Beyond a New Day

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A little later in the program, we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's book, Heaven. But first, here's the message, Beyond a New Day. Today, I want to talk to you about the relevance of the resurrection in your life.

The relevance of the resurrection today. Because this is the day the Lord has made and we rejoice and are glad in it. You know, it's been said that Christians, believers, live between two days. This day, this is the day the Lord has made, and that day when we see Christ. The Apostle Paul said, I know whom I believe and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day.

So this day and that day. That day when we are in His risen presence forever. Because the resurrection means that because He lives, we live also. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life.

He that believes in me, though he be dead, yet shall he live. If you go to a cemetery and look at the tombstones, there of course is the name of the person deceased and buried and there is a birth date and a death date. You can do nothing about your birth date. That was not your choice.

You can do very little, if anything, about your death date. But engraved in every tomb on every stone in a cemetery is a little dash. That dash represents your life.

And you have quite a bit to say about what goes in the dash and making your life matter. And to know the living Christ is to make life matter. It is to live with unbridled optimism and uncontainable joy because of the risen Christ in us. Paul spoke of the power of this resurrection. And the message of the Christian faith is that Christ died and rose again and now He lives in us. Christ in you, the hope of glory and that He has promised eternal life now and forever to all who believe. And so how we live our lives therefore is highly influenced and impacted by our perspective on eternity.

That's why the Bible says don't set your affection on things below, but set your affection on things above. Don't walk around with your head down, your shoulders slumping, but rather get your eyes into the sky and remember that eternity is now because of what Christ has done. And we live with this eternal perspective in life that makes life matter, that gives life meaning. We look and therefore we lay up treasures not on earth that evaporate, but Jesus said lay up treasures in heaven. In the first chapter of the book of 1 Peter, and I invite you to take your Bibles and turn to 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter gives, he is an eyewitness of the resurrection and he gives an exaltation, a hymn of praise to the risen Christ.

And in verses 3 to 5, the first verses really of this hymn of praise, he says this, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Every day is a miracle. Every day is a promise. Every day is a gift from God and you must be present to receive it. And so because every day is a gift from God, we are to live with this eternal perspective and eternal gratitude in the resurrection.

How are we to do that? How do we live beyond the day? The message of Christ, this good news that we share means that every day is his day, that he is the ancient of days which means that he rules and reigns over all of our days, both good and yes, bad.

Days in which the sun is shining and it's bright and it's beautiful and days that are dark and stormy and cloudy. He saved the day and beyond this day we can live a life of expectancy. That's what hope is.

Hope is the sure and confident expectation that our future is in his hands. He said we are born again into this living hope. Jesus said the experience of salvation is so life changing, it is so radical that it's like being born all over again. He said this to a very religious man, a rabbi who wanted to know how he could go to heaven, how he could know God. And he gave hope and promise. Interesting that that is found in the third chapter of John, the story of Jesus and Nicodemus and Jesus said you must be born again.

This was again a very religious, a very sophisticated, very righteous man. In the very next chapter, John chapter 4, Jesus meets a woman at the well. Not a man but a woman and she was a hated Samaritan woman. She was a very sinful woman. Her life was broken and shattered in pieces. But the same Savior in love and grace extended a new life to this very sinful woman.

So interesting, isn't it? Side by side in the Scripture. It's demonstrated that no person is too good, that they don't need Jesus and no person is too bad that Jesus doesn't love them and embrace them if that person will come to him. To be born again means that your life is made brand new, that you have a new direction, a new dynamic for living.

Are you alive in Christ? And if so, do people know it? Now I was stunned this week when I read an article that was reported in a British newspaper. You can't make this stuff up, what you're about to hear. It says bosses of a publishing firm are trying to work out why no one noticed that one of their employees had been sitting dead at his desk for five days before anyone asked if he was feeling okay. George Turtlebaum, 51, who had been employed as a proofreader at a New York firm for 30 years had a heart attack in the open plan office he shared with 23 other workers.

He quietly passed away on Monday but nobody noticed until Saturday morning when an office cleaner asked why he was still working during the weekend. Now you've got to ask yourself a couple of questions on a story like that. Number one, is this true? And then you've got to ask yourself, I mean it's in the newspaper so you've got to believe it, right?

Really what you have to ask yourself is, could this happen to me? Do people know you are alive? Oh not just physically, but do people know you are alive in Christ, in your office, in your own home and family? In your neighborhood, at your school, do people know you're alive? Are you breathing spiritually? Have you been born again?

