Heavenly Bodies

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham.

A nd know him. And heaven is a real tangible place. It's not an existence, a spiritual existence, but it is a place, a perfect place where we will live with a perfected Savior in a perfected state of life. We will in that moment when we stand before Jesus immortal, eternal in the heavens, we will be perfected and that is the goal of salvation in Christ. When we are saved, that's justification. We are made at one time the child of God, children of God. And we are forever saved.

That's justification. Then the process of growing in our faith is sanctification as we are being made more like Christ. We're not there yet.

We're certainly not in a perfected state today. But one day we will be with Christ and we shall see Him as He is. The Psalmist said, I will be satisfied when I arise in your likeness. We will be like Jesus.

That is called glorification. And at the moment of glorification, we will, whether by rapture or resurrection, we will be like Christ and we will bear the bodies of eternity. Now heaven is a perfect place, perfect in worship.

The music here of course is magnificent. We celebrate our Lord and praise Him. But the music and the glory of the worship of heaven will be beyond anything we could possibly experience here and now.

Like the great Baptist preacher R.G. Lee once said, the music this side of heaven will be like a bumblebee in a jar compared to the glory of the music and the worship in heaven. And we look forward to worshiping our Lord in heaven.

And now I can hear maybe especially some younger person say, oh that's just great. We're gonna be in church for eternity. We're just gonna be in this one long, interminable church service forever and ever. Well you know, worship is not just in a building when we come together.

It's exciting to come together. But we ought to be worshippers every day and come together with our worship. And so in heaven, every day is a day to worship God. Everywhere we go, everything we do, everything we say will be an act of worship to our Lord. In heaven there will be no buildings or tabernacles per se, but we will be in the presence of our Lord. And the glory of that worship is that we will see Jesus. The glory of heaven is we will be in the presence of Christ. Perfect worship, also perfect service. Please don't get the idea that in heaven we're going to do nothing for eternity. The Bible says in Revelation 23 that we are going to serve Him day and night. There will be plenty to do.

And we will proclaim His glory and we will live. Again, heaven is not an ethereal existence, but we will be in a real place in real time in eternity and living together to the glory of God. A perfect place of service. It will also be a place of perfect beauty. Perfect beauty. We can't imagine the beauty of heaven and the glory of heaven.

We can try. The Bible describes some of it in incredible, exciting terms, just some of the beauty. The most beautiful things on earth are descriptive, just descriptive, barely descriptive of the beauty of heaven. In heaven there will also be perfect knowledge.

First Corinthians 13, 12, for now we see in a mirror darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known. We have great capacity for knowledge, increasing capacity for knowledge. The world of knowledge is at our fingertips.

You can place on your computer knowledge from around the world at your fingertips is an incredible amount of information and knowledge. So can you not imagine the knowledge that is at the hand of God that will be available to us? We'll be learning and growing and developing. We'll understand things as we've never understood them before.

Our minds will be capable of knowledge beyond what anything we know in this life. But heaven will also be a place of perfect pleasure. Psalm 16, 11, you make known to me the path of life and in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. When we all get to heaven, people will be smiling and laughing and the outrageous joy of that experience will be forever.

Jesus said, I will make everything new every day. You know when you get up and you're feeling good about the day and it's a brand new day, that's so incredibly exciting. But every day in heaven is a new day. So you don't, you know, sometimes we say to people, have a great day. You don't have to say that in heaven because everybody's having a great day.

Everybody's having a glorious day. And think about those moments in life, those moments in life when you have, you know, you just wish the moment could last forever. But typically, of course, that moment goes away and the joy goes away and the happiness, it can't last. But in heaven, the joy will be forever.

It will last forever. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. In this life, everything that we have good in this life comes from our God. And in heaven, those things therefore that are good will be always present and all those things in life that make us sad or afraid will be gone. There will be joy in heaven because there's no reason to be sad, no sin, no sorrow, no death, no shadows, but the glory of His presence.

Perfect pleasure. Therefore, because heaven is a place of perfect worship and perfect service and perfect beauty and perfect knowledge and perfect pleasure, we need perfect bodies to live in a place like this because we're not in this life equipped to live in perfection. So God has promised us perfection in heaven and everyone's so interested today it seems in the body beautiful, but there it will be the beautiful body of our Lord. And so in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, but someone will ask, verse 35, how are the dead raised?

With what kind of body do they come? You foolish person, what you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel, perhaps of different wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as He has chosen and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there's one kind for human.

By the way, this debunks the myths of evolution. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but there are bodies one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, another flesh for fish and so on. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one kind and the glory of the earthly is another. There's one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars and stars differs from star in glory. So what will our resurrected bodies be like?

Well, for one, they will be individual. He illustrates from agriculture like a seed planted in the ground. Take a chrysanthemum seed. A chrysanthemum seed is a gnarly little brown seed.

Not much to look at, but you plant it in the ground and a beautiful flower appears. And whatever you plant, whether it be a seed of corn or a rose, the seed must die and then flourish. Jesus talked about this. He said if you want to know life like a seed, you must die and then be made alive. And so we talk about burying our loved ones. If that loved one knows Christ, we're not burying them. We're planting them like a seed.

