trying to be happy that we become happy. It is, our happiness is in Him. He said, blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
It's his righteousness that we seek. And it is him that we seek. And therein comes the blessedness, the happiness. Three times in this passage, the word blessing shows up. We are blessed and blessed and blessed again because of him.
We're hard after him. We are hungry for him. We are homesick for him. I don't know how much of God you have. But I'll tell you this.
You have all You want. All you want. And with that, When you have what you want, You have all that you need. Because Jesus is enough. Jesus is everything.
And he will satisfy you. and the joy and the peace and the happiness on this journey of life. It comes when we are passionate. for him. I wonder how that's working in our lives.
I don't. I'm not there yet. Like this psalmist. I read this and I think I'm so far away from the Christian, the man I ought to be. This guy who's getting up every day, this guy who's going for it in his life every day for the Lord.
Now I can tell you that I'm growing in this. And every day. I get up and I first turn my face. to God, but I feel like the Apostle Paul. When he said, I haven't arrived yet.
And my goodness, if Paul wasn't there yet, I know I'm not there yet. He said in Philippians 3, I haven't yet arrived. But this one thing I do. Forgetting those things which are behind, I press on. To the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ.
He said, that I may know him. Paul. My goodness, if anybody knew the Lord, it was Paul. But he said that I may know him. He wanted to know him more and more.
Progressively until perfectly he stood before him. He said, I press on towards the prize. Listen to me. We pursue what we prize in life. We pursue what we prize in life.
If you've got a girl and you love that girl, You're going to pursue her. She's a prize. If your prize is your career, Then you're going to pursue that with everything you've got. And there's nothing necessarily wrong with pursuing, of course, a career. Are we pursuing God with this same kind of devotion and desire and dedication?
Is He your highest delight? Is He your deepest desire? That's what I'm asking myself. Do I get up every day to give him the first part of my day? Do I give him the first part of my income?
Do I give him the first part of my week in worship? Am I giving, am I pursuing him because he is the prize of my life? The whole idea of worship is worth ship. In fact, the old Anglo-Saxon word for worship is worth ship. What?
we consider weighty or worthy, we worship. God is waiting. He is worthy. of all our worship. And if he is the prize, and he is.
Then we pursue him. above everything else in our life. I want to get there. And I know you do as well. This is a journey.
Are you on it? Are you pursuing with passion. The Lord Jesus Christ. This is the way home. This is the way to a place of stability and strength and belonging.
The safety in your life. You should long for your eternal home. Your final destination. Whether it is in heaven or is in hell. If you're facing a judgment without God, then you ought to fear the future.
You ought to fear the unknown. But if you know Jesus in your life, There's nothing to fear. You're on your journey home. You're on your way. to heaven.
You're destined for the true Jerusalem. The eternal Zion. There ought to be a longing for heaven and home. Philippians 1.21, Paul said, to live is Christ, to die is gained. He said, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
And I think the longer we're on this journey, the longer we've been living for the Lord. and following him, the more homesick for heaven we get. Heaven should be the habit of our hearts. Paul said in Colossians chapter 3 and verses 1 and 2 that we should not set our affections on things below this world, but set your affections on things above. Let your mind be set and focused on him.
Let your mindset be of the hope and the promise of a greater future. Because as it's been said many times, the people who do the most for this world think most about the world which is to come. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message homeward bound. How would your life change if you applied a bit of practical wisdom each day of the month? Find out by joining Dr.
Graham in October as he dives into practical wisdom from the Bible. Each day will send its short teaching from God's Word to the Lord. to help you grow in wisdom and live the life he desires. If you're ready, text CHALENGE to 59-789 and we'll get started. Again, that's challenge to 59789.
We'd love to send you a powerful resource from Dr. Jack Graham called The Jesus Book. A Christ-centered journey through scripture that shows how every part of the Bible reveals the person and work of Jesus. This book will help you understand how the entire Bible points to Christ from Genesis to Revelation. And how His living word can bring peace.
confidence and clarity to your daily walk with Him. The Jesus Book is our thanks for your gift of $10 or more. And so when you give, know that your support helps take God's word across the airwaves, into homes, prisons, and hearts all over the world. To give your gift and get your copy of the Jesus Book, text the word BOOK to five nine seven eight nine. Again, text Book to five nine seven eight nine.