Because if you are, people will know it. You will know it and others will know it. By what Christ? How can the living Christ, the Savior of the world, come into your life and you not know it and nobody else know it? Now we have been born unto and into a living hope in Christ. So we live on tiptoe with expectation and joy every day. What gets you up in the morning?

Is it just your alarm clock or is it the call of the day? The opportunity to live a life for Christ and to make a difference in this world for your family and your friends. And so no matter how you walked into this room today, if you are broken and hurting or if you're having a great day and a great life, your life when given over to the Lord Jesus Christ can be transformed and He is working all things together for our good and you can stand triumphant in Christ because He is alive. That's living expectantly, not living with your best years behind you, disappointments and failures. But I'm telling you that life can begin again for you every day in Jesus Christ. So live expectantly.

He's alive. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message. Beyond a new day, even in life's heaviest moments, the promise of heaven holds out an encouraging hope for you today. And when you understand what your future with God will be like, the burdens of the present fill lighter. That's what Pastor Graham's book, Heaven, is all about. And it's why we want to get a copy into your hands today.

Heaven is our thanks for your gift to help share the truth of the gospel to more people around the world. This is the last week of this offer. So call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is Jack Graham.org. Now let's get back to today's message, Beyond a New Day. But not only live expectantly, but live confidently. Confident that not only do you belong to Him, but that He is preparing a place in heaven for you. And this is why Peter says that we've been born again into this living hope through the resurrection to an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled and unfaded and kept in heaven for you in the grip of God, kept by the power of God. So we live with a certain confidence, assurance. As believers in Christ, we know that our sins have been forgiven. We know that Christ lives in our lives. We know that we have a future in heaven with Him because He has promised this and He is keeping what we have committed to Him.

He is guarding it. And therefore you are on your way to heaven as a child of God. Now it seems like a lot of people talk about heaven, but nobody really wants to go there. But I pray that you would live your life confidently knowing that we are in the omnipotent grip of God. The nail-scarred hand of the Lord Jesus Christ has us.

You know there's a difference. That's the difference in a relationship with Christ and mere religion. Because here's what religion says. Religion says if you're a good boy, a good girl, if you obey God and do the right things, if you show up at church enough and listen to the sermon and stay awake, if you do enough good deeds, then God will love you and God will accept you and God will give you a place in heaven. You'll go to heaven because you've done these things. You obey God and God will reward you by giving you eternal life. That's religion. The difference is in a relationship with Christ, He loves you unconditionally, totally and eternally.

He said I've loved you with an everlasting love. He loved us in our sin and in our brokenness. And let's face it, we're all broken people. We're all dysfunctional in some way or another and sin has damaged us. And sin creates death and emptiness in our lives and brokenness that we can't even describe. We're all broken and damaged by sin. But God loves us anyway and while there is nothing we can do to gain His acceptance because of what He has done in dying on the cross, rising on the third day, He loves us unconditionally.

Let me illustrate that. Suppose our grandson, Ian, if I said to him or his parents said to him or you said to your children, okay, if you're a good boy and if you do all the right things and you obey me perfectly and if you promise never to disobey and you don't disobey, then I will give you my love. Now what kind of parent or grandparent would say something like that?

No human parent would say something like that to a child. So why in the world would we think God would say something like that to us? If you're good, if you obey my law, if you promise to be better and better and better, then maybe I will love you.

No, we love our children unconditionally because they are our own blood, they are our own flesh, they are our own family. And I assure you that God's love is greater by eternity, by infinity than any human love. And so God loves you. I was praying this week, all week about what I should say in this message and what the heart and what I want you to walk away with today and it just seemed that the Spirit of God kept prompting me saying, tell them I love them. Tell the people that Jesus loves them again and again.

Tell them that I love them. So I'm telling you today that He loves you. And you don't need a religion. It's not a matter of you trying to hold on and hang on to hope and to God.

No, He's got you right here in His grip. That's why we sing, no power of hell, no scheme of man will ever pluck me from His hand. This is what Jesus said, you're in my Father's hand and no one will pluck you from the Father's hand. Heaven is guaranteed. The name is written in the only book that matters, the Lamb's Book of Life. And so you live in this security, this certainty, this confidence because of what He has done and it's all because of Him.