Because the seed will one day bear fruit and flourish in the presence of the Lord. Immediately, instantaneously, the Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And there in a transition, we will wait the resurrection body. But our bodies will be individual.

Now that's important. Just as the stars differ from one another. He then goes to astronomy.

He moves from agriculture to astronomy. He said even the stars are different. Not one star is identical.

Not one star in the galaxies are just alike. And so when we get to heaven, we will not be clones or spirits or ghosts nor when we die do we come back but rather we are in the presence of the Lord in Christ and we are given spiritual bodies. Not spirit bodies but bodies that are spiritual.

Spiritually alive in Christ but they are bodies. In other words, what I'm saying to you is that you will be you. In fact, you will be more you than you've ever been. You won't be something else or somebody else.

You will be identical to you. You say what happens to those people who are lost at sea or their bodies are burned beyond that recognition or some way their bodies return to dust and how does God reunite the body? Well, God is God. And the way I look at it, you know there is a DNA file on Jack Graham and every one of us who know Christ. And so when the body dies and the dust and returns to dust, all God has to do is say pull up the Jack Graham file. And that's the one which was woven in the womb of my mother. The Psalmist said we are weaved together in the wombs of our mother.

Before time began, God knew the plan for our lives and He knows our DNA and our uniqueness and so it's no big deal to God to put us back together in the bodies that He has designed for us in destiny and eternity. You are listening to Power Point with Jack Graham and his message, Heavenly Bodies. Pastor, this month we have a special gift for our listeners who give a gift to Power Point. It's your book, Heaven.

What can you tell us about this powerful resource? One of my favorite Christian thinkers, C.S. Lewis, once wrote about heaven. He said, if you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were those who thought most about the next world. For example, Christians like William Wilberforce and John Newton led the fight to abolish the slave trade in England.

Newton is best known for penning the lyrics to the hymn, Amazing Grace. These were men who longed for heaven and it made them powerful forces for Christ on earth. That's something we desperately need right now, isn't it?

We need believers whose hope is set firmly, anchored in the promises of God for the life that is to come because that will strengthen us boldly to witness and to live for Christ right now. That was one of the prayers in my heart when I wrote my book called, Heaven. Call today and get Dr. Graham's book, Heaven, as our thank you for your gift. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

Or text the word, PowerPoint, to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, Heavenly Bodies. Of course, the question is asked, will we know one another in heaven?

Yes, we'll know our family, our loved ones and our friends. When Jesus in his risen body presented himself to his disciples, he said, it is I, it's me, Jesus. And they recognized him. He was in his resurrected body but they knew who he was. Peter, James and John were called aside at the Mount of Transfiguration and there they saw the glorified Christ along with Moses and Elijah. And without an introduction, they knew Moses.

And they knew Elijah. And standing there worshiping with the Lord Jesus and conversing the coming of the kingdom. Yes, we will know one another. Our bodies in heaven will be individual. But not only individual, they will be unique and different, but they will also be improved.

Now that is an understatement to say that our bodies will be improved. While our bodies are similar in heaven and recognizable and real, they certainly will be superior. And that's why the Scripture here talks about in verse 42, so it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable but what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonored. It is raised in glory. Sown in weakness.

It is raised in power. A natural body, now a spiritual body. A body made alive in the resurrection. So newly improved, better, brighter, beautiful. More beautiful than ever. I know a lot of people are interested in a better body. A more beautiful body. But the fact is, we're not going to get at this side of heaven.

As hard as we try, as many vitamins as we take and how strongly we may work out and so on. I mean these bodies, it's the best we got. And did you know these bodies are decaying and the deteriorating?

Don't you hate the fact that these bodies are breaking down and wearing out? Did you know the Bible talks about that? In fact, turning your Bibles over to Ecclesiastes 12, if you can find it, is right in the middle of your Old Testament. Ecclesiastes chapter 12 says, remember your Creator in the days of your youth. And it talks about getting your life right with God early on because as the years get older, it's more and more difficult. It is the fact that it is more difficult to give your life to follow Christ the longer you live.

The best time to give your life to Jesus is the first time you hear the message of Christ. Our hearts get hard, our attitudes get stiff and so on. But he talks about these bodies that are breaking down. For example, look in chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes when it talks about getting older, it says in the day when the keepers of the house tremble. You know what the keepers of the house are?

Yeah right here. These are the keepers of the house. You know? But as you get a little older, you know, the guns ain't what they used to be. And they start trembling a little bit, you know?

So, you know, you're older and you say, put them up there, I'll get you. You know, no, they tremble like that. Then he says, when you get older, the strong men are bent. You know what the strong men are? The strong men are your legs. And your legs kind of get bent over. What's the first thing you lose as an athlete? Your legs. That's why you don't see 50, 60 year old athletes in great professional sports, because the legs are gone. And in life it can happen. You know, you just kind of lose the strength of your leg. Now you can do something about that and exercise and so on, but ultimately those legs get tired. You know, when you get old, you know, maybe even you hear yourself as you're getting older, getting up out of a chair and you go, ugh. You kind of make that sound like that. You say, man, that's the same sound my old daddy used to make.

