There’s No Place like Home (Part 9) - I Can Only Imagine
There’s No Place like Home (Part 9)
I Can Only Imagine
Jeff Garrett
A man in Topeka , Kansas decided to write a book about churches around the country. He started by flying to San Francisco and started working east from there. Going to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes.
He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall and was intrigued with a sign, which read "Calls: $10,000 a minute." Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to GOD. The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to visit churches in Seattle , Dallas , St. Louis , Chicago , Milwaukee , and around the United States , he found more phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor. Finally, he arrived in WV , upon entering a church in Cabell County WV - he saw the usual golden telephone. But THIS time, the sign read "Calls: 35 cents." Fascinated, he asked to talk to the pastor, "Pastor, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to GOD, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads only 35 cents a call. Why?"
The pastor, smiling benignly, replied, "Son, you're in in God's Country! It's a local call."
If you could call God and ask him any question about heaven – what would you ask him?
Question #1 – Where do we go when we die?
Last week a woman who lost her husband ask “Where is he now? Is he asleep? Is he awake? Is he aware? Has he gone to be with the Lord or does he have to wait?” What does the Bible say?
Ecclesiastes 12:7 … the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
2 Corinthians 5:8 to be absent from the body [is] to be present with the Lord.
Luke 23:43 "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus did not say that he had to wait until the resurrection– Jesus said that he would take him to paradise that very day.
You’re not alone when you die – angels will be there to escort you.
Hebrews 10:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Luke 16:22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.
Matthew 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Question #2 – What is hades?
Psalm 16:10 you will not abandon me to the grave [Sheol] nor will you let your Holy One see decay. (cf. Acts 2:31 - Hades)
Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Revelation 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
In the Old Testament the abode of the dead is called “Sheol” (grave) – the Greek word for “sheol” is “Hades” (cf. Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:30-31). Strongs defines it as “a subterranian retreat” [existing, situated, or operating below the surface of the earth; underground]. Hades was made up of two realms: paradise (which was for the righteous) and “tatarus” (which was for the wicked). Jesus seemed to reinforce this view when he told the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Jesus said in Luke 16.
Luke 16:19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell [Hades] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30 " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
If this is a parable it is the only one in which Jesus gives a specific name to one of the characters. These people were not asleep. The rich man could see, feel, touch, thirst, hear and speak. It’s reasonable to believe that Lazarus had all that and more in paradise. This was not soul sleep – they were wide awake and talking across the great chasm that separated them.
After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, Peter said that Jesus “went and preached to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:18-19). This may be where some of the fallen angels are kept - Jude 1:6 … the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home -- who are kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
So Hades is the place where lost people await judgment. And on the Judgment Day death and Hades will give up its dead and each person will be judged according to the things they have done and finally, death and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire along with all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life (Rev 20:11-15).
This should make us urgent - I saw a study (n = 440 outsiders ages 16-29) who reported – unfavorable image – antihomosexual, judgmental, hypocritical, too involved in politics, too focused on getting converts, old fashion, out of touch, and insensitive to others. It would be easy to dismiss them and blame it on their own bias and spiritual resistance. But that would not be wise. Sometimes we sound so negative and judgmental – anti-this-or-that for good reasons but our attitude appears unloving. Jesus said that people would know us by our love.
But you don’t have to worry about this because you are in Christ. And when you die your spirit will go to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus.
Question #3 – If our spirit goes to heaven after we die what will happen to our body?
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. [When Jesus returns he will bring with him all the Christians who have died] 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Somebody asks, “If your spirit is in heaven and your body is in the ground how do them get back together?” Your spirit is coming back with Jesus but what’s coming out of the grave - your spirit or your body? Your body! The Bible doesn’t talk about the resurrection of your spirit. It talks about the resurrection of your body.
The day I die and my spirit goes to the present heaven, tt will be the best day I have ever lived. But it will not be the best day I will ever live. That will come when Jesus returns and I receive my glorified body. 1 Corinthians 14:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Question #4 – Are people in heaven aware of what we are doing on earth?