Now, let's get back to today's message, homeward bound. Pursue God passionately. Passionately, and then follow him progressively. That's verses 5 through 7. Look at it again back in Psalm 84.
Says uh Verse 5, blessed are those whose strength in you is in you, and whose heart are the highways to Zion. Paul's right there. In your heart is a GPS system, if you will, and is set to heaven. It's in your heart. As they go through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs.
And the early rain also covers it with pool.
Now, you might, in reading that script, that sentence, you might just pass that off as travelogue. But there is such a powerful word in here for us today, talking about coming to the place of vaca. We don't know exactly where it is, but it was in the desert someplace. And as the psalmist is thinking about his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he speaks of these desert and depressing places, this Baca place, and it literally means, I mean, it even sounds bad, right? Baca.
Bah. Baca. And you know what it means? It means. weeping.
Weeping. A place of tears. Because in life's journey, While every day, as we spoke last time, is a great day, this is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. It doesn't mean that there's not sorrow and grief and sadness and a time for tears in our lives.
A place of weeping. A time for tears. On your way to heaven.
Some of you cried yourself to sleep last night. You're at Baca. Your pillow is soaked. Because you've wept all week. And you're in a deep valley.
It's the tracks of our tears. that sometimes accompany us. on our journey home. It's a fact. We acknowledge that fact.
When we are there. It's a heartache, it's a heartbreak, it's a broken road. It's not what we expected. We thought it might be clear sailing. or just a happy, fun vacation on the way to heaven.
But it's not always like that, is it? There's the Baca days, the bad days. The days of crying. and weeping. But here's the blessing in that.
It says That as they go through Notice. Through, not just into. They make it A place of springs These folks that found themselves at Baca didn't leave behind just a trail of tears. Or a broken place, or a dry hole in the ground. But their tears filled up a pool.
A stream of blessing in the wilderness. And all those who came behind them. Found them faithful on their journey home. Our tears are a testimony. And we often learn more in our tears than at any other time in our lives.
It is in those valley experiences that we find our greatest victory.
So often, and we look back on those Baca experiences. I've been to Baca and back, and so have you. You've been there, we've been there, to Baca, and we just keep going. Why? Because we're on our way to glory.
We're on our way to heaven where God says, I'm going to wipe every tear from your eyes. No more crying. No more suffering, no more sorrow, no more bacchus. But while we go. Let's leave.
some streams in the desert behind us. As Paul said, as the scripture says in 2 Corinthians. God is a God of all comfort, and with the comfort that He comforts us, we comfort others. It is in the barren times, in the broken times. That we can be a blessing.
to others as Others have been a blessing to us. And then notice it says we've moved from strength to strength. That's verse 7. I love that. God is our strength, and we move from strength to strength.
to strength.
Sometimes we wonder, am I ever gonna make it? I can't go another step. I'm too tired. I'm too exhausted. I'm too...
Done. But you keep going. And why do you keep going? Because the highway of heaven is in your heart. Couldn't stop if you tried.
You keep going because your eyes are upon him. You're on your way to worship. And the good news is we don't have to go alone. From strength to strength. We know we have the strength of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit. He is our strength. We're ready for anything, the scripture says, because Christ lives in us.
So we have this internal strength, and we have extra strength. Every day, if we will depend upon Him. And in addition to his strength, there's strength to strength. We have God's word. It's like a handbook for survival, especially when you're in the desert.
on this pilgrimage. How could you live without God's word to guide you? It's food, it's bread, it's water, it's life.
So God has given us His word. And We go together on this trip to heaven. This was a A pilgrimage among pilgrims, the people of God. The psalmist knew that he wasn't alone. on this track.
He loved To think about that lovely dwelling place. He even said the birds are there, the sparrows and the swallows. chattering and they're chirping. Everybody's praising God in his presence. He's saying the birds are there, the believers are there.
He said how great it is to live in God's house, to be in God's presence. Nothing's better than that. He even said, better is one day. In the presence of God. than thousands elsewhere.