And you the daddy now. And the strong men are bent over. That's, that's what he's saying. And the grinders cease because they are few. You know what the grinders are? Your teeth.

The old man said I only got two teeth in my head, but thank God they meet. And they cease. And those who look through the windows are dim. Talking about your eyes. We wear contacts or bifocals or maybe we get cataracts and we can't see through the windows. They're dim.

And the doors of the street are shut. Talking about your ears. You can't hear like you used to hear. The old gentleman decided he was going to get romantic around the fireplace one evening and he said, honey, I'm sure proud of you. She said, speak up, I can't hear you. He said, honey, I'm sure proud of you. Still can't hear you. Talk louder.

Honey, I'm sure proud of you. Yeah, and I'm tired of you too. So, that's what happens. And then he says when the sound of the grinding is low and one rises up at the sound of a bird. Here's one of the cruel jokes about life.

When you get to the place in your life where you can sleep in maybe a little bit, you can't. You're up with the birds. Up with the roosters. And then all the daughters of song are brought low. Those beautiful songs. You know, I mean it's a sad thing when you see, you know, like Mick Jagger, you know, is trying to sing. You know, he's singing forever young and he ain't forever young.

You just don't sing like you, you know, you get wobbling and warbling a little bit because you can't keep the notes like you used to keep. And they're afraid also of that which is high. You ever try to get your grandmother to go to the edge of a mountain?

No, you probably won't either because we get a little nervous about heights and terrors are in the way and so on. And desire fails because man is going to his eternal home. In other words, these bodies don't last.

They're not built to last. But God will give us a body that will be beautiful and bright and perfect and forever. Joni Erickson who is a quadriplegic. She jumped head first into a lake when she was a teenager and for these, I suppose, 35, 40 years she's been in a wheelchair quadriplegic. She's written a wonderful book on heaven. And she talks about her resurrected body in these words.

I can still hardly believe it. I with shriveled, bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees and no feeling from the shoulders down will one day have a new body. Light, bright and clothed in righteousness, powerful and dazzling. Can you imagine the hope this gives someone spinal cord injured like me? Or someone who is cerebral palsy, brain injured or who has multiple sclerosis. Imagine the hope this gives someone who is manic depressive. No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope. Look back again in closing the final words that Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 15. He says, I tell you this, verse 50, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. And when the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be unto God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, immortal and imperishable. And we will be with Christ forever. What does that mean to you and me today? We should often think of heaven and our hope that is there, but that means that life changes today, doesn't it? And it's very interesting to me that at the close of the greatest chapter on the future and the resurrection and all of the Bible, God gives us in verse 58 some very practical and personal words. For He says, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Only one life will soon be past what's done for Christ will last. Why do I do what I do? I'll tell you exactly why I do what I do, because life is short and death is sure.

Heaven and hell are real and Jesus provides and Jesus only provides salvation to those who will receive His grace and forgiveness and I want as many people as possible to know Jesus and I want to take as many people to heaven with us as possible. That's why I do what I do. And I in these days am just simply saying, Lord, do whatever you want to do with our lives, with my life. Therefore, let all of us be steadfast and immovable, never backing up or quitting, no matter what kind of adversaries we may meet in life, because we know that our future is as bright as the promises of God. We know at the midnight cry, at the midday shout, Jesus is coming to take us home.

You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, Heavenly Bodies. 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.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? It sure is, God, because our bodies are in the process of breaking down and dying. And the older you get, the more you realize how old this body can get.

Our arms get weaker, the legs aren't quite as strong, eyesight starts to dim, our hearing begins to falter. The aging process is a constant reminder that these bodies weren't made to last that long. That's why I'm so grateful that God tells us in His word your earthly body may be wearing out, but your heavenly body is going to be a sight to behold.

And for you, perhaps this has great spiritual and special significance because of some physical ailment or challenge that you or someone that you love very much is experiencing. So yes, if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus, your heavenly body is going to be perfect, immortal and imperishable, according to God's word. But until you and I take on our new bodies, we should do as First Corinthians chapter 15 says, one of my favorite verses, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain. And we should do this no matter what shape our earthly bodies are in right now.

So let me ask you, are you honoring God with the body He has given you? Are you asking God to accomplish whatever He wants in your life right now, today? Today, no matter how many adversaries you meet in life, whether they're physical, mental or emotional, I want to challenge you to be steadfast and immovable, never backing up, never, ever quitting.

Don't you dare quit. God has called you to abound in His work. That means to get after it every day. He has called us to serve Him because we know as believers, we are making a difference in the world and it will impact eternity. Our future is as bright as the promises of God. I love the old saying, only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. And I pray this will be the cry of your heart and the commitment of your life.

And may God give you the grace and strength to live for Him until you see Him face to face. 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. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can make each day count for Jesus. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.