1 Samuel 28:16-19 Samuel knew what Saul was doing.
Matthew 17:2-3 Moses and Elijah knew what Jesus was doing.
The martyrs in Revelation 6 and the 24 elders and the great multitude in Revelation 19 were aware of what is happening on earth.
Luke 15:10 … I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Maybe the belief that people in heaven are unaware of what is happening on earth is based on an false assumption that for heaven to be happy, people in heaven can't know what's happening on earth. But it's heaven for God and he knows exactly what's happening on earth. And it’s heaven for the angels and they know what’s happening on earth. People in heaven are not frail beings whose joy can be maintained only by sheer ignorance of what is going on in the universe. Hebrews 12 says that we are surrounding by a great cloud of witnesses who, I believe, are not just witness to us, but they are witnessing us as we run the race. And that’s motivating. It’s like a home field advantage and that motivates us the stop sinning, run the race, and keep our eyes on Jesus.
Question #5 – How can you know you’re going to heaven?
“I hope I’m going to heaven” – it’s wishful thinking. The kids and I have been checking skybus airlines for $10 tickets to NY. I cannot pay for expensive airline tickets. The kids will ask “Are we going on vacation to NY next summer. “I hope so. It’s not a sure thing. That’s the way some people talk about heaven. I hope I get to go. I hope I’m good enough. I guess I will find out when I get there. However, in the Bible the word “hope” (elpis) means “confident expectation”. Going to heaven is a sure thing when you know Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, … 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
When you suffer grief in all kinds of trials you sometimes doubt you don’t feel saved. Well, when that happens you need to change the way you think because you feel like you think. I want to give you five scriptures to mediate on – to reprogram your mind.
1 John 5:13 – I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God …
John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Timothy 1:12 I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Video Clip - Proof
I can only imagine What it will be like When I walk By your side I can only imagine What my eyes will see When your face Is before me I can only imagine [Chorus:]Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine
Prayer Time
I Can Only Imagine
Jeff Garrett
A man in Topeka , Kansas decided to write a book about churches around the country. He started by flying to San Francisco and started working east from there. Going to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes.
He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall and was intrigued with a sign, which read "Calls: $10,000 a minute." Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to GOD. The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to visit churches in Seattle , Dallas , St. Louis , Chicago , Milwaukee , and around the United States , he found more phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor. Finally, he arrived in WV , upon entering a church in Cabell County WV - he saw the usual golden telephone. But THIS time, the sign read "Calls: 35 cents." Fascinated, he asked to talk to the pastor, "Pastor, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to GOD, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads only 35 cents a call. Why?"
The pastor, smiling benignly, replied, "Son, you're in in God's Country! It's a local call."
If you could call God and ask him any question about heaven – what would you ask him?
Question #1 – Where do we go when we die?
Last week a woman who lost her husband ask “Where is he now? Is he asleep? Is he awake? Is he aware? Has he gone to be with the Lord or does he have to wait?” What does the Bible say?
Ecclesiastes 12:7 … the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
2 Corinthians 5:8 to be absent from the body [is] to be present with the Lord.
Luke 23:43 "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus did not say that he had to wait until the resurrection– Jesus said that he would take him to paradise that very day.
You’re not alone when you die – angels will be there to escort you.
Hebrews 10:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Luke 16:22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.
Matthew 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Question #2 – What is hades?
Psalm 16:10 you will not abandon me to the grave [Sheol] nor will you let your Holy One see decay. (cf. Acts 2:31 - Hades)
Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Revelation 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
In the Old Testament the abode of the dead is called “Sheol” (grave) – the Greek word for “sheol” is “Hades” (cf. Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:30-31). Strongs defines it as “a subterranian retreat” [existing, situated, or operating below the surface of the earth; underground]. Hades was made up of two realms: paradise (which was for the righteous) and “tatarus” (which was for the wicked). Jesus seemed to reinforce this view when he told the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Jesus said in Luke 16.