Better to be a doorman, a janitor. in the house of God. than to live in the tents of the wicked. You got it. Is our home, is our heart.
And we are We are following Him faithfully. Together. He couldn't wait to get to the place of worship, to be with his brothers and sisters, and sing those praises to God. I hope you feel that way about coming to church. It's not just you, but it's you adding strength to strength.
It's you adding song to song. It is you adding your faith to faith. We need each other, we are better together. Are you following him faithfully? One of the first verses I learned as a little boy in our little Baptist church: the sunbeams.
which my mother taught us. Was the words of the psalmist, I was glad. when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord. One final word, and that is: we are to enjoy Him perpetually. Psalm 84, 11 is a verse I often sign with my name.
The Lord God is a son and a shield. He gives grace and glory. And no good thing will he withhold from them who walk uprightly. No good thing. God wants to bless you.
He's not holding out on you. He's not keeping something from you. Don't feel sorry for me as a believer. I've been walking with the Lord a long time now. I'm having a great time doing it.
Enjoying him, blessing after blessing after blessing. Why? Psalm 16:11. In your presence, Lord, is fullness of joy, and at your right hand, pleasures. Forevermore.
And I can tell you there's joy in this journey. There's happiness. on the road to heaven because of what Christ means to Yeah. I hope you are enjoying the journey. They passionately Earnestly Expectantly seeking God in your life.
By faithfully following him even through. Baca. and leaving some streams. and some wells behind for others. on the tracks of your tears.
And that every day of your life you will enjoy Him and enjoy His presence. He has given us grace. He has given us glory. Every step. Of the way.
And when we see him, I'm telling you, it's going to be worth it all. When Christ comes for us and we look into his face. We will celebrate forever. this journey Hold on. You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message homeward bound.
Pastor, there is an upcoming opportunity for our listeners to join you on the trip of a lifetime. Can you tell us more? I want to personally invite you to join me for something very special. It's the Patriot Tour to Washington, D.C., April 22nd through 27th, 2026. As we celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, we're going to visit some of the most powerful and historic places in our nation's capital, like the U.S.
Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Monuments, Mount Vernon, and the Museum of the Bible. This won't be just a tour. It will be a spiritual journey. Really, I'll be opening God's Word along the way, teaching us about the spiritual foundations, the biblical foundations of our nation, and the hope that we have for the future.
So, registration is now open and I'd love for you to be a part of this unforgettable experience. For more information and to reserve your spot today, text Patriot. to 59789. Can't wait to see you there. How would your life change if you applied a bit of practical wisdom each day of the month?
Find out by joining Dr. Graham in October as he dives into practical wisdom from the Bible. Each day will send its short teaching from God's Word to help you grow in wisdom and live the life He desires. If you're ready, text Challenge to 59789 and we'll get started. Again, that's challenge to 59789.
Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? When we have an eternal perspective, when our hearts and our minds are focused on what is to come, we have the promise and the peace of God for every single day of our lives. We have perspective because we're taking the long look. And so life's trials and troubles and tribulations seem so much smaller in the light of eternity. When in life we go through deep valley experiences, when we're down, we need to remember that we're going somewhere.
We are homeward bound. And when we die, it's not leaving home, it's going home. Not only that, but how we handle the storms and struggles of life throughout our days, when we have tears, our tears become a testimony of our faith because we know. We know for sure that heaven is our hope. Heaven is our home.
And the bad times in life do not compare. The sufferings of this present age, the Apostle Paul said, are not worthy to be compared to the reward and the glory that is to come. In Christ we are on our way into His presence, into the promise, in which He said, I go to prepare a place for you, and one day every tear will be wiped from our eyes, and the struggles and the separations of life will be no more.
So heaven is our home, and heaven is our heart, it's in our heart. Let heaven and the hope of heaven become the habit of your heart. And one day you will meet Jesus and you'll look around at others who have followed that same journey. And when you see Jesus, And the people around you celebrating him forever, you'll say it was worth it. Every step of the way was worth it.
It will be worth it all. when we see Jesus. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more to PowerPoint, we'll send you a copy of Dr. Graham's book, The Jesus Book, as our thanks.
Text the word book to 59-789. And join us again next time when Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can have confidence in God's Word. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.