And there's one final word. To live this day beyond the day, to live like a life beyond the day, we are to live therefore eternally. Eternal life happens, we receive eternal life the moment we receive Christ. Jesus said, to know me is eternal life. And here in 1 Peter chapter 1, we're told that this salvation is guarded for a faith ready to be revealed in the last time. So salvation, eternal life, is past tense. It means that all of our sins have been forgiven, past, present and future. And is present tense, it means that Christ comes to live in us by the power of His Spirit, Jesus is living in us, the risen Christ in you, Christ in you, the hope of glory. And salvation is not only past and present, it is future. We are being saved and we will be saved when we stand in Christ alone complete and experience heaven, eternal life, in a place where there's no more tears, suffering, sorrow, grief. Dear friends, we are just a few days away from a painless, tearless, graveless, deathless life in the presence of our Savior forever. People die every day and you know many people think the only thing you need to do to go to heaven is to die.

Is that right? Is that all you need to do to go to heaven is to die? Three people die every second worldwide. And how anyone can live without a certainty and a hope of knowing that when you die, you're going to heaven is beyond me. How could you possibly not settle this issue in your life? Because God has given us a choice. He said, I have set before you life and death, therefore choose life that you may live. Jesus with arms outstretched says, come unto me. Come to me and live forever. Live eternally. I'm looking forward to being with Christ. He comes either in His soon return, promised return, or when He comes for me in death. The apostle Paul said, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

That's the ultimate win-win situation. The resurrection should take away your fear of death. Because someday you may read in the newspaper that Jack Graham has died.

But don't you believe a word of it. Because I will be more alive than ever in the presence of my risen Savior. And any and every believer can say the same thing. And this is why the Bible says, prepare to meet your God. Heaven is a place prepared for people who are prepared. And the way you get ready, the way you prepare for eternity is by giving your heart and your life to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Because the consequences are severe. To reject His love, to turn away from His grace, to walk out over the blood of Christ, redemption for you, is to walk away from God forever and ever and spend eternity in the place called hell. And just as surely as heaven exists, yes, hell is real. So choose life by choosing Jesus Christ and trusting Him as your Savior and your Lord. And live for Him in the power of His Spirit. The one thing you need to do to get ready before you die so that you can go to heaven. Yes, there's something more that you have to do than just die to go to heaven. And that is to personally receive Jesus into your life by repenting of your sin. That means to turn away from your sin and to put your trust in Christ and Christ alone.

Not in yourself. Isn't it about time we stop living for ourself? Life isn't about us. It's about Him and living for Him. This is a life beyond today, a life forever.

You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Beyond a New Day. No matter what struggles you're facing today, you have hope in the promises awaiting you in heaven. And God calls you to share that hope with others today. That's why we want to encourage and inspire you today by sending you Pastor Graham's book, Heaven. This exciting book takes you straight to Scripture to help you see all that awaits you in the life to come.

And how it impacts your life today. You'll find hope for today and courage to share that hope with others. So don't wait to request your copy. Heaven is our special thanks for your gift to help boldly proclaim God's word through PowerPoint. This is the last week of this offer, so call today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Right again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? Well, Scott, here's an important thing to remember. One day the obituary section of the newspaper will list my name, Jack Graham. And the newspaper will say that I lived and that I died.

But here it is, don't believe everything you read. I'll be more alive than I've ever been because I will be celebrating eternal life in the presence of my risen Savior and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll be in the presence of Jesus because I prepared to meet Him. When I was a small boy, I gave my heart and life to follow the Lord Jesus. And because of that decision, my destiny was made secure. My eternal future was guaranteed.

So what about you? Have you prepared to meet God? When it comes time for your obituary to be written, will you be spending eternity with Jesus in heaven? Or will you face an eternity separated from Him in hell? You know, I know there are folks out there, a lot of impressive, even famous influential folks who say things like hell and the devil are for weak-minded people. But that's not what the Bible teaches. That's not what Jesus said.

Hell is a real place. This is why I urge you, I beg you, to prepare yourself to meet your God. The way you do this is by personally responding in your heart and faith, receiving the Lord Jesus, by repenting of your sin and trusting in Him and Him alone as your eternal Savior. This means that you are forever saved, that all of your sins are forgiven, past, present, and future.

So with so much at stake, how could you possibly not want to settle this issue in your life right now? God has given you an amazing choice. He says, I have set before you life and death, therefore choose life. So with outstretched arms, Jesus is saying, come unto me.

Come to me and live forever. Yes, hell is real, but heaven is real as well. It's a place where there's no more tears, no more suffering, no more sorrow, no more grief, no more death. It's a place where you'll have a painless, tearless, graveless life in the presence of your Savior forever and ever. So right now, choose life by choosing the Lord Jesus.

Trust Him as your Savior and your Lord, and then live for Him in the power of His Holy Spirit until He comes for you. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Heaven as Our Thanks. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. Join us again next time when Dr. Graham brings a message about the greatest journey you'll ever take. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.