Luke 16:19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell [Hades] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30 " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
If this is a parable it is the only one in which Jesus gives a specific name to one of the characters. These people were not asleep. The rich man could see, feel, touch, thirst, hear and speak. It’s reasonable to believe that Lazarus had all that and more in paradise. This was not soul sleep – they were wide awake and talking across the great chasm that separated them.
After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, Peter said that Jesus “went and preached to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:18-19). This may be where some of the fallen angels are kept - Jude 1:6 … the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home -- who are kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
So Hades is the place where lost people await judgment. And on the Judgment Day death and Hades will give up its dead and each person will be judged according to the things they have done and finally, death and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire along with all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life (Rev 20:11-15).
This should make us urgent - I saw a study (n = 440 outsiders ages 16-29) who reported – unfavorable image – antihomosexual, judgmental, hypocritical, too involved in politics, too focused on getting converts, old fashion, out of touch, and insensitive to others. It would be easy to dismiss them and blame it on their own bias and spiritual resistance. But that would not be wise. Sometimes we sound so negative and judgmental – anti-this-or-that for good reasons but our attitude appears unloving. Jesus said that people would know us by our love.
But you don’t have to worry about this because you are in Christ. And when you die your spirit will go to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus.
Question #3 – If our spirit goes to heaven after we die what will happen to our body?
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. [When Jesus returns he will bring with him all the Christians who have died] 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Somebody asks, “If your spirit is in heaven and your body is in the ground how do them get back together?” Your spirit is coming back with Jesus but what’s coming out of the grave - your spirit or your body? Your body! The Bible doesn’t talk about the resurrection of your spirit. It talks about the resurrection of your body.
The day I die and my spirit goes to the present heaven, tt will be the best day I have ever lived. But it will not be the best day I will ever live. That will come when Jesus returns and I receive my glorified body. 1 Corinthians 14:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Question #4 – Are people in heaven aware of what we are doing on earth?
1 Samuel 28:16-19 Samuel knew what Saul was doing.
Matthew 17:2-3 Moses and Elijah knew what Jesus was doing.
The martyrs in Revelation 6 and the 24 elders and the great multitude in Revelation 19 were aware of what is happening on earth.
Luke 15:10 … I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Maybe the belief that people in heaven are unaware of what is happening on earth is based on an false assumption that for heaven to be happy, people in heaven can't know what's happening on earth. But it's heaven for God and he knows exactly what's happening on earth. And it’s heaven for the angels and they know what’s happening on earth. People in heaven are not frail beings whose joy can be maintained only by sheer ignorance of what is going on in the universe. Hebrews 12 says that we are surrounding by a great cloud of witnesses who, I believe, are not just witness to us, but they are witnessing us as we run the race. And that’s motivating. It’s like a home field advantage and that motivates us the stop sinning, run the race, and keep our eyes on Jesus.
Question #5 – How can you know you’re going to heaven?
“I hope I’m going to heaven” – it’s wishful thinking. The kids and I have been checking skybus airlines for $10 tickets to NY. I cannot pay for expensive airline tickets. The kids will ask “Are we going on vacation to NY next summer. “I hope so. It’s not a sure thing. That’s the way some people talk about heaven. I hope I get to go. I hope I’m good enough. I guess I will find out when I get there. However, in the Bible the word “hope” (elpis) means “confident expectation”. Going to heaven is a sure thing when you know Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, … 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
When you suffer grief in all kinds of trials you sometimes doubt you don’t feel saved. Well, when that happens you need to change the way you think because you feel like you think. I want to give you five scriptures to mediate on – to reprogram your mind.
1 John 5:13 – I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God …
John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Timothy 1:12 I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Video Clip - Proof
I can only imagine What it will be like When I walk By your side I can only imagine What my eyes will see When your face Is before me I can only imagine [Chorus:]Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine
Prayer Time
posted by Jeff Garrett at 2:56 AM
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