The God of the Living

Notes: The God of the Living

Matthew 22 / 1 Corinthians 11

Pastor Greg Laurie

SERIES: God Came Near

Sunday, May 3, 2015 — 10:00 a.m.

Pastor Greg Laurie is teaching on the afterlife and answers commonly asked questions about Heaven.

Greg is telling us a funny story, about a guy trying to tell Peter something good that he did. That it is why he died and is standing there at Heaven.

God seems to have prewired us to long for Heaven.

God has so much waiting for us on the other side.

Generally people believe in the afterlife. 76% of Americans believe in Heaven.

                                   

Pharisees and Sadducees opposed Jesus Christ together.

Sadducees didn't believe in the afterlife.

John 3:13 NLT

[13] No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.

Matthew 22:23-33 NLT

[23] That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees-religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: [24] "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name.' [25] Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. [26] But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. [27] Last of all, the woman also died. [28] So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her." [29] Jesus replied, "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God. [30] For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. [31] "But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead-haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, [32] 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead." [33] When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching.

1. A believer of Jesus never dies.

The soul lives on forever. Christians "move away".

2. There is a bodily resurrection.

Job 19:26 NLT

[26] And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!

You will still be you in the afterlife.

We do not become angels, we can't become them and they can't become us.

Luke 20:36 NLT

[36] And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

John 11:25 NLT

[25] Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

1 John 3:2 NLT

[2] Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

When we take our last breath on earth we will take our first breath in heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:52 NLT

[52] It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

3. In Heaven, things are different in some ways and similar in others, but certainly better.

The absence away from loved ones is a comma not a period.

When we are in Heaven, God will be the focus of everything there.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV

[17] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV

[10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Revelation 21:4 NKJV

[4] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

We won't forget things but we will have a Heavenly perspective. The same way our perspective changes with age here, it will change to seeing things from God's perspective in heaven.

We will know more in Heaven then we know on Earth.

Revelation 6:10 NKJV

[10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

We are aware of things in heaven. We are aware of justice and we are aware of the passing of time.

Randy Alcorn says something like earthly marriage is a shadow or echo of the heavenly marriage between ourselves and Christ.

You don't go to Heaven to find Christ, you go to Christ to find Heaven!

Communion:

1 Corinthians 11:23-29 NKJV

[23] For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; [24] and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." [25] In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. [27] Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. [28] But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

1. Look back at the Cross, reflect on what Jesus Christ has done for each of us.

2. We must look within:

Are you where you need to be spiritually?

3. Look around

You are not alone, you are with your new family in Christ.

4. Look ahead

We are to observe communion until Christ returns.

Live a life as if Jesus were returning tonight.